Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time - <AUTHOR> Hey! I'm Blaine from Solve (https://www.solve.com) and we're in YC's current batch. We save international travelers hours of time by greeting them at their arrival gate, expediting the immigration/customs process, and making sure they're safely in their vehicle heading to their destination. We're available in nearly 500 airports around the world, and we help with departures and connections too.
Our service sounds like it'd be expensive, but it is actually quite reasonable for someone who's already traveling internationally. For instance, our service for two people arriving in London costs $225 and in Hong Kong it costs $210. It's about $75/person from there. Many of our clients are business travelers and families, but we can help anyone who values their time and/or wants some extra assistance getting through the airport.
I stumbled upon this idea when a friend and I were flying from Seoul to Bangkok. I wondered if there was a way for us to get through customs more quickly, so I searched Google and found a (rather shady-looking!) website for a company that said it could help. I took the risk of giving this company our passport and credit card details, and amazingly, it all worked out. When we arrived, an agent met us at the gate, we were whisked through the airport process in minutes, and the agent helped us get a taxi to our hotel.
I wanted to book the service for other trips, but there was no easy way to do it. So, my co-founders (Shawn and Justin) and I built Solve. We'd love your feedback and are happy to answer any questions. <comment><USER5> This seems incredibly pricey, especially for the services you seem to be promising (which, for all the airports I spot-checked, amounted to Meet and Greet, Custom Assistance, and Transport Assistance). Fast tracking was not covered in the base price for any of the airports I checked. Connecting flight service is $745 per person!!!

Your example pricing was for 2 people, but I checked and it looks like the price for 1 is the same—SFO is $375 (for both 1 and 2 passengers), likewise for BOM ($340 for 1). Given how much you are pushing the business traveler angle, I think it'll be more honest to talk about price per passenger, as business travelers rarely travel in pairs.

Business travelers typically travel light, and might not need as much baggage assistance or custom assistance. Likewise, you only claim to provide assistance booking transportation (the passenger pays for the actual transport), which means that unless someone is traveling to a very very 'foreign' land (where no one speaks English, the signage is very confusing, you are very likely to be cheated, etc. etc.) I don't see too much value coming out of the service for most travelers.

I understand it's a discretionary spend, and that you can charge whatever you want, and that three or four hundred bucks is throwaway money for many business travelers (or their companies) but I was personally quite disappointed to see the pricing, because I was hoping to use it to get, say, an aging parent through all the airport hassle. For 50-100 bucks, worth considering. For 400, not so much.

<comment><AUTHOR> Pricing varies and our goal is to make it much consistent in the not so distant future. When we decided to build Solve, we thought we were building a simple booking engine. But really, behind the scenes, we are taking a ton of data and making it easy to understand. It just ended up being much more complicated than we thought.

Now that we've got a better understanding of price, it will help us figure out how to optimize. The paired pricing is actually just legacy in the space and we'd like to ditch it or at least come up with something better.

We've got some work to do before we're at the 50-100 buck range, but we definitely appreciate your perspective and feedback.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> One of the first things I do when I arrive in a new country is pick up a local SIM card so I can use my phone without roaming charges. Sometimes this is nice and simple where you just walk to a booth in the airport and pick one up, other times it's a real hassle, having to hunt around for a local shop and fill in personal information on sign-up. Have you considered providing local SIM cards as part of your service?

<comment><USER7> This is a huge pain in many of the airports that I have travelled. In fact, you'll even get ripped off at some. For example Rome. We paid 50 euros for a supposedly Schengen wide 1GB plan but as soon as we left Italy that SIM was useless. So yeah, I'd definitely pay someone if they can just hand me a SIM at a nominal price as soon as I walk out of immigration/baggage claim

Singapore has done this in a great way. As soon as you take your bags and go out there are display boards for SIM purchases - quite quick as well. Super friendly staff.

EDIT: changed Europe to Schengen.

<comment><USER8> In Rome buying a sim is a total gamble -- many times they don't even work. I learned to buy the sim, then literally _STAND_ in the same line and install it into my phone. (When I do this the staff at these stores start to get nervous.) If it doesn't work - I hand them back the sim and explain it doesn't work on my phone. They then take my receipt, type something into their computer, restart the phone and explain how it should work now. _THEY NEVER_ check the phone to see if it works _they know_ \-- its related to something they are typing on their computer. __ALSO, another trick they try is to explain it takes 24 hours. This is a total lie, it wont work after the 24 hours -- i usually just argue until they fix.

<comment><USER9> Are there people who take the SIM and leave? I always assume everyone stuck around until data was okay on the phone, since sometimes it needs activation, sometimes it needs settings, etc.

<comment><USER10> In Japan you can buy it at the convenient stores and the "mini" electronic store (haneda) at the airports. Switching sims, setting up the APNs, and the _NO REFUND AFTER OPENED_ on the sticker make people buy it and jump on the bus or train to downtown tokyo (where you have 45mins ~ 1.5 hours to burn anyways).

<comment><USER9> Hmm, I see. Maybe that's why the ladies selling the SIMs at Haneda were a bit perplexed when I hung around to make sure that it worked.

<comment><USER10> Yeah, even if you buy a prepaid sim and it doesn't work on your device the store probably won't refund you (unless it's "cracked" or something when you open it).

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Hey Blaine! Congrats on your launch.

My co-founder Sarah and I just moved from SF to travel the world while we bootstrap our startup, Canny. I'm also a huge fan of products like Shyp, Instacart, Prime Now, and Gobble that let you trade money for time. I think I could be your target customer.

However, $210 sounds pretty darn expensive for HK. I just went there last Nov. It didn't take much research at all to figure out how to get the 2 of us downtown on the bus for $40-50. The immigration process was smooth.

Maybe I haven't felt the pain point you describe, or maybe I'm not wealthy/spendy enough to be your target customer.

My feedback for you would be to work on crafting a story that sounds like "oh man, that's a life saver" rather than "save a few hours". Or maybe be more obvious that your product is just for the very wealthy and business travelers - like a high end credit card or something?

Just my 2 cents, hope it was useful. Best of luck!

<comment><USER12> Since you're an international traveler, I'd like your thoughts on our idea.

Would you think it's a life saver if the hotel you checked into at your destination gave you a smartphone that gives you access to the Internet, Google Maps, and other travel-related apps while you can also use it to Wifi hotspot your own personal phone?

<comment><USER13> I travel a lot and to many different places and I can say no, this isn't a useful service to me. A local SIM card yes, and those are the first thing I do upon arrival at airports (I have a pouch of 30 or so I keep as momentos).

My wife was just in Accra and received an Android device like you described at her hotel. My advice to her was not to use it for anything that involved logging in, because honestly, that just sounds shady.

<comment><USER14> There is something called a Handy (I think) which is an Android phone; it works well for browsing and maps. I have gotten one for free to borrow in a number of hotels around the world. Usually I have a local SIM though.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> I'd agree with other commenters here that it seems pretty expensive for what you're getting, or at least the value proposition is poorly presented. For example, I don't see any reason why I'd want to pay for this at a US airport (at least from the perspective of a US citizen). On the other hand if you told me the immigration line at XYZ airport was typically 45-60 minutes long and you could guarantee me priority access, there is a value there that I might pay for.

The pricing also seem really opaque - the prices even within a single country vary (from $250 at JFK in the US to $375 at SFO, why?). Certainly the going rate for a fixer at the location must play into this, but from a customer perspective I'd expect the fee to mostly depend on the value to me - I'll pay more if the expected level of delay or hassle is high. That might actually be inverse of the rate you pay the fixer - there's less value in US/Europe for me than if I'm traveling in e.g., Southeast Asia.

Overall though I think this is an interesting idea and I'd be a customer at the right price point, at least for certain destinations. Good luck!

<comment><USER16> Love all of your points here. The pain for a lot of customers seems to be international travel. You're often not sure what to expect and once you're out of the airport safety can also be a factory.

We're working with a ton of different vendors and suppliers so pricing is a bit opaque, however we're working to normalize and bring down pricing as we grow the business. For example Johannesburg is $140 for the first two travelers and $60 there after.

Overall, the goal is to modernize this industry and provide different products to different customer segments based on price/features. This is just the beginning :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> Do it guys! There is definitely a demand for this!!!

VIP lounges, fast track and other premium services are all different from airport to airport, procedure for ordering them is unpredictable and sometimes cumbersome (like, faxing a request on the company blank and paying through the wire transfer ONLY, no credit cards accepted - that isn't an exception, but more like the accepted practice). If you will figure it out to the Uber level, when i can take an iPhone app, type in my booking reference for the flight, pay through the attached paypal account or CC, predictable and reasonable price, and someone will meet me at the entrance to the airport or off the plane and get through everything - that will be a killer!

<comment><USER16> Appreciate the kind words and support! You're amazing! Before we started this company definitely felt the low tech insecurities of booking these types of service. To your point, the goal is to definitely "Uberfy" the process as we grow. Thanks again and we hope to serve you soon!

