How Much ISK Is Your Time Worth?
Introducing the f1m.me ISK Calculator
I’m a bitter vet who still likes EVE, builds things, and occasionally tries to make something useful for other players.
This time, I built an ISK calculator.
The idea started pretty simply: How much ISK per hour am I actually making while ratting anomalies in nullsec?
EVE players talk about ISK/hour constantly. We compare ships, sites, fits, regions, ticks, escalations, loot, and just about everything else based on how much ISK we can squeeze out of an hour.
But unless you're actually keeping track of it, it can be surprisingly hard to know what you're really making.
So I tried to build a tool that makes that easier.
What the Calculator Does
Right now, the calculator is primarily focused on nullsec anomaly ratting.
You enter the information from your session and it helps work out what you're actually earning over time.
Nothing revolutionary. Just something I wanted for myself and figured other people might find useful too.
I'm not sure yet whether I completely hit the mark or missed it.
That's part of why I'm putting it out there.
I'd rather release something useful-but-imperfect, see how people actually use it, and improve it based on feedback than spend six more months trying to build the perfect calculator nobody has seen.
So if you try it, feedback is absolutely welcome.
Where It Could Go Next
If people find it useful, I'd like to expand it beyond ratting.
Some obvious possibilities are:
- Mining
- Abyssals
- Escalations
- Exploration
- Industry
- Hauling
- Market trading
Eventually it could become less of a ratting calculator and more of a general EVE activity tracker.
There are a lot of different ways to make ISK in EVE, and comparing them isn't always as straightforward as people make it sound.
But Maybe ISK/Hour Isn't the Point
There is also another possible outcome from using a tool like this.
You look at your ISK/hour...
...and start wondering why you're spending so much time worrying about ISK/hour.
If I'm making a little more money running another anomaly, but I could instead be roaming around looking for a fight, joining a fleet, helping a new player, or just hanging out with friends on comms, maybe the spreadsheet isn't always winning.
EVE is a strange game because optimizing it can become a game of its own.
Sometimes that's fun.
Sometimes the best ISK/hour is making enough ISK that you can stop thinking about ISK and go do the things you actually enjoy.
And like most things in EVE, everything is better with friends.
If you want to give the calculator a try:
If something doesn't make sense, you find a bug, or you have an idea for what I should add next, let me know.
I hope it helps someone.