Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Hidden Overseer

So this big event is gearing up for the Eve Online community.  My friend and event creator Riela was keeping me posted.  I just couldn't wait to see how the Eve community would embrace this concept.  Would the players love it like I did ?  Would they think it's stupid and it not happen?  Oh god, I hope that didn't happen.  I encouraged Riela to go to CCP with this.  No, these are nerds, they would love this! 

There were changes that were made to create this event on a grander scale.  I eagerly waited for the announcement of the event.  I told Riela I would love to help out again.  I had this crazy idea that you have a GM hidden in the player base and they get a prize for figuring it out and killing me.  

At first Riela, thought that was a silly idea.  Then the more he thought about it he thought that it would be an interesting idea.  So we developed The Hidden Overseer. 

In addition, I was on the Sponsorship Rewards team.  When scripted events happened and the pilots completed them, they would earn sponsorship rewards.  Things like logi in any fight for 5 minutes or ECM or slave implants.  We had a list of things we could reward with.  We figured I’d die early and could go off to help my team. 

Day of the event I am logged in hours early to help with pre-game prep. A few friends came with me to help, Dewgong, Jack Marshal and Krackers McGee.  Dewgong was on the scripted events team.  Jack and Krackers were on the sponsorship team with me.  The arena needed a lot of prep work and set up and the guys helped with that.  Cans anchored and filled, ships fit and dropped, towers anchored, etc.  The guys were running around doing a zillion things.  I felt kind of bad because I had to be in pilot staging, I had to remain ... hidden.

On the event TS I choose the name Betty for team speak so I wouldn't be visible to any competitors and logged in a regular log in as Athena.  The staff was busy making this or that happen. As I started to watch corp chat the players were forming teams.  I reported back to staff - they are forming teams.  Overseers began to prep for groups and asking who seemed to be in what group.  Intel was given.  

I quickly asked Riela if I could join a team and truly blend in with the players.  At first he said no, then he said yeah that is a good idea.  In corp chat I asked if I could join someone’s team. 

[ 2014.08.09 17:59:26 ] Athena Olympia > hey any one want to team up with me ?

I got two invites.  One from Shar’ku Silf and one from Marlona Sky. I was so excited !  I was infiltrating the pilots and little did they know that I was The Hidden Overseer. 


My Skype with Marlona: 

[8/9/2014 11:56:04 AM] Athena Olympia: lol I'm helping with Theomachy
[8/9/2014 12:00:33 PM] Athena Olympia: I can't share what I'm doing
[8/9/2014 12:00:39 PM] Marlona Sky: ok
[8/9/2014 12:00:51 PM] Marlona Sky: but you need a team?
[8/9/2014 12:01:03 PM] Athena Olympia: yeah
[8/9/2014 12:01:21 PM] Marlona Sky: want to be in mine? it is a 'together till the end' thing
[8/9/2014 12:01:27 PM] Marlona Sky: after we go free for all
[8/9/2014 12:01:37 PM] Athena Olympia: ok


My private chat:
[ 2014.08.09 18:00:56 ] Shar'ku Silf > i with friend looking for some allies
[ 2014.08.09 18:00:58 ] Shar'ku Silf > o/
[ 2014.08.09 18:01:02 ] Athena Olympia > ok cool
[ 2014.08.09 18:01:40 ] Shar'ku Silf > then if you want you can join us
[ 2014.08.09 18:01:46 ] Athena Olympia > ok cool
[ 2014.08.09 18:02:17 ] Athena Olympia > i have another team asking me
[ 2014.08.09 18:02:25 ] Athena Olympia > you want to come with us ?
[ 2014.08.09 18:02:34 ] Shar'ku Silf > hmm how many ppl?
[ 2014.08.09 18:02:41 ] Athena Olympia > 5 with me
[ 2014.08.09 18:02:47 ] Athena Olympia > how many with you ?
[ 2014.08.09 18:03:06 ] Shar'ku Silf > i have 6 atm + me
[ 2014.08.09 18:03:50 ] Athena Olympia > ok hold on

So now I have this guy and Marlona in chats.  Marlona invites me to a private chat channel.  It's for the team! This is some of what first was said ... 

