Amarr Mining Camp

Amarr Mining Camp (AMC)

Origins & Purpose

The Amarr Mining Camp (AMC) was initiated by Ubermensch Invictus, Seranti Olerie and Vger Starseed to help maximize the profits and benefits that come with Mining;- mainly the need to satiate the demand for Pyroxeres-jewelled necklaces sparked by their many e-girlfriends (because they were such popular, sexy and social miners). The AMC, founded in March 2012, was the University's premiere Mining camp focused on jump-starting the careers of new pilots and taking those of older, more experienced pilots to the next level.

The original purpose of the AMC was to provide E-UNI miners the opportunity to mine in organized fleets which were centered around the idea of increasing the value of mining operations in terms of ISK/hr. The AMC also set its sights on Pyroxeres (the most valuable ore in all of highsec (current as of 03/2012)) however, this particular ore is not available in Metropolis' high-sec space where Aldrat (E-UNI HQ) is located which is why the AMC formed; to enable Miners to branch out to neighbouring systems so they too could have access to the precious ore. Since then, however, the AMC's goals have changed. While still attempting to maximize the ISK/hr for our fleets, we've also incorporated a teaching aspect. One of our long-term goals is to ensure that E-UNI miners are not only prepared to run fleets in the most efficient manner, but are also equipped to survive in the harsh economic environments of EVE.

The Amarr Mining Camp is located in Amarr space at its current [classified] HQ because it presented an ideal balance of: a decent distance from Aldrat, reasonable distance from a major market hub, an abundance of asteroid belts that contain high quality ores (+5 and +10 ores) in a very quiet constellation with a 50% refinery station, it is also far away from low security systems as well as any ice belts (popular for gankers). Organizing miners at a single location also makes it easier for them to combine their efforts into shared can mining fleets that get bonuses from the many Orca pilots gathered there. This provides newer E-UNI miners with the opportunity to make much more ISK while in a fleet as opposed to solo mining and is thus highly encouraged. An impressive number of miners, haulers, Orca boosters, Freighters and perfect refiners have amassed at the AMC resulting in, more or less, daily shared can mining fleet operations in addition to frequent Bring-Your-Own-Can (BYOC) operations.

The AMC represents a tremendous opportunity for newer E-UNI miners to make a great deal of ISK while learning valuable skills in the art of mining and fleet operations.

AMC Mining Fleet Participants

In regard to who is invited to attend the AMC and its fleet operations; the organizers had a little chat as to what we see is the purpose of the AMC: to help all E-UNI/IVY miners (especially newer players) learn valuable skills and earn some decent ISK from mining in a secure environment with sufficient company. That said, we've decided the AMC is open to IVY League members, their alts and alumni only. We've chosen not to include +5 (NAP) and +10 (Friends) for two main reasons:

1. Our priority is not to help +5/+10s make or maximize ISK or teach them about mining, they have their own corp resources for that.

2. We prefer to keep the operation of the AMC as secure as possible while still open and accessible to E-UNI players. Admittedly, it is a delicate and difficult balance to maintain.

To reiterate, we prioritize the need to help E-UNI miners in a secure environment above all other considerations.

The above is a guideline - It is subject to future revisions. Note: It is to the Fleet Commander's own discretion in choosing who is a member of their fleet.

Programs

Amarr Mining Camp Buy-back Program

If you are a Fleet Commander (FC) that has run an operation but don't want to haul or contract the minerals to be hauled to market then you can take advantage of the AMC buy-back program. After your fleet is over and you've input all of the names, ship type/roles, hours in/out, the share weights in the participation tab (columns A-H), the ore amounts and prices in the Inventory tab the spreadsheet will automatically calculate the total weighting of the hours worked for each participants (column K) and how much you owe them.

