EvE Online Meta Gaming

The closest thing to a GPS in New Eden has got to be the DOTLAN Maps site.  But like all modern Garmins, it provides much more than maps.  In-depth analysis of SOV, recent actions and tons of other information is at your fingertips.


I apologize for the short introduction (some may be thankful, I suppose), but I’m off to Louisville, KY this morning and wanted to get this up before I leave.  Let me just say that I use this site nearly every time I login to EvE AND YOU CAN, TOO!


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Your name and/or pilot’s name?


Daniel / Wollari
The rest can be found via google/whois The curse of owning a domain name
How long have you been playing EvE Online?

Since July 2007
What is name and current version of your app?


As DOTLAN EveMaps is a website there’s no real version number like in distributed programs. But even I’m doing all the work solo, I’m taking heavily use of SVN (subversion control system) to track my development and merge stuff from the dev trunk to the live page.
Current SVN Revision: 363 (March 2010)


How long have you been working on your app?

I first started in winter 2007 when I converted a PDF map of the region providence/catch into some PHP scripts which could generate his hand drafted map out of a database with regularly updates. Some weeks later I got the idea that such kind of a map would be useful for the complete eve player base and started to play around with JavaScript and SVG to build a map editor/generator. In July 2008 I finally released the first version of DOTLAN EveMaps which only contained maps, nothing else. In the past 1.75 years since the initial release the complete page got updated several times many features were added.
On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?


It depends on the situation. In the beginning of the year I made a break, cause the migration of the page (old sov system to new sov system) and many many new features took nearly every evening of the last 5 month in 2009.
Usually the page is running alone, all background jobs are doing fine and I don’t have to adjust or monitor anything. But when I get some new ideas and I really like them, I can dive deep into the code and spend several hours of each evening/night.
On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?

I’m on nearly every evening. Most of the time eve is more a chat client to me rather then game. Okay sometimes i take part in go out to PVP or do some plexing/ratting. Can’t really say numbers.
What do you do for a ‘day job?’

Network/System/Firewall administrator. Mostly from systems which are running any kind of *nix.
Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?

Of course, PHP (yes it’s a scripting language, not a programming language) and all the stuff which comes around with Developing rich internet pages.
How long have you been programming?

PHP since 10 years. Programming in general: longer
What is the most difficult part of programming your application?

The most difficult part was the migration from the complete page last year when there sovereignty system switched from daily changes to instant changes. I had to upgrade the whole database, change all timestamps and pimped the webpage to better reflect the newly gained dynamic in Eve.
Also the Jump Planner wasn’t that easy. With all the math and functions behind it.
What is the easiest part?

Many things are easy if you have some ideas which you wanna develop. The biggest problem will likely be the “Time”. Find the time to develop your features in your free time, cause most of the ideas I are bigger and needs several weeks/month to roll out.
Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’

Cause it’s a hobby. I like doing webstuff, especially when I get good reactions and I see nice results. Sometimes I think about placing ads on my page to get a bit of money out of the hosting to compensate hosting and hardware costs. I always get asked why I don’t have ads on my page to get money out of it. But I’m proud of being ad free. I for myself would always run around with ad-block.

Well … Maybe in the future when the visitor numbers are exploding again
What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?

More API love! More API functions: More Sov Details, Indexes, Wars, etc, etc.

The API roundtable on the fanfest was nice, but tbh. There’s no real feedback. It’s very hard to get a petition on API stuff through and aswell if you’ve some issues and/or questions about API stuff it’s close to impossible to get a fair answer in time.
How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?

I can’t tell at the moment. It will either be something where we can work together with, or it will just be another facebook and/or competitor to the already existing fanpages.
What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?

I always like creating stuff with my web knowledge. I can only code things if I’m fully behind it and I have fun doing it. If I don’t have fun then it will never be finished.
What other EvE applications do you use?

Evemon, EFT
Do you play any other games other than EvE?  Do you develop for those games?

Well in my history I was also/sometimes I’m still an organizer of local lanparties with up to 2000 participants. That’s where the real DOTLAN name came along. Sure I’ve played other games aswell. I wrote an intranet application suite for lanparties that covers community, registration, seating and complete tournament organization. The tournament system was also used on several European World Cyber Games Events aswell for the the onling tournaments in DE/AT/CH.
Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?

