User:Antei thantonne/Syllabus: Intro to EVE W-Space

Class Information

This is a syllabus for a class provided by EVE University. This section contains information about this class and its contents. General Information includes materials to create a proper class listing on the EVE University forum. Additional resources and teaching tips are listed under Notes for the Teacher.

General Information

Illustration link for class description on the Eve University forum:

This class is an introduction to the Eve W-Space Mapper (http://mapper.eveuniversity.org), a browser tool used by Unista explorers to exchange information. The class is aimed specifically at Unistas outside the WHC; the WHC has its own specific guidelines for Mapper use and bookmark labeling, covered by educational materials maintained by them.

• Duration: 60 minutes. Does not include a practical. Time may vary according to the teacher.
• Location: Docked up safely in a station.

Class contents:

• What is the Mapper? How can it benefit me?
• Registering and logging in
• Your campus map:
  • Systems: legend and identifiers
  • Connections: legend and identifiers
• Adding and editing systems
  • New systems via the Add System pop-up
  • Editing system details
• Adding and editing signatures
  • Importing scan results from the probe scanner window
  • Editing signatures
• POS intel
• Other mappers (incl. Tripwire)
• Q&A

Student requirements:

• Mumble registration and access - make sure you have Mumble sorted out and operational well before the class begins. Use this guide for set-up.
• Access to the Class.E-UNI in-game chat channel (password-protected)

Additional information: This class will access internal information from Eve University's private Eve W-Space server. As a result, the class will be conducted in a private Mumble channel, and using a private in-game chat channel.

Notes for the Teacher

Required materials:

• Class.E-UNI chat channel, to receive questions and post relevant links
• Set up on-demand channel on the private Mumble server
• Lecture slides:
  • Raw: http://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QOaojWBVLDaEtWCjYfgHYvzcrcLof01iJsSq0XErxws
  • Presentation: Available at http://slides.eveuniversity.org
• Advertisement in Alliance chat channel: "Intro to Eve W-Space, a Mapper Tool will begin in 15 minutes! We'll use the Class.E-UNI chat channel. (Use the default E-UNI chat channel password to log in.) Lecture will be held in the NSC Education channel in Mumble." List of links, pre-loaded in the in-game notepad for click-and-drag to Alliance:
  • Link to Class Schedule forum post
  • Link to Class.E-UNI chat channel
  • Link to forum post with chat channel password
• List of links, pre-loaded in the in-game notepad for click-and-drag to Class.E-UNI:
  • http://mapper.eveuniversity.org
  • The Eve W-Space Project
  • WHC's UniWiki Mapper page
  • List of wormhole system effects
  • List of XNNN wormhole types
  • Wormhole properties from Information text
  • Tripwire, an alternative mapper
  • Link to raw lecture slide file

This syllabus follows closely the order of lecture slides linked above, which in turn follows the previously posted "WHC Mapper" page used by the WHC.

Class contents

Introduction

Welcome to "Introduction to Eve W-Space"! The Eve W-Space Mapper is an in-game browser tool used by Unista explorers to exchange information. Over the next hour, I hope to show you the features of the Eve W-Space Mapper tool, to explain how it could be useful to you, and to compare it to other mapping tool alternatives. The focus of this class is on Unistas outside the WHC; WHC members have their own educational program for learning the mapper, which is a little more detailed and complicated than what we'll do here.

(Instructor should then introduce himself or herself - covering experience level and background.)

We have a few ground rules for this class:

• This class will be in lecture format, running about an hour. I will be using slides (link slide presentation), that I recommend you view in an out-of-game browser. I say this because, during the lecture, we will all be accessing and using the Eve W-Space Mapper on our in-game browsers.
• As a result, you will be switching between in-game and out-of-game browsers (very distracting!). So I recommend that you be docked up safely in a station.
• Feel free to ask any questions in the Class.E-UNI chat channel as we proceed. (Please X up in Class.E-UNI to make sure we're all in-channel.) I will try to answer your questions as they come during the class. At the end, we'll open Mumble for any further questions or general discussion.
• Please put your Mumble settings on "Push to Talk" if you have not already done so. I recommend *not* muting yourself permanently; it's always nice to be able to ask questions out loud if I've misunderstood you in the chat channel somehow.

Everyone ready? OK, then let's begin!

What is the Mapper?

The Eve W-Space Mapper is a browser tool that helps Unistas share information during exploration.

The Mapper is a server-side web application developed by Eve University graduate Marbin Drakon in 2013. It is open-source, meaning that any organization can download and install it and use it to serve database information to organization members securely, over the web. The Eve University instance of this software is housed on an E-UNI server, and does not share information with any other organizations, even those that also use Eve W-Space. (So, for example, SSC can't see our maps, and we can't see theirs.)

That means that the Mapper:

• Is compatible with in-game and out-of-game browsers.
• When used in-game, accepts both client- (automatic) and user-supplied data.
• Shares information only with your fellow Unistas.

Why use the Mapper?

