(Hammer wrote some really good stuff about 0.0, but it's very much the 'mainstream/alliance' view of 0.0. Blu's notes will be at the bottom and will reflect his history as a homicidal maniac.)
0.0 space looks just the same as the space you start in. It is a set of solar systems contested for and populated by players. Sovereignty is claimed by installing player-owned structure "POS" near the moons of the solar system. They look like towers with huge energy shields around them. POSes consume fuel to stay operational, and allow you to mine the moon for raw materials, which are in turn used to make Tech 2 items. Fuel is gathered from ice belts.
An alliance would seek to take control of a system by destroying any competitors' POSes in the system it wants. Only alliances can claim sovereignty. Battles to gain sovereignty through POS warfare are the kernel of 0.0 empire building.
Corporations can also build or conquer Outposts. These look and function just like the Stations you see in lowsec space. You dock in them, repair, buy insurance, install clones, and so on. Outposts are stations which have been built by players. This costs a fortune. Outposts however do not consume fuel.
If you're in a solar system which is controlled by your alliance, you are usually safe. You have the Local window open all the time. It shows the names of everyone in your solar system with little colour markers on their names. If they are marked as blue or green, they are allies. Your alliance will have a rule for how you should handle anyone else. Often, it is NBSI "not blue shoot it", which means those in grey are to be considered hostile. Enemies are marked red. Another alliance policy, a friendlier one, is NRDS "not red don't shoot".
Asteroid belts in 0.0 have NPC rats just like in lowsec. They have battleship-class rats. There are two types of 0.0 space: one is the mostly familiar space with pirates you'd have seen in lowsec, but there is also the dronelands which have drone NPCs. Pirates have bounties for killing them and drop great loot. Drones drop minerals which can be refined and sold, but have no bounties.
You make great ISK doing ratting in 0.0, in either type of system. Mining is also profitable.
Interestingly, 0.0 has different levels of "difficulty" just like high-low-sec, from -0.0 to -1.0. Read more on TrueSecurity.
Being in Alliance-controlled 0.0 space is a privilege, not a right. You gain the ability to earn a very strong income but are (usually) expected to also defend it from hostile attempts to take control. You will also pay taxes to your corporation.
Some systems are located at the battlefront between warring alliances and are regularly in skirmish, while other systems are deeply protected in alliance-controlled space, and consequently have much less PvP.
You can access 0.0 space outside of Alliances. There are a few locations, for example, where unknown pilots are not killed on sight (see blog comments below).
The market
The normal market interface works in 0.0, however there are fewer sellers. Generally, everything costs more in 0.0 than in lowsec. Many items which cannot be built by players need to be transported to 0.0 from lowsec, such as implants and skillbooks. You can make a profit by bringing in these items from lowsec to 0.0, however it can be a time-consuming set of jumps and could take you through hostile territory.
A manufacturer or industrialist can make a good living from making and selling items in the 0.0 market. It is possible to be a trader across many systems if you can arrange for a positive standing with the controlling alliances. Of course you would need access to an 0.0 station or POS with an appropriate production-line.
You can have ships, ammo and other important equipment made by corp mades to-order.
Before you head to 0.0, you should consider these issues and plan ahead.
Capital ships
Really, capital ships - the Dreadnought, Carrier (as in, aircraft carrier) and Titans - are designed for 0.0 warfare. Some pictures from the wonderful eveonlineships.com.
More info on 0.0, capital, POSes, outposts?
See this page of my guide. It covers how they're built, destroyed and more.
This is the Amarr Dreadnought, the 'Revelation':
This is the Gallente Carrier, the 'Nyx'. It's the bigger of the two Gallente Carriers. It's usually called a Mothership and is a supercapital.
Blu's notes on 0.0 - nullsec for homicidal maniacs
0.0 is the only place where you can deploy bubbles - also known as warp interdiction probes (launched by interdictors) and mobile warp dirsuptors (which require the anchoring skill). Bubbles are essentially warp scramblers on steroids - it doesn't matter how many warp stabilizers you carry, a bubble will stop you from warping. With an interdictor or large bubble at a gate, it becomes relatively easy to force your opponent/victim to fight.
0.0 is also the place where there is no CONCORD and no sentry guns at gates, making combat a much simpler matter than in highsec (0.5 - 1.0 security ratings) or lowsec (0.1 - 0.4).
Paradoxically, much of 0.0 is empty - if you know where the traffic is (and where it isn't), you can go AFK and set your autopilot to carry you thirty jumps. I know a guy who did that with an industrial ship and made it to his destination intact. In general, 0.0 is more extreme than other parts of space. Whether it's more extremely lethal or more extremely empty depends on the political situation.
3 comments:
Thanks mate. I significantly changed the guide after your note. Still more to do but it's more newbie-oriented now.
What you've said holds true for most of 0.0, but not all of it. It is possible to live quite successfully in 0.0 without defending space, and without concerning yourself with sovreignty. Kinda.
First, you find yourself limited to NPC stations, and those rare outposts that allow everybody to dock (currently, 'Freeport Tortuga' in ec-p8r is one of those outposts). Not all 0.0 regions have these stations or outposts; the outposts are especially rare since neighbouring alliances will (correctly) regard them as a threat to the safety and stability of the region.
If you base in one of these stations, you'll be sharing it with strangers, many of whom will either be hostile, pirates, or hostile pirates. Basically, it becomes a lot like living in lowsec, only more dangerous and (hopefully) more profitable.
worth highlighting that in 0.0 interdictor ships can deploy bubbles.
it may also be amusing to note that many 0.0 dwellers die comically in empire when they forget about sentry guns and concord. perhaps a bit off-topic tho'. :)
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