You may have noticed that this version of “Stargazer’s World” hasn’t been updated for quite a long time. In the meantime I focussed on my german blog and started a new version of “Stargazer’s World” focussed on pen & paper roleplaying. So, if you are interested in such things, check out my new blog at

http://www.stargazersworld.com

Today I joined a mining corporation in EVE Online. When I was mining in the asteroid belts of Scheenins I started a conversation with some other miners who were members of “The Celestial Free Miners”. They were a nice enough bunch and we had some fun making jokes while mining the asteroids. The one of them asked me to join them. It seemed as a good idea and I applied for membership at a nearby station and was accepted. To help me into the right direction the CEO gave me some skills, a bunch of implants and a shiny, brandnew Vexor Cruiser! I should have joined them earlier!

Hyperiums is a fun game, but can become very frustrating. When I started playing Hyperiums some time ago, I was asked by another player to join the alliance he was in. I applied for membership and was accepted a few days later. Everything was fine until I found out that the whole alliance was going to move to another part of space soon. So I had to join the exodus and my small fleet of destroyers loaded with some troops made its way our alliance’s new core. There I claimed some neutral planets and hoped I could finally settle down. Then I made a grave mistake: I forgot to check Hyperiums for two days in a row and was shocked to see, that a) my two new planets have been taken by an unknown force, b) my alliance has not helped my forces defending these planets, c) my alliance has decided to join another alliance and/or leave for another supercluster. So I was again were I started. All the trouble was for nothing. I was frustrated. And so I quit.
Perhaps I will give it another try at some other time, but for now I think I will try another browser game instead.

Since I started playing EVE Online (again) some time ago I have used a pretty cool application: EVEMon. EVEMon not only allows me to monitor my characters’ skills and learning but is also very interesting for people who wnat to play EVE using a dual-monitor setup. Here’s an excerpt from EVEMon’s official website:

EVEMon is a lightweight, easy-to-use standalone Windows application designed to assist you in keeping track of your EVE Online character progression. You can view your current skills and attributes, what you’re currently training, and your ISK balance. EVEMon can track multiple characters across multiple accounts, so all your alts can be monitored through the same, simple interface.

The latest version also features support for Logitech’s G15 keyboard. EVEMon is highly recommended for any serious EVE player!

Some time ago I’ve written about my search for an Hard SF setting. I planned to create my own but instead I came to the conclusion that it’s easier to use a published campaign. I decided to give Jovian Chronicles a try.
Jovian Chronicles is a fairly realistic SF campaign set into the 23rd century . Mankind has colonized most of our solar system and several solar nations have been established. After a great depression Earth is back. The newly formed Central Earth Government and Administraion (CEGA) tries to unite all mankind under their banner and is opposed by the colonies.
My planned campaign focusses on team of Jovian Armed Forces exo-armor pilots. Exo-Armors are giant robots (you know that kind from Japanese Anime) that were first used by the Jovian Confederation. Think of Top Gun mixed with Mobile Suit Gundam.
If you need more information on Jovian Chronicles check out Dream Pod 9’s Jovian Chronicles website.

Yesterday I learned an important lesson in Hyperiums. Since diplomacy between the alliances is almost as complex as international politics it’s vital that you tell the world which alliance you are part of. Some days ago I joined an alliance and felt  safe enough to change my planet’s government to democratic. This allowed me to build ships of my own but also made me vulnerable to attacks. And when I logged on yesterday morning I was shocked. One of my planets has been attacked and conquered while I was sleeping. It was taken by a member of an alliance that we have a non-agression pact with. So how could that be? Sadly it was my fault. You have to make it public which alliance the planet is a member of. I thought this would be visible by default, but was mistaken. The player who has taken the planet understands my problem, but can’t simply give the planet back. And I don’t want to create a diplomatic uproar just because I have made a newbie error! So my planet is gone for good and I have learned another lesson…

As I’ve probably mentioned before I have been game master for several groups over the years. Normally I have used published roleplaying settings but for quite some time I have plans for writing my own roleplaying campaign. Most worlds we have played in where fantasy worlds with dwarves, elves and magic. You know that kind. We played some Star Wars, too, which is some kind of fantasy in space IMO. As a long time SF fan I would like to create my own SF campaign but I am not entirely sure what direction it should take. Most published settings are Space Opera and I believe an approach based on the so-called “Hard Science Fiction” could be interesting. In a Hard Science setting there is no FTL travel and no hyperspace and everything should be modeled after real world physics – a daunting task for sure! Has anyone of my readers already tried such a feat? What are your thoughts on Hard SF and where should I ignore real world science to make the game more fun? What are your thoughts?

Do you like games like Master of Orion? Then you should have a look at Hyperiums. Hyperiums is a massively multiplayer strategy which reminded me a lot of games like MoO. But instead of playing against the computer and perhaps a few of your friends you compete with thousands of people all over the world. The game has be designed to be played with a browser, so you don’t need any client software. And the best thing, it’s free! There are no monthly costs aside from your free time ! You can get an overview of the game’s features on Hyperiums “Quick Overview” page.

Some visitors may have noticed that I haven’t updated this blog for a long, long time. Today I decided to give it a new try. So stay tuned!

Hi! I just wanted to assure all my readers that this blog is not dead! You could call it comatose, perhaps sedated, but it shows no signs of dying. I have currently focussed my attention on my german-language blog, since I currently don’t have enough time to write posts for several blogs at once. But be assured that there will be more updates when I have more free time.