Apart from the Fanfest 2009 and some hellos on CCP’s booth on the Games Convention/GamesCom: no. I would like to be more in touch with them to get better and faster answers, and/or be more up to date to be able to prepare the fanpage for the upcoming releases, but this will stay a hope.
EvE’s fanbase is global.  Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?


Most stuff on my webpage is System/Region/Alliance/Corp/Outposts names which can’t be localized. Atm I don’t see any real benefits to do more localization. Maybe someday, but atm I don’t have enough content to start with.
How do you judge the variety of EvE applications?  Too many?  Not enough?
What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?

If you’ve a good idea, you like coding and you’ve fun doing it all: Do it!


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This installment introduces you to the developer of a fairly new Twitter application.  As EvE players fan out over the different social media, applications like this are starting to spring up.  It is (so far) a fairly simple application that allows you to check market prices by simply sending a tweet to the #evemarketchecker and it responds shortly with the request information.

I played with it a little bit when it first came out…but being a non-trader, non-manufacturer kind of guy I haven’t kept up with it or used it enough to evaluate it’s usefulness.  I think it is another step in the right direction, as the “Mobilization” of the EvE Army continues to expand.

With these applications, and my over anticipation of EveGate, I look forward to our next milestone: “EvE Anywhere.”

Here are the responses from the up and coming developer of Eve Market Checker:
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Your name and/or pilot’s name?

Titus Balls

How long have you been playing EvE Online?

With Titus, nearly 7 months – but I have played Eve before off and on with other characters

What is name and current version of your app?

Eve Market Checker 0.1

How long have you been working on your app?

The first proper version was written in about two days in mid-march 2010

On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?

Apart from the initial version, not a lot more – but I plan to add some new features soon.

On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?

Probably too much.  I’m usually active at the weekends, and during the week I’ll at least have the client open to do some market-based stuff.

What do you do for a ‘day job?’

I’m about to start a new job as the senior developer for a property rental company in Edinburgh – redeveloping their back-end systems from scratch

Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?

Python and PHP are my two main languages – I really love Python and Django for the power they provide, but PHP tends to allow me to rapid prototype stuff a little better.

How long have you been programming?

Since I was 6 (so about 1987) on my ZX Spectrum

What is the most difficult part of programming your application?

The next part that needs implemented, I need to support various different commands for information to be returned – there is a bunch of regex stuff to do and I hate regexs

What is the easiest part?

Creating the daemon part of the application.

Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’

Probably because I use the tool myself, and a little bit of recognition - but ISK donations from anyone who finds the application useful is always nice

What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?

A direct market API, and a contracts API rather than relying on a 3rd party site.  That way information would be more accurate and realtime.

How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?

If CCP provide twitter-like API’s for Eve Gate, then my app should be easy to implement.  Also, the base code could be adapted to allow other types of live queries if the APU’s are available.

What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?

I wanted something that would allow me to quickly query prices of market items

What other EvE applications do you use?

Aura, EveMon, EFT, Eve Market Uploader.  I’m also looking at EveHQ and EveMEEP as I’m thinking of getting into running a POS.

Do you play any other games other than EvE?  Do you develop for those games?

Not any more – but I used to be active in a few previous mod communities. My most active were probably Freespace and Thief

Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?

No

EvE’s fanbase is global.  Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?

No

How do you judge the variety of EvE applications?  Too many?  Not enough?

I think for the moment it’s just right – there are certainly a few apps out there that replicate functionality.
I’m hoping though that as things move forward people start to take advantage of advances in browser technology and start using more HTML5, Canvas and JavaScript.


Just imagine being able to use EFT in the browser on your PC or mobile device

What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?

Don’t look to replicate existing functionality – try find a niece that has yet to be filled, and ask around – find out what other people feel is missing.
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The best known application for the iPhone,

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The “mobilization” of EvE has been something that pilots have yearned for since the first iPhone apps started coming out.  To date, there are surprisingly few applications.  As an iPhone user, I’m a little out of the loop on the apps used for other platforms, though we did discuss Aura for Android previously.  A quick scan of the EvE-O forums shows a couple of other applications.  If the devs/users of those would like to contact me about their product, I’d be more than willing to hear about functionality, & etc.

