PI Spreadsheet working again

I use a google doc's spreadsheet for tracking PI prices, and what I should or should not be making.

My biggest personal need is to set prices for our in-wormhole PI buying program.

Google Docs spreadsheets have been upgraded lately, and importxml, which is the basis of how I have been pulling prices from eve-central is broken.  So my old PI spreadsheet, as well as the one Wyke Mossari are now both also broken.

However Steve Ronuken came to the rescue with some google docs scripts.  I have tweaked them to my desires and now have my new version.

Not only can I import data from Eve Central again, it is much faster, and I can now combine my buy and sell spreadsheets.

The spreadsheet is at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lXM8PqU0Tn4EJJ2xRuI7uo55IrZ7MKWJidK9T_bA9L4/edit?usp=sharing

You are welcome to make your own copy and tweak.

Main Tab

Main Tab

The first 'Main' tab lists the PI products, what level they are, and max buy/min sell prices from Eve Central for several systems. It also includes a few other items for POS fuel and WH gas clouds.


Columns P and Q have the average prices from Jita, Amarr, Dodixie and Hek.

If you make your own copy, you can change the system names in row 2 and everything else will work.

Make Import Tab

Make Import Tab

This tab assumes you have one PI item being manufactured, on planet and you are looking for something to pair it with.  The Earnings% column is a quick guide, colour coded.  Red is a loss; white, yellow, green in that order show what is worth making.  If you are color blind you are welcome to just use % values (or make a copy and colour it to your liking)

All values try to take into account the effects of import and export taxes, assuming you are making the value of 'Manufacture 1' on planet.

The tax rate by default is 4%, which is the standard in Foo corps.

Manufacture Tab

This tab assumes you have a pure factory planet, importing everything.  This also uses the tax rate from the Make Import Tab.

SelectedTypes Tab

This contains the Eve TypeId's, item names and a grouping code.  The TypeId's can be determined from various sources.

If you make a copy of the spreadsheet and change a TypeId then it will be reflected on the main tab.  At the moment the Items are hard coded.

If you have a specific item you want to find the type id, look for it's price on eve-central.  Eg search for Tritanium on there, and you will get https://eve-central.com/home/quicklook.html?typeid=34 as the URL.  This URL tells you that the typeid for Tritanium is 34

Various websites contain the static data from eve, including http://eve-files.com/chribba/typeid.txt

Buying Tab

This tab is what I use to run my wormhole buying program.  It will occasionally (often?) be filtered to the products that I have most recently purchased from someone.

Credits and License tab

This tab is where I have various credits to where I have used other people's work.

Caveat Emptor

I have taken some care, but take no responsibility for any ISK you may earn or lose as a result of using this spreadsheet


PS. Steve has also set up his own version of the PI manufacture calculator at  https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/pi/

PPS.  To see the scripts used by my spreadsheet above, make a copy of the google doc spreadsheet, and  use Tools -> Script Editor.

Creating a null trade hub

I have been quieter than normal the last little while, and actually trying to find time to play the game rather than write up what is working (or not).  I also have been playing with eve static data.

My current project is out in null space.  Yes, on some of my pilots, I have joined a null renter corp.

I still don't 'rat' much.  I thing I have spent 10 hours ratting in the last month.  I have taken part in a structure grind where the local renters (and not the so called landlords) were wanting to reclaim a station to provide an easier trade route back from Razor.  (Long story for another day maybe).

I had great plans of being a null manufacturer, with the bounties of excessive moon goo and ore.  These were the dreams of the uninformed idealist.

One of the things I have noticed out in my area of Cobalt Edge, is that we do not have a functional market.  Sure there are the occasional jump freighter runs for the organised, but these are done far too much on a trust everyone basis.  http://serpentinelogic.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/note-to-self/ is from the same alliance. 

You can trust some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but I don't trust all of the people all of the time.

I know wormholes.  I have some logistics ability.  I have some coding ability.  Time to make a trade hub.

My plan is to stock my null station with stuff so that pilots can equip a ship with something.  Tech 2, best named Meta, occasionally faction stuff.  At the moment largely ammunition and modules but the occasional ship.

