Bookmarks

What is a bookmark?

Bookmarks are used to identify unique locations in space defined by numerically x, y and z coordinates.

Where do we use bookmarks and why do we need them?

In Eve game system, celestial objects and star bases are defined by coordinates in our current maps. Other than those locations already defined in astrometry charts, there could be variable locations which you may want to identify so that you can return later. Bookmarks are used to identify those locations in-game.

Bookmarks for Various Roles!

A miner ship has a limited cargo hold for ores. So miners usually collect ores in a can and leave it in space. After they deplete the source they return to their base of operation and come back with a hauler to haul their ores. These cans are variable objects floating in space, and if you don’t bookmark their location you cannot return to them and collect your ores.

Salvaging is one of the most profitable operations in Eve universe. During your agent missions you will probably leave lots of wrecks behind after engagements. A ship fitted with both PvE and salvage equipment will not be an efficient way to complete missions. Most of the mission runners bookmark their wrecks, complete their missions and return to bookmarks for salvaging with a dedicated salvage ship.

If you are in PvP or military operations, direct approach to any celestial object could create potential risks. You could end up in a trap, be easily hunted down and killed. For that reason there are sets of tactical bookmarks used for this kind of situation. There are also observation bookmarks, safe spots in space, for blockade running from a station, and instant warp-out bookmarks.

Either you are a miner, explorer, a combat capsuleer or just a traveler; you will be in need of bookmarks for various reasons. From the first days of your capsuleer life you could start creating your own bookmarks without need of any skills at all.

How do we create bookmarks?

There are two simple ways of creating bookmarks. The first way is to use the "People & Places" window and go to the "Places" tab. Select "Add Bookmark" at the bottom and you will bookmark the location you are presently at in space.

The other way is to either right-click an item in space or on your overview and select “bookmark location”.

The only major difference between those two are, in the first way you bookmark your ship's current position. In the second method you are bookmarking an entity's location in space other than your ship's. You can bookmark cans, POS (Player Owned Station), wrecks and various site locations found during core probing.

Important:

You can bookmark many entities in space but if the location of the item is changed by force or is destroyed, the bookmark will only indicate the original location coordinates.

The 'Add bookmark' command works both when you are at a dead stop or while moving - including warping. The coordinates you bookmark will indicate the exact location when you click the 'ok' and confirm the bookmark.

Tips & Tricks:

Don’t try to write labels and notes in strict situations - just take the necessary bookmark. The client will give an automatic label to the bookmark. You can even use the same label for different bookmarks because their coordinates are different; they won’t overwrite each other.

Types of Bookmarks:

There are many types of bookmarks, but all capsuleers should at least have some basic bookmarks to travel in space safely and avoid traps or hunts. Depending on your role or operation you could extend your repertoire to various bookmarks.

Station Undock:

Stations come in various sizes and types. For every station there is a different undock location where all ships undock at the same point. This is a constant location where all ships enter space. If you bookmark your location at the very moment you undock you will end up with an undock location bookmark for that station. This bookmark is used to camp people undocking from that station. If you want to engage or catch some one undocking from a station you camp this bookmark to catch that target in optimal range. Also this in an offensive bookmark; it is strongly advised to be collected for every capsuleer.

Instant Warp-Out:

An instant warp-out bookmark is used for blockade running from a station camp. Pirates or various enemies could gate-camp that station's undock location. With the help of various fits they could instantly lock and warp-disrupt/scram your ship. Instant warp-out bookmarks are used to run from these blockades using undock mechanics and a bookmark placed at a distance at least 150 km away from your undock location in a straight direction.

When you undock you leave the station aligned to a constant direction with your maximum velocity. In basics, if you place a bookmark at least 150 km away aligned to this direction you could warp out almost instantly to this bookmark without being target-locked. To create this bookmark use a fast frigate or an interceptor with a MWD (micro-warp drive) fitted and as soon as you undock hit your MWD without changing your alignment. Put some distance between you and the station - at least 150 km - and take the bookmark of the new location. Next time you undock warp directly to this bookmark. You will be instantly warped to this location without being target-locked.

Important:

Always use different distances for your instant warp-out bookmark. If you use always same distance, they can wait for you there as a trap.

Tips & Tricks:

Try to create off-grid instant warp-out bookmarks so that you cannot be detected instantly and followed. Always try not to warp at 0 to protect the exact location of your bookmark.

Safe Spots:

Safe spot bookmarks are one of the most important and creative ways to use bookmarks. Safe spots are locations in space where you bookmark at no particular object, away from all charted entities. The only way to find someone in a safe spot and warp to that location can be done successfully by the use of scan probes. Although you can be seen in a directional scan you cannot be followed unless someone scans your location with probes.

