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Hey Guys. This one has been a long time coming guide, with many requests. Finally it is time. What is a Capsprey? A Capsprey is a cheap Osprey focusing on helping out a WTM fleet and its great cap-hungriness, following them around and servicing capacitor on-grid, while not in fleet. Ideally this character is an alt of someone who is already in fleet and getting paid for site-completion. How to safely do this without blowing up? You have to play by a couple of really simple rules and you will most likely (99.99% chance) not going to get targeted at all, unless our CCP Overlords will decide otherwise (the 0.01% why you cant say something like "impossible or always/never" in EVE). Rules: 1. As always you have to listen to the FC. Nothing new here. 2. Unless you have an explicit permission from the FC you are not going into a TCRC. Only NRF and TPPH. To be fair TPPH is by far the most cap-hungry site anyway, and thats where you are needed the most. In TCRC there are a couple of frigs and cruisers who are not playing by the usual aggro rules, and sometimes its messy enough even without a Capsprey. Feel free to ask permission, but dont get grumpy if FC says no tho'. 3. In NRF and TPPH when fleet takes a gate you have to be a 100% sure that the initial aggro already happened (somebody is already getting shot), after that you have to take the gate really quickly, because you have to keep up with the fleet, and not be out of position when the next wave spawns! How to confirm aggro? Either check it with your in-fleet character, or if you dont have that wait 15 seconds after fleet took the gate, then catch up fast! 4. Anchoring: DO NOT ORBIT! You have to reach your anchor position before the next wave spawns, this is super important! When you are there then obviously you can turn off your prop-mod. I'll give you two options how to anchor yourself: a) In case you can move in 3D (Q+doubleclick) and have the capacity to choose a safe spot: anchor yourself! This is probably safer than relying on a booster that sometimes can be slightly out of position. -TPPH: last room 30 km left from the tower, 80 km from the beacon, your altitude (important) should be the top of the very highest spike of the tower. -NRF: 50 km right from the tower, 80 km from the beacon, your altitude (important) should be the top of the very highest spike of the tower. -TCRC: does not matter even if the FC lets you in, there are no waves after Outuni spawn, so you should be fine anywhere. b) In case you can not anchor yourself: You will anchor on the primary booster. You burn to it really close, keep-at-range 1000 meters. If the booster is not out of position you probably (99.99%) wont take new wave initial aggro. Okay, you survived. Nice. But how to effectively use a Capsprey, what is the job? It is rather simple because you should focus on your in-fleet character mostly anyway. You should service cap for the most cap-hungry boats in the fleet. Who are these guys? Blaster boats. Typically: all the Hyperions are cap hungry all the time. Vindicators who are burning around like madmen. Vindicators who are doing crazy DPS, pulling damage aggro. Hope they are not in fleet, but alas if they are: Rokhs. Honestly, all the blaster boats will be grateful for your deed. Some rare times if they notice you they might just tip some ISK as well for your service. I know i do. ;3 So you put 1 cap transfer on each of these guys (5 at a time), and you basically are good for at least 1 wave. I would recommend to maximize your focus on your in-fleet character. And only switch cap targets with the Capsrey if you still have spare time, which sometimes you probably wont have at all. Depends on the fleets nature, really. I would also recommend to just keep capping Hyperions (Rokhs...) all the time and never let them go. You can shuffle around the rest of your cap transfers on Vindicators if you want tho', cuz most typically they wont need them all the time, just a refuel every now and then. It is completely fine to just choose 5 ships and cap them for a whole site and to not pay attention to your Capsprey at all after you started capping and reached your anchor. What to do if you screwed up and failed to play by the rules or CCP decided you will be unlucky? AKA: if you are targeted by sansha. The tanky fit that i listed below most likely will hold and not blow up, if the in-fleet logi can catch you on time. If possible then you should voice it on comms, even target broadcast your own alt quickly. Overheat the tank, the prop-mod and try to burn away. Hopefully the commanders and logies are on the lookout on their own as well and will try to save you. Do not warp out with the tanky fit, please even if you are able to. It will just cause split aggro, which can easily result in losing some drones, and of course grumpy logi. Most likely you will survive, but even if you die, it is a cheap loss and a good lesson what not to do with the next Capsprey. If you are in the greedy fit then feel free to warp out, cuz you are not going to survive a full wave aggro. But that fit is only recommended for veteran pilots who are experienced multiboxers and confident enough that they wont screw up ever. Recommended tanky fit for everyone: Not recommended greedy fit for veterans who are experienced multiboxers and really confident: Why Small Cap Transfers? Small Cap Transfers will give enough cap for your targets, but they will not pull enough aggro to be targeted by the sansha. It is the perfect solution and these small Corpii A-Types are also really cost-effective. Alright thats enough to start. Not sure if i want to expand more on the why's and how's and make this another "book" of mine. I will update if there is something that i feel important enough. Off you go, and cap some mighty Vindicators!

