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[[Image:Miningexample.jpg|thumb|400px|It ain't no trick to get rich quick<br />If you dig with a shovel or a pick<br />In a mine, where a million diamonds shine.]] | [[Image:Miningexample.jpg|thumb|400px|It ain't no trick to get rich quick<br />If you dig with a shovel or a pick<br />In a mine, where a million diamonds shine.]] | ||
Mining is the profession of extracting ore from asteroids, ice from ice fields and gas from gas clouds. These materials can then be [[Refining|refined]] into minerals, ice products and boosters. These refined substances are used in the production and maintenance of all player created items and structures in EVE, such as ships and modules. It is one of the few professions immediately available to beginning players and most EVE industrialists started their careers by mining. Mining is perhaps the second most economically safe profession in EVE, save [[Planetary Interaction|planetary interaction]], in [[High Security|high-sec]] systems. Losing mining ships and/or being podded is uncommon and minerals are always in demand. Mining is accomplished by finding an asteroid | Mining is the profession of extracting ore from asteroids, ice from ice fields and gas from gas clouds. These materials can then be [[Refining|refined]] into minerals, ice products and boosters. These refined substances are used in the production and maintenance of all player created items and structures in EVE, such as ships and modules. It is one of the few professions immediately available to beginning players and most EVE industrialists started their careers by mining. Mining is perhaps the second most economically safe profession in EVE, save [[Planetary Interaction|planetary interaction]], in [[High Security|high-sec]] systems. Losing mining ships and/or being podded is uncommon and minerals are always in demand. Mining is accomplished by finding an asteroid belt, ice belt or gas cloud, and mining its asteroids /ice asteroids/gas clouds with special ship modules (mining lasers, ice harvesters, and gas cloud harvesters, respectively). | ||
To quickly get into mining, all Eve University members are encouraged to take advantage, at no cost, of the [[Mining Loaner Fleet|mining loaner fleet]] program. The University will even [[The Skillbook Program|provide the skillbook]] for you! All miners are encouraged to join the [[Mailing Lists|E-Uni Mining Ops mailing list]] and you will receive an email if a fleet commander organises a [[Mining#Cooperative_Mining|mining fleet]]. Many miners in EVE University have come together and organized the [[Amarr Mining Campus]] (AMC) where newer players are taught the basics of solo and fleet mining. It is highly encouraged that newer players interested in mining contact an AMC officer. | To quickly get into mining, all Eve University members are encouraged to take advantage, at no cost, of the [[Mining Loaner Fleet|mining loaner fleet]] program. The University will even [[The Skillbook Program|provide the skillbook]] for you! All miners are encouraged to join the [[Mailing Lists|E-Uni Mining Ops mailing list]] and you will receive an email if a fleet commander organises a [[Mining#Cooperative_Mining|mining fleet]]. Many miners in EVE University have come together and organized the [[Amarr Mining Campus]] (AMC) where newer players are taught the basics of solo and fleet mining. It is highly encouraged that newer players interested in mining contact an AMC officer. | ||
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== Prospecting == | == Prospecting == | ||
=== | === Asteroids === | ||
{{main|Asteroids and Ore}} | |||
The easiest way to find asteroids is to fly to an asteroid belt; nearly every system in Eve has at least one. Asteroid belts show up on the [[overview]], or right-click in space and look through the "Asteroid belt" section. Each asteroid belt is composed of a variety of asteroids, each containing a particular kind of ore. The kinds and quantities of ore are determined by the [[Security Rating|security rating]] of the system and what faction controls it (rarer and more valuable ores are found only in lower-security systems, and the ore deposits tend to be larger there as well). Keep in mind that asteroids only spawn after downtime, so there will be belts that are devoid of a certain asteroid (or any asteroids in some cases) because other miners have already mined it out. | |||
Asteroids can also be found in the [[Mission Mining|deadspace pockets created for certain missions]], and in [[Cosmic Anomaly|cosmic anomalies]]. While these sites are a bit more difficult to find, they also tend to have much less competition and have richer pickings. Hint: Set your [[overview]] to "default mining" (click the triangle next to overview -> load -> mining) to see asteroids other than Veldspar. (Note that not all ores and other harvestable items will not be shown by using the default mining set.) | |||