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> It's a good idea, and it reminds me of "handlers" in the general/business aviation world. When you land, they expedite your fueling, customs, immigration, overfly permits, flight planning & routing, and more.

Back to normal travelers - I wish there were a free wiki that covered all this, since it seems like it's just a matter of having the right information. Like knowing which office to go in, what forms to have ready, etc. I guess it'd be more targeted towards casual travelers who won't pay $200 for this kind of service.

<comment><USER19> Wikivoyage is the usual resource for this. Note that much of wikivoyage is targeted towards the backpacker world and is somewhat spammy so I wouldn't necessarily use it for hotel/restaurant recommendations, but it tends to be pretty good for basic stuff like airport entries and city transportation systems.

Wikitravel is very similar - I believe wikivoyage forked from wikitravel some years back, and my understanding is that many of the primary contributors moved to wikivoyage.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> First of all this is a great service, and congratulations on the launch.

But...

After checking I am a bit disappointed:

\- Istanbul: $235.00 Not including "Fast Track Immigration/Customs" for 2 passengers you can get local fast track card (I think it is around $500 for a year) which grants fast track on immigration/customs and also for all security checkpoints for 2 pax

\- Amsterdam: $345.00 Includes fast track vs Privium Basic €121 yearly incl. VAT

\- London: $220.00 Includes fast track vs AFAIK it is around 50 GBP for fast track for one time

Also I think if target is business travelers, a lot of airlines provide complimentary fast track for business class travelers. I don't recall not using fast track when flying business.

TBH I dont think Meet and Assist has big value, unless you provide some added value there.

Also at least I was expecting some lounge access on departures.

<comment><USER16> Hey there! We're still working on the wording and how we're crafting the message, but where we say we include Fast Track Immigrations and Customs we have access to a dedicated fast track line or the diplomat line.

For airports where it says does not include, we usually have an expedited immigrations/customs. Another agent will go stand in line a head of time and you can cut in with them, or they'll know the immigration officer and simply walk you to the front. It's true for all airports we service except for the US airports.

We've found that a good amount of families and the elderly benefit from the meet and assist. We also have a fair amount of high profile clients that want to avoid the paparazzi.

We consider our agents problem solvers. For example, we had a client leave his phone and passport on the plane in Singapore. The agent ran back, talked to the airline staff, got onto the plane to grab the passport and phone and was back in 5 minutes.

Lastly, our agent syncs up with the driver or helps you buy a train ticket which has been a huge value for our clients. Basically not having to think about how to leave the airport - our agents are taking care of everything for you.

<comment><USER21> > Another agent will go stand in line a head of time and you can cut in with > them, or they'll know the immigration officer and simply walk you to the > front.

If I would be in said line and observe such a behaviour, I'd be really pissed.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> How does this work, inbound, to the US ?

When I return to the US (San Francisco) on first class or business tickets there is no segregation of lines/service - you queue up in the big line and wait your turn (45-60 minutes later) like everyone else.

Other than diplomats, I see no mechanism for expediting immigration/customs inbound to the US and my (short, reckless) research suggested that expedited immigration/customs is not a perk for any level of ticket price or "elite" status.

Perhaps I misunderstand ?

<comment><USER23> > I see no mechanism for expediting immigration/customs inbound to the US

Global Entry [0], if you are a US citizen or permanent resident.

It is life changing. Immigration takes under a minute at a kiosk and there is a priority lane at Customs.

[0] [https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler- programs/global-...](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler- programs/global-entry)

<comment><USER24> I don't fly internationally all that often, but I do sometimes and just did this week, and I have never had an immigration experience that took longer than the baggage claim did. Is this a problem that only occurs at airports other than O'Hare, or am I just lucky?

<comment><USER25> I've had immigration experiences at O'Hare that have taken 2 hours.

Even with Global Entry I've had immigration take 25 minutes at O'Hare.

<comment><USER24> What part of the process did you end up waiting 2 hours at? (I'm just curious, and I guess feeling lucky).

<comment><USER25> The line.

<comment><USER24> Before or after bag pickup?

<comment><USER25> Its been a few months since I've cleared at O'Hare vs Midway. But my memory is "long ass immigration line that is bad for US citizens without Global Entry and terrible for non US citizens" followed by baggage claim and "basically a cursory scan by customs".

The last time I did this I had Global Entry and 5 of the 10ish kiosks were broken so that took a fair bit of time as well (you skip immigration but not customs in that case).

[edit] the time I had a truly miserable experience the line for immigration stretched long down the hallway to the immigration hall. It took more than an hour to see where the citizens vs non-citizens lanes began.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> Off-topic, but how expensive are five-letter, English word _.com_ domains right now? I don't see new companies with domains that are small-ish words very often.

<comment><USER27> Wow, yeah that domain must have cost a ton of money. Wouldn't that be worth at least 5 figures, maybe even 6? Is that something that YC would encourage them to do, and maybe help fund the domain purchase?

<comment><AUTHOR> You're right, the domain wasn't cheap, but we had it prior to YC. We bought Solve.com at my last company (n/k/a StudentBrands.com) for a math-related product we were going to build, but we decided to focus elsewhere and didn't use the domain. Anyway, we were able to work out a way to use it in a way that worked out for everyone.

<comment><USER26> I kind of expected something like that, based on the generic-ness of the domain. Hopefully you can leverage that generic-ness into solving other problems under the same name.

Nice service, lots of luck.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> This all sounded incredibly like a very San Francisco first world problem, until I thought of one use case for which you could be incredibly useful - <USER2> grandparents who don't speak the language traveling internationally on their own. I know mine are always afraid to travel because there is no one to help them on connecting flight to go cross customs on arrival. $300 to help them move doesn't sound all too bad, when combined tickets are already over a grand.

<comment><USER29> A good solution for grandparents is to ask for wheelchair service. It is usually free and they'll get whisked from the checkin desk all the way to the baggage claim on the other end. If they don't like the idea of sitting in a wheelchair, they can just walk next to the agent.

<comment><USER28> Yup. Have done that on "both ends," which is really convenient and also allows me or someone else to accompany them directly to the gate. That said, Solve could be a solution in transit. For example, try navigating Schiphol or Heathrow if you don't speak the language, and have a long delay between your connections. There's room there for premium experience.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER30> Looks interesting! Out of curiosity, how do you guys actually expedite clients through immigration/customs/security? Do airports really let you do this?

<comment><USER17> Every airport already has this service. It is simply complicated to order it. Like VIP/CIP lounge/fast track/diplomatic channel/anything.

That is a complicated, unsexy business though. It will be hard to pull off on a scale, in many airports.

<comment><USER31> do things that don't scale.

<comment><USER17> yeah, i just imagine how painfully difficult it will be for them. Every time they will try to make arrangement with a new airport to become their point of service, they will hear a lot of 'young man, get off my butt, you don't know what are you doing' before they will get a deal. The people who are in charge of these things in airports are very entitled, arrogant, and bound with a lot of regulations because it is a border and customs control zone after all.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> This is something I could actually see myself using soon, what perfect timing to stumble upon it.

ps. Whatever SEO marketer you went to, abandon them ASAP. The spammed geo pages (in this case: airport pages) with duplicate content is going to impact your rankings negatively. It is considered a "black hat" SEO technique. That or differentiate the content in a meaningful way. I only checked 4~ of the pages and they were all the same, so I'm assuming they all are. I could be wrong, but even then you'd want to change any that are too similar.

E: A small grammar fix.

<comment><USER16> That's awesome to hear! Please use promo code "hnfriends" for 10% off your booking.

Thanks for the SEO feedback, we'll definitely relook our strategy!

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> I landed in Beijing Sunday and arranged a car from my hotel since Uber doesn't work here. I arranged via email for the Intercontinental to send an Audi for me and my colleague for CNY 780 (USD 114). Included in the price was an expediter service of a very nice woman who met us at the gate and accompanied us through immigration until she put us in the car.

In Europe, your service doesn't make sense either, because Uber to a hotel is so convenient and reliable.

I'm your target audience, but I don't think you've hit product market fit yet.

</comment><comment><USER34> Hey I travel a lot, always economy class, I hate queues... Im not sure about this, is it legal to speed up immigration process? Like how can non airport staff even get access to help you speed up internal airport stuff? I understand prebooking a taxi and helping you carry luggage? But anything else?

<comment><USER16> It's definitely legal, all of our ground team members have special badges that allow them to do this service. They'll escort you to special fast track lines or simply walk you to the front of the immigrations and customs lines.

Our agents are problem solvers. If you forget something on the plane or need something they'll be sure to handle it quickly and efficiently. They're your your best bet when trying to get through the airport as quickly and safely as possible. A fair amount of our clients use the service to make their connections on time.

<comment><USER35> _> They'll escort you to special fast track lines or simply walk you to the front of the immigrations and customs lines._

Just be careful how you do that. If you are a U.S company the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act may be relevant: [https://www.justice.gov/criminal- fraud/foreign-corrupt-pract...](https://www.justice.gov/criminal- fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act)

(IANAL)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER36> As others have pointed out it seems expensive. Very expensive. But I wonder how you justify the following:

Arrival services in Zurich, 1 person : 645$ ?