• Avoid duplicating effort. (No more scanning the same systems, or running already-triggered sites.)
• Take advantage of Wormhole Campus (WHC) data. (E.g. active POSes, hostile residents, unpiloted ships on D-scan.)
• Communicate information to fleet- and campus-mates.

Registering Your Character to Use the Mapper, and Logging In

• Browse to http://mapper.eveuniversity.org, and click "Register".
• Create your account by creating a Username (preferably your character name), a Password, and by entering the Registration Code corresponding to your campus. For most Unistas, this is the default chat channel access password.
• Click "Register".
• Log in on the next page, using the Username and Password you created during Registration.

Accessing Your Campus’ Map

• Click “Map”, and select your campus map from the drop-down box.
• You will only have access to maps corresponding to your campus membership.
• The Eve W-Space client contains lots of features (POS management, group alerts, etc.) that we don’t use. Please ignore them.

Symbols on the Map

• Ovals refer to solar systems.
  • The color of the oval correspond to the type of system:
    • Green ovals are high-sec systems.
    • Brown ovals are low-sec systems.
    • Red ovals are null-sec systems.
    • Blue ovals are W-space systems, where the color density relates to wormhole class (C1→C6).
    • Orange ovals are special, small-ship-only W-space systems.
    • A purple oval is Thera, the unique, Sisters of Eve W-space system with stations.
  • The outline color gives you some more information about the system.
    • For w-space systems, a solid colored border indicates wormhole effects (link page on wormhole effects).
    • A purple dashed outline indicates a shattered w-space system (no place to anchor POSes).
    • A dashed white outline indicates a mapper user in space.
    • A thick, dashed outline indicates the system has been selected by the viewer.
• Interconnecting lines on the map show gates and wormholes.

High-/low-null-sec gates are labeled "GATE" in each direction.

Each wormhole connection is labeled with its characteristic XNNN type, facing the direction that the label appears. (This label is visible in the Overview or in space, on the wormhole.)

(Link the class to the Wormhole Portal page on wormhole types.)

Note: Every wormhole has one side marked “K162”, regardless of type. If you “Show Info” on a wormhole, and it displays WH Type K162, you will have to pass through the wormhole to see the type marking on the other side.

• Details on these lines:
  • Dashed lines indicate a wormhole that is "End of life" (EOL). These wormholes will close spontaneously in under 4 hours.
  • Purple lines indicate wormholes that have experienced their “first shrink”. Over half of the wormhole’s total mass allowance has passed through.

Keep in mind that a wormhole may be both shrunken and EOL. In this case, that would show a purple, dashed line.

• More details:
  • Red lines indicate wormholes that are “critical”. Over 90% of the wormhole’s total mass allowance has passed through.
  • White lines show wormholes that admit only small ships.

To find out this information on a given wormhole, in space, right-click on the wormhole, and select “Show info”. The text in the Infobox will tell you about the wormhole lifetime and mass limits. (Link to Wormhole portal page on wormhole characterization from Infobox text.)

Mouseover systems and connections to see pop-up boxes that contain more info.

Getting detailed system information

Click on a system oval, and scroll down, to see detailed system info. (The selected system will be indicated by a thick, dashed yellow border.) Set destination: For high-/low-/null-sec systems, in the System Details window, click a blue box to set your destination to selected system, or to another, common E-UNI system. Signatures: Click the Signatures button to see if anyone has previously identified the unknown signatures in your system. Mouseover signature entries to see who entered them, and how long ago.

Adding a new system and connection to the Mapper

To enter a new connection to a new system:

• If the connection is a wormhole, scan down the wormhole signature, warp to it (preferably at a distance, cloaked, if you are in w-space).
• Right-click to Show Info. Note the Signature ID, the wormhole type (XNNN), and any relevant wormhole info (EOL? shrink?).
• With the Mapper open in the in-game browser, enter the new system. (The browser can be minimized, but it must be open.)
• A pop-up window appears in the browser. Enter:
• Friendly Name: For wormholes, the three letters of the wormhole signature you scanned in previous system.
• Wormhole Status, Type: Click the appropriate radio buttons.
• And then click “Add System”.

If your connection was a gate instead of a wormhole, you will need to modify your entry later. I'll show you how to do that in a moment.

And now your new system appears on the map. Mapper data is uploaded to the server, and exchanged with other users, in real time. As soon as you create a system in the map, all other users can see it.

Mapper Best Practices in Hazardous Space

Safety first! Enter Mapper data after you’ve established a safe spot in system. The pop-up window will stay open in the browser—even if the browser is minimized—as long as you are in system.

If you mess up, it’s okay! If you are missing information, or you’ve forgotten a piece of data, or the browser isn’t open when you enter the system (or if your new system is connected by a gate instead of a wormhole), you can always modify your pop-up window entries later.

Correcting connection information

Click on the wormhole line to edit your input. You'll get a pop-up box. Enter new wormhole types, etc. If your system connection was a gate, type “GATE” in the Type boxes.