So, the longest existing (and for a long time the only) application for the iPhone was Capsuleer.  Then, about a year ago IIRC, the feature rich “iClone” application appeared on the scene.  Over this last year I’ve personally toggled between the two applications…each having their benefits and drawbacks.  But IMO what is important is that there is more than one app in competition for subscribers.  As a lot of the previous interviews have mentioned, part of a new developer deciding whether to create a new application is finding a niche that needs certain functionality.  And I agree on that point completely.  A new application should offer a new service, or be significantly better than the current apps available.  You need a “base” of users and the best way to get that is by offering something new or better enough to get people to try it.

That is what iClone did.  Capsuleer enjoyed being the only kid on the block for quite some time.  But I believe that PyjamaSam and Roc Weiler would be the first to agree that they benefit from competition.  It’s too easy to get complacent when you can respond to feature requests with “Hey, don’t like it use something else..oh, there isn’t anything else? Then use what we give you.” 

NOTE: Capsuleer never actually said anything like that…I am making a generalization about competition in-general.  The guys at Capsuleer have always been very responsive to their users.

Competition makes you stand up and really look at your own product with a critical eye.  And, just in case you don’t do that…your users are more than happy to make comparisons using the generally blunt language that comes with internet-anonymity.

So here is the response from Harry Pearce to my questions:
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Your name and/or pilot’s name?

Ben Scott in RL, Harry Pearce in-game, for promotional purposes – I try to keep app development as separate as I can from other in-game stuff.

How long have you been playing EvE Online?

What is name and current version of your app?

iClone 1.2.2

How long have you been working on your app?

Just over 18 months now, give or take. It started off as a skill tracker for MacOS X, then I realised it’d be far more useful on my iPod touch. Getting the original OS X version releasable is somewhere on the todo list! Random trivia: The OS X version is the reason for iClone’s slightly bizarre via-address book character import system, as the desktop version can save the details there automatically, ready for syncing to the iPod/iPhone.

On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?

On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?

What do you do for a ‘day job?’

Front-end web developer for a local startup.

Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?

Currently I’m a big fan of Objective-C and Cocoa. The community around it is much more cohesive and helpful than that around any other platform I’ve coded for, and as a programming stack it seems good at giving you the building blocks needed to get things done, without getting in the way. Also, the focus it has on UX over other considerations appeals as a goal, even if I don’t always get it right personally!

How long have you been programming?

Entire adult life, and a fair chunk before that

What is the most difficult part of programming your application?

The usual mobile platform woes – lack of memory, and having to think before burning CPU cycles, and so the user’s battery. Not an easy balance when churning over a large corps’ asset list…

What is the easiest part?

Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’

What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?

How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?

What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?

What other EvE applications do you use?

I used to use EVEMon a lot when I used Windows regularly, but I’ve not been there in a while. These days it’s mainly just forums and iClone for me. Oh, and occasionally EVE Online.app

Do you play any other games other than EvE?  Do you develop for those games?

Generally console games, as they get me out of my coding cave when at home, and no, never been tempted by coding for them.

Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?

I think I may have drunkenly abused some at a few FanFests. My memory is a little hazy…

EvE’s fanbase is global.  Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?

It’d be a nice idea, but doing it properly rather than merely paying it lip-service would probably make it seem more like a job than I’d like, and I’d want to do it properly. Given the rules on consistent localisation in the App Store, it’d require full translations for all supported languages for any changes to documentation/wording/features, which just seems like overhead for the sake of it given most of the EVE players I’ve met in-game and at FanFest have excellent English skills.

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Today’s interview is with the developer of the EveAI Suite of libraries and applications.  Most non-developers/end-users may not be aware that these libraries are used by many of the 3d party application developers.  These libraries make it much easier to access the APIs (EvE, Eve-Metrics, Eve-Central, etc)  and the EvE database.  But, to simply call this a ‘tool’ for developers definitely understates the importance and volume of work that goes into it.


Imagine CCP handing over a truckload of screws, nails and lumber and telling you to build a house.  A new developer can try to make each of the tools he needs as he builds the house…but obviously it will take much longer.  These libraries are a toolbox developers can draw from so that they can focus on their end-product.  And these are far from being simple hammers and screwdrivers…these are power tools.  Add to this the element of CCP making changes to the API (both announced and unannounced) and the ripple effect as the libraries need to be refined in order for the applications that rely on them to work properly, and you get an intense pressure for the library developers to stay on top of their product.  A weakly supported library will be abandoned by developers.