So for me, most of my logistics has been via wormholes and DST's.  The furthest that I have travelled to find a usable null based wormhole is 7 jumps, and usually it is only 2-3.  At the moment, usable means no more than 2 intermediate wormholes, no more than 2 lowsec systems.  This limitation is based on the number of 'eyes' I am willing to commit to wormholes and gates.

I am still skittish with my DST, and wait probably too long after seeing someone on a gate.  The DST is probably strong enough to shake off most pursuit.  Maybe.  Either that or I will just keep being skittish.  Jump drive calibration 5 is currently being trained on a couple of pilots, with the eventual plan to make 2 jumps, swap ship between pilots, jump 2 more and swap back again.  The non-jumping pilot would use a mix of jump clones, interceptors and T3 cloaky interdiction nullified ships.

I have my list of what I would like to sell; just over 1800 item types.  I currently have 400 slots in null and sigh a little. I also want to have room for buy orders too.  So I am also training more pilots for more trading, planning to get around 1000 slots.  This still wont be enough for my 'want to trade list'.

The things I know :

• Hauling is possible but it takes time, ammunition is pretty easy.  
• T1 hulls can be made in null, T2 hulls are a lot harder as there is very little local moon goo for sale, and even then it is only select moons.
• Most trading and hauling currently happens via a social networks.
• I am going to have to trim hard on what I am selling at least in the short term
• Our renters are cashed up but have poor access to markets.

Based on this, I have been hauling stuff that is not currently being traded and I think will sell, and then listing it at a significant margin.

My pricing model is based on a convenience store out the middle of nowhere rather than next door to a major city supermarket.  I am trying to provide stuff to the buyers that want it now, rather than buyers that want to be organised.  Later when I get more trade orders and better logistics,

My market solution is still way too manual.  I looked at Eve Mentat and can't drive it they way I want.

At the moment my market selection method consist of 3 windows: One eve window in my null system with the trade filter set to 'show only available' for 'station'; one eve window in a trade hub, and one browser window on either eve central or this spreadsheet .The spreadsheet is meant to show my 1800 items list, and the prices in Jita, Amarr and my region of space.  It is slow and often refuses to load all data (hence the eve central fallback).

I don't mind being undercut.  At the moment that means most likely ignoring the item, but 'soon' it will mean pulling the item and listing another one instead.  I have no idea on when 'soon' will be.

Why ask CSM candidates for short answers?

Some of the CSM have troubles providing short answers in my CSM 10 candidate questions.  Some have written posts about how TLDR is a hard (edit) thing.  Others shoved multiple answers in with various pretence about how it was only one answer.  (Do this too badly and Foo will edit your answers to fit)

I personally am a long form reader, I like reading the intricacies and banter that goes back and forward.

Last year I listed to many many hours of podcasts, read many blog and CSM forum posts.  The problem is that I am going to be approaching burnout from all the reading by the time the CSM elections are done, and I will read much more than most.

Most eve players (your potential voters) will not.

Some candidates have rusted on voters.  These voters follow suggestions of their leadership group, whether it be CEO, alliance leadership or their favourite bloggers.

Some voters will vote for someone regardless of what is written, and make up their own mind.  These people will read your long form answers, listen to podcasts and come up with their reasoned responses.

Most potential voters find the whole voting process a little irrelevant and/or too much bother.  I am trying to create something for those who are deciding whether to vote, and to try to move some of them into either of the above 2 voting groups, preferably the group that makes up it's own mind.


The CSM 9 voter turnout was shocking. I feel that this represents a fall in engagement in Eve as a game for the longer term.  I feel we got a pro-active CSM that did lots of good work.  No they didn't get everything they wanted, nor do I think they should.   I still think we have a better Eve experience because of the CSM. 

I want more players engaged in Eve, not just the ad-hoc pew pew, but to feel they can shape the game into the future.  I feel that the CSM is amongst our best ways to shape this from a design perspective.  The CSM are not game designers, but they are our representatives as involved key stakeholders.

Those that just seek a simple answer from their leadership group will already be well covered.