There are three basic types of safe spots.

Mid-Point Safe Spots:

When you are traveling between safe spots you can click on 'add bookmark' and take bookmarks while warping. Any bookmarks created by this method between two celestial objects are called mid-point safe spots. It is the basic way to create a safe spot in a system.

Un-aligned Safe spots:

Mid-point safe spots are somewhere between the alignment of two celestials and it is easy to spot or find someone at a location like this. The much safer locations are un-aligned safe spots. The spots are not in an alignment between two celestial objects.

There are two ways to create un-aligned safe spots.

The first method is to bookmark dead space pockets when you are running missions in a system. Dead space pockets are created randomly and are very unpredictable to find. When you are running missions always create bookmarks as safe spots.

The second method is to create an unaligned safe spot by using two mid-point safe spots. You create two different mid-point safe spots. Then create another mid-point safe spot between those two mid-point safe spots. Then you will have an unaligned safe spot.

Tips & Tricks:

If your safe spot is out of the maximum onboard scanning range you cannot be detected by a directional scan. To easily confirm that, warp to your safe spot and use your directional scanner at maximum range. If you find nothing, nothing is in directional scan range.

Never warp to within 'zero' of your safe spot, and always move rather than sitting still. This will reduce your chance of being detected or compromise your safe spot location.

Catching a good point somewhere close to middle is difficult using normal space view. Switch to 'map' screen. Observe the celestial objects and define the most deviated alignments in different axis to create your mid-points. As soon as you initiate warp to your target, watch closely the tag indicating your location and catch a good mid-point from the map screen. Because your velocity varies during the warp sequence, if you do not check your map screen you will end up very close to the celestial.

Important:

Unaligned safe spots are pretty safe but there is always a chance that you could be pin-pointed by probe scanning. As long as the duration you stay in a safe spot increases, chances of being pin-pointed is also increased exponentially. Even if you are far away from any celestials out of maximum onboard scanning range, your existence could be confirmed by your appearance in the local chat channels in high and low security space.

Deep Safe Spots:

These safe spots can only be created by a method known as Goonswarn method. Basically a deep safe spot is a far location beyond the reach of standard probes and can only be found by deep core probes. This method is used by advanced roles, and details can be found in this Ivy League Wiki link;

http://www.eve-ivy.com/wiki/index.php?title=Deep_Safe

Tactical Bookmarks:

There are various tactical bookmarks used for different roles but the basic tactical bookmark used by all capsuleers is the observation bookmark.

Observation Bookmarks:

Observation bookmarks are used for tactical observation of star bases, POS and gates. Before you warp to a gate or a base you may want to scan and check your destination from an off-grid location for any camps or targets you are hunting. In this kind of situation observation bookmarks are used to approach a point-of-interest from a safe distance, out off the grid, to scan the destination for possible targets or camps. A directional scan of the destination from an observation bookmark would reveal relevant information without detection from a safe distance.

Tips & Tricks:

In general solar systems mostly rest on a plane. (Exception proves the rule). Try to create observation points perpendicular to alignments of the object, in basics above and below. This will reduce the probability of being detected by chance.

Organizing and Managing Bookmarks:

In time every player creates his own bookmarks and if you don’t organize and manage them you will mess up with your bookmarks. There are some basic for organizing and managing bookmarks. Although there are no strict rules on these formats, in principle their syntax is formed from various experienced players through time and you may create your own style accordingly.

Labeling bookmarks:

The most important point in organizing your bookmarks is labeling. In difficult situations you need to recognize your bookmark in a second and use it accordingly. So the bookmark labels should have a standard, easily recognizable format for strict situations. You may use directories to separate your bookmarks but the folder structure is kept on your computer while the bookmarks themselves are stored on the in-game server. So if you lost your computer you will have lost the folder structure, but your bookmarks will be safe. It is important to create an efficient way to label your bookmarks from the beginning which will keep things neat and clear for you in future.

Before labeling your bookmarks, you should familiarize yourself with the information stored with your bookmarks in the Places tab.

The location of the columns can be arranged according to your choice. Labels are the names you give to each bookmark. The type of our bookmarks is “Coordinates”. 'Jump' indicated the distance in jumps to the solar system you bookmarked. Sol, Con and Reg are for solar system, constellation and region information. Date indicates the specific EVE date and time the bookmark was created. Avoid using these details in your bookmarks to simplify the label.

Examples for Bookmark Labels

An example for labeling is the Agony Style. It may seem a bit complex but after some practice it becomes very clear and it's easy to recognize the style.