As a side note, in the process of gathering information from developers for these interviews some have made clear their desire for privacy…nearly to the point of anonymity.  I asked Amida Ta about this, noting that this attitude seemed more prevalent amongst European (and mostly German) developers.  Amida Ta’s response:
Well maybe it’s just a coincidence.

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Well depends on when you start counting. My first programing steps were back on a Commodore C16 (Basic of course That was well over 20 years ago. I’ve been more or less involved in programming since then in different languages (Basic, Pascal, C, Java, VB, VB.Net, C#).

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A couple of administrative notes before today’s interview:  I’ve been asked via several emails about an interview with the Capsuleer devs.  I have been in contact with them and have most of the information.  But I am holding out a little bit to hopefully combine the information with an more in-depth discussion of their upcoming release “Capsuleer 2.1″ which promises some great new additions to one of the premier mobile 3d party applications.  Secondly, I have also heard from Manalapan of Dynasty Bank (D-Bank) and hope to have the results of that interview soon.
There is an application that a few people use to help work out training plans for their pilots.  It’s called “EVEMon”…you may have heard of it.

I had commented previously on EVEMon and it’s place in the 3d party app hierarchy.  It was in use when I entered New Eden…it was the first application I used.  I’m sure it’s the first application many pilots use and is often recommended to new pilots as a ‘must-have.’  When I first downloaded it, it was “simply” a skill planner.  But it gives pilots something that’s needed in a sandbox…goals and milestones.  It helps bring a bit of organization to the chaos.  Of course, if you’re like me you have 15-20 different skill plans which makes it become it’s own type of ‘meta-chaos.’  LOL.

Since my start, EVEMon has expanded to include more of the data provided by the API to include certificates, transactions and the scheduler which allows users to keep track of skill training and planning on a different calendars.  Also, among it’s myriad capabilities is an option to have email notifications sent to a user. It is a very mature application that has earned it’s place as a must-have application for almost every pilot.

Your name and/or pilot’s name?
Richard Slater. Scetrov in-game.

How long have you been playing EvE Online?
Over six years now, I took a short break in 2005 when money was tight but soon got cravings.

What is name and current version of your app?
EVEMon 1.3.1

How long have you been working on your app?
About a year, although the application itself is about four years old.

On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?
10-20 hours depending on free time

On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?
1-5 hours, again depending on free time.

What do you do for a ‘day job?’
Systems Administrator

Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?
.NET is the framework I know most about, I prefer C# syntax over other .NET languages.

How long have you been programming?
It kind of depends on how you see it, I first started programming in BASIC on a ZX Spectrum when I was 8 (20 years ago), I then moved through standard education, into higher education taking computer science related courses.

When I left university I couldn’t find a programming job immediately and kind of fell into Technical Support. As I moved through the various levels of Technical Support I started applying my programming skills to Systems Administration tasks leaving me where I am today.

What is the most difficult part of programming your application?
Telling other developers that their code isn’t up to scratch, doesn’t meet the coding guidelines or the project goals.

What is the easiest part?
Working with some really great developers who have had the time and experience to push the project forward in great leaps.

Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’
I am quite enthusiastic about members of a community putting something back in, some people get the opportunity to serve to a greater extent than others. If I wasn’t leading the EVEMon project, I would probably still be contributing to the EVE Online article on Wikipedia.

What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?
EVEMon was part of the reason that the API was created, and there are a couple of features such as highlighting of partially trained skills that have been adopted by CCP from EVEMon so my wishlist is pretty much the application I maintain.

How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?
EVEMon’s goal is in its name really, it is predominantly a tool to monitor, hopefully EVE Gate will have plenty of hooks to monitor activity. If it does it will be up to us and our end users to decide how this is to be presented.

What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?
I didn’t start this project, I am only one in a long line of EVEMon developers over its four year history. Six Anari of GoonFleet created it to aid corporation members in creating skill plans it has evolved from there.

What other EvE applications do you use?
EVEHQ, EFT and EVE-Commander. I download and try many others.

Do you play any other games other than EvE?  Do you develop for those games?
I buy some non-MMO games from time to time, beyond modding I haven’t had an experience developing for those games, I don’t think the opportunities to access data exist. Before EVE I played PlanetSide, I wrote some of the first forums signatures that displayed certification information.

Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?
A little, most of my communication with CCP has gone through the various members of the community management team.

EvE’s fanbase is global.  Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?
We have had more than one request for localized data files and user interface, it is a big project as EVEMon was never written with localization in mind it is something I would like to do though.