I specifically wonder how customers are fast tracked through immmigration, given that Emirates complained that the airport does _not_ offer any fast track immigation counters for their first - and business class customers.

As a matter of fact: There are two types of passport counters: Swiss - and EU countries (including Norway and Iceland) & All others. So how is a "fast track" offering justified and what is contained in such an offer?

Also: Whisking customers through customs at that airport seems a tad, well, marketingish. Given that you usually don't deal with customs at all. You just leave through the green entrance (if you have nothing to declare) and usually just walk out. Sure, a customs agent may check on you, but in that case your helpful solver isn't of much help.

Sorry, but charging 645$ for your services at an airport where your maximum exit time - from the plane to public transport - from a Schengen country is 20 minutes and from a non-Schengen country 40 minutes (add 15 minutes for luggage retrieval) seems breathtakingly expensive. Even for an expensive city like Zurich.

How can you justify such prices?

</comment><comment><USER37> In Denpasar, Indonesia (the airport for Bali), you could always get through immigration/customs by bribing the immigration officers. Actually, they would come through the lines telling us about their "service" given that they immigration lines were moving so slowly (and I have a feeling, this was by design). With the new airport and more efficient immigration lines, these people have disappeared, however.

I wonder what kind of relationship you need to set up a kind of service that would even allow you to meetup at the arrival gate? Many airports simply have nothing for this beyond VIPs, I can't think of any airport in China that would do this, for example, which is why all the people are holding up signs waiting for their charges outside of customs.

Edit: they seem to offer service at PEK ([https://www.solve.com/pricing/pek](https://www.solve.com/pricing/pek)), but DAMN those prices are sky high (start at $1,690). I guess that answers my question then.

</comment><comment><USER38> Saw the pricing for bangalore, India. Goodness me. its $290 for 2 persons. this is for meet and assist without fast immigration. just to give perspective, its about $20 for you to get to city from airport for 2 persons (40kms trip). I can say your Bangalore price is really very high. $100 in india can get you done a lot of things.

</comment><comment><USER39> How are you able to consistently skip the lines in so many countries? I love this idea but my skepticism would prevent me from trying it.

A better explanation might help resolve that. Is it sketchy? does it involves bribes? Is it just a scam? These are the questions that will give your target customers doubts. If I knew it was legit I would always use it.

<comment><USER40> Same question. AFAIK in the first-world countries I've flown into the line you're put in depends entirely on the passport you hold, and sometimes traveler-specific preregistration programs (e.g. Global Entry in the USA). Are you actually helping people skip lines, or just showing them the right ones to stand in?

</comment></comment><comment><USER41> Super cool!

Dubai airport has a service called 'marhaba' which basically does this but only in Dubai.

It's great for helping someone who is older or disabled figure out their connecting flights through an airport.

Smart to bring this to more places.

Your pricing is pretty spot on too, it's a bit less expensive than marhaba btw.

<comment><USER42>
        > Smart to bring this to more places.

I would be 90% amazed if they're bringing it to more places, rather than just reselling existing local services.

<comment><AUTHOR> The key for us is making it more accessible and easy to book. We know that the current space is about to evolve pretty quickly. The current companies and individuals have actually been quite receptive to our approach. They just haven't had access to the tools we're building and the customers we're reaching.

Otherwise, yeah, we want to bring it to more places as we get a better understanding of the demand in places where the service isn't currently offered.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER43> Like the idea! Especially on airports that are famous for their lines and waiting time (JFK...) winning time at immigration and avoid standing in line for a taxi quickly saves you 2 hours. For the business traveler that is almost 2 extra meetings, and for the family traveler that is 2 hours less stress and crying children.

I registered a domain name a while back 'DeliveryOnArrival.com' with the idea to also accelerate business travel. The plan was that you could travel with less stuff (and therefore could bring only hand luggage) and get what normally use and need delivered on arrival: at the airport gate, in your Uber, in your Hertz rental, or at your hotel. Never executed on it though, maybe a nice add- on service (I would use it).

<comment><USER16> Thanks for the kind words! Your thoughts are exactly how we're approaching our business. Business travelers, families, the elderly are just a few of the clients that we serve.

As for your baggage idea, check out a company called Dufl [http://www.dufl.com/](http://www.dufl.com/) We've spoken to them and they have an awesome service for not having to deal with your luggage.

</comment></comment><comment><USER42> I do a _lot_ of international business travel, mostly in business. 3 figures of flights last year. I would use this service, but you're about 2x as expensive as I'd pay for it.

For example, you want £140 for landing at Suvarnabhumi. This gets me Fast Track immigration, but I already get that if I'm landing in business, and help with onwards transportation, but as per most airports, the place is swamped with good quality limo transfers for maybe 2x the price of a regular taxi. So I'd be paying £140 for a cart from deplane to immigration, plus perhaps shortening priority immigration, and help with luggage. That definitely has some value, maybe up to £70, but £140 is way too much.

<comment><USER5> I also wonder why the prices are largely in the same ballpark irrespective of the airport. This seems a mostly labor intensive offering, and labor costs are much lower in, say, India.

<comment><USER42> They are reselling local services. The costs are going to be space in the airport + paying for customers to cut queues, which airports will already be selling to airlines. Staff costs will be a minor component, I suspect.

<comment><USER5> Fair point.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> I've been dreaming of a service like this since last year. Im travelling to Malaysia in a couple of weeks from Heathrow and would love to get through security faster. I paid $8 (approx) to get through security faster at Luton airport when i was travelling to Amsterdam and i loved it. But unfortunately such a service is not available at Heathrow unless i buy business class or have an executive club membership.

$225 is rather pricey for me. Its a bit beyond my budget, but id happily pay $60ish to get through security/customs faster on my out to Malaysia from Heathrow if it was possible in anyway. If anyone from Solve is reading this please let me know if you can do something for me?

<comment><USER44> I just called up Heathrow premium upgrade seevices. They can do the same thing for $140 but when i told them i am travelling economy they told me they couldnt fastrack me at check-in or through security which -- to me -- makes it a complete waste of money.

<comment><USER16> Also here's a promo code for 10% for our Hacker News friends: "hnfriends"

<comment><USER44> Thanks but still beyond my budget. On the offchance that somehow i could afford this are you saying you can guarantee expedited security AND check-in at Heathrow?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER45> With all the stories about US immigration recently, I think what people would pay for is: fast-tracked and friendlier US immigration for international travelers, nothing more, nothing less.

There are some programs to fast-track US immigration here [1], but only from a short list of countries [2].

1: [https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-traveler- programs](https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-traveler-programs)

2: [https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler- programs/global-...](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler- programs/global-entry/eligibility)

</comment><comment><USER46> Hopefully you will have better optimization of providers in the future, allowing for better pricing.

For instance, arriving at SVO (Sheremetevo airport in Russia) you want $735 for meet and greet and transportation help.

Yet local pricing for transportation into Moscow is no more than $75 for the one way trip (SVO is a bit outside of Moscow proper) and, well, very capable translators are available for what, $50/hour or less? I've paid as little as $10/hour, though not at the airport.

SVO already has express lanes IIRC for USA citizens at least. You should either have this info noted or possibly figure out how to integrate this into your service.

<comment><USER16> Moscow is definitely an outlier. Our services in Johannesburg, for example, are $140 for the first two travelers and $60 thereafter. As we continue to grow, we're pushing our suppliers to bring their prices down and we're deploying our own teams. The problem with airports like Moscow is that they are not doing enough bookings each week to operate at (minimal) scale - <USER3> they're up charging the limited amount of business travlers coming into the country that are using the service. Definitely something we're going to change.

</comment></comment><comment><USER47> I think this can make sense. I recently traveled with a toddler for the first time. I was amazed by how in certain airports (the Asian ones), when they saw I had a toddler, they managed to speed up the process by sending me to other lines. At the same time, in the US they didn't send me to any special line and was horrible. I would have easily paid 200$ to avoid staying in line with a toddler.

The website though seems so vague. It is really hard to understand exactly what I would be paying for. There is a little bit of everything and nothing is very concrete.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for your feedback. We are working on the language on the website. Believe it or not, our pricing / services page ([https://www.solve.com/pricing/](https://www.solve.com/pricing/)) explains this service much better than what's been done in the past, but you're right that there's room for improvement. The next version of the site will be launching this month and is a bit clearer.

<comment><USER47> That's (a bit) clearer. I hadn't seen that.

I think the entire airport experience is a mess and one of the few things I can think of that's actually worse than 20 yrs ago. If you guys gain deep knowledge about their process and can then make it more efficient via technology, it would be huge.

Good luck.

<comment><USER16> That's definitely the goal! Thanks for the kind words and we hope we can help you on a service soon!

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER48> This is great! This is sort of like how Clear brokers deals with airports to expedite security, except for more interesting and complicated airport processes.

Could have used this coming back from Rome to the United States via Spain. Ended up going through customs 4 times just to make a transfer.

