Industrial - Is this game for me?

New Citizens Q&A
1

So I played EvE a LONG time ago, like when there were skills to help you learn your other skills… I bounced in and out of the game for a couple years. I tried quite a few things ranging from mission running to exploration to planetary interaction to, yes, even pvp. But the reason I always ended up giving the game up is that I wasn’t able to control much of my experience. To clarify, I don’t mean that I demand to be able to control whether I get blown up or not, but rather, except for PI and Missions, everything I did was pretty much based on either luck or spending way too many hours in front of the monitor just hoping I’d find something worthwhile, whether that was actually finding a combat exploration site to run or actually finding someone to shoot at, too much of my experience was based on things totally outside my control.

So, since Chance Ravine’s “Going South” popped up on my youtube feed recently and I of course immediately watched it and got the bug to dive back into the game again, I figured I’d pop in here first. I created this character because the thing I’m looking to do now is something my previous character didn’t have a single skill for so why not start a new toon… maybe a fresh start will help things out. Anyway, I’m looking to do industry. Like, the whole gamut. At least, as far as I understand, which isn’t much. I’m not naturally a numbers person, but ironically I really enjoy setting up spreadsheets and whatnot. And I figure that Industrial content is significantly more “controllable” than other aspects of EvE. After all, I don’t have to go hunt down the market window or the factory window as it actively tries to hide from me.

So here’s my basic question, because if this game isn’t for me, I’d like to know sooner rather than later. My past experience is that EvE can be a harsh mistress and I’d like to tame her a bit from the get go. And if that’s not possible, then I’m just going to bow out before I re-introduce a ton of frustration into my life. So, is it possible to be an industrial player, willing to spend an hour a night, sometimes more, and probably several hours over the weekend, and get to a point where I can plex my account? NOTE!! Before you go off on me about not making the game a grind to plex your account which turns it into a second job, let me explain. I’m just using the isk/month to plex your account as a general marker of success. If you have the income to keep pumping more into industry and, subsequently, trade, and have 2 billion left over, that sounds like a pretty successful operation. And I’m more than willing to subscribe my account for quite a while, but when there are so many games that cost a one time $60 price but literally give thousands of hours of gameplay, I have a hard time looking back over a year and realizing that I’ve spent $140+ and if I don’t keep spending more real money, then it basically goes away.

So, to put a finer point on my question:

  1. With the time constraints listed above, is it possible to be a successful industrial player? Again, I’m more than willing to do research on price indexes, costs, materials, etc etc etc. My only bottleneck is time.

  2. How long would it generally take someone who is trying the whole gamut of industrial activities, from PI to researching to the manufacture itself (and yes maybe even some mining) to be self-sustaining?

Again, I’m more than willing to sub my account for quite a while with RL money, but I think that EVENTUALLY being able to plex one’s account with the profits of your favored activity would be a marker of FINANCIAL success in that endeavor. Yes, yes, fun/hour and all that, but honeslty, no, I don’t want to look back after a couple years and see a multi-hundred dollar price tag on my EvE experience when other games can give me satisfaction for $60 and oftentimes very much less than that.

So, with these two goals, i.e. playing within the time constraint I have and eventually becoming self-sustaining, is this the game for me? Or shall I just uninstall the game launcher immediately?

Thanks for your input.

2

Yes it is, but you are not gonna get there without first investing a good several months (like 4-5) into learning and experience.

Also, you can’t do this alone, you will need the knowledge and skills of an experienced corporation. And I mean a real corporation, not the trash in highsec that don’t know what they’re doing.

3

I’ve never joined a corporation, much less a nullsec one, but I’m willing to do that, I suppose. I know I can’t have it ALL, but the only thing that worries me about that prospect is becoming the Industrial version of an F1 monkey. Honestly, doing industry for the benefit of a corporation would certainly add a ton of value to the experience well beyond just making isk, so I think I’d prefer to be part of a corporation. At the same time, I don’t want my experience to simply be do what I’m told, go where I’m told, manufacture what I’m told, etc etc. I hope to have some autonomy… but others with way more experience than I can advise me on that. And I simply won’t have the time/flexibility to spend hours on fleet roams and etc.