How do you judge the variety of EvE applications?  Too many?  Not enough?
I don’t think it matters how many there are, what is important is there is an application that comes close to meeting your goals. Some applications are designed to be fast and lean and do a few things well, other applications are designed to do everything at the cost of system resources and refinement.

What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?
Be prepared to spend more time working on your app than playing EVE, the #eve-dev channel on Coldfront IRC sums it up well: “We don’t actually play EVE”.

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I am a little bit out of my depth with this one.  I’ve never been a high-ranking member of a corp, and never been responsible for POS maintenance.  I did read the numerous threads regarding POS-Tracker.  It was pretty cool to read through the process of an app growing from it’s embryonic pre-beta state to the product that it is today.
The constant updates–bugs and feature requests–over four years of development demonstrate one of the greatest concerns devs have with taking an app public.  Once it’s ‘out there’ you own it.  People will complain and criticize all of your hard work and always want more.  Occasionally some isk and maybe a thank you letter gets thrown your way, but at best you get 50/50 responses to your product.  The temptation to whip out an STFU posting is great.  But it takes a thick skin to filter out the BS, and turn those critiques and requests into the next revision.
I believe that was the root cause of the failures of the player run banks Dbank and Ebank, based on the early reports of their failures.  Those devs didn’t have what it took to deal with what was likely a very complex app.  Victims of their own success…unable or unwilling to do the hard work (or ask for help) they collapsed.  I tried to contact those devs, but unsurprisingly didn’t respond.
Enough of my lamentations…the questions for the developer of POS-Tracker follow:
Your name and/or pilot’s name?
Johnathan Roark
How long have you been playing EvE Online?
Just under 7 years
What is name and current version of your app?
POS-Tracker 3.0
How long have you been working on your app?
I started working on it with MrRx7 in June of 2007, so coming up on three years. POS-Tracker actually goes back farther then that. It was introduced to the public April 27, 2007 by Randay. The previous devs for it lost interest in EVE and POS-Tracker. This was about the time that faction towers and the API where released, so we took it upon ourselves to expand POS-Tracker adding several new features.
On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?
Probably about 1-2 hours a week. I am currently focusing more of my attention on another app which probably gets about 10 to 15 hours a week. I will probably come out with a completely new version based on that other app at some point. The current version has some parts of it that make it difficult to update and maintain.
On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?
Does sitting in station docked count? Probably about 5 hours a week. Play time isn’t what it use to be and working on my apps seems to be more entertaining currently for me.
What do you do for a ‘day job?’
I work as a computer technician for a school district.
Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?
PHP, its really the only language I’ve ever gotten into. It does what I want it to do and its aimed at the platform I am interested in coding for. I’ve played with some others and took C++ classes in High School.
How long have you been programming?
About 8 years. Programing is a hobby for me.
What is the most difficult part of programming your application?
Changing game mechanics. With the change of sov rules and the change of the related APIs, I had to adjust POS-Tracker. The runner up is figuring out how to best get POS-Tracker to run on all the various web hosting platforms.
What is the easiest part?
The actual coding.
Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’
Well, first off, I was a user of it first. I have hard enough time running one POS. I also like the idea of hundreds of corp using something I helped make and played a big role in making happen probably boost my ego more then needed. I still appreciate a donation every now and then though
What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?
An expanded starbase API. Interaction with CCP would be nice as well, A CSM dedicated to 3rd party application development would be nice. CCP plays up the economy and sand box nature of EVE, but the helper apps are also a big part of what makes EVE EVE.
How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?
I am not sure that it will. POS-Tracker actually predates the API. I hope CCP continues to expand the API and make the API a bigger part of EVE.
What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?
CCP had just expanded starbases with faction towers and the API. POS-Tracker did not have support for such things at that point and the previous two maintainers went MIA. I knew PHP, but not well and it gave me an opportunity to expand and work with someone else.
What other EvE applications do you use?
I have a few copies of yapeal running. I have a copy of Eve-Dev killboard running. A copy of my own attempt to make a killboard. EVEMON, EFT, EVE Chat Watch, EVE Backup Tool ( I like how it sorts my chat logs ). I tend to look at just about everything that even looks like I may have a use for.
Do you play any other games other than EvE? Do you develop for those games?
Occasionally I’ll fire up a single player SIM like SimCity, Age of Empires, etc to pass some time. Not really any games that have a need for 3rd party apps.
Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?
That would be nice, but to my knowledge, nope.
EvE’s fanbase is global. Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?
Well, I’d love to see POS-Tracker in other languages. It wouldn’t be a huge undertaking, but I am limited to English.
How do you judge the variety of EvE applications? Too many? Not enough?
Always room for more. EVE is constantly evolving and the need for 3rd party helper applications is as well.
What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?
First, do some research. Plan what you want your app to do. Take a look at other apps that may share some of the same areas as yours.

