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PI - Planetology skill useless?
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emf
Knights Of the Black Sun
#1 - 2013-08-02 10:30:36 UTC
After some experimenting with PI it seems that the "inaccuracy" in the heatmaps just means that the heatmaps are offset X distance in one direction. It takes a little bit of trial and error to find out which direction the offset is in for your initial setup but once you figure out the offset it doesn't seem to change. So far I've had no problems hitting the high concentrations with no planetology skill at all.

Am I missing something here? I know that advanced planetology supposedly gives you extra "hidden" hot spots but if you have no need for those is there really any need to train planetology at all?
Krixtal Icefluxor
INLAND EMPIRE Galactic
#2 - 2013-08-02 13:06:38 UTC
emf wrote:
After some experimenting with PI it seems that the "inaccuracy" in the heatmaps just means that the heatmaps are offset X distance in one direction. It takes a little bit of trial and error to find out which direction the offset is in for your initial setup but once you figure out the offset it doesn't seem to change. So far I've had no problems hitting the high concentrations with no planetology skill at all.

Am I missing something here? I know that advanced planetology supposedly gives you extra "hidden" hot spots but if you have no need for those is there really any need to train planetology at all?



Others can better explain why this is totally wrong, so I'll leave that to them.

The 2 Planetology skills are critical for finding the correct locations. You only really need to take Planetology to 4 and Adv Planetology to 3 so it doesn't really take long at all.

Or are you planing on playing EVE only for a few months or something?

"He has mounted his hind-legs, and blown crass vapidities through the bowel of his neck."  - Ambrose Bierce on Oscar Wilde's Lecture in San Francisco 1882
Eric Raeder
No Fee Too High
#3 - 2013-08-02 16:46:07 UTC
I don't think you're missing anything. Others have noticed the same thing. The interface regarding the heatmap seems to be not well thought out. I expect it isn't talked about much because people worry CCP will catch on to the tactic and change things so you actually have to train planetology.
Bugsy VanHalen
Society of lost Souls
#4 - 2013-08-02 18:09:55 UTC
emf wrote:
After some experimenting with PI it seems that the "inaccuracy" in the heatmaps just means that the heatmaps are offset X distance in one direction. It takes a little bit of trial and error to find out which direction the offset is in for your initial setup but once you figure out the offset it doesn't seem to change. So far I've had no problems hitting the high concentrations with no planetology skill at all.

Am I missing something here? I know that advanced planetology supposedly gives you extra "hidden" hot spots but if you have no need for those is there really any need to train planetology at all?

Sorry but you are way off.

Forget the heat map. it is just a rough guideline. What you need to pay attention to is your actual rate of extraction. The numbers you see on the head when you move it around. But these numbers are based on the acuracy of your survey, which is based on your planetology skills.

Have you ever gone back to a planet to find it had produced far less than you were expecting? You likely only looked at your survey based estimated numbers, not the actual numbers once the program was running. When you set a ECU, and place the heads you see the estimated values in the survey window. There is a graph that shows you the estimated input for each cycle as well as some other extraction information, including an estimated units extracted per hour. It is in these numbers where you will see the results of your skills. All the data in this window, as well as the values you see on the heads as you move them around, is just an estimate based on your planetology skills.

It is not until the program is installed and accepted that you will see the real values. Once you have installed the program, and accepted the planetary changes. go back in and look at the numbers again, without stopping anything. you will see the numbers are different. Likely very different. Some times they will be close, but most often they will be much lower than what you saw before in the survey estimates.

This difference is where the planetology skills come in. The higher your planetology skills the less error or difference you will see in these numbers. With low skills your survey is less accurate. this is represented through a margin of error. Not just the heat map changes, the actual numbers in the graphs and survey windows change with your skills.

Say with no planetology skills you have a margin of error of 75%. What this means is the values shown in your survey could be anywhere up to 75% off from the actual values. The higher you train the planetology skills the less margin or error you will see. I believe with the skills at 5/5 your survey is 100% accurate, personally I find about a 5% margin of error from having the skills at 4/4, within 5% is good enough for me, and it is only a couple days training.

The number of days training it takes to get the skills to 5 is not worth the extra 5%, but getting them to 4/4 or even 4/3 is well worth it. Trust me, I have been actively doing PI since it was put in game.
emf
Knights Of the Black Sun
#5 - 2013-08-02 20:26:05 UTC
Eric Raeder wrote:
I don't think you're missing anything. Others have noticed the same thing. The interface regarding the heatmap seems to be not well thought out. I expect it isn't talked about much because people worry CCP will catch on to the tactic and change things so you actually have to train planetology.


Okay, good to know, thanks! I'll post no further then.
Lambert Simnel
PWLS Enterprises
#6 - 2013-08-02 22:28:49 UTC
And then you wake up one day and the resources you thought you were extracting are on the other side of the map.

Train Advanced Planetology 4. It makes all the difference in the world.
Markus Navarro
Osmon Integrated Robotics
#7 - 2013-08-04 16:46:21 UTC
Quick Hijack, do 5-5 make some difference with 4-4?

I got a few characters without much to train, and i've been thinking on doing that. Never too much PI.

I sell drones and drones accessories.
Invictra Atreides
Toward the Terra
#8 - 2013-08-04 17:08:53 UTC
To tell you the truth is that at some point you get so good at restarting PI extractors that the daily maintenance only takes 15-20 min for 40-50 planets. At this point you don't take time to fine adjust the extractor positions anymore. Having high Planetary skills will be essential to keep the extraction cycles at an high average.

Blog | Tutorials | Youtube "I don’t know everything, I just know what I know."
Bugsy VanHalen
Society of lost Souls
#9 - 2013-08-06 13:50:48 UTC
Markus Navarro wrote:
Quick Hijack, do 5-5 make some difference with 4-4?

I got a few characters without much to train, and i've been thinking on doing that. Never too much PI.

I seem to be getting about a 5% margin of error with skills at 4-4, good enough for me. I believe with skills at 5-5 you will get that to zero.

It seems to me, through experimentation, no planetology skills gives you around 75% margin for error. What that means is when your survey says you will average a little over 6000 units per hour, your actual yield could be as low as 1500. I do not believe the extensive time needed to train both to 5 is worth that last 5%, but 4-4 is well worthwhile, even for casual PI'ers. But for min/maxers every little bit helps, so 5-5 will make a difference.