Science & Industry

I am probably beating a dead horse, but I will give it a go:

I have been constantly plagued by logging onto Eve for my 2 hours of gameplay per day only to find an empty ice belt. At first it really didn't bother me until I noticed that the same few people (who don't know how to chat) with multiple accounts literally mine the belts as soon as they spawn day in and day out. I will not get into the details of what I think their doing as that is a different topic to post.

The problem is this, I pay $14.99 a month (used to have 2 accounts) to play Eve. For the last year or so I have been heavily engaged in Ice Mining as it allows me to work on other things as I play.

For the last couple months the trend has been something like this:
1) Log in
2) Undock and hit D-Scan
3) Either the belt is not on D-Scan or it will not be spawned for much longer.
4) Warp back to station and log off as the respawn will not happen before I go to bed.

This same problem has made my real life friend completely quit the same. He had 3 accounts and couldn't find any decent systems to mine ice in either. Every system we have been in has been infested with griefers, botters, or those that choose to play more than 5 accounts at the same time (which should be illegal).

Here is what I wish CCP would consider implementing for the players who can't devote their entire working life to playing this game according to the ice belt respawn schedule:

Create an NPC or an option within a Mining Mission NPC that will spawn a 'small' Ice Belt (200 blocks or so) once a day which can not be scanned down by anyone else in system. I feel that this will benefit players who engage in very small ice mining operations by allowing them to access the game content that they pay for on their schedule.

As of now, I do not see the ice mining experience to improve whatsoever. In fact, its just getting worse. There needs to be alternatives for those who cannot compete because they have a job, need to sleep, and do not play on 10 accounts.

So what exactly are they doing that you don't do? When you get a chance that is

Sorry but you pays your money you takes your chance.

I only mine ice for fuel, 30 blocks now and then is enough to keep me compressing ore once a week with some left over.

Hang about at the field, keep an eye on what time it's depleted, log on 3 hours 55 minutes later and wait for it spawning.

Simples.

It takes quite a while to eat ice so you must be looking in a very populated one. There are others, as said. Find them, it's much better. There are times of the day you will only have a few miners. As for the populated ones, hey at least you have company (ie other targets when the gankers come around.)

Buy the part you need if you can't get it. There's a lot of stuff I can't get because I'm not in low/null - part of the cost of my business which is acceptable.

You have to get rid of the attitude that you can do it all, for all your own stuff, especially when you're on time constraints. There are simply too many interdependencies and too many items. Which is a good thing. Games where you can master everything and do everything yourself are very shallow and get boring fast. Here you have a lot of different things going on due to other players participation - look at this as an opportunity to focus on what you can/do get out of Eve and go from there!

Good luck.

Find a level 4 mining agent in hi sec. I use one when working from home. I get 1 of 3 types of missions:

Ice mining: no rats, mine 20 units of fake ice, dock back up. I have an ice Mac set for this.
Gas mining: mine a fake gas cloud. At most you face small spawns of frig and cruiser rogue drones. A venture can handle this with T2 drones.
Mineral mining: again, mine a fake ore. The quantity requires a trip back to station once. I have a mineral Mac I use.

Lp earned can be converted to implants you can sell. Mining connection helps. Overall, it is on par with regular ice mining.

" The problem is this. I pay $14.99 a month (used to have 2 accounts) to play Eve. For the last year or so I have been heavily engaged in Ice Mining as it allows me to work on other things as I play." Promethius Allak.

1) Do you pay $14.99 to run two accounts or one account per month? If only one I'm sure you can pay for longer peroids with CCP and get subscription rates cheaper than that.

2) The rest of this line seems to say you are 'AFK' mining while playing another game or doing another RL activity/working. Later on in your OP you refer to others doing the same activity you are trying to complete with disdain or disgust.

I don't agree with or support 'AFK' playing of EVE or macro/bot/ISBoxer use either and work in an extremely small scale to stop it where it impinges on the playing style of 'At Keyboard' players of EVE. So if it's possible to do you could either clear the offending elements or seek another career option within New Eden. It sounds like your timezone may be the main problem which cannot be fixed so a different career is the remaining option.

Why not just mine ore?

Most Rocks (the higher lvl HS ones at least) will last several cycles so its not like you need to pay attention all the time. Then when ice is up jump in mine as much as possible and then go back to ore. Hell I have done this while PVPing on a second screen so its hardly taxing.

Sure ore is less valuable but its like that because its rare, when ice was unlimited it was very cheap so you cant have it both ways. Mining some ore all the time is better than mining nothing most of the time.

So you don't like other people putting more effort into the game than you and now you want CCP to hand out free stuff because you can't be bothered to change your habit or just be an active player even?

You can always try to do something that requires less effort and mine something more abundant like Ore if you are just wanting to do some quick afk mining. I don't really see why someone would need to mine ice and stop playing if he can't do it.

You're kind of creating your own problem here.

I never said you should do any of the above things, I'm just stating that OP not the center of the universe. You can keep banging your head to the same rock every day (like OP is doing) or you can learn to walk around it and accept that not everything is going to be the way you want it to be. (Like i tried to explain what is the simplest solution, in this case mine ore and buy Ice).

The issue about ice respawning around DT is a valid one, but doesn't solve OPs problems (ice field being mined out quickly and interaction with other players), which according to his own post is that he doesn't want to be part of a sandbox and just wants a daily mission instead of adapting and looking for more suitable ventures to spend his time.

CCP has released a devblog about the ice changes, reverting them by implementing unlimited ice again using a daily mission system runs contrary to what they want ice to be.

there are alternative methods to gather some ice products but not the ice itself.

Peak-Ice!... I think we need an IPO for "Ice-Frakking"

I am willing to start this for the whole of EVE as an IPO, since we have peak recoverable Ice, this method should be thought about seriously; now I understand the concerns that CCP servers may be contaminated, and Devs may start to suffer from "blinky-the wonderfish" kinds of mutations, that our precious pod-fuild may be tainted, or even become flammable... but...

what is that to the needs of POS maint. everywhere... so.

ICE Frak, inc.
IPO.
CEO (not responsible for anything directly, says lawyers) Me.

IPO:
All your ISK, several small children (used as material laborers until they fall into the machines, in which case we may then automate, but for starting this is good enough... and the ability to listen to constant barrage of "there is no issue with Ice-Frakking" move along, move along... etc.

Thanks, I shall endeavor to make this a costly and unprofitable and also completely unsustainable means of ice production at the cost of all of the future of EVE.

Best and thanks,