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EVEWalletAware is an application akin to something I discussed in one of my first posts. An application that focuses on a specific aspect or functionality and refines itself to do that well. Much like EvEmon in it’s early incarnations.

Again, this is my own personal opinion, but I prefer smaller, specific applications over the large “umbrella” applications. That’s not a judgement on those applications…EveHQ and the current, expanded version of Evemon are very well-managed applications. But, as these developers are essentially uncompensated for their work, the volume of work expands exponentially as they engage each facet of the API gem.

Back on topic. EveWalletAware (EWA) does a great job monitoring and reporting on the aspect of wallet transactions. The developer is also concerned with accessing that information with the least amount of imposition on the players’ privacy and the API server. On to the questions:

Your name and/or pilot’s name?

As an privacy activist, I’d like to not reveal my real name, although it’s not a secret and I’m pretty sure it can be googled within a few minutes. My pilot’s character name is Hel O’Ween. This is the main character on that account and is “responsible” for my application. I’m playing a second account, which is not associated with the app and is actually the account I started playing EVE with.

How long have you been playing EvE Online?

I’ve been playing EVE since March 2006 (four years now), although Hel is “just” three years old (May 2007, see above).

What is name and current version of your app?

It’s a trading tool called EVEWalletAware, or EWA in short. Current version is 2.0.3 from March 10th, 2010. The app’s web site is
http://eve.basicaware.de/EVEWalletAware/index.html

A discussion thread can be found at the official EVE Online forums in the Market Discussion forum: http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=1263311

How long have you been working on your app?

Pure coding time: 370 hours. Add to that research, testing, planning, writing documentation and “customer support”. Which totals at least to as much time as I’ve spent coding. Most likely more.

I started coding EWA in the and of 2007/beginning of 2008 (don’t remember exactly). I used it a while just for myself. Mentioned it to my corp mates, who gave it a try and then suggested I should “publish” it. I first introduced it to the public over at the German EVE Online forum in March 2007 http://www.eveger.de/forum/showthread.php?t=13399

After I received some favorable comments from unbiased (=not corp mates ) EVE pilots there, I dared to also introduce it in the official EVE forum (http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=829135 old thread for version 1.x)

On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?

No idea, to be honest. Does answering your mail and stuff like that count as “work an your app”? See the figures from the above question.

On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?

It slowed down a bit this year, because of some other games (DA:O, HoMM V). Which means I “only” spend like 10 hours ingame nowadays.

What do you do for a ‘day job?’

Like a lot of pod pilots, I work in the IT industry, in the IT department of a mid-sized travel agency chain/consolidator/tour operator. It’s a typical System Administrator job, although in companies of these size, you have to be a jack of all trades, meaning I’m doing everything from first level support (“HELP! My printer doesn’t print!”) to server management (“why the hell didn’t that f**cking backup job run properly last night?”) to custom inhouse programming. The later is my main occupation, but I’m by no means a full-time programmer.

Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?

Yupp. BASIC all the way.

I can’t stand the aesthetic look of all those “curly brackets languages”. But that’s it. I’m not the one to get involved into language wars. It’s a pure aesthetic decision. You can write bad code in every language.

Most of the time you read flames about BASIC (or VB especially), the blame really needs to be out on the … erhm … “programmer”, not the language itself. This doesn’t mean VB (Classic) hasn’t any shortcomings. The opposite is true. But so do other languages.

And people who flame BASIC in general really know either nothing of BASIC at all or only know Visual Basic. Hint: there are other BASIC dialects out there. I highly recommend to take a look at PowerBASIC (http://www.powerbasic.com)

Granted, you might not be able to write an OS in BASIC, or a device driver. But, hands up and be honest, folks, how many of you C guys are actually writing kernel stuff or device drivers?

As for the platform: I only “speak” Windows, so it’s my platform of choice. But as with programming languages, I’m not dogmatic about it. I started playing with Linux and found things I’d like to see in Windows there and vice versa.

