EVE Online at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

Continue fighting for and seizing r64 moons until your organization is ready for the next step. In the time between your first conquered r64 and the next few, you should be busy implementing programs for your growing alliance and using your successes as a recruitment tool. Two high-priority programs should be an alliance-level reimbursement for battleship losses and for capital ship losses; this kind of subsidy will keep your pilots in the ships you need to win consistently. Reimbursement programs typically result in a lot of arguing during their formation, because one needs to determine which sorts of fittings qualify for reimbursement, such that the alliance isn't subsidizing the guy who puts blasters on his Typhoon. Perhaps more importantly, you need to work out with your logisticians which sort of towers and fittings you will be using for your upcoming invasion; all too often, a would-be alliance runs into a brick wall of confusion regarding POS mechanics because they didn't do their homework until it was time to drop towers. With a standardized set of tower fittings, you make any conquest that much easier.

You have towers, you have a warchest, you have a steady stream of r64 income, and by god your identity is cohesive. Now you need someone to kill. Ideally speaking you should choose a target region that isn't that valuable for your first target. The valuable regions are held by massive entities connected to each other with a Byzantine entanglement of diplomacy and mutual defense pacts; the less valuable regions are often ignored or discarded by these entities. Look at the map and watch to see which regions change hands on a regular basis and have a less desirable truesec. Places like Cloud Ring, Geminate, Vale of the Silent and anywhere in the Drone Regions have historically been easier conquests.

Once your target is selected, infiltrate them with spies. Unless you've telegraphed your intentions (for god's sakes, don't - aim for a surprise attack) your target should have no idea that you have designs on their region, so getting agents into their ranks should be a snap. This will give you a good idea of their defenses from the inside, and may give you the edge you need to succeed. Your agents need to report to you about the diplomatic situation - who are your targets allies? When you invade, who can you expect to show up to help defend your new enemy? Infiltrate those guys, too. Will your invasion impact on some other war?

A good example of an invasion mangled by poor intelligence occurred very recently in Etherium Reach, where Intrepid Crossing (IRC) and Etheral Dawn (ED) invaded Red Alliance in the Insmother region. They didn't do their homework, and didn't realize that Red Alliance was aiding Legion of xXDeathXx in a fight many regions away against Against All Authorities in Tenerifis - or that this Tenerifis battle was part of a second front in the KenZoku/-A- vs Goonswarm throwdown in Querious. Though they had absolutely no intention to do so, IRC/ED had jumped into the mire of the Great War, and suddenly found themselves reset to neutral by most of their long-time allies. While the soap-opera level of drama and politics of the Great War has entranced the playerbase for years now, it's hardly the best environment for an alliance just breaking into 0.0; you're probably better off finding an alliance no one particularly cares about in an uninvolved region and annihilating them.

Invasion day. Your final hurdle will be using a fleet of battleships and logistics ships to take down an armed and gunned cynojammer. If you can accomplish this, jump in your capitals and commence sieging and spamming. Welcome to the big leagues!