Spreadsheet Mechanics:

• 1. Go to the Inventory tab, put the ore amount, in units, that your fleet mined in column E.
• 2. Use the prices in this thread [1] above to fill in the values of the ores (column H).
• 3. You now have estimated values in ISK in column I for your ores, copy those values then paste them into column L. Just make sure it is ONLY the values you pasting, not the formulas. You can do this by right click the cell you want to paste into --> Paste Special --> Paste Values Only of the inventory tab.
• 4. In the inventory tab, Column L Row 1 (at the very top), you'll see the total ISK value of your ore; make a contract with all the ore, assign it to Bruce Industries and in the "I will pay" part of the contract, put 10,000 ISK while the "I will receive" part is the total value listed in Column L Row 1. Make sure you email Seranti Olerie and/or Vger Starseed to make sure they know that the contract was submitted.
• 5. Bruce Industries will accept the contract and send you a lot of ISK (at this time, I'd like to say strippers and coke = bad investment for all that ISK, so don't do it!).
• 6. There is no six, check your eyes again, they may have glazed over already (make sure to massage and stretch with deep, dramatic breaths).
• 7. You have two options for the modules that were salvaged, you can sell them at AMC or reprocess them yourself, don't worry you don't lose much, then place the amount of minerals you gained from them in the Inventory tab Column E Rows 4-11. If you sell the modules then you will put the amount in the Extra ISK tab, see next step.
• 8. Go to the Extra ISK tab and put in column A and B any income or expenses you had from rat loot/salvage, freighting, the contract, etc.
• 9. In the Participation tab, you will see Column M is now filled in with totals that you are to pay your fleet. These totals include the ISK you charged Bruce Industries, items you sold and expenses paid from the Extra ISK tab, and any minerals you have sold or will sell on your own.
• 10. In column P of the Participation tab, type in "y" or n" for yes and no if you have paid out the fleet members. You'd put 'n' for no if you have a character name misspelled or something similar.
• 11. Once you're done, post the spreadsheet of the fleet in this thread [2] for historical record, T2 Module Lottery purposes, and so the organizer's eyes don't bleed as we desperately look for all the spreadsheets.

Free T1 Modules & Mining Cruisers/Barges

If you're concerned that you don't have the best ship for mining or can't contribute to a mining fleet, worry not, the AMC is offering free T1 mining cruisers (Osprey, Vexor, Scythe, Arbitrator), Retrievers (Mining Barge) and the following list of T1 modules to fit your ships:

• Survey Scanner I
• Strip Miner I
• Mining Laser Upgrade I
• Co-processor I
• Miner I
• Expanded Cargohold I
• Salvager I
• Small Tractor Beam I
• Small Shield Extender I
• Medium Shield Extender I

Contests

The AMC is currently running a T2 Module Lottery after each AMC fleet is completed. During the first month that the AMC operated there were several contests to encourage new miners to not only come out to the camp but also give them a chance to collect modules and ships they would need for their mining careers. One of our key initiatives was to reward miners just for participating in mining operations. However, we did not only focus on the new miner, we also had contests geared to those individuals that are haulers or wanted to spread their wings and command fleets.

T2 Module Lottery

A lottery is conducted for every shared can mining fleet in which all participants have a random (equal) chance of winning a T2 module from the following list:

• 1. 1 x Mining Laser Upgrade II
• 2. 1 x Modulated Strip Miner II
• 3. 20 x T2 Mining Crystals (Plagioclase, Pyroxeres, Veldspar, Scordite)
• 4. 4 x Expanded Cargohold II
• 5. 1 x Survey Scanner II
• 6. 1 x Ice Harvester II
• 7. 1 x Gas Cloud Harvester II

The purpose of this lottery is to give newer players a chance at acquiring T2 items while they gradually skill up and make enough ISK to get into bigger and better mining ships.

Cruiser and Hauler Competition

This competition was to reward those with cruisers and haulers (industrial ships below level 5 skill) to come out and participate in the AMC shared can fleets. The idea was originally suggested and funded by an AMC member, Tacko Rhomsbeard (awesome name!); once the contest was advertised we were given a Retriever hull by Benny Jett to hand out as a first place prize. The organizers also decided to fit the hull with camp donations and give out four Gallente Mining Lasers. We thought the lasers, which were donated by Cartilige Deninard, would make a nice keepsake item for new pilots since they are pretty rare. The competitors had one week to log the most hours in AMC shared can fleets.