Curious how difficult it was to do this for 500+ airports so quickly, especially since you're a private company and operating beyond security gates in an era of permanently heightened security.

<comment><USER49> What is your opinion of Clear? I just saw it on a recent trip and it seemed like a violation of privacy

<comment><USER16> Clear is an awesome service, but their strategy/service is a bit different than ours.

We provide you with a dedicated agent/problem solver (pun intended) that takes you from curb to gate and gate to curb. We're also really helpful on international trips where there are language barriers and insanely long immigrations/customs lines.

We also make sure you're safely off in your vehicle when you exit the airport and your'e not getting ripped off on a taxi or car. For example, in places like Mexico City or Beijing you're swarmed by drivers trying to get you in their car as soon as you exit the airport.

</comment></comment></comment><comment> FLUX-YOU What are you using to coordinate with your staff that actually meet customers? Do you have a mobile app or an internal website they use for this?

Same questions for customers: Agents could acknowledge that they are there and waiting (with the customer's desired name/special request). It could also function as a customer support interface as well as providing the support phone number.

This seems like it would be very attractive for business-to-business with traveling employees as well.

Good luck!

<comment><AUTHOR> Communication with everyone involved has been a pain point for us, even as we've thrown technology at the problem. Right now, we're of course communicating with our agents via email, phone, and text to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Plus, our clients have the agent's information and the agents have our client's information, so they can communicate directly if necessary. In the near future, the client and the agent will have a Lyft-like experience on arrival or departure, where our agent sees the customer information on their agent app, and the customer sees the agent information on their customer app. This will be a massive improvement to the industry.

Thanks for your feedback/questions!

<comment><USER6> > In the near future, the client and the agent will have a Lyft-like > experience on arrival or departure, where our agent sees the customer > information on their agent app, and the customer sees the agent information > on their customer app.

That's not going to happen without a data connection on the customer's phone though, which means either expensive roaming, buying a SIM card before they meet the agent, or fighting through crappy airport Wi-Fi sign-up pages. You could potentially partner with the airport Wi-Fi and have your application authenticate them to the Wi-Fi network automatically though. Do you have any other thoughts on how to solve the data problem?

<comment><AUTHOR> True - it won't work in every situation. We're planning to communicate similarly to how Airbnb communicates when a host gets a booking - <USER4> notification, text message, and email at all once. In the cases where someone doesn't have data, they often are still able to receive texts (not always).

Either way, we already over-communicate to the client to make sure they know what to do. Eventually, the agent's app will be helpful too, so the agent can recognize the client if the client uploads their photo to our system.

Your idea about Wi-Fi is certainly something to explore as well.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER50> To HN readers complaining about pricing: You Are Not The Target Audience. At least unless you (or your employer) are willing to pay $2000 extra to fly BER- SFO first class to get an extra few hours of sleep on your way to a high-value meeting.

To co-founders: I hope you know this as well! Keep pricing in a way that shows you understand your target market.

<comment><USER51> I guess the thing is that if you are flying first or business you already get a card that lets you use the express immigration counter so you might not really need this anyway.

</comment></comment><comment><USER52> Instead of personal attention, what if there were a kiosk in every (or many) airports, like a RedBox, where you could get your tickets, SIM card, or whatever predictably before arriving? Or perhaps even a locker where someone gets all your things and puts them in the locker for you for when you arrive? That might keep the costs down.

</comment><comment><USER53> I wouldn't use language like "Quick Quote" \- I associate "quote" with "We'll call you back on the phone in a few hours or days". Just write "Pricing", etc.

</comment><comment><USER54> So what assets do you have on the ground at each airport you serve? Do you really have offices at all those locations? Or are you just a booking agent for the companies with those shady-looking web sites?

<comment><USER16> We've basically partnered with the best suppliers at each airport. There are often 2-3 companies at each airport that do this and 2 of them are terrible and 1 is really good. We've worked really hard to vet ever single supplier to make sure there is consistency and reliability on every service.

</comment></comment><comment><USER55> This sounds awesome. I've never heard of you.

I commute internationally for work, but I've bookmarked you then to try out the next time I hit an unfamiliar airport.

<comment><USER16> That sounds awesome, we're excited to help! Please use promo code "hnfriends" for 10% off your booking!

</comment></comment><comment><USER56> Great idea! And btw that is a killer company name and domain!

Yeah and I agree pricing should be lower. As you said, some Airports offer this: at Frankfurt Airport in Germany they pick you up with a Bentley...[http://vip.frankfurt-airport.com/en/](http://vip.frankfurt- airport.com/en/)

</comment><comment><USER7> Guys - this is way better than the crappy concierge service that many credit card companies offer. I got a bad experience with DBS Treasures. I'm wondering how you guys will compete or complement TSA pre-check or other comparable services, for example the premium immigration service at LGW that can be purchased for 10 GBP.

<comment><USER16> Love your thoughts, and appreciate the kind words. We actually see ourselves complimentary to services like TSA pre-check. Nowadays so many people have TSA pre-check that you're still waiting in line. Our agent will meet you curbside, hand you your ticket or help you check in, walk you to the FRONT of the pre- check or even the first class line (United Premiere's First Class Line at JFK is still a nightmare) and make sure you get on your aircraft safely. So it's a true end to end concierge service.

</comment></comment><comment><USER57> This could work when my non English speaking parents visit my brother in US. Also there are quite a few travel packages that non English people travel on. Its a very useful solution for such groups. I am not sure how big market you are targeting though. It could be big if you look internationally. All the best

</comment><comment><USER58> Where are you seeing (your own comprehensive market research?) that there's an actual demand for this? I'm very curious as wanting a service like this seems like such an odd desire to me. Traveling is cumbersome at times, but those that do it often often have it down to a science themselves.

<comment><AUTHOR> This type of service has actually existed for about 20 - 30 years and a decent number of people use it, but there's never been 1) an easy way to book it and 2) price transparency. We've solved those two issues and we believe many more people will book the service once they're aware of it. Plus, frequent travelers want to move quickly and safely and we help make that happen.

<comment><USER19> On the topic of price transparency, can you discuss the breakdown of the pricing between different airports? I've traveled enough that I'm not particularly interested in anything besides expedited immigration, and I can totally accept that it's expensive to get a person past security and buy you into the line, but I'm confused about the difference in pricing for, e.g., LHR, where $220 gets you fast tracked, and SFO, where $375 doesn't.

<comment><USER16> That totally makes sense. Right now, we're working with a fair amount of fragmented suppliers. At airports with higher demand, we're able to decrease pricing due to scale.

As for places like SFO - in the US in general (Miami and JFK airport being the exceptions), no company has access to meet clients at the gate for international arrivals, so this service isn't as in demand.

We're also still working on crafting our wording and how to pitch the value props to our clients.

For airports where it says does not include fast track immigrations/customs (except for the US), we usually have an expedited immigrations/customs. Another agent will go stand in line a head of time and you can cut in with them, or they'll know the immigration officer and simply walk you to the front. It's true for all airports we service except for the US airports.

<comment><USER59> Is it true for DEL?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER60> Just wondering if there is any backstory to the name 'solve'? Congrats on the launch

<comment><USER16> We consider our Solve agents your personal "problem Solvers". The service isn't just about getting through immigrations and customs quickly, it's more about making sure you don't have to worry or stress at all which is why we went with the name Solve :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER61> I like this and will be exploring it when my travel picks up again. Have you posted this in the forums at FlyerTalk? Highly engaged community that features lots of premium flyers and will give candid feedback as well.

<comment><USER16> That's awesome to hear, feel free to use promo code "hnfriends" for 10% off your booking. Awesome advice in regards to FlyerTalk. We're actually chatting with them now and are hoping to get something up soon!

</comment></comment><comment><USER62> How about a service for muslims or non-white people arriving in the USA.

</comment><comment><USER63> This looks great, will definitely try it out next time I travel. Looks like there is no fast tracking immigration/customs for US airports though? Any plans to add this in the future?

<comment><USER16> That's great to hear! We'd love to help. Please use promo code "hnfriends" for 10% off of your booking :)

As for fast track immigrations/customs in the US, we're only able to help in some cases at JFK and MIA. Basically no company has access to meet travelers at their gate in the US. We're working to make this happen though, and there are pilot programs at a few airports coming later this year!

</comment></comment><comment><USER64> DXB Dubai offers a similar service called Marhaba, they were great, even waiting for a long time until a lost baggage dispute was resolved

</comment><comment><USER65> I must say the logo resembles Tomatoes[0] productivity app logo very much.

[0] [http://tomato.es](http://tomato.es)

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for your feedback. I definitely see the similarity with the check mark, but it wasn't on purpose.

</comment></comment><comment><USER66> Can you eloborate on what "fast track immigration" means? How can you get your customers faster through immigration?

<comment><USER16> Exactly what tintor is saying. We have access to special lanes including fast track lines, pilot/crew lanes, or the diplomat lines. In other cases, our agents are able to simply walk travels to the front of the immigrations/customs lines.

