VP for short is the art of talking on a radio net (or in our case TS) in a way that:

1. Gets info across clearly and concisely.

2. Prioritises transmission for those who need it and,

3. Minimises he chances of you going bonkers from dozens of people talking at once.

This really is a skill you should learn if you are going to pvp, it can make the difference between winning and loosing but also between enjoying a roam and it driving you nuts. I am a bit of a comms nazi having spent ten years in the British army on very complicated radio nets with different people speaking in different ears and I know how frustrating it can be when people just blurt stuff out without thinking.

The rules on comms are pretty simple really, for a start just treat it as a normal conversation with a friend. You wouldn’t interrupt someone you were talking to face to face so don’t do it here. Rule 1 is listen before you talk, if you spam over the top of someone then neither will be heard and you loose time because both people will have to repeat what they were saying, it’s also rude.

Rule 2 is always speak in the third person, never say “me”, no-one knows who me is and it is wasted transmission time. “Johnny has point, warp Johnny” is quick, accurate and repeats the name to make sure.

Keep it short and don’t waffle when a fight is on. I very much enjoy flying with experienced guys because they know exactly what info needs to be conveyed and do so in a relaxed manner. The rest of the time we are just blethering away like old women but as soon as a fight is on the comms immediately becomes efficient for the duration then it’s back to gossiping.

Learn what needs to be said, blurting out “pilgrim on scan” is pointless, everyone will be monitoring dscan and will see it too, if you can narrow it down to a celestial however then speak up. Telling your fleet that a ship has arrived on grid with you is likewise pointless – your fleet will have seen it.

Voice comms varies greatly depending on the experience level of your fleet, a bunch of newbies will be overexcited and verbose so you will need to quieten them down a bit whereas languid bittervets sometimes forget to call point and just solo whatever they have found. If you find yourself on a new comms server then listen a lot before you speak, try to fit in with their way of doing things and you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Hope this helps..