Some examples for the bookmarks we discussed above:

Syntax: [prefix: Planet-Moon-suffix@Distance] Definition Prefix: Alliance or Corp Tag Suffix: NPC Corp Tag

An example for an Instant Warp-out bookmark for Eve Uni Aldrat HQ; Prefix: E-UNI Suffix:PTS (for Pator Tech School) Definition: IWO (instant warp out) Distance:1200 Km

IWO[E-UNI:IX-PTS@1200Km]

Simple Version: IWO IX PTS @1200km

Or for an undock bookmark for Caldari Business Tribunial; Prefix: non Suffix: CBT (for Caldari Business Tribunial) Definition: UNDOCK (Undock) Distance:2500m

UNDOCK [VIII-M1-CBT@2500m]

Simple Version: UNDOCK VIII-1 CBT

Safe Spot Bookmarks Syntax: |--No: Closest Object @ Distance --| No: Number of the safe spot in that system

|--04: (VII)@16Au--| is the fourth safe spot in the system 16 Au way from the closest celestial, which is planet VII. Planet indicated by Curvy brackets, bases by rectangular brackets, and gate name are written as they are.

Simple Version: SS VII @16 Au

|--05: Balle@21Au--| is the fifth Safe spot bookmark in the system and the closest celestial is Balle gate 21 Au away from the spot.

Simple Version: SS Balle @21 Au

|--01: [E-UNI:IX-PTS]@8 Au--| is the first Safe spot bookmark in the system and the closest celestial is Eve Uni Aldrat HQ 8 Au away from the spot.

Simple Version: SS IX PTS @8 Au

A more detailed explanation of this system can be found at Agony Unleashed web site; http://www.agony-unleashed.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.17

Important:

Define you own style and stick with it to avoid any future confusion between your bookmarks!

Tips & Tricks:

Try not to use information already available in the Places tab for bookmark labels, and keep it as simple as possible because you may need to find your bookmark in an instant in case of an emergency or a strict situation.

You may sort your bookmarks according to their jump distance. By this way they will be available on top of the list. The bookmarks in the current system are always highlighted with green to help you separate them better.

You may reach your bookmarks through the right-mouse menu in space. Only the bookmarks in the current system will show up in this menu.

Bookmark Folders:

Folders is the simplest way to organize your bookmarks. But, if you change computers or somehow have to reinstall your client, you will lose all the folders on your computer. Depending on folders for organizing your bookmarks will end you up in a great mess. Other than that you can use folders to arrange you bookmark according to your style.

Tips & Tricks:

When you use the right-mouse menu to reach your Bookmarks in space you will also observe your folders in this menu. You may place all bookmarks in their folders and leave only the most important bookmarks in root folders in just a two-click range.

Sharing & Copying Bookmarks:

You may share your bookmarks with others in-game, but in most situation this is not recommended because acquiring bookmarks is very difficult, and if you share your safe spot bookmarks and etc. then they will become public and you may be compromised. You may share your bookmarks with you Corp mates but consider these bookmarks as compromised.

Copying Bookmarks:

To copy your bookmarks, open the Places tab and select all the bookmarks you want to copy. Multiple selections can be made by using the shift key for in-between selection or ctrl for one-by-one selection. Copying can only be done to your Items or cargo hold. Hold the shift key while clicking and dragging the bookmarks to your hangar or the ship's hold will copy your Bookmarks. You can copy a maximum of five bookmarks at a time.

Sharing Bookmarks:

You can share your bookmarks through trade and contracting in a station or through cans in space. Once you receive bookmarks you will see them in your cargo hold or Items window. Dragging and dropping them into your Places tab will do the trick for adding these copies to your bookmarks.

Important:

If you think that a bookmark is compromised or you share it with your mates and then separate from them for any reason, just trash the bookmarks that you shared with them. Also trash the bookmarks you used with a fleet, because everyone in that fleet learned your safe spot.

Tips & Tricks:

You can recycle your compromised or old bookmarks. Use the mid-safe technique that was described above in the safe spot section, but this time use your safe spots rather than celestials to take mid-points. In this way you will be able to generate more unaligned safe spots from your older ones.

Conclusion:

Whatever role you carry out in EVE, bookmarking is one of the most important aspects of the game. Although it seems very tiresome, at least if you want to survive and avoid dangers, you should create the basic bookmarks for your own safety.

If you are considering PvP or military action, you must at least create these bookmarks for your operation area. Your survival in low sec and Null sec, highly depends on your bookmarks and you personal skill to use them.

Always remember that bookmarking requires no additional game skill, it’s just a time consuming action. If you start bookmarking in the early days in your game life and spend few hours every week or month, you will cover most of your operation area in few months.

Each time you run for an agent mission, hauling something, docking and undocking a station, approaching a gate and flying with a fleet, try taking some time and creating some bookmarks. If you use all the opportunities, it is much easier then it seems