Posted - 2004.05.19 06:01:00 - [1]

 

Edited by: Tripoli on 26/11/2006 07:39:58

Inevitably, players come to find themselves wondering how exactly their attributes affect their training times and how the various learning skills affect their attributes. Hopefully the experience I have with skills and attributes calculations will help me to better enlighten you as to how exactly the wonderful skill system in EVE really works.

Currently, EVE only displays whole numbers for your attributes on your skill sheet. Those numbers are rarely actually whole. The displayed number is truncated, not rounded. Even if you have an attribute that displays as “20” it could actually be 20.96, which can amount to a significant difference in training time.

So, first off you need to know what your attributes really are. All characters start with a total of 39 base attribute points spread between the five attributes. Your actual attributes are calculated using the formula:
( Base + Basic_Skill_Lv + Adv_Skill_Lv + Implant_Bonus ) * ( 1+ ( Learning_Lv * 0.02 ) )

Example:
Base intelligence 8 with Analytical Mind lv 5 and Logic 2 gives you 15.0 attribute points.
Add learning lv 4 to that and it's (8+5+2)*(1+(4*0.02)) = 16.2
Add an Basic implant and it's (8+5+2+3)*(1+(4*0.02)) = 19.44
(You’ll note that the Learning skill's bonus is applied last, so it actually improves the effect of all the other learning skills and implants.)

If you do not know what your base attributes were you can use this formula to calculate your actual attributes based on the truncated numbers listed on your skill sheet:
ROUNDUP ( Truncated_Attrib / ( 1 + ( Learning_Lv * 0.02 ) ) ) * ( 1 + ( Learning_Lv * 0.02 ) )

Now, to calculate how long it will take you to train something, simply plug your actual attributes into the formula:

( SP_Needed - Current_SP ) / ( Pri_Attrib + ( Sec_Attrib / 2 ) )

This will yield the total number of minutes remaining. (Note that the secondary attribute has exactly half the effect of the primary attribute.)

Example:
Missile Launcher Operation training from 45,255 to 256,000 SP (level 4 to level 5).
Primary attribute is Perception, Secondary is Willpower.
With base Perception of 4 and Willpower of 7, Spatial Awareness lv 5, Clarity lv 3, Iron Will lv 5, Focus lv 2, Learning lv 5, and both relevant Basic implants, your attributes would be:
Perception is (4+5+3+3)*(1+(5*0.02)) = 16.5
Willpower is (7+5+2+3)*(1+(5*0.02)) = 18.7

(256000-45255)/(16.5+(18.7/2)) = 8,152.61 minutes or 5 Days, 15 Hours, 52 Minutes, 36 Seconds. If you checked this against the numbers in EVE, it would match within a second, every time. (It may be 1 second off due to the way EVE rounds off the seconds.)

The Payoff: How high should you train the Learnng skills?
Constantly debated is how worthwhile it is to train any of the 11 learning skills (especially the so-called Advanced learning skills) up to level 5. To summarize a few different threads of mine, the average “payoff” times for training the various learning skills are as follows:

- The Learning skill from level 4 to level 5: 243-406 Days (varies a lot player to player)
- The five Basic learning skills from level 4 to level 5 (assuming Learning 5): 443 Days 11 Hours 41 Munutes & 12 seconds
- The five Advanced learning skills from level 4 to level 5 (assuming Learning 5): 3 Years 235 Days 11 Hours 3 Minutes & 38 Seconds

These “payoff” times are defined as the total skill points invested divided by the average improvement in training speed.