Where to begin? I started in Tash-Murkon Prime and plotted the fastest course to Dodixie. It seemed reasonable as I would only pass through one low sec system. When I got to Dodixie I punched in a course back to Tash-Murkon Prime. This route takes me through 5 low sec systems going back by a completely different route. I ended up adding the other low sec system (Vecamia) to the list just to go back the way I came to Dodixie.
I don’t care much for using Google Maps to chart my course by car, I still can read freeway signs. This mapping tool is really messed up when it can’t just give you the one route and say, “This is the best one. It has little to no road construction and gankers are off work this weekend. Have a great day!”.
Anyone here got an idea of how this tool works? From now on, before I leave dock, I plan to check the route from both ends.
Yes, the ingame route planner does that (not sure if anyone knows why exactly). You force it the way you did, either by avoiding a system or by adding a waypoint (Vicamia in your case). In extreme cases you use the F10 map to plot your course manually via waypoints. This has the advantage that you can color the systems for recent ship kills with data straight from ccp, so it’s also a fast (but inaccurate) check for possible ganks.
There are websites and applications that combine both routing and intel, making them extremely useful. Eveeye Explorer (website) and Slazanger’s SMT (app), to name a few. These have live zkill connections, so your intel is as up to date as ESI allows, and have some powerful, customisable visualisation.
I was using my Miasmos to collect corporate deliveries and take them to Dodixie for sale. I only run a simple nothing mining corp as a casual player for friends and drifters. I just noticed this yesterday and thought, logically it should plot the reverse route, since nothing has changed. I managed to gather all the resources and my work is done. It was a bit of shock and awe to see one route with 1 low security versus traveling back through five. I would use the “safe route” option, but they add too many jumps to be of any use.