Data Mining

Data Mining, as defined by Wikipedia, is “the process of sorting through large amounts of data and picking out relevant information”. I think I’ve come up with a slightly different definition: Data Mining is Mining for Data. Allow me to explain:

I, as a miner, am interested in getting the most ISK out of my Mining Crystal II’s. That means that I try to mine only the most valuable ore I can find. In the region of space I’m in, that is sometimes Kernite, but mostly Pyroxeres. And besides that, I try to mine the rare types (the ones that give 10% and 5% bonuses to yield) first. So far, all of this is normal, and expected of a miner. What makes me different is what I do with that ore.

I don’t simply dump it in my hangar and then refine it, no sir. First I like to analyze it. How much did I mine today? Why? Do I have more Solid Pyroxeres because they are simply more abundant or did something prevent me from getting at the Viscious Pyroxeres? Did I mine more today or yesterday? These questions help me understand the way I mine and find ways to improve it. Mining is not just about the skills (although they play a major role, of course). The way you fly your Hulk around the belts also plays a big part in determining if you fill a can in 20 minutes or 30. 10 minutes don’t seem like much, but after an hour I have 3 full cans against your 2. It makes a lot of difference in the long run.

So, what kind of “Data Mining” do I get out of my ore? Well, type and quantity is an obvious answer. I have a nice Excel sheet set up  where I can just place the amount of ore I’ve mined and it tells me its predicted sell value. The amount of minerals that each ore yields is known (check Halada’s guide) so all I have to do is figure out is the average price for each mineral. For that, I thank the Matari Mineral Index. I put it all together and presto, I now have a record that helps me during the mining day to see how much I’ve mined so far and  that records how much I’ve mined in the past. This, in turn, helps me to predict future income, which is useful to no end. I’ve even set up a little graph that charts my income .

Do any of you guys use a similar system or have a suggestion for improvements on my own? Let me know in the comments!

The Future

There comes a time in every miner’s life in which he has to ask himself, “what now”? I have trained every skill that gives me mining bonuses to the maximum ( finally trained Exhumers V), there is nothing left for me to learn. What do I do now? This, of course, is a highly personal question. What follows is my perspective on it, others will have different ideas of where to go once they reach this level.

It all depends on what you want to do now. Want to try that whole PVP thing you hear so much about? Maybe build a ship or two? How about the exciting world of trading? These (and many others) are all valid choices and if you feel attracted to one of them, good for you. As for me, I’m going into exploration.

Exploration is the ability to locate and use Exploration Sites, hidden locations in systems all around EVE. These locations, can be of many different types, and require many different skills to use to the fullest. You need Hacking, Archeology, Salvaging, Mining, Gas Cloud Harvesting, and a couple of others. The list is a bit overwhelming, but if you focus on just one kind of Site (at first, at least) things get a lot simpler. I’m going to go search for Mining Sites .

So, what does this mean for my training schedule? Well, it means that right now I’m training things that don’t give me a direct benefit now, but will later. I’m training to use a Covert Ops ship. These ships have built-in bonuses to the scanning you must do to find the Exploration Sites. That in itself is reason enough, but, even better, they also have the ability to fit Cloaking Devices, modules that make your ship invisible. And, in all honesty now, how freaking cool is that? .

Mining Sites usually have better ores than the system they are in would lead us to believe. A high-sec hidden belt might have ores from low-sec, for example, thus making it very profitable.

In conclusion, my training right now is kinda boring, but it will be worth it in the future. And, as a nice benefit, Covert Ops ships are primarily used to scout for enemy fleets, so when I can fly one, I will have another asset to give to my corp .

You can find more information about Exploration here

Ninja Mining

Friday evening I was feeling cocky, so I decided to do a little ninja mining. Ninja mining can be defined as mining in a small ship you have no problems with loosing, in a low or null sec system. The main reason for this is that if you loose your ship to PVP or rats, you won’t loose your prized Hulk and be left with a fuming crater where your wallet used to be. A Hulk goes for 90 mil ISK and a Navitas, for example, goes for 50 K ISK. You get the idea.