<comment><USER27> Wow, how did you do that? Do you have deals with every airport, and part of the cost is paying for the faster line?

I've been through a priority queue in business class, but this sounds like a much cheaper option if you just want to fly economy. I will definitely try this out on my next trip.

<comment><USER67> Did not really think about this before, but if airlines are able to purchase this service for their business class customers, then other companies can certainly do it as well. For example Norwegian has an option to purchase access to priority security check on certain airports in their mobile app.

Actually a bigger business opportunity might be to sell the "pass the queues" access on the fly (without pre-booking). In most cases I would be a bit hesitant to spend money on these in advance, but if things don't go as planned I might be interested in paying to speed things up.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER68> The value-add over the $95/5 years of Global Entry doesn't seem to warrant the price.

<comment><USER16> Global Entry is a service that only works in the US, and it doesn't include a dedicated agent meeting you at the gate, luggage assistance, or assistance booking/finding your car.

We help with fast track immigrations and customs and safety when traveling international. On my last international flight, I landed and a guy grabbed my bag and started walking off yelling "fast track" hoping for a tip. If I wasn't already used to this is would've been alarming. Our mission is not just the speed of immigrations/customs but comfort and a hassle free experience when you travel.

</comment></comment><comment><USER69> quick review. im arriving in vegas in a couple hours so i thought id check it out.

after signing up, i'm asked to enter my flight details, which goes reasonably well until you ask for the record locator number, which is required. I have no clue what a record locator number is or where to find it, so that's as far as I got into the booking process. I literally can't continue right now, and at this point, the potentially helpful intercom is gone.

the price for Vegas would have been §305, which sounds incredibly expensive. I don't really get why the pricing is different for different airports, other than the fact that you want to fleece people for as much as possible. At least feels that way.

In order to fully take advantage of your service, I'd need to book it for both airports. That puts the price in the $500 range, which effectively doubles the price of the ticket for economy class flights. For business class flights, we are still talking about roughly 25% of the ticket, or 125% total.

Thats incredibly expensive and I dont really get the value proposition. If I travel for fun, I go through customs which takes an hour at the worst and then I walk out the hall, press a button on my app and an uber picks me up. I dont see how you can possibly speed that up. Even if you could cut out the whole customs process entirely, which I doubt is possible (picking up the luggage is the time intensive part), it would not be worth it.

If I travel for business, whatever I do at the airport amounts to a billable hour so I dont REALLY care either.

For reference, I make $20-$30k a month all things considered. I feel its expensive. Based on the value offered, I wouldnt book it. Maybe I lack a really annoying flight experience.

Now, you could argue that I'm not your target customer, which is fair. I get that there are people who make more money. But. My girlfriend happens to be wealthy. She takes advantage of services like yours. But she would never visit some random website to book that off of. When she travels, she gets picked up at home and then a whole bunch of things happen that go beyond what you offer and its being taken care of by her credit card company. At the airport, she's handed off to the priority check-in line of her favourite expensive airline and then its off to the business lounge where some concierge takes care of anything that could potentially bother her.

I'm sure that this may be more expensive than your service, but she doesnt care. Its just a line item on the credit card bill that shes not even going to look at. If you want to compete with that, go super high-end and somehow make it really easy to book. btw, she wouldn't know her locator number thingie, either.

If you want to just do the thing you do, I believe it needs to be cheaper. Or at least make the pricing consistent so that I dont feel like I'm getting fucked for flying into vegas.

</comment><comment><USER70> If it's possible to pay more to avoid the hassle that the other 99% have to deal with, then there is even less incentive for elites to rein in the unnecessary hassle.

I'm sure the 1% will love it, but due to the political calculus, your success will make the world a worse place.

<comment><AUTHOR> We definitely want to make this type of service available to more people in the long term and we believe that increased awareness/volume will help make that happen. TSA Precheck has been helpful to the masses within the USA, and perhaps we'll head down a similar path internationally. Airports in general haven't been very technologically-focused and even at this early stage, we're seeing an opportunity to help airports improve.

<comment><USER71> I think you missed the point being made. TSA Precheck has not made things helpful. It has merely allowed people of means to return to the status quo ante before TSA existed. It has come at the cost of less freedom and a lowering if expectations on how government should treat people without means.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER72> $540.00 to land at YYZ for a glorified bag carrier? What is this?

p.s. solve isnt a great domain I hope you change it, something like traveller.com</comment>


Show HN: Modern Editor – text editor optimized for Windows 10 - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/modern-editor/modern-editor <comment><AUTHOR> I started this project about 2 weeks ago. It's built on ReactJS + WinJS + WinRT APIs: no Electron, light-weight, optimized for Windows 10 and works on PCs, tablets and mobiles. My plan is to make it an alternative for traditional desktop text editors like Atom or VS Code on Surface or Lumia 950's Continuum. Hope you guys like it and give me some feedback.

</comment><comment><USER2> What makes it modern and optimised?

It just looks like a text editor with overly flat, square design which is synonymous with Microsoft's current windows themes?

<comment><AUTHOR> Hi. Actually, I have the same feeling with you about Microsoft design language: it's too flat and quite boring compared to Material Design. But it also has some advantages: the three-point button allows users to expand the menu and see the description of each icon button; it works better for mouse and has better performance.

About the project, I build Modern Editor on Universal Windows Platform ([https://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/windows/apps/dn8946...](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/windows/apps/dn894631.aspx#introduction)), which is a replacement for traditional desktop platform. Therefore, the app doesn't use NW.js or Electron: much more lighter (2 MB at the moment compared to more than 30 MB of Electron) and all the APIs are called directly through WinRT (aka. more native), can work on phones + Continuum, PCs, tablets, IOT or even Xbox.

I hope this will answer your question.</comment></comment>


Treadreaderapp homepage is a conspiracy theory tire fire - <AUTHOR> http://threadreaderapp.com/ <comment><USER2> Stop worrying so much about what other people think.</comment>


An Open Call for Widget Jargon Standards. - <AUTHOR> http://dbreunig.tumblr.com/post/30819144 Unlike desktop apps, social network widgets have several user POVs. After one too many extended meetings, I'm proposing that the following jargon be adopted. Users can be referred to as:<p>- Tom: a user with the widget installed. - Dick: Tom's friend with the widget installed. - Harry: Tom's friend without the widget installed.<p>Hopefully that'll add some consistency. Thoughts? <comment><AUTHOR> Unlike desktop apps, social network widgets have several user POVs. After one too many extended meetings, I'm proposing that the following jargon be adopted. Users can be referred to as:

\- Tom: a user with the widget installed. \- Dick: Tom's friend with the widget installed. \- Harry: Tom's friend without the widget installed.

Hopefully that'll add some consistency. Thoughts?</comment>


Eve Online wages largest war in its 10 year history - <AUTHOR> http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/28/5352774/eve-online-wages-largest-battle-in-its-10-year-history <comment><USER2> I miss EVE but it is all consuming, especially when you're part of a great alliance/corp.

As an member of Goonfleet/Goonswarm, I ran the logistics for the Battle of XZH, where a scrappy group of upstarts from Syndicate waged a weeks long insurgency against a better funded, better equipped force.

We won, at least until they "bought out" the system underneath us, through superior numbers, tactics and logistics. We had our turn around time from death to back on the front (fully refunded and refitted) down to less than 6 minutes. We cycled several thousand ships an hour into the meat grinder.

We kept "Ol' Ironsides", one of our space stations, up via hundreds of shield repairing cruisers (Ospreys) and a game mechanic we didn't fully understand yet, but would soon learn to exploit (moving the zone boundary).

Anyways, I miss EVE, but it is a second full time job at the top level, and I've got other things to do. I'm glad it is still generating epic battles. :)

<comment><USER3> I think it's amazing that it has kept growing more and more hardcore. I have the impression that if I started out as a complete newb now in EVE, there would be no way for me to get up to speed and be one of the big guys, running a titan(?)

It's somewhat the opposite with WoW, that it's been consistently dumped down since Vanilla. I've been playing for all 10 years, thoroughly enjoyed all of it (although some expansions were better than others) and the time I had to spend to grind flasks and potions for vanilla Naxx was about 10 hours of killing lowly mobs, grinding away, just to be able to afford 5-6 flasks, which would last me through a raid night. That's 16 hours for 1 night of playing. And we raided every night.

Now, I have a job, I'm still raiding at the highest level, yet I can log in, knowing my character is already fully decked and ready to go, the same second the raid starts. I have to spend about 30 minutes each week, just getting stuff for the remaining time.

It suits me perfectly, due to having a job and a social life (With the people I raid hardcore with normally, so our schedules match), but I do sometimes miss the sense of accomplishment you would get from pushing something for several months, like in the start/middle TBC and vanilla days.

I'm happy that EVE is still able to have such an environment, for the people that wants that.

<comment><USER4> I think there is a huge misconception of how eve works. It's not really necessary to fly one of the big ships nor train them. But then I started 2 years ago and have 2 super carriers and a titan. It's about getting into the right corporations find the right source of ISK and play the game the way you want it. If you want to fly a titan, you can do it within two years (or less) if you are smart about it.

