o7,
I’d like to introduce three related open-source projects that grew out of the same problem:
How do you tell what a pilot should train next, and how well trained that pilot actually is?
I originally ran into this with two main characters with 40M+ and 50M+ SP.
At that point both characters could fly a large number of ships and use many different weapon systems and modules. On paper they looked very capable.
In practice, however, they were often less effective than expected because somewhere in EVE’s enormous skill tree there was a missing level in a support skill, fitting skill, tank, weapon system, capacitor skill or another area.
That created a surprisingly difficult question:
What should I train next so that the next 5–10 million SP actually makes these characters better pilots?
Simply being able to sit in a dreadnought, command ship or another advanced hull was not enough to tell me how well the pilot was actually trained for that role.
I then encountered the same problem from several other directions.
Small specialized alts
For some characters I wanted exactly the opposite of broad training.
I needed a scanner, miner, early Abyss pilot or another specialized alt and wanted to spend as little SP as possible while still making the character genuinely effective at its intended job.
Hull prerequisites alone don’t answer that question.
Helping newer pilots
Newer corp members would ask questions such as:
“What should I train to fly a Gila properly?”
Again, listing the ship prerequisites was not enough.
I wanted to be able to show:
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what is needed to start;
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which skills make the next noticeable improvement;
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which support skills matter;
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and what a reasonably complete training level for the role looks like.
Corporation requirements
The same problem exists at corporation level.
For example:
When is a pilot sufficiently trained to join an introductory PvP fleet in a T1 logistics cruiser?
And:
At what point is that pilot actually ready to move into T2 logistics?
A simple “can fly the hull” requirement doesn’t describe that very well.
These problems eventually became three connected projects.
They are intended to complement each other, but each can also be used independently.
1. EvE Modular Skillplans
GitHub — EvE Modular Skillplans
EMS answers: What should I train?
Instead of maintaining a completely independent skill list for every ship, fit or activity, EMS uses reusable skill modules.
The main progression is divided into three levels:
BASIC
Enough to begin using the role effectively.
IMPROVED
Important support skills and improvements that provide meaningful practical benefits.
STANDARD
A solid general-purpose training level without simply pushing every relevant skill to V.
Where appropriate, dedicated Alpha plans are also provided, including intermediate Alpha levels when clone restrictions do not line up neatly with the main BASIC / IMPROVED / STANDARD progression.
The repository also contains training paths that combine those modules into practical progression.
Examples include areas such as:
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mining;
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combat ship progression;
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logistics;
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Abyss;
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Homefront Operations;
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specific community fits.
The intention is not only to describe the final destination.
A training path should also show what the pilot becomes capable of along the way.
2. EVEMon Pilot Progression
GitHub — EVEMon Pilot Progression
EVEMon Pilot Progression answers: Where does this pilot have gaps?
This is particularly useful for older characters.
A 40M, 50M or 100M SP character may already have prerequisites for many advanced ships, while still having surprisingly important holes in support skills.
The goal is to make those gaps easier to see in EVEMon and to evaluate the pilot against useful progression milestones instead of simply checking whether individual ship prerequisites are satisfied.
This also provides the bridge between an existing character and the modular plans in EMS:
Where am I now, and which parts of the progression am I still missing?
3. EVEMon Certificates Enhanced
GitHub — EVEMon Certificates Enhanced
(2 links limit: repo name /Blizbor/EVEMon-Certificates-Enhanced , linked from other repos)
EVEMon Certificates Enhanced answers: How well trained is this pilot?
Certificates provide a useful high-level way to inspect a character, but I wanted them to give a clearer picture of practical competence.
The enhanced certificate set is intended to make progression in areas such as weapons, drones, tank and support skills easier to understand and more consistent.
That makes certificates useful not only as another list of prerequisites, but as a way to answer questions such as:
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Is this character merely capable of using T1 equipment?
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Is the pilot ready for T2 equipment?
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Are specialization skills only started, or trained to a practical level?
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Is this broadly trained character actually strong in this particular area?
How the three projects fit together
The simplest description is:
EvE Modular Skillplans
→ tells you what to train
EVEMon Pilot Progression
→ tells you what the pilot is missing
EVEMon Certificates Enhanced
→ helps show how well the pilot is trained
They are related, but none of them requires the other two in order to be useful.
Feedback
All three projects are still being developed.
Feedback is particularly welcome if you find:
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incorrect or missing skills;
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a BASIC / IMPROVED / STANDARD level that feels inappropriate;
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unnecessary SP expenditure;
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missing support skills;
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incorrect Alpha/Omega assumptions;
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progression that does not match actual gameplay;
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certificate levels that give a misleading picture of pilot competence;
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or an activity / role where this approach would be particularly useful.
Issues and pull requests are welcome.
Fly safe,
Gazzine TunakTun