To ninja mine effectively, you don’t just get a frigate, slap some Mining Lasers I on it and hop to the closest low sec system, no sir. The fact that you don’t mind loosing the ship doesn’t mean you should not care whether you loose it or not. You need to take into account the fact that low sec space is, by design, dangerous. CONCORD won’t help you if someone attacks you, so you have to be prepared to defend yourself. And by “defend yourself” I  mean “stick your tail between your legs and run”.

Before you jump into the system, scout it out. Does it have stations? (I recommend you choose a system that does, it makes transporting your ores much easier). Does it lead to other low sec systems? Has there been combat in the system recently? (Use your map to see if any ships or pods were destroyed in the last 30 minutes). Is there a gate camp on the low sec side of the jump? (Unless you have reliable intel, the only way to make sure is to jump in system, so I recommend a shuttle). After you have all this information, you are still not ready to mine.

Using the shuttle I mentioned earlier, check out all the belts, to see what ores are present. See where the concentration of the ores you are after is greater, and bookmark those locations (you will mine from them, so make sure they are good). Make some safe spots in system, just to make sure. Only after all this groundwork is laid, are you ready to unleash the fury that is a mining frigate.

You’re going to need to fit your ship with Core Stabilizers, these will help you resist Warp Disrupters (nasty things) and give you that edge that you need to warp to safety. Personally, I recommend warping to a safe spot if you’re attacked or fear that a pirate is in system. Warping to a station will also keep you safe, but it will lock you inside, since the pirate is probably waiting outside for you. A safe spot, on the other hand, gives you options (warp to station, warp to another safe spot, warp to gate and get out of dodge). Remember to always mine already aligned to your safe spots or station and as soon as someone looks at you menacingly, warp out. Don’t wait for someone to actually lock onto you or shoot. Trust no one in low sec an you will probably get some pretty good ores for your trouble

Mining Tips

I’ve upgraded this post to a full blown page of its own, you can find it here

Why mine?

It occurred to me, that, despite all the posts I’ve made (ok, ok, they’re not that many, you can stop laughing now) I’ve never given you the reasons why I mine, just how I do it. So, why do I mine?

The simplest answer, because I like to, is the truth, but, as far as truths go, this is one is very unsatisfactory. Some will say that I mine because I’m a carebear. This, to a certain extent is also true, but is also incomplete.

When I log on to mine, I have a cold drink in my hand, I’m listening to my favorite tunes, I have my feet up, I’m laughing away with my corp mates in Vent about something stupid one of us did, I’m relaxed, I’m enjoying myself. How many games feel like a chore instead of a game? Mining in EVE never feels like something I have to do, and that right there is one of the main reasons why I do it, not because I have to, but because I want to.

With EVE I can log on, mine for an hour or so (I’ve had 10 hour mining stretches, true, but I usually have much less time to play than that ), and still feel that I accomplished something in game, even if I only played for an hour.

This is why I play games, to relax. My only other experience with an MMO has been with World of Warcraft. I enjoyed it while it lasted, I have to say that, but the long hours I spent just waiting for another player to show up so I could run an instance were more aggravating than relaxing. I was paying to get frustrated and that’s not what I wanted.

I’m back!

There has been an argument going on in my head for a few months now, on weather I should bring this blog back from the dead or not. There are many reasons to do it, almost as many reasons not to, but in the end I decided to roll up my sleaves, get the lizard eyeballs from the shelf and set about to bringing this puppy back to the land of the living.

Please understand that the barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead is a difficult one to cross, so this blog may appear comatose for a few weeks, while I try and breath some life into it once more.

Having said that, let’s get started!

I fly a Hulk now, and what a sight it is, this great ship eating away at asteroids like it’s going out of style. My skills are really helping, and I’m only a week away from getting Exhumers V. Once that happens, my major mining skills will be maxed. Only drones and implants will be able to increase my solo yield! Aside from that, not much as been going on, I’ve joined a new corp and am on probation, so I’ll have to behave myself.

Spent today’s gaming time helping a new corp member and all around new guy getting his feet wet with mining. Ganged up to give him (and me) some bonuses and refined his ores for him. Then I helped him with a contract to sell the minerals to the corp. So all in all, a good day. Let’s see how tomorrow goes!