A Scientist's Life in Eve

Part of the benefit of owning our own Outpost in null sec, is that we get to set the tax rate for various things, including the refining tax.

This means that, as I’m refining things for production materials, we don’t actually lose anything, as it all ends up in the same tab anyway.  However, in order to get perfect refining, you still need a combination of the right skills, the right Outpost configuration, and possibly implants too.

The basic formula is this:

P = 0.375 x (1 + 0.02 x a) x (1 + 0.04 x b) x (1 + 0.05 x c)
S = Station base efficiency, e.g. 35% or 50%
Yield = P + S

a = Refining skill level, i.e. 0 to 5
b = Refining Efficiency skill level, i.e. 0 to 5
c = specific skill level (e.g. veldspar processing), i.e. 0 to 5

So, in a hi-sec station with 50% base yield, assuming Refining V, Refinery Efficiency V and Scrapmetal Processing II, you get:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.1) + 50% = 104.45%, i.e. 100% = Perfect

However, put this in an unupgraded Minmatar Outpost, it is now:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.1) + 35% = 89.45%, which is pretty horrible

How can you improve this?  Well with perfect skills, you would get:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.25) + 35% = 96.875%, which still isn’t perfect

The clincher is the 4% Beancounter Refining implant that sits in slot 8.  This adds an extra step in the P calculation as follows:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.25 x 1.04) + 35% = 99.35%

And there you have it.  You cannot achieve a perfect refine in an upgraded outpost.

However, plug in the level 1 upgrade and boost the refinery base efficiency to 40%, and it’s completely different.  I’ll take it as read that anybody who is serious about this will have Refining V and Refinery Efficiency V, and also will have the 4% implant it.

At level 3 specific skill (e.g. Veldspar Processing), the calculation is:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.15 x 1.04) + 40% = 99.202%

So, what this tells us is that you need the specific skills to level 4:

(37.5% x 1.1 x 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.04) + 40% = 101.776%, i.e. 100% = Perfect

This also shows that you actually only need a 2% upgrade to achieve perfect.

Therefore, to be effective in null sec production, you not only need a Minmatar Outpost for refining, you also need to upgrade that to level 1 refinery (approximate cost of around 6 or 7 billion ISK if memory serves), and then make sure you have Refining V, Refinery Efficiency V, Specific Skills to IV and at least the 2% implant.

For me, that would add about 50 days to my training queue to get all of the required skills for every type of ore to level IV.   I’ll probably do some of them now, and save the others up for later.  I have the benefit of having a CEO who’s already done all of that, but it never hurts to be the backup