[ 2014.08.09 18:03:56 ] Athena Olympia > he's got 6 with him
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:03 ] Marlona Sky > oh wow
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:03 ] Athena Olympia > want to merge teams ?
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:19 ] Annie Gardet > do you plan to form an army or something ?
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:23 ] Marlona Sky > um... maybe
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:35 ] Shar'ku Silf > o/
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:40 ] Athena Olympia > so this is that guy
[ 2014.08.09 18:04:54 ] Aliventi > Stay smalll. Don't want the overseers to primary us.
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:14 ] Marlona Sky > that should give us a big enough team and then if anyone in here has a friend join we should be good
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:16 ] Marlona Sky > ah yeah
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:18 ] Marlona Sky > that is true
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:24 ] Marlona Sky > they will be hunting large teams
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:37 ] Annie Gardet > we should have less that 11 in total imo
[ 2014.08.09 18:05:52 ] Marlona Sky > yeah
[ 2014.08.09 18:06:04 ] Shar'ku Silf > so atm i start with 6 friends in this event if you want we can join to you
[ 2014.08.09 18:06:34 ] Marlona Sky > i think that would make us too big

Oh how fun, not only did I join Marlona’s Group but I convinced the two groups to merge!  I was so excited I couldn’t stand it.   They had no idea what the overseers could or would do to them.  Very smart to think of that, after all there can only be one winner, right?

Now in Skype Marlona and I are having a chat.  See he was on Eve Radio one night and I slipped and said I was on staff for Theomachy.  I had told a few people I was on staff.   The funny thing was that morning he was helping me with some show stuff.  He needed to go to prep for Theomachy - little did he know so did I.  I started to wonder if Marlona would feel betrayed or see the fun and value in The Hidden Overseer and that for the event I really couldn't share.   

I was given team speak information and I logged on.  I listened in to their strategy on how to survive until the end.  It was interesting to hear and see how the pilots were organizing themselves.  It got me thinking of Eve and how we come together on the live server and forge alliances and what drives all that.

Suddenly, I thought that me keying up and giving tips could be considered an unfair advantage maybe.  Crap!  I wanted to blend in.  This got me to thinking what will happen if they don't find me, hmmm ok I need to drop clues but not obvious ones.  A few times I found myself keying up to correct some of the pilots on what they were saying and strategy.  I had to stop myself because I so wanted to say go here and do this and get this but I refrained.  It was so hard to not just key up and tell them to get off grid as soon as possible or that there were a lot of troll fit ships.  So I listened in and would chime in now and then but was very careful to not divulge things. 

Teams kept forming.  Hunting Overseers wanted intel.  

[8/9/2014 2:03:43 PM] Athena Olympia: who is fc / target calling our group ?
[8/9/2014 2:03:51 PM] Marlona Sky: theronth

At first I thought it was Marlona - but soon corrected that.  As I saw the teams forming in corp chat - those that asked or were telling folks what coms to get on or generally appearing FC like were reported into Overseer Command.  

The announcements started and I was listening to staff coms.  I muted staff coms and listened into the rules.  The pilots asked questions and you could feel the excitement of the competition building.  As I sat waiting and listening I plugged implants into my head.  Wait, pilots weren’t allowed to have implants, right?  Right – but I wasn’t really a pilot now was I?

It was time.  All pilots are to report in.  Set your clones for death cloning to the designated system.  Pilots were to join one of the two player fleets, undock in a pod and warp out.  They were poded to the system to clear any clones.  I sat nervously waiting as local started to drop.  OH shit, will my team notice me?   I just won’t talk on coms and maybe they won’t remember I’m here.

A few players showed up late and missed the pilot line up.  I sat patiently watching local.  It was me and one other person.  The pilots were in the starting system waiting to be bridged into the staging system.  Again I got nervous wondering if my team was going to notice me not with them.  Pilots are being bridged in and are on grid.  The staff channel command is starting to get so active. 

Eve pilots, being the kind of pilots they are, were testing the waters.  Player x disqualified would come over channel command.  Channel command was busy with behind the scenes coordination. I waited patiently and painfully wanting to be on grid.  Players bridged in and were getting into ships and moving around.  CCP Falcon moved me to a secrect location in the system where my ships were waiting. 

I had fully fitted Amarr ships waiting for me with fits that were not troll or shit.  I book mark the location and then get into my prophecy.  I felt the battleship would have been obvious and too much over kill.  The entire time I was in Overseer fleet.   Hmmm did my group send a fleet invite?  Nothing was said to me.  Interesting.  Maybe they didn't think too.  All they said on coms was to x up in chat for fleet invite.  I hadn't done that yet, but a good FC would have looked and said - why is x here but not in fleet and is in coms with mic not active listening?  I was trying to exhibit every behavior a spai would do.  

I un mute my mic and I x up in channel.  I get a fleet invite and ask who do I warp too.  Off I go.  Not one fleet member even comments on my ship, where did I get it, etc.  Hmm really ?  We now had grown from 11 to 20 people and everyone else is in smaller class ships not one person notices me in a BC ?  HUH ok.  

We were at a beacon and would fight anyone that came in.  In comes overseers and my group actually engaged.  Oh shit they are shooting ME.  WAIT!  Quickly report in - Overseers can't shoot me I'm a prize and event for the competitors!!!  The overseers would lock but disengaged.  Announcement reminder that an Overseer was hidden among them and that he or she when dead had a prize.  Then comments about the overseer being a she.  What the hell ?  So gender neutral we tried to keep it.  