How long have you been programming?

I had a programming class (UCSD Pascal on Apple ][e) in school, starting in the 11th grade. That was back in … (scratches his head and tries to figure out the year) … something like 1985/1986. I’ve always programmed since then, sometimes only as a hobby, but the last 15+ years it has also always been part of my job.

What is the most difficult part of programming your application?

*smile* As each programmer will tell you: documentation. It took almost two years before I sat down and wrote a user manual. And it needs an update already pretty badly.

But documentation is just something you need to spent time on. It’s not difficult in a intellectual sense. In that sense, making sure a new update doesn’t break existing features, is the most difficult part. Especially if it involves adding/changing the under-laying database. Distributing the new DB (schema) and finding a way to preserve the user’s historical data is a challenge. And as EWA is a trader tool, historical data is precious for users to compare their current performance to their past one.

What is the easiest part?

Announcing the new update on the forum.

Seriously, the real coding part is always the easiest one, often even boring. Because that means I’m done with the analysis of how something new should work, what options there are for implementing it and how the incoming data (EVE API) looks like.

Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’

For a couple of reasons:

- I mainly code EWA for myself. If others find it useful: cool. If they suggest features I like/think are useful/can implement: fine, I’ll do so (even if I will never use that feature). But in the end, EWA should make *my* EVE life easier.

- Like most EVE pilots, I’m using other 3rd party tools like EFT, EVEMon or guides/wikis put together by other generous pod pilots. They’re free. Releasing EWA for free, too, is my way of giving something back to the community and saying “thank you” for those apps/services.

- E-peen/-honor/reputation (aka “Ego”). Of course, reading that strangers recommend your application to other strangers, nice forum comments and mails saying “Thank you for your app.” do please me and bolster my ego. And as we all know: unlike in most of the other MMOs, in EVE (positive) reputation is a valuable good.

What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?

There are quite a lot:

- First and foremost: DOCUMENT THE API! It’s a shame and a pity that we have to rely on the (excellent!) 3rd party wiki wiki.eve-id.net for a more or less complete API docu.

- Just like Sisi to TQ, a dedicated API test server would be cool.

- In the design stage of new features for EVE, make it a crucial part to think “how can we pass this off to 3rd party developers via the API”?

- Fix the inconsistencies in the API

- Add missing obvious APIs (contracts, for example)

- Link results from APIs where appropriate (all relevant wallet journal entries to the wallet transaction entry, for example)

How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?

See the very sentence I’ve wrote: “I’m a privacy activist”. I avoid social networks like the plague.

And children, listen to me! Leave the MySpaces and Facebooks of this world TODAY! Continued usage of such “services” makes your cojones shrink and turns you into carebears! Honestly, I’m serious.

As long as this social network bullshit is an optional part you may use, but are not forced to: fine. But if CCP decides to make usage mandatory in some way or publishes (ingame) information on that site, like corporation members without one having the chance to opt-out, I will seriously consider if the rest of the game is still worth playing it.

What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?

The total absence of anything that gives you even a rough estimate of your trading results in the EVE client.

What other EvE applications do you use?

EFT, EVEMon, jEveAssets.

I looked at other (trading) applications before I started EWA, but those that did exist at that time either didn’t do the things I liked (like personal and corporation finance) at all or in a way I didn’t like. I still look at other (new) trading apps from time to time, to see what these are doing. And if I can “steal” features from them.

Do you play any other games other than EvE? Do you develop for those games?

If you’re asking about MMOs: no. EVE is the first MMO I’ve ever played in my life (I started late with MMOs, although I’m gaming since 25+ years now) and is still the only MMO im playing. Therefore “No” to the second question.

Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?

No, never.

EvE’s fanbase is global. Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?

No. Although my native language is German, I started EWA with an English user interface. This ought to be enough for everyone. I’m a single developer, EWA is for free and there’s only so much spare time I can spend on EWA.

How do you judge the variety of EvE applications? Too many? Not enough?

You never can have enough. There’s plenty of room for other applications in the same area (trading) as EWA. There are very special needs (auditing, accounting) and specialized apps in those niches would be welcomed by the community. I’m pretty sure it’s not different in other parts of the game, like industry.

What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?

Good question, sir!