However what makes EVE every unique is that a new player is valuable as a 10 year old veteran if they are willing to learn. A small ship can hold a carrier or super carrier in place till reinforcements arrive. It takes you 2 weeks to train into that. Hauling for your corporation in a 1 months old character can be as valuable as having a 100million skillpoint character. It's a sandbox after all and only you decide which route you want to go and how mcuh time you want to spend doing it.

<comment><USER5> _If you want to fly a titan, you can do it within two years (or less) if you are smart about it._

Now THAT'S a commitment!

<comment><USER6> There are literally people who will invest months of their time to infiltrate an alliance, gain trust, rise in the ranks to then inflict the maximum amount of damage possible (a practice known as 'awoxing' after a character who made it popular a long time ago). This has lead to a level of paranoia among certain people that it would probably be easier to get a job at a Fortune 500 company than one of those groups.

Furthermore, the biggest coalitions [of alliances] consist of thousands and tens of thousands of players. Some of those operations could be considered at least semi-professional with extensive IT infrastructure and dedicated HR and financial teams.

<comment><USER7> I'm sorry - what? Tens of thousands of people in an alliance, logging In daily, with dedicated support teams?

Is this a description of the future of corporations or just not supported by server logs?

<comment><USER2> Goonswarm six or so years ago would raise 20-30k a year from donations to pay for colo and bandwidth. All hardware was donated from corporate IT takeouts.

<comment><USER8> Colo in this case means?

<comment><USER9> Co-location, rented space inside a datacenter.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> EVE can be played a lot of different ways, but the novelty in each eventually wears off and it becomes monotonous.

This is especially true for large-scale alliance warfare, which, if you're at the top is something like a full-time job, and if you're merely rank and file, it's more like a part-time job.

In my opinion, the meta-game is more fun than the game itself in this context. There's an entire ecosystem that exists outside of the game that involves communication infrastructure, propaganda, spying, gambling, player services, etc.

Large power blocs have to be able to control the message, mobilize thousands of players on a moment's notice, and continually infiltrate their enemies to glean intelligence.

It's often jokingly said that EVE is "serious business." Players who fly the larger ships (supercapitals) typically receive SMS push notifications so they can mobilize faster. At the very top, certain players have been known to cash out (albeit illegitimately) on their power and wealth, earning a healthy real- life income stemming from their activities. Think hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Of course, as cool as all of that is, 15-hour-long battles suck. The game client, networking code and engine are a lot better than they used to be, but they're still woefully lacking for the purposes of extreme large scale warfare, to the point where participating in such battles is something akin to torture.

<comment><USER11> For me the novelty wore off in about an hour. Discovering that you it takes (significant) time just to spend skill points so that you can fly the new ship you just bought that it will take you (significant) time just to go and pick up in a game where pretty much all the game play consists of clicking on lists and waiting.

I think it's great the EVE has such an entertaining meta-community. I suspect it's precisely because the game itself is so slow-paced and dull that this is true (the real game takes place in your imagination, and the pace is such that you can spend a lot of time chatting with other players, etc.)

[http://loewald.com/blog/?p=59](http://loewald.com/blog/?p=59)

<comment><USER12> It's worth noting that EVE is an idealized capitalist society, with all the realistic drawbacks that comes with that. I agree that the back story is essentially fantasy, but what you miss is that this doesn't mean you're a classic solo adventurer for whom the world bows down as you pass. (This isn't a jab; in most MMOs, this _is_ the case.)

EVE is principally about market simulation, and pretty much everything you do is either a market externality (e.g., going to war) or a market action (e.g., mining). Contrast with WoW, which is an adventure simulation (if you're not on an adventure, WoW failed), EVE doesn't leave out the boring parts because they're critical to actually simulating the economics.

Which means arbitrage. Which means location matters. Playing the game is about figuring out what kind of entrepreneurship you want to engage in, and then optimizing it to maximize profits.

Yeah, this is non-obvious, and EVE is notoriously bad at teaching newbies. They've been trying to improve it, but it still comes down to finding mentors. Your criticisms are thus on the mark without actually criticizing the game itself; you just never got to play.

<comment><USER11> Interesting points, but it's sold as a space action game. And, frankly, it could be a far more nicely put together whatever the heck it is.

<comment><USER12> /shrug

I'm not trying to get you to play. You criticized it. I'm explaining what parts of your criticism were off mark. You don't want to hear it, don't criticize it where the fanboys are.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> I played EVE for a while; actually as part of one of these giant corporations. I'm not sure how fun it'd be without being in one, as they tend to insure you against battle loss and it takes long enough to grind the space-mining- simulator even with their support.

The other thing I remember is that these "Battles" were extremely frustrating, and very long lag-minigames. e.g. get instruction over teamspeak, everyone targets a ship and if you are lucky within the next three minutes your UI will respond and fire a shot before you randomly got targeted and exploded instantly (this was server lag, as the client would run reasonably smoothly). Even giving CCP advanced warning about where we expected to have a battle they said there was "nothing that could be done" and basically refused to acknowledge that there was a problem.

That, plus the fact that living in the UK generally meant operations were extremely late nights, meant I dropped it.

<comment><USER14> I used to play, maintained being independent up until I got my blockade runner and some game time, then backed off to do life things. I never really did get into the mining since the end result would having to be to trade, so I put focus on the market and finding a niche as a middle-man in one place or another.

For what it is, it is a well developed community a cut above say, Call of Duty. Or at the very least far more advanced at scamming.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> i'll be "that guy" and fuck, i'm a gamer.

imagine that all this energy, time, effort and cash would be spent on some tangible issue. the revolution in ukraine, a movement for civil liberties.

there are very creative minds at work within EVE, reading the mittani is amazing. those guys would run circles around the organisers of, say, occupy wall street.

to put it dramatically and over the top - the world is burning and the brightest minds play games. sort of an inverse ender's game.

<comment><USER16> Some people do both - in the most literal sense. One of the top Eve players was killed in the Benghazi attack in Libya in 2012.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Smith_(diplomat)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Smith_\(diplomat\))

<comment><USER17> This guy was nowhere near one of the top players in Eve. He was a pretty normal player.

<comment><USER18> He was pretty much one of the most respected diplomats in game and head diplomat for at the time the largest organization in the game. That definitely puts him in the top group as far as players go in a game where ability to 1v1 isn't the only way to win.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I myself also had to quit EVE after 7 years, but I had one of the best player experiences you can get in that game.

Highlights: Being a member of Veto. Going to Iceland and meeting long-time friends (and meeting Mittens!). Making a best friend. Being present for the first ever Titan kill. Becoming among the richest players in the game without using T2 blueprints. Succeeding at ultra-high level market manipulation for massive profits. Launching several successful manufacturing enterprises. Epic kills that netted ultra rare item drops (prize ships, T2 blueprints). Running multiple identities and spying on people. Playing a key role in breaking up a large alliance through dirty politics. Plotting revenge on someone, slowly working my way into their circle and brutally backstabbing them 5 years later.

Nothing else comes close to touching EVE.

RIP DarkElf. RIP Vile Rat.

<comment><USER20> It would be interesting to read more about what you did. In particular it would be interesting to hear the details on the 5 year long espionage plot. Have you written about that somewhere?

<comment><USER19> I haven't really, no. It would be interesting but also haven't played EVE in a couple of years by now so I don't have the right level of enthusiasm for the game anymore to really write about it, nor the time. Sorry :/

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> If you follow the link to The Mittani:

[http://themittani.com/news/sov-drops-b-r5-immensea- staging-s...](http://themittani.com/news/sov-drops-b-r5-immensea-staging- system)

...you see speculation that the whole incident was triggered by a bug in the game. Has anyone confirmed that this is true? If so, it would be very disappointing. Given that the appeal of the game lies in delicate politics and long-term large-scale maneuvering, having all that work undone by a bug seems as though it would discourage players from investing the time and effort necessary to make the game worthwhile.

<comment><USER2> I can say that, with almost perfect certainty, that any side who loses a major battle will complain about there being a bug. Or lag.

Bugs, mistakes and the rapid exploitation of the above are definitely in the spirit of the game.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> I love that the war "started by accident," just like so many real conflicts. I'm not to familiar with EVE, but it sounds like the game glitched and forgot who owned a key area, which people are now scrambling to claim. is that accurate? if so, will the developer make any kind of restitution to the faction that list the territory due to the error?

<comment><USER23> The sovereignty claim (who controls a solar system and it's station) generates an in-game bill that needs to be paid by the corporation owning the system. In this case a Pandemic Legion holding corp in Nulli Secunda held the system. Enough money wasn't in the right wallet division, or the auto-pay glitched, and when the bill came due their claim dropped.

When sovereignty drops like that, it's free game to claim the system and station, generating a free for all frenzy. In this case it was Pandemic Legion's staging system with a good deal of their forward staged assets stuck in the station that they can't access until they retake the system and station.

