Information is power | EVE Online

Information is power

2023-02-03 - By EVE Online Team

Greetings capsuleers,

Strategy, knowledge, and preparedness are vital to succeed in the harsh competitive world of New Eden. For many playstyles in EVE, access to and understanding of data can spell the difference between victory and defeat. EVE has been referred to as spreadsheets in space, and there will soon be even better opportunities to excel at the game (see what we did there?).

Data extraction from the game is about to become easier than ever before with a new EVE Online Microsoft Excel add-in, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, which will allow players to log in and pull in-game data directly into spreadsheets. This can be both generic New Eden data as well as character-based stats, such as wallet balance, recent market orders and asset information. The ability to easily work with these figures in any number of ways will even the playing field in data driven warfare and democratize intelligence gathering, without requiring coding knowledge.

The development of the Excel add-in will in no way affect the maintenance and development of the ESI, but rather leverages the existing API for data gathering. We have been greatly inspired by the many useful tools that our players have developed using the ESI. This add-in is not meant to replace these great, player developed third party tools, but should serve as an additional option for users, with a lower barrier of entry in terms of coding knowledge.

APPLY FOR THE CLOSED BETA

Currently, the Excel add-in is still in development, and we are ready to accept a number of testers into a closed beta. The official release date of the add-in has not been finalized, and there is plenty of work still to be done, so now it is time for ambitious capsuleers to join the co-development. We encourage all data enthusiasts, spreadsheet warriors and anyone passionate about space and Excel to apply. We are looking for a variety of playstyles and experiences but also just those that are as excited about this as we are!

As this is a closed beta, not every applicant can be granted access to the test, and players will be selected to reflect a broad spectrum of capsuleers. This is to ensure that we get feedback reflecting the widest selection of users. There is no set end date for the beta yet, and more users may be added as the process goes on, so even if you are not selected in the initial phase, don’t give up hope.

This beta process will be conducted in English only.