=== Efficiency === | |||
If you would like to dive more deeply into mining, it's worth determining the most profitable way to mine. This involves deciding what asteroids to mine, where to find these asteroids, which ships (and skills) are best suited and optimized to mine, and (in most cases) how best to haul the ore to a [[Refining|refining]] station and then to the market. All miners should attempt to maximize their efficiency (and therefore their profitability), which is typically measured by the amount of ISK earned per hour. | |||
For example, Veldspar is the most common and cheapest [[Asteroids and Ore|Asteroid distribution]] in EVE and has a volume of 0.1 m<sup>3</sup>; Scordite is the next most common ore but has a volume of 0.15 m<sup>3</sup>. Therefore, for every cycle, 50% more Veldspar is mined than Scordite (since mining lasers mine a fixed ''volume'' of ore per minute). In order for Scordite mining to be more profitable than Veldspar mining, Scordite's market price must be in turn 50% greater than Veldspar's. Since the market is player-driven, ore and mineral prices are ever-changing, hence miners should always check the market for the most efficient ore/mineral to mine for. | |||
Websites like [http://eve.grismar.net/ore/ Grismar's Ore Chart] or [http://gunfleet.org/igb/mining.php .GUN.] can look up the current market prices for ores and minerals, and give you a recommendation which ores are the most profitable. Remember to double-check the prices that any automated tools give you - they will often use regional averages to determine mineral prices; if you plan to sell your goods at a specific station or hub then your priorities might come out differently. | |||
=== Mining maths === | === Mining maths === | ||
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These skills become necessary once you start flying Orcas or Rorquals, and want to run mining fleets (and provide mining boosts to your fleet members). For more details on how fleets and warfare links work, see [[Fleet Leadership|fleet leadership]] and [[warfare links]]. | These skills become necessary once you start flying Orcas or Rorquals, and want to run mining fleets (and provide mining boosts to your fleet members). For more details on how fleets and warfare links work, see [[Fleet Leadership|fleet leadership]] and [[warfare links]]. | ||
== Solo mining == | == Mining strategies == | ||
=== Bookmarks === | |||
[[File:Asteroid-belt-bookmarks.png|thumb|right|250px|An example of mining bookmarks in an asteroid belt]] | |||
When you warp to an asteroid belt, you will land in the middle of a [[Asteroids and Ore#Asteroid belts|semicircle of asteroids about 50 km in diameter]]. Since the (unboosted) range of mining lasers is only 10 km (15 km for strip miners), you will then need to fly closer to your target asteroid in order to mine it - and mining ships are not particularly known for their speed. You can cut down on this travel time by using [[bookmarks]], which allow you to warp directly next to an asteroid, and start mining immediately. If you're using [[Drones#Mining_Drones|mining drones]], it's particularly important to be close to your target asteroid, as the drones have to otherwise spend a lot of time travelling back and forth between your ship and the asteroid. | |||
It can be helpful to create bookmarks in the asteroid belts you mine in frequently. While there are many different approaches to creating these bookmarks, the picture on the right shows a simple example: warp to an asteroid belt in a fast ship (e.g. a [[Frigate|shuttle or a frigate]]), and create three bookmarks along the perimeter of the belt. Position them in such a way that most of the belt is within 15 km (the range of a strip miner) of any of the three bookmarks. Then, switch to your mining ship, and warp directly to one of the three bookmarks. You will then have a large selection of asteroids within range of your lasers, and be able to efficiently use mining drones on the closest ones. If a part of the belt is depleted, warp to a nearby celestial (e.g. a planet) and then warp back to one of the other bookmarks in the belt. | |||
=== Survey scanner === | |||
The survey scanner (a mid-slot module) is a very useful tool for any asteroid miner, as it shows how much ore each asteroid in the vicinity contains. This is important, as asteroid mining modules (mining lasers and strip miners) will always complete an entire cycle (60s for mining lasers, 180s for strip miners), irrespective of how much ore is actually left in the asteroid. | |||