Honest mistake or glitch, who knows. The corp CEO is claiming on reddit that it was a bug and petitioned it to the game developer CCP to have the sovereignty rolled back, but it's kinda hard to tell what's truth or just PR spin. CCP doesn't roll back losses like this often (I think it has happened like once or twice that they've rolled back sov)

</comment></comment><comment><USER24> It actually looks like a pretty cool game - the description reminds me of Elite brought up to today's standards. I can't help but think of this, though:

[http://theoatmeal.com/comics/online_gaming](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/online_gaming)

<comment><USER25> It's nothing like elite.

The combat involved in this battle is sorting a list by name, double clicking a square and then pressing F1. Once that square disappears, double click another square and then press F1.

Oh, I forgot, you might align your camera in a direction of a different square, which represents a local planet, and double click.

Occasionally, and especially if your name starts with an a, the whole screen will start flashing indicating you're the square the enemy is targeting. Then, unless you have spent an extremely unhealthy amount of time playing the game and are in a titan, you will die instantly.

<comment><USER26> I've heard it described as excel with a 3D engine bolted on the front of it.

Maybe one could market a tool that turns mundane corporate data entry into an exciting battle for galactic domination, and make your white collar peon employees battle each other mercilessly to increase shareholder value. If you die in the game, you get fired.

EDIT: actually, please don't do that. unless you do this first: [http://www.richardkmorgan.com/novels/market- forces/](http://www.richardkmorgan.com/novels/market-forces/)

<comment><USER27> The irony is that for all Morgan's anti-corporatism, the privatization of war for profit has greatly served to reduce violence, from England's Glorious Revolution onwards. Corporations are better at avoiding war than monarchs, not because they particularly care about people per se but because war is just so wasteful.

<comment><USER26> The books are _good_ though. Hopefully someday somebody will have the stomach to film Altered Carbon.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> I wonder, is this sort of war good business for CCP, the Icelandic company running Eve? (Do they want more of them, or battles of a particular size/character?)

On the good side, I see:

• adds excitement/unpredictability/plot

• generates outside publicity

• ups demands for in-game goods

But on the bad side, perhaps:

• destroys long-cherished items/positions, weakening interest/attachment

• losing side feels sting of loss, faces upcoming grind of reattaining lost status: a likely quitting point

• winning side feels a sense of completion: also a likely quitting point

People who've quit: was it after some big reckoning battle, of either victory or defeat, triggering a re-evaluation of your participation? Or did big battles make you hungry for more?

<comment><USER29> The first time you jump into a major fleet battle the adrenaline pumps so hard you'll think your heart is going to burst outta your chest. You spend the rest of your Eve career looking for that feeling again (it does come from time to time).

CCP love this stuff and encourage it. They've scaled Eve to support ever- larger fleet battles; nonetheless it's no wonder that an engagement of of this size meant significant lag for some. The players will always be pushing the envelope of what the servers can support.

I had to stop playing Eve because I needed my life back. But for some, yes, a significant material loss in Eve represents such an investment of personal time and energy that they will quit in despair. As a result there is no other MMO with such a richly woven player-driven plot. Nothing else comes even remotely close.

Once you've played Eve, every other MMO seems to be developed for those who need their PvP plotted out for them, conducted in a padded cell of safety where no-one ever really loses anything significant. And tremendously uninteresting as a result. c.f. the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online.

EDIT (addendum): I should add that even reading about this battle sent me running to pull out my old and dusty Eve navigation charts, check on the sovereignty status of my old alliance, rewatch a few old Eve war vids and even confirm that my long-dormant accounts still exist. Maybe if I had to spend six months in hospital I'd subscribe again. But otherwise, no, I have a life now and it's an itch I can never scratch.

<comment><USER28> Thanks! Any good war vids you'd recommend for a total outsider?

<comment><USER29> There are two kinds of Eve videos:

1\. Video art made using well-composed in-game footage that may not be entirely representative of the general experience. Most of the official promotional videos fall into this category. Since Eve is a visually sumptuous game, it lends itself well to this form. It is practically machinima, although I'd be surprised if anyone has modded the engine as many machinima artists do.

great examples include:

      "Dreams of Yasur"      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ_UiIYarhg
      "Lacrimosa, Tortuga"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYEaPLCCIrY
      "Empyrean Age Trailer" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKdTJjDnYzE (official promo)

2\. Capture of a real battle. Here lies the real nostalgia. Unfortunately they tend to be less visually sumptuous and more hundreds of variously coloured & labelled objects in a highly technical 3D HUD that is almost incomprehensible without some Eve experience. They also tend to be long. Ideally accompanied by fleet voice battle chatter because otherwise they are not only dull to watch, you'll have no idea WTF is going on.

recent good samples include:

      "the Battle of Asakai" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLqb-m1ZZUA
      "Anatomy of a fight"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMFahR4wXTg
      "Everlasting II"       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMU2SsF0IZk

and just to compare and contrast the fleet battle experience, here's an early Titan-class ship kill, from two opposing perspectives:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymdSjCYK_PI (GS/PL)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nalljAJPe8U (BoB, teamspeak only)

But in truth the two I was looking at were much older. They were the two movies that persuaded me to try Eve in the first place:

"The Fallen". Apparently from 2005. You will have to forgive the typos and grammatical blunders to get to the somewhat emotional core, because the whole thing is touching "I miss you" letter. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmKB- LlIdMI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmKB-LlIdMI) and read [http://oldforums.eveonline.com/?a=topic&threadID=485027](http://oldforums.eveonline.com/?a=topic&threadID=485027) afterwards.

"Bhaalgorn vs Nightmare". Must be from around 2004. Two vicious-looking and rare ships duke it out for a few minutes in what looks like a high-stakes stand-up fight. At the end it becomes apparent that this is, in fact, a promotional sales brochure and both ships are on the market. The realization of what that meant for the whole structure of the game is what attracted me to Eve in the first place. [http://dl.eve- files.com/media/09/Bhaalgorn%20vs%20Nightmare....](http://dl.eve- files.com/media/09/Bhaalgorn%20vs%20Nightmare.wmv)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER30> When I played EVE, I don't remember being directly affected by these things...I never joined an alliance, just sort of hung out in isolated systems and explored wormholes and tried not to bump into too many people..it was great fun.

</comment><comment><USER31> It's the videogame that reminds me most of "Ready Player One" which is a pretty fun read.

One of my life goals is to do some studies on EVE (most likely economics). I'll convince someone it's a good idea eventually :)

Edit: Maybe do a study on terror cells and get military funding :P

<comment><USER32> Fun fact: intelligence agencies actually got funding to infiltrate into MMO's because there might be terrorist communications in there. Or something.

[http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/09/tech/web/nsa-spying- video-...](http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/09/tech/web/nsa-spying-video-games/)

Eve is a valid subject for an economics research though. It'll be doubly fun if you can join up with a large corporation and engage in market schemes; pump & dump, blocking supplies / trade routes, social engineering, or doing your own ponzi scheme. The good part is that none of these are illegal in Eve, so, knock yourself out.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> In slightly related news, $37.5M has been raised in pledges for a space simulator that still has yet to be released: [https://robertsspaceindustries.com](https://robertsspaceindustries.com).

There has to be something about space that makes people toss money at videogames.

<comment><USER34> EVE Online and Star Citizen both happen in space, but they're not a lot alike aside from that; the former is a point-and-click tactics 'n strategy simulator where a "skill" is something your character eventually levels up and becomes able to do whether you've been playing the game or not, and the latter is (will be) a first-person joystick-and-throttle space flight simulator in which things like combat and trading depend on the skill of the actual player, rather than an updated modern equivalent of rolling a d20 to see if you can beat a number on your character sheet.

Also of note is that Star Citizen is helmed by the same person who was the driving force behind Wing Commander, which all of us space combat sim aficionados remember fondly as the game which got us into the hobby -- a hobby which has been experiencing a severe dearth of new titles for most of a decade, now, more or less. Given all that, it's not terribly surprising what happened when Chris Roberts showed us a pre-alpha video of the game we've been dreaming of playing for most of our lives and said "Here's the game I want to build. How much is it worth to you to be able to play it?"

(Sources: I've had friends who played EVE Online, and investigated the game fairly thoroughly a while back with an eye toward possibly getting into it; I've donated $140 toward Star Citizen so far, and will probably buy another ship or two before launch.)

<comment><USER35> In addition to Star Citizen, also check out the new Elite by David Braben:

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite- danger...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous)

(Didn't realize he was also a co-founder of the raspberry pi foundation till just now)

<comment><USER34> Apparently it's railroading time! I'm delighted to see my favorite gaming genre finally getting some love again, and especially now that we've got the computing hardware to really make a proper go of it -- Tachyon and Freespace 2 were great, but that's been 15 years ago now, and it's about time we had some new games to play.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER36> Related: this episode of TLDR "RIP Vile Rat" has some tidbits on the diplomatic system in EVE, and interviews with the Goonswarm leader.

