Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Miners Moving Freight

Rocky stepped in to a puddle when he mixed things up regarding trading and hauling in New Eden. He first thought he needed a bunch of new skills to buy freight, but that is not the case. He learned to buy his freight from the market and to haul it quickly to the highest paying customer.

Hauling freight is a far more simple process than he realized.

There are no broker skills needed to haul freight in New Eden. You don’t need the Daytrading Skill, or other trade skills, to get started with hauling. You buy you freight one load at a time. You make one short term investment with each load you haul.

Hauling freight is an integral part of the New Eden economy. It is how products move from producer to customer with few middle men and limited storage. It is a very efficient delivery system as long as there are haulers available. That is where the Lone Miner fits in to the picture.

When a Lone Miner adds freight hauling to their income stream they diversify their income sources. Rocky works on the basis that it is best to have three sources of income. When work in one area gets slow, he moves to another. Rocky hauls freight, mines, and does salvage to create his income.

Diversity in your income producing activities reduces the boredom that comes with sitting on asteroid belts for long periods of time.

Rocky started by hauling freight that was inexpensive. He began by hauling water, oxygen, and soil. These are general commodities every station uses. He would check what each station he visited needed and sold. He found more products he could haul as his investment funds increased.

To find what a station sells and needs go to the upper right hand corner of your screen. Click on the information button for the station. Locate their market activity tab on the page that opens. Look for commodities for items they are selling and at the bottom of the page for what they need (Demand).


Rocky started with 1mil Isk in investment money on Day One and by Day Three of his hauling had over 20mil in his wallet. Putting his Mammoth to use hauling freight greatly decreased how much time it now takes Rocky to earn Isk.

A new Lone Miner can haul freight in his Probe and make money at it. You don’t need to wait to have a Mammoth.

Rocky now earns Isk hauling freight at the same rate of income that mining ore in a Covetor produces per hour. Using a ship costing 100k, Rocky now has earnings per hour in the Covetor range. Point is, hauling freight did not need months of skill training or 35mil Isk to make it happen.

Hauling is something you do as a part of mining and moving freight. It is hard to value what that part of the total transaction is worth. You make your money in hauling by your investment in your load. You sell it for more than you buy it for and that is how you make money hauling.

Try it out, it works.

Laters. ET

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Transport/Mining Income Mix

Rocky is currently in transition. That means he really isn’t sure where he is going, but he is having a blast getting there. For the first time in his career he is sitting back and watching one of his alts take the lead. Rocky’s understanding of New Eden is going beyond asteroid belts and refining.

Rocky hit a flat spot a week or two ago. He was making good money, but really didn’t have any use for it. He bought a Covetor and fully equipped it. Then he realized he had a long while to go before he could use it. He had far more skill training to accomplish than he realized.

The investment in the Covetor and equipment locked up almost 35mil Isk. That seemed OK at the time, because Rocky thought that he had little else important to buy. Then he found Jump Clones and Exploration Probes, and saw there were other fun places to spend his hard earned Isk.

Rocky makes good money Mining and Salvaging. The Isk continued to grow in his accounts. Rocky then learned he about hauling his own freight. He found he could invest 1mil Isk in a load and make a good profit on the haul. His loads now cost closer to 20mil Isk, but the return is enormous for the short investment time.

Rocky watches the Market and now knows a good price when he sees it. He looks where he can sell it and then will sometimes deliver it immediately. By purchasing his loads at good prices he can sell them anytime for a good profit. Rocky uses these loads for his back hauls frequently.

It is very clear now to Rocky that a Lone Miner who uses his Transport to make income, along with his mining activities, will move ahead financially much more quickly than a player doing solo mining.

There are many new things to explore in Eve. When your Lone Miner activities start to numb you out from the boredom, look around for new things to do in New Eden. You will find there are many other interesting things to do that can actually compliment your mining efforts.

You keep coming back now.

Laters. ET

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Fear in New Eden

Rocky was born in New Eden to a world he hadn’t experienced before. The player who controls his destinies had no previous “gaming” experience. Rocky found he could pilot a ship and get back to his station without having to use a pod.

When he reached his first asteroid belt he felt like a little fish on a big reef.

When Rocky stopped worrying about attack, he stopped being attacked. He had good reason not to worry by then. His equipment was well equipped and he had learned to use it.

He had also learned a Primary Survival Lesson of Eve:

No one can attack you unless you attack them first.

You do need to react to that bully who rushes at you with his big ship or shoots missiles at an asteroid off to your right. Do not react to this behavior. They want you to “look” at them and hit the “target” button by mistake. They want you to launch a combat drone or scan them.

Any of these acts by you can be used by them as an excuse to attack you. Don’t give them the opportunity!

Rocky once sat and watched a gang of player pirates empty his Jetcan. He didn’t move a muscle until they left. He lost a load of ore, survived the experience, and learned a great deal about who they were and how they operated. It was a lesson well paid for.

As an early miner you will hear the term “Jetcan” being used. You will not find them in the market. You create them when you jettison an item from your cargohold when you are in space. You create them when you jettison ore from your mining ship. Do not create them until you have a way to haul their contents back home in one load.

Learning the Art of Jetcanning is a key to your success as a Lone Miner in Eve. Buy the Anchoring skill and train it. It will help you haul more freight in cargo containers when you are ready to use them. You use cargo containers to haul more ore in your transport ship and you use a Jetcan on an asteroid belt for ore storage before transport.