• 1st Place: Fit Retriever (minus rigs) and one Gallente Mining Laser
• 2nd Place: 8 Million ISK and one Gallente Mining Laser
• 1st Place: 7 Million ISK and one Gallente Mining Laser

• Hauler Competition winner receives 15 Million ISK and one Gallente Mining Laser

Winners of Cruiser and Hauler Competition

• 1st Place: Vick Chaos, Vick logged an impressive 14.04 hours
• 2nd Place: TonoRocker, Tono logged 13.02 hours
• 3rd Place: Zhandris, Zhandris logged 7.35 hours

• Hauler winner: Denavit, Denavit logged an amazing 18.75 hours

Participation Contest

To encourage and reward those that participate the most in the shared can mining fleets, the AMC has organized a contest system that awards prizes to the three players that have participated the most total hours over the course of each month; the following are the prizes:

• 1st Place: Hulk Exhumer and the Exhumers Skillbook
• 2nd Place: Mackinaw Exhumer and the Exhumers Skillbook
• 3rd Place: T2 Fit Covetor Mining Barge, 25 Million ISK and the choice between the Exhumers, Transport Ships or Gas Cloud Harvesting Skillbook

Winners

• 1st Place: TonoRocker logged 71.24 hours
• 2nd Place: Cartilige Deninard logged 53.65 hours
• 3rd Place: Pale Peril logged 46.69 hours

Fleet Commander Contest

The AMC also tries to encourage and reward those that show particular initiative and competence in leading mining fleets; every month, the AMC awards three prizes to the three FCs that led fleets with the highest ISK/hour. A single character can only win one of these prizes (i.e. if one character has the top three best ISK/hour values, they will only get the single, top prize). The prizes are the following:

• 1st Place: Orca Industrial Command Ship and the Industrial Command Ship Skillbook
• 2nd Place: T2 Fit Hulk and Exhumers skillbook
• 3rd Place: Viator Blockade Runner

It is also important to emphasize that the Fleet Commander does not need ANY leadership skills whatsoever to lead a fleet; the role of the Fleet Commander is to make decisions for the fleet, manage the structure of the fleet (i.e. squads etc.) and typically, maintain the spreadsheet to determine hours worked, by whom, what quantity of ore has been collected and what payout the participants should get after the fleet operation is over.

Winners

• 1st Place: Jericho Said - 8.3 Million ISK/hr
• 2nd Place: Tyrus Solarin - 8.1 Million ISK/hr
• 3rd Place: Ghanna Whynn - 6.7 Million ISK/hr

Suggestions for Ships and Fittings

Members of E-UNI are invited to bring along whatever ship they can fly. The AMC is constantly in demand for mining ships, industrial haulers, Orcas for boosting and hauling and freighters for freighting large quantities of ore/minerals to our market hub. There are no restrictions on what ship types are allowed to participate, but there are recommendation for ship types and fitting strategies depending on a player's skill level.

Most beginner miners start off with a mining frigate (Bantam, Tormentor, Navitas, Burst) and for those that want to continue their interest in mining, they typically progress to the mining cruisers class (Osprey, Scythe, Vexor and Arbitrator) which are given out for free at the AMC. After the mining cruisers, the more casual miners will typically advance to flying Battlecruisers or Battleships for mining; those that are more committed to the career of mining will gradually work their way through the mining barges (Retriever-->Covetor) and then the Exhumers (Hulk). To maximize the use of these ships for mining fleets, it is highly recommended that newer players follow these general fitting principles/guidelines when fitting their ships:

• First: fit as many of the best Mining lasers/Strip Miners as you can into your high slots without breaking your bank.
• Second: fit as many of the best Mining Laser Upgrades (MLUs) as you can into your low slots without breaking your bank.
• Third: if you run out of CPU, try to fit a CPU Upgrade like the Co-Processor I to increase your CPU until you can fill out your low slots with MLUs.
• Last: Use your middle slots to fit a shield tank (i.e. Medium or Large Shield Extender I, Invulnerability Field I or the various shield resistance modules if your capacitor can remain stable with them on) and if possible, a Survey Scanner I.

