So, event is now effectively over.
lulz.
How does this compare with the CP event in terms of charlie foxtrots?
I'm getting the idea that when CCP calls for an all-hands-on-deck event, we should just pull up the covers and hide.
This was bad. Very bad. Caldari Prime was chaotic and while many couldn't get to the ultimate fight, a great many more did (something like 1500, IIRC?). A coherent narrative could still be developed, partially because players were still constrained by CONCORD up until the end. Here, though, most of both empire-aligned fleets were wiped out before they even managed to get there. The only 'narrative' was desperately trying to run a well-prepared blockade only to smash into further brick walls.
Here are some more specific issues described:
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Formup and path systems were not on reinforced nodes. Even 200 players were sending them into fits of 10% tidi, let alone 500-700 players. This massively slowed down any movement by the Empire group, turning what should have been a fairly short journey into an exceedingly long one.
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Nullsec entry points were announced beforehand. Entry into nullsec is never an easy matter, but when you announce it beforehand and then take a long time getting there (see above) it's making a bad situation worse.
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At least one (maybe both) of the routes went through 'hot' nullsec zones. Doril is the staging system for at least one major null alliance, meaning they didn't even have to move to set up a well-prepared camp. Can't speak for FD-, though it was camped by the time the Empire group got there as well.
The remainder of the empire block was met at the site of the lab by a well-prepared faction BS actor group. These only needed to prevent the lab structure from being killed for a couple of minutes before it was declared a victory in their favor. In Syndicate, enough empire people got through to make it a decent fight, but in FMOC it was apparently never really in question that the defenders would hold.
Edit:
NEW TWIST! People are now reporting the structures may have been unkillable.