Those that seek long form answers will similarly be well covered: Eve forums, a wealth of in depth interviews, blogs, podcasts will all let the well informed be even better informed.

I tried to make questions that appeal to the TLDR audience, and give them a way to get more information should they want it about a candidate.  As it is, 2000 words of CSM answers and counting, becoming probably 5000 words before the season ends, will be too much for many of these players to read.

I know that this blog, by itself, won't reach out to many.  But hopefully a short form set of answers, when linked to by a few that do care, may appeal to those that would not otherwise vote.

CSM 10 season : open questions to CSM candidates

My readers fall into a few groups: Those living in wormholes;  PI farmers;  Market players.  (and the rest of you).

To all CSM candidates:

1. Why should my readers vote for you (TLDR version)?
2. What one thing do you realistically want to fix in Eve?  
1. For existing CSM members, what one thing was the best fix you achieved?
3. What is your solution to this one thing?
4. What URL has more information about you?

Leave a comment here, or evemail DoToo Foo.

Responses will be posted to http://foo-eve.blogspot.com.au/p/csm-10-candidate-questions.html

Small POS in a C4 and other activities

With the wormhole changes a couple of months ago, we largely moved out of our C4 wormhole, and I have been occasionally making half hearted attempts to sell it. 

I did however pull down our large tower and put up a small tower instead.  An SMA, CHA and defences to have a holding pilot look after it.

I was mildly curious to know how long it would take until someone paid attention.  The answer is 8 weeks.

I was scanning an exit (as I had an interested buyer), and as is my standard practice, landed 100k of the entrance.  Good thing too, as there was a command ship on the wormhole.  Rechecking Dscan finds 3 interdiction ships (2 destroyers, 1 cruiser).  Mmmm.  Maybe not today.  Head to a safe spot and cloak up.

Off to do some other chores, and come back a little later.  This time, 4 marauders on the POS and I am getting notifications about damaged ECM mods.  I am somewhat confused.  Marauders can be ECM immune, but whatever rocks their boat.

With this particular POS however, I am remarkably unstressed.  I look at my division in the CHA.  A few prototype cloaks, T1 scanning equipment and a few cargohold extenders.  Easy, load them up into my ship and offline the CHA to unanchor it. Umm.  No.... there is something still in there.

Van had more scanning probes and some unassembled shuttles.  Ok.  Online, loot (bother - shuttles are too large - change to an Itty 5 instead of my Epithal). Finally offline and unanchor the CHA.  Scoop it up, why not.

Now I want to unanchor the SMA. Mmm.  A lot of ships in there.  About 20 velators, and 30 shuttles.  Ok.  Eject, eject, eject ..... A couple more Itty 5's epithals and heaven forbid, a catalyst.  Yup. 

I break a cardinal wormhole rule.  I talk in local, leaking way too much information about my intentions but ...screenshot my empty SMA and post to local.

Worthy loot for the mighty incoming storm

Now take the SMA down and put it into my cargo.

I am a POS gunner so target a Golem and try some pew pew ... Umm. Try is the right term.  I managed to get one of the Golems to 1/2 shield.  Still, at least now they will keep 1/2 an eye on their ships.

One thing to watch.  There is a current bug on the management window.  The Control Tower Manager window does not show the current shield %.  I discovered this when trying to adjust shield hardeners to match the damage profile.  Oh well, I should have done this well before.  Next time.

The hostiles were giving updates on a semi-regular basis, letting me know the actual shield %.  On this manager, it never shifted below 65%.  A reinforced tower @ 65% shields is not a screenshot I expected to get.  I have lodged a ticket.

Tongue in cheek, I asked for a remote rep module to repair the ECM modules so I can take the tower down later.  They brought one in and left it in a container.  I picked it up and have it in my cargo, and paid them for the equipment.

I have been quiet on the blog, but still very much caught up in game.  I am still doing WH PI (with real towers).  There are several 3/4 finished posts that I need to polish off. 

The other place I am looking at is Cobalt Edge.  This is null renter space 50 jumps from highsec.  It has acceptable PI (but not great), but an abysmal market.  I am trying to rectify some of that.  A scouted wormhole route for a DST is a wonderful thing.