For instance, say you are mining an asteroid which contains 200 units of Veldspar (Veldspar has a volume of 0.1 m<sup>3</sup> per unit, so this asteroid contains 20 m<sup>3</sup> of Veldspar). Your Mining Laser I has a yield of (say) 100 m<sup>3</sup>/min, and a cycle time of 60 seconds. Even though there are only 20 m<sup>3</sup> of Veldspar left in the asteroid, the module will complete its entire 60 second cycle before shutting off (with a message saying "the asteroid is depleted") - but those those 60 seconds of mining only yielded 20 m<sup>3</sup> of ore (instead 100 m<sup>3</sup>)! The problem becomes even worse when using strip miners, as they have a much higher yield and a cycle time three times as long - which can result in a lot of wasted time if you're mining asteroids that don't contain much ore. | |||
Therefore, when mining, refresh the survey scanner window from time to time (it does not refresh automatically, you need to reactivate the survey scanner module) to check whether the asteroid(s) you are mining are close to depletion. If an asteroid is almost empty, you can "short-cycle" your mining laser (i.e. turn it off manually before it completes its full cycle, by clicking on it) to mine out the last dregs of ore before moving on to another asteroid. Note that each time you activate your mining laser it takes energy from your ship's [[capacitor]]; activate it too often and you might empty your capacitor and have to wait a moment for it to recharge. | |||
<!-- Add a picture of a survey scanner window --> | |||
== Solo mining == | |||
[[File:Hulk.jpg|thumb|The Hulk: sucking asteroid belts dry since 2003]] | [[File:Hulk.jpg|thumb|The Hulk: sucking asteroid belts dry since 2003]] | ||
There are several methods commonly used in mining, the most basic only requires one account and can be run by very low skilled players, while the most advanced will require multiple players all performing separate tasks in order to be effective. | There are several methods commonly used in mining, the most basic only requires one account and can be run by very low skilled players, while the most advanced will require multiple players all performing separate tasks in order to be effective. | ||
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Since all the ore is combined into a single pot (and often refined and sold later), you need to agree on a method of splitting the proceeds from the mining fleet between the participants. Since a fleet often includes not only miners with different skill levels flying different ships, but also fleet boosters, haulers, combat ships etc, the simplest way to split the ISK proceeds is to allocate them based on time spent in the fleet; however, this might discourage larger ships from joining the fleet. [[Scrapyard's Mining Op Worksheet]] can accomodate several different methods of weighing the contributions of fleet members. Whichever way you choose, make sure that the method of splitting the ISK is agreed upon by the fleet before the mining op starts. | Since all the ore is combined into a single pot (and often refined and sold later), you need to agree on a method of splitting the proceeds from the mining fleet between the participants. Since a fleet often includes not only miners with different skill levels flying different ships, but also fleet boosters, haulers, combat ships etc, the simplest way to split the ISK proceeds is to allocate them based on time spent in the fleet; however, this might discourage larger ships from joining the fleet. [[Scrapyard's Mining Op Worksheet]] can accomodate several different methods of weighing the contributions of fleet members. Whichever way you choose, make sure that the method of splitting the ISK is agreed upon by the fleet before the mining op starts. | ||
==== Mining fleets in the Uni ==== | ==== Mining fleets in the Uni ==== | ||
Periodically, the Uni will undertake a large-scale, long-duration operation in a system other than [[Aldrat]]. These expeditions are planned and announced several weeks in advance to allow for adjustment of training schedules, acquisition of desired ships and fittings and research/scouting of the target system and surrounding space. Because of the travel involved and the length of planned stay, expedition locations generally provide opportunities for mission/complex running as well. | Periodically, the Uni will undertake a large-scale, long-duration operation in a system other than [[Aldrat]]. These expeditions are planned and announced several weeks in advance to allow for adjustment of training schedules, acquisition of desired ships and fittings and research/scouting of the target system and surrounding space. Because of the travel involved and the length of planned stay, expedition locations generally provide opportunities for mission/complex running as well. | ||