4

You can be a successful industrialist and it’s probably easier in highsec because that’s where the markets are.

You’ll want to train all 3 characters on your account for production, research and PI. Your main will need science skills for the things you want to invent at level 4 plus trade skills and the ability to fly transports.

You’ll need the ability to trade between characters - an ALT corp or access to corporate hangars in an indy corp.

You can start small - some T1 stuff is profitable. I started with T1 rigs, mobile depots and Epithals. Use https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/blueprint/ to see if stuff you’re interested in building is profitable.

With 1 account and level 4 skills, you’ll have 30 production and 30 research slots plus 12 PI colonies. You’ll likely hit your 2 billion/month income target by the end of a year.

As a small industrialist, I prefer to sell in the smaller hubs - margins are better and the markets are less competitive. I generally adjust my prices twice a day - morning before work and in the evening. Make sure you understand your costs (including invention) - set a floor price that leaves you a comfortable profit and don’t chase the market below that. Commodity markets are cyclical and will rebound.

Industry scales well with additional characters. You can build a lot more stuff and it doesn’t take a lot more of your time. It does take an initial investment to get them trained but, with the amount of free SP CCP has been giving away that doesn’t take as long as it used to!

1 Like
5

Hi there . To get that much isk the best way is to rush into t2 industry. There is where the isk is. The market is allways hungry. And yes it’s possible to do it with few hours a day, but to Plex your account I would use 2-3 toons( currently I have 20 production slots) as any new toon on this increase your production / invention speed per day. I can be a big help to you, if you interested mail me ingame so we can discuss more.

6

There is no corporation worth its salt that tells people what to do in the way you’re thinking of. Many will have required fleets but that’s like a once or twice a month thing just to make sure you’re not only doing things for personal gain.

I don’t recommend staying in high sec because, while yes, that’s where the markets are, that’s also where (1) the richest players will be as they can easily manipulate the heaviest markets (i.e. Jita) and (2) you’re gonna be competing with a ton of really bad players who also think the same way.

If, at the end of the day, you’re looking for an easy and lazy way to make billions with only a couple of button presses, you won’t get there without a lot of legwork and hustle. It’s doable, just realize where you’re spending your time and what kind of return you’re getting for your efforts.

7

Ok, let me go to the extreme opposite end of the spectrum just to see what my options are. Forget about being “successful” financially and certainly forget about plexing an account. What can be done industry-wise while maintaining alpha status? I understand that some things, like PI, are totally off the table because you literally have no skills for them, but can you at least LEARN the basics/essentials of Industry while still in alpha state? I know you can’t get the skills for the best mining ships, etc, etc, but are you able to literally punch in a research job, factory job, etc to help learn how things are done? I totally understand it won’t be efficient and probably not profitable, but as an alpha, can you do what it takes to say, “Hey, I made this vexor all by myself”?

Right now, to be honest, money is so tight that if I told my wife I was spending $15/month on a video game… well, it wouldn’t go well… I was kind of kidding myself when I said I was willing to spend several months of subs. Well, I mean, I AM willing, but is it the responsible thing, haha. So I’m wondering if alpha state can just show the ropes of industry so that if money frees up down the line, when I actually CAN sub, I’ve got a good base of knowledge (if not one of infrastructure) already under me.

8

It can’t. And it won’t ever be. It would be too easily exploited with free accounts.

9

It can. Even with that 3 alpha characters you can research simulations few BPO’s for future. Some t1 stuff have can also give you some profit even with additional 2% tax. You will get idea what to do and how to calculate your income. Just don’t expect huge isk. Start slow and don’t rush. You can also get some extra isk finding good trade deals.

10

if you listen to all the haters that talk about carebears in NULL you would think that players are rolling in isk. the reality is that it takes a large team of people to grind out isk via industry. I used to plex my accounts with PI, but it became a job (alphas cant do PI). If you cant afford to pay to play, then just play for fun and build your skills to get to mining barges. Eventually you can work with a group to start making isk.
good luck

11

You can’t plex from industry as alpha in reasonable time. But as alpha you can prepare yourself so as you become omega you wont wast time on doing things you can do as alpha when you are starting to deploy your “base”.

12

If you mail me I can give you some advice and also some support.

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