• Drones: prioritize mining drones over light combat drones when in fleets and vice versa when mining solo; when in fleets, try to have 2 mining drones to every light combat drone (Hobgoblins preferred.)

The above deserves some clarification. If you for example have 3 Miner Is fitted to your ship and each time they all cycle, they fill up your cargo, then you have two options: 1. stagger the cycles so they each start at different times and in so doing, they don't fill up your cargo at the same time (which gives you time to jettison your cargo and put the ore in a can) OR 2. fit Cargohold Expander Is instead of Mining Laser Upgrade Is in your low slots to increase your cargo size.

Ideally, when it comes to fitting your ship, it will have a balance between protection and yield. When in a fleet - unless given specific instructions by the Fleet Commander as to who will bring what types of drones and what role they will play - it is generally advisable that you have 2 mining drones for every light combat drones; in a fleet of sufficient size, assuming a reasonable number of cruisers and mining barges/exhumers each packing 1-2 or more light combat drones, the firepower of the fleet will reach a point where they can collectively destroy any NPC threat; with this drone setup, the fleet can then focus their remaining drone bandwith on maximizing their yield by having two mining drones for every lighht combat drone.

These are of course only general guidelines (particularly for newer players) when in fleets and are subject to the Fleet Commander's orders/recommendations or personal preferences and experiences over how to fit your ship.

Standard Free Mining Cruiser and Barge Fits

The following fits are extremely basic and assume that the pilot has very basic skills. Feel free to modify the ships after they are given to you; they are free to keep. If after you find them no longer useful and have moved onto bigger and better ships, feel free to donate them back for re-use.

• Arbitrator
• 2 x Miner I
• 1 x Large Shield Extender I
• 1 x Survey Scanner I
• 4 x Mining Laser Upgrade I

• 5 x Mining Drone I
• 5 x Hobgoblin I

• Osprey
• 3 x Miner I
• 1 x Large Shield Extender I
• 1 x Small Shield Extender I
• 1 x Survey Scanner I
• 2 x Mining Laser Upgrade I
• 1 x Co-Processor I

• 3 x Mining Drone I
• 1 x Hobgoblin I

• Scythe
• 3 x Miner I
• 2 x Mining Laser Upgrade I
• 1 x Co-Processor I

• Vexor
• 4 x Miner I
• 1 x Survey Scanner I
• 2 x Co-Processor I
• 2 x Mining Laser Upgrade I

• 5 x Mining Drone I
• 5 x Hobgoblin I

• Retriever
• 2 x Strip Miner I
• 1 x Co-Processor I
• 1 x Mining Laser Upgrade I

• 4 x Mining Drone I
• 1 x Hobgoblin I

Recommendations from the AMC

Although the AMC is open to every E-UNI member, regardless of their age, there are certain recommendations to be made that will help improve and maximize your experience at the AMC. It is highly encouraged that one attends the Mining 101 Class prior to or during their stay at the AMC so that they can familiarize themselves with the basics of mining (i.e. what modules and ships they will need to bring to the AMC and how they work).

Additionally, either prior to attending the AMC or while at the AMC, it is also highly encouraged that players devote their skilling to general industry skills (i.e. Mining, Mining Upgrades and the non-Industry Astrogeology skill), ship-specific skills to improve their mining capabilities (i.e. Racial Cruiser, Mining Barge) and leadership skills (i.e. Leadership) to optimize their mining yield and fleet experience.

Contact Information and How to Help

If you wish to learn more about the AMC, have any questions/comments/concerns/ideas/advice or would like to help and donate to the AMC, feel free to contact the organizers: Ubermensch Invictus, Seranti Olerie, Vger Starseed. Alternatively, you can consult the Amarr Mining Camp forum thread and the events thread, join the AMC chat channel (Amarr Mining Camp - same password as standard E-Uni channels and is only for E-Uni characters and their alts), the Industry.E-UNI chat, and join the Amarr Mining Camp mailing list (AMC adminstrative type messages) and the E-Uni Mining Ops mailing list.