Our fleet sat at the same spot for a good 45 minutes.  I told Marlona - get this fleet moving and engaging many times.  He didn't, but tried on coms. 

[8/9/2014 2:22:17 PM] Athena Olympia: y'all need to get off this beakon
[8/9/2014 2:22:25 PM] Marlona Sky: i know
[8/9/2014 2:22:27 PM] Athena Olympia: they will come nuke this group

I reported in - Hunters needed to come take out my fleet and where we were and what they were in.  Riela seemed very happy to have me there.  Besides, there can be only one in the end. 

Then it came - CFC and BRAVE have the biggest formed fleets.  Any intel or ideas who the FC's are?  Intel given.  Hunting them began.  

At two hours into the event Riela and I couldn't believe I was still alive.  There were some fights that were good and I thought at one point I was going to die.  My Overseer team (Jack & Krackers) along with Riela (Event Creator) would warp in to every fight I was getting into to try to witness my demise.  The players weren't killing off the events to earn their sponsorship so my team decided to come help players at will.   Yes I'm into armor damage!  I am running my repper .... wait no WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!  I hear on the team TS "these overseers keep finding us, we need to keep away from them".  

Pilots would see my team and warp off.  The beauty of not knowing if it was an overseer there to hunt you or help you.  At two and a half hours I announce to command - I am going to awox my team.  

To Marlona Sky
[8/9/2014 2:39:12 PM] Athena Olympia: at some point i may have to break from you guys
[8/9/2014 2:39:27 PM] Athena Olympia: are you paying attention to the announcements ?

I hear they are going for x ship to get into it - I start shooting it and destroy it.  I hear "Athena stop shooting ships we are trying to get into".   So I tell my fellow Overseers and we all figure - that my fleet is going to turn on me and shoot me.  

[8/9/2014 2:46:12 PM] Athena Olympia: put me on watch list and lock me
[8/9/2014 2:46:18 PM] Athena Olympia: NOW
[8/9/2014 2:46:40 PM] Marlona Sky: shoot you?


[8/9/2014 2:58:50 PM] Marlona Sky: ffs now just in pod
[8/9/2014 3:02:03 PM] Marlona Sky: i keep getting disconnected
[8/9/2014 3:04:35 PM] Athena Olympia: you need to get into a ship
[8/9/2014 3:04:41 PM] Athena Olympia: because i will soon have to turn on the fleet

Due to Marlona having connection issues and soccet closing I revealed myself. 

[8/9/2014 3:10:56 PM] Athena Olympia: i'm the hidden overseer my dear
[8/9/2014 3:11:13 PM] Marlona Sky: oh i get it
[8/9/2014 3:11:29 PM] Marlona Sky: just lame i spent the entire time with socket closes

A true lover of the Eve Universe he doesn't announce it in fleet, in the form up channel, in corp or on coms.  Thank you Marlona ! 

Marlona Sky
[8/9/2014 3:12:38 PM] Athena Olympia: i just got into my bs
[8/9/2014 3:13:39 PM] Marlona Sky: nice
[8/9/2014 3:15:03 PM] Athena Olympia: you on coms ?
[8/9/2014 3:15:07 PM] Marlona Sky: i am lol
[8/9/2014 3:15:13 PM] Marlona Sky: they getting mad at you
[8/9/2014 3:15:25 PM] Athena Olympia: lol wait til they hear i was a prize
[8/9/2014 3:15:35 PM] Marlona Sky: not sure i think the 'hidden overseerer' thing makes for an interesting element. dont know

At this point I was AWOXING my own fleet.  Mystical Mike was one of my team members and I was shooting him! He wouldn't shoot back.  BOOO!  I switch to someone else.  I am dropped from fleet but still on coms.  I hear "Athena your mic is muted here".  BAHAHAHAHHAHA YES I know cause I'm reporting into Overseers on you guys.  Do you know these guys not once turned the fleet on me for AWOXING them? 

Interesting.  If this were the live server would they have done the same?  Were they thinking that they needed to keep the group together for pure safety in numbers? You have a traitor among you - at what point do you cut them loose and protect the rest of the group?  I digress.

On TS I open my mic and tell them that it was a pleasure flying with them, wished them luck and that soon they'll learn why I did what I did and that Marlona knows and can fill them in.  I bounced out of coms. 

[8/9/2014 3:19:38 PM] Marlona Sky: lol why you drag me into your scheme
[8/9/2014 3:20:53 PM] Athena Olympia: rofl
[8/9/2014 3:28:29 PM] Athena Olympia: come kill me damn it

I go get into my battleship and go out to various beacons.  Again my Overseer buddies wait and I tell them oh this may be it - they warp in.  No.  OMG CHICKENS the whole lot of you are!  Ok finally I run into someone I'd flown with before Anna Niedostepny.  Anna had even been in my corp at one point years ago. 

