The density spectrum over the planet matches the quality index, so intuitively I place all extraction heads tightly around a dense area, expecting the highest yield.
I then notice when moving the heads around that the extraction rate never matches the indices. It’s like there is a different, much finer pattern that decides the actual rate, and which you have no view of.
I then click submit and check the extraction rate immediately after, and find that it shows yet another number.
I’ve trained Planetology to level 4 with no apparent result. What do these skills do exactly? It’s like the resulting extraction rate is completely random, and that you could train Remote Sensing 1, ignore Planetology skills, and just place the heads randomly and hope for the best.
You get an estimate, with the planetology and advanced planetology skills that estimate will improve. Since other players may be harvesting the same resource it will never be exact.
Don’t try to optimize your PI. “that way madness lies”!
But will the estimate closer match the density spectrum, or is it nothing more than a visual effect? I want to know if I can ever rely on the spectrum, or if I am just to move the heads around at random.
I don’t care so much about the highest yield, I’m more hoping that the PI system will be consistent and make sense.
In my experience doing PI, over 5 years, the heatmap is reasonably accurate. The white hotspots are the best places to put your extractor heads! When scanning, I minimize the width of the scan to narrow the focus and then adjust the strength to see the resource I’m looking for. I do not move my colonies to chase resources around the planet - it’s a lot of work for little reward. Simply wait a few days and a deposit will spawn close by.
I do PI in highsec with 4 accounts and consume what I produce in manufacturing - I don’t sell any. With a full time job and other real world obligations I’m fairly casual about maintaining my colonies - none the less CCP tells me I ended up in the top 2%!
You have to remember that your scans have a resolution. Until you max out those skills, and even somewhat with max skills, the hotspots you can see are smaller than the real thing.
Like losing detail to pixelation in low res photos.
That’s pretty impressive man. Do you own the POCOs too, or have you found somewhere that they aren’t owned by a PIRAT shell corp and have all of the taxes set to 30%?
I do not own any POCOs at this time. I did for a while in the past but was unable to defend it. Tax rates in the less populated areas aren’t too bad. I’m paying 8%-10% with the customs code expertise skill at level 5. It’s also possible that yields are better in less populated areas - I figure I’m averaging roughly half what I was getting when I lived in Nullsec. Since I have 2 factory planets making robotics and guidance systems some of those exports are counted twice but still a lot more than I would have guessed before I saw the numbers.
