Remembering Vile Rat, Legendary Diplomat

Vile Rat, legendary diplomat of GoonFleet, was killed last night when Libyans stormed the US Consulate in Benghazi.

You can view details of the story on BBC, and a brief memorial to Vile Rat from Goonfleet CEO, The Mittani here. Dozens of stations across the galaxy are being renamed in his memory.

EVE Online is arguably the most interesting game to read about on the Internet. From thousand dollar bank heists to corporate espionage that reads better than most spy movies, EVE Online has a lot to offer readers.

Inside EVE Online, the story is very different. There are endless spreadsheets, endless roaming fleets that see and do nothing, and a huge variety of ways that offer one of the most immersive games you could ever imagine. By that I mean, your character looks just as bored as the player feels.

Still, there are players who have managed to overcome the endless tedium of space. Vile Rat was one of those players.

According to The Mittani, CEO of Goonfleet,

“If you play this stupid game, you may not realize it, but you play in a galaxy created in large part by Vile Rat’s talent as a diplomat. No one focused as relentlessly on using diplomacy as a strategic tool as VR. Mercenary Coalition flipped sides in the Great War in large part because of Vile Rat’s influence, and if that hadn’t happened GSF probably would have never taken out BoB. Jabberlon5? VR made it. You may not even know what Jabberlon5 is, but it’s the smoke-filled jabber room where every nullsec personage of note hangs out and makes deals. Goonswarm has succeeded over the years in large part because of VR’s emphasis on diplomacy, to the point of creating an entire section with a staff of 10+ called Corps Diplomatique, something no other alliance has. He had the vision and the understanding to see three steps ahead of everyone else – in the game, on the CSM, and when giving real-world advice.”

EVE Online players will miss this player even if they have never heard of him or his terrible tattoo (image). His time in-game was spent maintaining the diplomatic ties all of the null sec corps have formed over the years. The stability that EVE Corporations have maintained since 2006 are in thanks in large part to his efforts.

Inside Goonfleet, there was no one else but Vile Rat to turn to if a member of that fleet shot at or killed an ally.

He will be missed.