Now about this time they decided to let overseers kill pods.  I originally was and then was told not too since I was an overseer.  I argued the case that since I was "hidden" I should have been exempt and that could have helped with a lot of pilot elimination and the massive amounts of pods we had warping around at that point.  Overseers opened podding for a period of time to keep the event moving forward. 

I report in I have the BRAVE fleet on me - stay off until I am almost dead.   They had me into armor and going down fast - finally.  Here come my Overseer friends ... Jack, Krackers and Riela to just watch.  BRAVE WARPS OFF.  REALLY?  There was like 30 of you on field and there were 3 Overseers in ECM ships no damage.  How brave are you really ?  Not very.  So Anna opens a private convo.  


[ 2014.08.09 21:42:38 ] Anna niedostepny > so lucky
[ 2014.08.09 21:42:44 ] Anna niedostepny > devs showed up :P
[ 2014.08.09 21:42:46 ] Athena Olympia > why ?
[ 2014.08.09 21:42:47 ] Anna niedostepny > they are hunting me hard
[ 2014.08.09 21:42:49 ] Athena Olympia > devs ?
[ 2014.08.09 21:42:58 ] Athena Olympia > why are they hunting you hard ?
[ 2014.08.09 21:43:10 ] Anna niedostepny > cause i am in a group
[ 2014.08.09 21:43:24 ] Athena Olympia > lol oh little do you know
[ 2014.08.09 21:44:30 ] Athena Olympia > invite me to your fleet
[ 2014.08.09 21:44:33 ] Athena Olympia > i'll help you guys
[ 2014.08.09 21:44:51 ] Anna niedostepny > lol
[ 2014.08.09 21:44:56 ] Anna niedostepny > we already have a be enough one
[ 2014.08.09 21:47:01 ] Athena Olympia > oh ...
[ 2014.08.09 21:47:13 ] Athena Olympia > well ... did you catch that hidden overseer yet ?
[ 2014.08.09 21:48:10 ] Anna niedostepny > we killed 2 o them
[ 2014.08.09 21:48:29 ] Athena Olympia > not the hidden one
[ 2014.08.09 21:48:33 ] Athena Olympia > you killed exposed ones
[ 2014.08.09 21:48:47 ] Athena Olympia > there is still a hidden overseer still in the player corp *wink*

Closed chat.  Still didn't pick up on that I WAS THE HIDDEN OVERSEER. LOL 

Ok folks at this point me and the other Overseers are confused.  So the decision is made to reveal my name and let the group hunt me down.  

Player Corp Chat: 

[ 2014.08.09 22:20:08 ] Corr Donnyr > Athena is on planet 4
[ 2014.08.09 22:20:11 ] Corr Donnyr > abaddon
[ 2014.08.09 22:20:27 ] Athena Olympia > yes i am
[ 2014.08.09 22:20:51 ] Athena Olympia > and to think ... i asked to join a group ...
[ 2014.08.09 22:20:57 ] Athena Olympia > and when i turned on my group they did nothing
[ 2014.08.09 22:21:32 ] Corr Donnyr > damn
[ 2014.08.09 22:25:14 ] Copyleft > lol
[ 2014.08.09 22:25:29 ] Copyleft > I'd shoot you, just don't have enough ammo :)
[ 2014.08.09 22:29:33 ] Athena Olympia > lol

I did finally die.   

My parting message: [ 2014.08.09 22:35:30 ] Athena Olympia > It's been fun - see you on the field in a bit :) o/

I hope my team doesn't hate me too much - I tried to give you opportunity for you guys to win T2 HAC of your choice but ... alas you were nice, kind and gentlemen.  

I then got moved by CCP Falcon to our staging system - joined the staff corp and took the jump bridge back.  I really wanted to get into a bomber and start bombing runs on the large groups and pods just warping about.  One small problem - no damage bombs were staged.  DAMN IT!  Ok - where are the bubbling ships?  Ah sabre or flycatcher ... flycatcher.  

Off me and the guys went putting bubbles every where we could.  The participants needed to be eliminated.  There could only be one winner.  Seek and destroy.   The end was coming for the pilots.  The Arena was going to be despawned.  Announcements made, pilots needed to only be in two locations.  Pilots were being disqualified.  Then it was down to the final match and all overseers were told to NOT shoot.  

HA!  I had bubbles!  We ran out of bubbles in one staging area and had to go get more - went through 500.  
Zipping around bubble bubble.  Oh announcements - we will shorten the arena grid in 2 minutes.  Ok oh that group is far out - bubbles to stop them from getting in must go up! 

The final battle was a passive fit Drake and a Hunter fit Caracal.  Both held on for a good long time but the victor was that Drake.  I wonder how FC's will now respond to "can I bring my Drake?"   I for one will say only if it's Theomachy winner fit!"