Like a lot of white jewish guys I can’t dunk. Like most guys I can deal with it in one of three ways, I can give up on it, I can work out and get above the rim, or I can lower the basket.

The last option works great when I’m in the driveway on my own hoop. It doesn’t work so well when I go out to the Y and play even a pickup game. If dunking is my goal I have to step up my game. I have to go to the mountain.

Today the mountain came to the miner.

CCP released a devblog, lots of good stuff for frigate lovers, new destroyers, and big changes to mining barges.

Procurer/Skiff: primarily made for self-defense. Better mining rate than the ORE frig, good ore bay, but capable of having battleship-like EHP.

primarily made for self-defense. Better mining rate than the ORE frig, good ore bay, but capable of having battleship-like EHP. Retriever/Mackinaw: made for self-reliance. Has the largest ore bay, similear to the size of a jet can, second best mining output but less EHP than the procurer mining barge.

made for self-reliance. Has the largest ore bay, similear to the size of a jet can, second best mining output but less EHP than the procurer mining barge. Covetor/hulk: ore bay is identical to its current cargo hold, little to average EHP, but best mining output. Basically made for group operations when players have industrials and protection to back them up.

This seems to be a response to forum whines about the survivability of mining ships. Rather than players relying on themselves to make themselves better, or by banding together to work as a team, CCP has handed them ships that greatly increase the capability of miners to operate solo. Let’s assume that a decently tanked hulk sits around 20k EHP. A Procurer/Skiff with “Battleship-Like EHP” will likely end up with a MINIMUM of 50k EHP and probably 70-80k EHP. Assuming a retriever/mack sits in between we are talking 35-50k EHP. This gives miners greater resilience against ganks fine, they are happy for about a week.

Here’s the problem

The gankers will adjust.

This isn’t a solution. This is a band-aid. This fixes the symptoms. The disease is still there. The disease is the lack of adaptability in the mining community. Lowering the basket makes it physically possible to dunk. If I want to do it in a game there’s one other consideration. If someone stands in front of the rim they can block you and no amount of lowering the rim will help you. You have to deal with the other player.

You have to deal with the other player.

You Have to deal with the other player.

THE OTHER PLAYER.

THE OTHER PLAYER!!!!!

Because this is a Massively Multi-PLAYER game. If your problem is the way in which other players play the game then you have to adjust how you play the game. This might reduce he impact of some ganking strategies, it might make it possible for you to dunk, but it doesn’t make it impossible to get blocked.