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This skill is the number one must have skill
for all forms of manufacturing. This skill not only gives you the ability
to build but for each level, it also reduces the amount of time it takes
for items to go from minerals to finished product. While you can begin
building at level 1, it is highly recommended that budding industrialists
wait until level 4 before starting. Level 5 is optimum and should be
a top priority in the skill training schedule.
For each level this skill is trained, you are
allowed +1 factory. At Level 5, you can operate 6 factories simultaneously,
and thus should be one of your top skill training priorities, especially
when you consider that most T1 ships take 3+ hours to build.
Introduced with the release of RMR, this skill
picks up where Mass Production leaves off giving you +1 factory per
level. At level 5, this skill combined with Mass Production 5 will allow
you to operate 11 factories simultaneously.
Also known as PE, this skill reduces the amount
of minerals it takes to build items. If you look on a blueprint original
or copy, you will see under Bill of Materials a list of minerals needed
to build each single run of the item. If you have any PE skill level
under 5, you will also see how many minerals it will take for you to
build according to your PE level. BPO vs BPC
Blueprint Originals (aka BPO) are those that have no limit to the number
of production runs and can also be researched for Mineral Efficiency
(ME) and Production Efficiency (PE). Right of the market BPO have 0
research done on them. To increase ME and PE, one would have to invest
time in training Lab Operations Skill and Science Skill or hire someone
with those skills to do the research for you. The general rule of thumb
is the higher the ME the less minerals required and the higher the PE
the less time it takes to build. BPC (aka blueprint copies) are limited
in the number of production runs can be made before the bpc is destroyed.
BPC are copies made from a BPO and thus cannot be researched. The advantages
of having a BPO are you never have to worry about running out of production
build blueprints and you can ME and PE research them to your preference.
The disadvantage is that they vary in price range from a few thousand
isk to some such as battleships costing a few billion. The disadvantage
of BPC are that they are limited in how many you can build before you
need to purchase a new one. How you approach purchasing BPO and BPC
is up to you and your wallet.
RMR brought a huge change to how factories
are operated. When you bring up the factory screen, choose MANUFACTURING
from the drop down menu. Then in the location box, choose the station
you wish to build at. On the bottom half of the screen you will then
see a list of factories in that station along with those that are ready
(NOW) for build orders. After selecting a factory, at the bottom right
hand corner of the screen you will find the install button, choose that
and a small ingame popup screen will appear, where you then choose the
blueprint to install, the hanger where your materials are located (input)
and the hanger where you want them to be delivered (output). Special
Note * when you go to choose your blueprint to install, it will show
you every single blueprint that is loose in your hanger or corps hanger
if you have corp hanger access. So it is best if you keep all that you
are not building with at the moment stored in cargo or station cans
kept in your hanger. This will save you a ton of headaches. After you
have chosen your input/output, you will then choose how many runs you
wish to build followed by pressing the OK button. You will then be greeted
with the material and build costs quote screen where you can review
how much material is needed for the build as well as how much the factory
job fees with be. Fees are based on the factory job rental plus time
needed and vary from job to job. After reviewing the quote screen, choose
INSTALL and your build begins. Unfortunately, the factory installation
screens are slow right now and sometimes appear to hang. CCP is aware
of this issue and are looking into it so for now if this happens just
press the button a second time and wait 30 seconds as that usually clears
up the installation lag. Build status is located in the JOBS tab on
the factory screen. Just choose your search and hit go and it will bring
up your chosen search string. The green READY status means it is ready
for pickup. Simply highlight the ready build by clicking on it in the
JOBS window and in the lower right corner the DELLIEVER button will
appear, choose that and your build pops out in the output hanger you
specified when starting the job.
With the right skills and knowledge of basic factory operation, you
will be well on your way to becoming a T1 building master. And don't
forget to train those skills to level 5, because you cannot begin T2
builds without them.
See you in the factories! |