[http://www.onthemedia.org/story/tldr-11-rip-vile- rat/](http://www.onthemedia.org/story/tldr-11-rip-vile-rat/)

<comment><USER37> I do wonder to what extent the massive outbreak of war can be blamed on Eve losing its top behind-the-scenes diplomat.

</comment></comment><comment><USER38> Shameless plug: if you think you'd enjoy EVE but are put off by the time necessary to get "into" it, or are just curious about alternative MMOs that are not WoW clones, I encourage you to check my game Gangs of Space, currently in playable alpha: [https://www.gangsofspace.com](https://www.gangsofspace.com)

I'd be glad to provide alpha access keys to any curious fellow HNer (contact info is in my profile, or on the game website!).

<comment><USER39> Looks cool! What are the system requirements for this thing?

<comment><USER38> Any PC (Windows/Mac/Linux) sold in the last 5 years should be fine (might want ~600 Mb free RAM when a lot of players play at the same spot, but that's all). Up-to-date graphic drivers do help, especially on Linux.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER40> >An exact real-life currency figure of the in-game damage is not currently cemented, but unconfirmed estimates put the amount at more than $200,000

Always wondered how much virtual money generated during a day and what is estimation for real $$. What percent of that $200k is real money?

<comment><USER41> The game's subscription model is actually implemented in such a way that you can have an item (a "Pilot's License Extension", PLEX) that represents a month of account time. PLEX can then be bought and sold by players in-game, at whatever price they're willing to agree to. There's a fairly active market for them, so a USD -> ISK (ingame currency) conversion ratio can be calculated.

Of course, there's no (officially sanctioned) way to convert PLEX back into USD, so such comparisons speak more to CCP's profits than anything else.

<comment><USER42> There is, almost at least[1]. You can go to their conventions in Las Vegas by paying with PLEX.

"Regular price is $200 but if you have 15 PLEX..."

[1] [http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/eve- vegas-2013...](http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/eve-vegas-2013/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER43> Usually, reported EVE player numbers are a lie; it is dishonest to mention player numbers when account numbers are what is actually meant (and everyone knows that regular players involved in alliance warfare have and use multiple accounts more often than not).

<comment><USER44> This is generally true for small-medium scale engagements, but when 2000+ are in local you can safely bet the majority are "real" people. We had engagements where our own alliance would essentially DDOS our VOIP server with 800-1000 people on.

</comment></comment><comment><USER45> Interesting coverage on themittani site [http://themittani.com/news/b-r5rb- biggest-battle-all-eve](http://themittani.com/news/b-r5rb-biggest-battle-all- eve)

Eve irritates me because I really enjoyed World of Warcraft. I would have much rather Blizzard had stayed on target rather than make many of the changes they did. The advantage of a place like Eve is that space is really really big, and in a planet based environment it sometimes is hard to be that big.

But the cool thing about Eve is how much amazing depth has evolved in that game and how "easily" you can just jump in and be part of something huge.

<comment><USER46> I played Eve for over 3 years, including as part of large alliances in some (now historical) wars.

It never stops being tedious & boring and it never stops being an economic grind.

My dream is for a space game that's actually fun to play and explore in, but allows the same richness of player interaction/cooperation.

Maybe someday.

<comment><USER47> Star Citizen from Chris Roberts:

[https://robertsspaceindustries.com/about-the- game](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/about-the-game)

<comment><USER46> I follow and am already bought into every kickstarted/crowd-funded space game likely to come out for the next 2-3 years.

Star Citizen is promising but not the kind of space game I am talking about.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER48> Eve is one of the best and worst games ever made. I joined Eve years ago as a newbie from a friend invite, within months I had mastered small gang combat. My mentor put me into tackling ships at day 1 and I was a pirate -10 by 5 days into it with over 100 kills.

This whole idea that you can't play unless you have invested years is complete nonsense the most important role in the game is tackling and scouting, which you can do on a day old character.

Eve is a game where you make your own game goals. If you want to be a billionare and give away stuff and be e-famous you can do that. If you want to be one of the best solo pilots out there you can do that. If you want to be a spy and steal massive amounts of information or take down an alliance through meta gaming you can do that. Eve is basically a softer version of real life because you can change who you are within a few clicks of a button by buying and selling characters.

If you wanted to learn how to manipulate people and companies, then Eve is your training ground. It is basically the best sandbox game in the world. The spaceship part has nothing to do with it. If you want something to express every part of yourself you can do that in Eve.

I played for 3 years as a 10 man pirate corp. We set our goal to be the best PvPers in our area, we would constantly fight gangs 2-3 times our size and loose nothing and kill most of them using cunning tactics and game mechanics that most didn't know. It was fantastic, but also terrible, because once you become known, people only bring stuff to kill you, and being smart and scouting 8 systems out you know your not going to fight that. So at times there would be months with no good fights.

Eve is wonderful, I miss her, but I dont.

</comment><comment><USER49> I've played since 2003 and done the big alliance stuff, have mroe fun in smaller gangs/fights personaly and whilst I have a over 200SP PVP char who can fly capitals I never wished to go beyond dreads or carriers as being stuck in a boring big ship just did not seem fun to me and most have dedicated super- cap/Titan accounts/chars for that aspect alone.

Still, however many such fights are very much a lag-fest whoever you spell it out (bullet time or not) and the live stream I saw of this engagement was like watching a animated GIF downloading on a 300buad dial-up modem effect.

So sympathy allround to those involved in what should of been epic fun.

</comment><comment><USER50> I know nothing about Eve, but it seems like the cool parts of Ender's Game come to life. Is that a fair assessment? I love the strategic aspects, but don't appreciate that it seems impossible to enjoy as a casual gamer.

</comment><comment><USER51> A more accurate headline would be "Eve Online sees the most expensive battle in its 10 year history"

</comment><comment><USER52> This is huge

</comment><comment><USER53> EVE: spreadsheet the game.

</comment><comment><USER14> Jita my dear, I miss you.

There was a period were some alliance set siege to the gates in. System time was slowed to the extreme.

Heavyweight traders dropped out, I ran my Minmatar craft about making enough coin to pay for several PLEX. After the siege profit margins slimmed back to their normal percentages.

Lovely game.

</comment><comment><USER14> Eve Online is a place where you literally see people grind away to make money for a living, but you don't care because you are working some angle against their trades while battling effing pirates gate camping at Amamake. No one really shouts racial slurs in anger, more disinformation or propaganda while shooting the shit. There is power alliances you cannot reckon with, there are trolls you cannot defeat.

Boring bits for certain professions aside no other game gives you the depth EVE Online does. Spreadsheets rule everything around me.

<comment><USER19> S.R.E.A.M. Get the ISK! Jump out to a clone, y'all.</comment></comment>


The Commodification of Learning and the Decline of the Humanities - <AUTHOR> http://quillette.com/2018/05/03/commodification-learning-decline-humanities/ <comment><AUTHOR> This is broadly congruent with my own experiences teaching English, and it's also congruent with Bryan Caplan's _The Case Against Education_ : [https://jakeseliger.com/2018/03/12/the-case-against- educatio...](https://jakeseliger.com/2018/03/12/the-case-against-education- bryan-caplan)</comment>


Google App Engine Datastore is experiencing writing problem - <AUTHOR> http://code.google.com/status/appengine/detail/datastore/2010/09/13#ae-trust-detail-datastore-put-error_rate

<comment><AUTHOR> As I'm developing on GAE, I'm wondering how reliable it is compared to other cloud services like Amazon EC2? I know they are quite different in nature, but I guess for reliability measurement it's fine to put them side by side.

</comment><comment><USER2> Scheduled maintenance: [https://groups.google.com/group/google-appengine- downtime-no...](https://groups.google.com/group/google-appengine-downtime- notify/browse_thread/thread/911a23c2cc4edf57)</comment>


Greenpeace crashes drone into French nuclear power plant - <AUTHOR> https://abcnews.go.com/International/greenpeace-intentionally-crashes-drone-french-nuclear-power-plant/story?id=56343027 <comment><USER2> > It's not the first time that Greepeace activists breached the security of a > French nuclear plant to underline its vulnerability. In October 2017, > activists entered the Cattenom nuclear plant in eastern France and set off > fireworks.

Aren't nuclear plants guarded almost as military bases with heavy armed patrols, car barricades and etc. ?

Perhaps it is good GP shows these vulnerabilities in innocent way, so counter- measures can be deployed not after a real attack.</comment>


Congress Looking into Anticompetitive Behavior in the Digital Library Market - <AUTHOR> https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/81549-congress-investigating-anticompetitive-behavior-in-the-digital-library-market.html <comment><AUTHOR> I especially enjoy how the first comment is relating this story to a quote from Charles Dickens.</comment>


Ask HN: Scrolling vs. Paging? - <AUTHOR> Which do you prefer? And in what contexts (mobile/desktop, type of content, etc)?
eg. e-readers, slides use paging (or do you prefer scrolling through slides?)
Social feeds, articles, single-page websites use scrolling
Or, a mix of the two - scrolling to some limit, and then paging: most websites, search results. <comment><USER2> I'm old school... I prefer paging.</comment>