"I'd like to try Logi, but the skill train is SOOO long." "How many injectors do I need to fly a Basi? 20-ish?!? Never mind." "We have to stand down the fleet for lack of Logi." "We don't have enough combat caps to take this site." Anybody else keep hearing things like that? Ideally there would be some way for curious or Logi-aspiring pilots to be able to get some field experience with the Logi role without needing to commit zillions of SP beforehand. Similarly, it would be nice if there was a way for battleship pilots who don't have the Logistics Cruiser skill to be able to fill in and keep a fleet running rather than having to stand down the fleet for lack of Logi. To those ends (and also because I like them), I've been looking at Ospreys. [TLDR: Well-fit Ospreys might be able to plug gaps in Logi group when standard Logi pilots are not available.] As it turns out, the spectacular hull bonuses on the Osprey make it possible to fit one such that it functionally mimics a Basilisk with a Logi-4 pilot and no remote sebo - including equal or better repping power and a combat cap (meaning that just like a Logi-4 Basi, adding it to the chain does not increase the total number of combat caps). The beauty is that a "Logistics skill = zero" pilot can fly it. The easiest scenario to fix is a shortage of combat caps. If it's a choice between standing down the fleet or finding some combat caps, and no qualified Logi pilots are available, the fleet could put nearly ANY pilot in the following ship and fix the problem. Even a pilot with absolutely atrocious skills can fly it and make it function as intended. The pilot just has to be awake and understand how to respond to broadcasts. Just plug it into the cap chain, give it two cap transfers, and it adds a net +3 combat caps to fleet. The mids and lows in the fit below are flexible, but there is plenty of fitting space available to throw money at it to make sure it can tank adequately, and to address any other perceived weaknesses. [Osprey 0/5 EASY] Sentient Signal Amplifier Syndicate Damage Control Caldari Navy Power Diagnostic System Pith X-Type EM Ward Field Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field Thukker Large Shield Extender 10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Medium Core Defense Field Extender II On the higher end, if the fleet needs more actual Logi ships, the following fit will mimic a Logi-4 Basilisk in terms of cap-chain and repping power (total repping power is actually higher than a Basi). The fit is tighter, and stability (even with 2x incoming cap transfers) requires max Caldari Cruiser and Shield Emission Systems skills, but again, a pilot with Logistics skill = zero can fly it. The following fit is just an example for discussion - incursion fitting gurus should feel free to change it. With adequate skills, though (per above), it plugs seamlessly into a Basilisk cap chain just like a Logi 4 Basi pilot, and has more repping power than the Basi does. The main challenge is making it tank adequately - which more experienced minds than mine will need to assess. [Osprey - Logi-4 Basi Mimic] True Sansha Reactor Control Unit Syndicate Damage Control Dread Guristas Co-Processor Pith X-Type EM Ward Field Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field Thukker Large Shield Extender 10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter Large Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster Large Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster Large Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster Medium Core Defense Field Extender II Medium Ancillary Current Router II Medium Ancillary Current Router II Ideally, there is some way to keep a fleet running even with a modest shortage of Logi pilots. Similarly, ideally there is some way for new or curious pilots to have an opportunity to try the logi role. Osprey fits might fit the bill. Those who know the sites and requirements (and risks) better than I do will have to make those determinations. I'm interested to find out. Thoughts, suggestions and feedback are welcome, -T'vaar Q&A: Q. Wait, aren't those MEDIUM cap transfers on that Osprey? That can't possibly be acceptable. A. Yup, those are mediums. But thanks to the incredible role bonuses on the Osprey hull, it turns out that a Medium "Regard" cap transfer from an Osprey delivers the exact same 324 capacitor as the Large "Regard" cap transfer from a Basilisk. Thus, an Osprey with 2x mediums can merge seamlessly into a Basi cap chain. (Put a Large on an Osprey and it delivers almost 1,000 cap. Fitting 0/5 can be fun). Q. It only has three large reppers - and they're not even T2. How can it possibly out-rep a Basi? A. Again, the amazing hull bonuses on the Osprey work differently than the Basilisk bonuses. Whereas the Basi bonuses make each repper cost less capacitor, the Osprey bonuses make each repper deliver more rep. Therefore, each Large "Murky" repper (meta 1) on an Osprey delivers 975 shield if the Osprey pilot has Caldari Cruiser 5, (900 shield if Caldari Cruiser 4), whereas each T2 repper on the Basi delivers 680 shield. The cycle times are the same, so the Osprey's three reppers can rep 2,925 shield per cycle (2,700 with Caldari Cruiser 4), vs the Basi's 2,720. The Osprey's range is a little better, too. Q. Isn't it expensive for a T1 cruiser? A. Depends how you think about it, I guess. The bulk of the cost is in modules that can be moved to any other ship later on. The committed cost (hull and rigs) isn't so bad. Also, the fitting gurus may find ways to make it less expensive. The above fits are, again, just an illustration of concept. Also, how much is it worth to be able to keep a fleet up and running rather than standing down for lack of Logi?