A Jetcan survives two hours in space. Take an inexpensive module with you to the mining site. Once you are set up to mine, jettison the module. Immediately name its container (Jetcan) and include the time it was created in its name.

Now you can fill your Jetcan and no one can remove anything from it without being labeled a thief. Rocky learned that small module can provide a lot of protection. He watched a thief use this trick on him so he couldn’t get to his own ore. Since including a small personal module in his Jetcans, Rocky has not seen a single ore thief.

Get out there and mine.

Don’t react to the bullies on the asteroid belts near the schools. Those guys love to eat newbie’s who have knee-jerk reactions to their antics. They frequently travel in pairs so don’t fall for their tricks. They have to be pretty slick to get a newbie and not fall from the good graces of Concord.

Don’t worry about the player pirates that prey on miners in low security areas and deep space. You aren’t going there just yet, but when you do, you will be ready and able to do it on your own.

Remember to not get out ahead of yourself. You will need to transport what you Jetcan, or have someone else haul your ore for you. Learn about Jetcans now, but do it later.

Get a friend to sign up for a 14 day Trial Account and you can mine together and help each other out.

Stick around Eve a bit longer and I will be happy to share with you how to do all this with ease and with no fear.

Laters. ET

Hello from Rocky

Rocky was born in New Eden to a rough and tough mining career. He got to be a bit of a “junk yard dog” when he took to salvage work as a sideline. He is nasty with pirates and well-liked by Concord. Sadly he doesn’t play well with others and wisely has kept to himself.

Rocky doesn’t have many friends in New Eden, but the ones he has, he will keep for life. Having a lot of quiet time alone, Rocky has gathered his lessons and even written them down. He’s a good teacher in his more quiet moments.

Get too close to him in person and you might find him a bit of a gruff teacher. Rocky doesn’t like to repeat himself, so he shares what he has to give in this blog. The lessons he has learned in his early career as a Lone Miner in New Eden are here.

Rocky knows that a lot of 14 day Trial players of Eve spend their early days being victims to older, more aggressive players. That can be a wasted and frustrating period for a player that wishes to get on with the game.

New Players need mentors. They find mentors in older players who share their knowledge and experience with them. At first you need do little more than gain basic skills and knowledge. Fly around and meet people. Get active in you chosen profession. If you are a miner, get out there and mine.

When you become a steady player you will meet other players regularly. Lurk on chat and get a feel for who is who. Stay out of anything but brief conversations on corp chat channels. They are a victim zone.

Rocky pays for an email if he wishes to have a private conversation with someone. This is a good way to clear misunderstandings with other players before problems arise. It is also a good way to do it in private. And it is a good way to keep a record of the conversation for later reference.

Rocky suggests that a New Player uses their time to get past fear of attack. The best way to do this is to get a better ship quickly. The Minmatar Slasher is a small, fast, and well-armed frigate that Rocky still uses regularly. Rocky suggests it is a good early choice for a well defended ship.

Rocky speaks from his experience. He is a successful Miner and Trader in New Eden. He has an extensive fleet of transport and mining ships. He has over 3mil skill points and is highly trained in numerous areas. He personally owns and has flown every ship he discusses.

Rocky has mined with Caldari and Minmatar ships. He recommends the Slasher as an excellent entry level fighter and courier ship for new players. It is a ship that has use potential in your fleet activities later. For mining Rocky recommends the Minmatar Probe as a first purchase for a serious mining ship.

Rocky knows that it is difficult for a New Player to find a sincere mentor who is available when he needs him. Rocky knows he can’t always be present for others, but he can place his knowledge where they can reach it without him needing to teach the same class over and over again.

That is what this blog is about. Rocky is pretty good at organization so the information will be available in a number of different ways so you can find what your looking for.
Rocky will start out with some basic information for beginning Lone Miners. He’ll talk about a few basics every player needs to learn, and some other resources you can use for further study of what he is discussing.

Keep coming back and Rocky will have you on the New Eden mining fast track in no time.

Later. ET

My Changing Blog Experience

When I found the Phoenix Mars Lander Shovel was the size of a flour scoop in my kitchen, I got bored with the Project. I was really hoping for nano scouts and miniature bulldozers. Alas, I have had to find other interests.

My wanderings and desire for new adventurers has taken me in to the world of New Eden to be found in the Eve. It is a complex and varied world filled with any level of excitement you wish to attain.

You can reach Eve by clicking on the banner above and it doesn’t cost you anything to play your first fourteen days. During that time I hope you have a great time playing the game and get to the fun stuff quickly. Read what you find here and I think your trial period will help you on your way to becoming a successful Lone Miner in New Eden.

This information represents the best I have learned and experienced along the paths I have followed finding my own success. You may find that on my travels I have gone places others have not explored.

My paths have been varied, but they all support my central career as a Lone Miner. I will share with you what I have learned while I await my Internet connection to return. I have become a more patient man through this experience.

As I read through my many notes (this Internet connection thing has been a problem for quite awhile), I hear different voices. Rocky, who speaks for me, has developed a more mature tone to his speech these past months.

Rocky has become an avid reader of Eve Mining Guides and has used his new knowledge to advantage. He speaks only from his experience in these posts. He has tried to use a strategy in New Eden that does not involve confrontation. He likes to walk softly while carrying a big shovel. That might be a miner thing.

Laters. ET