Well, if he never dealt with “customers” before (distribution/help desk) he should be prepared for both very pleasant and unpleasant experiences. You’ll find people cry “MOAR!! NOW!!” although you provide your application and source code for free. Don’t let those turn you down. Instead, find relief in the very friendly words and generous ISK donations from perfect strangers, who appreciate your work.

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I just wanted to note that jEveAssets is not a one-man-project. Flamin Candle have contributed a lot of code to the project and also host the SVN repository. Others have help with information and testing…

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EvE Commander is one of the longest lived 3d party applications available.  It is a comprehensive and refined web-based application that gives nearly complete access to a character’s information, including assets, market, transactions and much much more.   My main has items scattered over 170+ stations.  It was interesting to see those assets in various formats and help me work out a strategy for consolidation.  I’m not much of an industrialist, but the other tools available for transactions and industrial analysis seem just as comprehensive.

The EvE Commander Store application is a polished solution for alliances to market and sell items out-of-game.  Again, I have no first-hand experienece using this application, but it appears very mature and could be hugely beneficial for large volume sales from alliances.  I started an account on a reference installation, but awaiting account approval before I can take a look at it firsthand.

1. Your name and/or pilot’s name?

lukas frei / woddel

2. How long have you been playing EvE Online?

Two something years.

3. What is name and current version of your app?

- eve commander 1.3 – no real version as it is a hosted solution that is continuously enhanced and added to: http://www.eve-commander.com

- eve commander agent finder 1.1: http://agents.eve-commander.com

- ec shop 1.1: http://www.eve-commander.com/ec-shop

4. How long have you been working on your app?

A bit more than two years.

5. On average, how much time per week do you spend working on your app?

I would say around two to six hours including customer support.

6. On average how much time per week do you spend in-game?

Five to ten hours at the moment

7. What do you do for a ‘day job?’

I’m managing partner in an internet company and responsible for IT (including our own data center), application development and eduction of apprentices.

8. Do you have a favorite programming language or platform?

web apps with coldfusion and sql server.

9. How long have you been programming?

Oh, for more than 25 years (started with BASIC on a Commodore 64) and we founded our company about 15 years ago.

10. What is the most difficult part of programming your application?

Trying to get it all done. There are so many ideas and customer wishes. Basically, trying to keep the ‘construction sites’ to an as low number as possible.  And of course earn the trust of the player base – that was a tough one at the beginning.

11. What is the easiest part?

Concentrating on the work when I get some hours to spare – knowing that it’s for a personal project and currently close to 5’600 users that use eve commander.

12. Why do you do this work essentially ‘for free?’

Well, eve commander has a free part (limited edition) and a full version which asks for a bit of isk in subscriptions. basically, I earn in-game money with something I CAN do. I know I suck with pvp…

13. What is on your ‘wishlist’ to CCP in terms of your application and it’s functionality?

More APIs… always more… and less caching time for important stuff like the corporate assets API (maybe with more parameterization to ask for specific data and therefore lighten the load on those poor API servers).

14. How do you see CCP’s COSMOS/SpaceBook/New Eden/EvE Gate affecting your role in future development?

Well, there is not too much information out yet to be really able to analyze its capabilitites and possible APIs so external apps can profit from it. I just expect they don’t simply take all the best ideas from ‘us external freaks’ to mash up something they sell under their own name – but they got sharp guys up there in Iceland.

15. What first motivated you to write your app for EvE?

eve commander started as an intranet application for personal use. I wanted to make use of the relatively new API thingies to see my ingame stuff out of the game in a web browser. Corp mates saw that, wanted it too and it grew from there.

16. What other EvE applications do you use?

evemon and EFT like everybody who’s halfway serious about eve plus eve central, eve metrics and mypos.

17. Do you play any other games other than EvE? Do you develop for those games?

Oh, not really to both… too little time. eve covers all bases of what I am looking for in a game.

18. Have you had any one-on-one interaction with CCP devs?

Yes, at fanfest and with some emails.

19. EvE’s fanbase is global. Do or do you have any plans to do any localization for your application?

It’s already being used from folks all around the world. Really fascinating… (http://www.eve-commander.com/userstats.cfm ). I want to include multi-language functionality soon. But that is A LOT of work…

20. How do you judge the variety of EvE applications?  Too many?  Not enough?

Oh, I think the good and important stuff is out there.

21. What advice would you give a player considering getting into app development?

Have an original idea to content and useage. That is the most important thing to grab the users and make them use it.

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