Planetary Commodities Analysis in EVE Online Link to heading

Introduction Link to heading

EVE Online’s intricate economy is a fascinating playground for strategists, traders, and industrialists. At its heart lies Planetary Interaction (PI), a cornerstone of the game’s resource production. With its ties to production chains and interstellar logistics, PI commodities represent lucrative opportunities for those who understand the market dynamics.

This blog post explores how to harness Google Sheets and the EVE ESI API to analyze planetary commodity prices, optimize trade routes, and identify market trends. We’ll focus on key market hubs like Jita, Amarr, and Dodixie, leveraging tools and data to make informed trading decisions.

Originally from dama.arishe@gmail.com but updated for the ESI API

1. Data Collection Link to heading

Understanding the EVE ESI API Link to heading

The EVE Swagger Interface (ESI) is CCP’s official API, providing a wealth of data about EVE’s universe. For this analysis, key endpoints include:

• Market Orders: Regional buy and sell orders.
• Type IDs: Identifiers for planetary commodities.
• Market History (Optional): Price trends over time.

Google Sheets Integration Link to heading

I used Google Apps Script to fetch live data from the ESI API, enabling dynamic updates of market data. Using the GESI add-on, which provides an EVE Online SSO flow to authorize your character(s), as well as a wrapper around ESI to access your EVE Online data within Google Sheets™; much like =importXML() worked with the old XML API.

2. Market Hubs in EVE Online Link to heading

Key Trade Centers Link to heading

• Jita 4-4: The universal trade hub, with unparalleled liquidity and item availability.
• Amarr: The second-largest hub, catering to empire-wide trade.
• Dodixie, Hek, Rens: Smaller hubs that offer niche trading opportunities.

By : foo-eve.blogspot.com.au foobar.downunder@gmail.com but updated to pull from the ESI API

Regional Variations Link to heading

Prices fluctuate based on regional production and demand. Mining-heavy regions may see lower buy prices, while mission-running hubs often feature higher sell prices.

3. Google Sheets for Market Analysis Link to heading

/**
* Custom function to fetch the average price for an item by its TypeID using GESI's markets_prices function.
* @param {number} typeID The TypeID of the item you want to look up.
* @return {string} The average price of the item, or an error message if not found.
* @customfunction
*/
function getAveragePrice(typeID) {
 try {
   // Fetch market prices using the markets_prices function for the given TypeID
   var result = GESI.invoke("markets_prices", { type_id: typeID });
  
   // Check if result data is available
   if (result && result.length > 0) {
     // Iterate through the result to find the matching TypeID and get the average price
     for (var i = 0; i < result.length; i++) {
       // The TypeID is in the third column (index 2)
       if (result[i][2] == typeID) {
         var averagePrice = result[i][1];  // The average price is in the second column (index 1)
         return averagePrice ? averagePrice : "Price not found";  // Return average price or "Price not found"
       }
     }
     return "TypeID not found in market data";  // Return if no matching TypeID is found
   } else {
     return "No market data available";  // Return if no data is available
   }
 } catch (e) {
   // Handle errors (e.g., invalid TypeID or network issues)
   return "Error: " + e.message;
 }
}


/**
* Returns the minSell and MaxBuy price for the provided typeId at the provided locationID
*
* @param {number} typeId to get privve data for
* @param {number} locationID to filter on. Can either be a structre or a station ID.
* @param {number} regionID to filter on. Only required if locationId is a station ID.
*
* 
*/

/**
* Fetches minimum sell price and maximum buy price for a given item and location.
* @param {number} typeID - The TypeID of the item.
* @param {number} locationID - The location ID to filter orders (structure or station).
* @param {number} regionID - The region ID to fetch orders from if location is not a structure.
* @return {Array} [minSell, MaxBuy] - Minimum sell price and maximum buy price.
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRiLmEhsWW0
* Flying Scorpion
*/
function typePriceData(typeID, locationID, regionID) {
 // Fetch market data
 var data = locationID > 10000000000000
   ? GESI.invokeRaw("markets_structure_structure", { structure_id: locationID })
   : GESI.invokeRaw("markets_region_orders", { region_id: regionID, order_type: "all", type_id: typeID });


 // Initialize prices
 var minSell = null;
 var maxBuy = null;


 // Process each order
 data.forEach(function(order) {
   if (order.type_id === typeID) {  // Match the TypeID
     if (order.is_buy_order) { // Buy order
       if (!maxBuy || order.price > maxBuy) {
         maxBuy = order.price; // Update max buy price
       }
     } else { // Sell order
       if (!minSell || order.price < minSell) {
         minSell = order.price; // Update min sell price
       }
     }
   }
 });


 // Return results
 return [[maxBuy, minSell]];
}

4. Major Problems Link to heading

I never ended up finding any real nomenclature here. A lot of testing occurred with the commands that I would find when testing markets. However, my saving grace and what led to my eventual success was a mixture of the esi-docs, Eve Reference docs, and using Eve Tycoon. Whether it was using the URL string to find the regionID or looking for the typeID, all of these sources helped in my eventual completion of this project.

5. Trade Route Analysis Link to heading

Hek to Rens Link to heading

Secondary trade hubs like Hek and Rens serve as critical regional marketplaces. While Jita and Amarr dominate intergalactic trade, Hek and Rens offer niche opportunities for arbitrage and market specialization.

Although a bit out-of-the-scope of this project, I do regularly use this tool to see if I am making a solid profit from selling my planetary materials. I do so by looking at the graph and the current market conditions. Things like a high number of sell orders tend to cut into my profits, as price gouging and competition with players who have more volume than me affect my assets greater. However, when I look at spreading my assets to other regional markets like Dodixie or Rens, I tend to get a better net average return than staying in one trade market.

Hek and Rens: Niche Markets and Regional Insights Link to heading

Hek: The Minmatar Industrial Center Link to heading

Located in the Metropolis region, Hek serves as a convenient trade hub for industrialists and miners.

Specialized Commodities:

• Robotics: Commonly used in advanced manufacturing, Robotics are in demand due to Hek’s proximity to mining-heavy areas. This demand often leads to higher prices compared to Jita or Amarr.
• Construction Blocks: With local industry focusing on ship and structure production, Construction Blocks tend to perform well here.

Rens: The Minmatar Trade Gateway Link to heading

Situated in the Heimatar region, Rens acts as a gateway for traders servicing newer players and Minmatar space.

Specialized Commodities:

• Coolant: This commodity frequently sees demand due to the prevalence of planetary interaction in the region.
• Viral Agent: A critical component for advanced industry, Viral Agents see price fluctuations in Rens, making it a lucrative item for arbitrage from Jita or Amarr.

Logistics Tip: Link to heading

Rens often suffers from stock shortages compared to larger hubs, meaning items like Nanostructures and Plasmoids can fetch a premium when delivered in bulk.

6. Closing Thoughts Link to heading

This was a pretty fun project that I did for an in-game alliance mate, although it has a wealth of applications. The scalability of it is also very high, as you would just need to add more items to the table or add more systems. The same could be done with the P4s in building a greater amount of planetary interaction chains. However, the API has a limit for requests and other rules surrounding that.