MINING ARMAGEDDON

 I want to thank CCP for making me a rich capsuleer.

The latest Dev blog on changes to the mining mechanic read like it was a punishment for miners for engaging in the activity.

It took a while for the implications to sink in but when it did I had the greatest smile on my lips.

As a miner I have been exposed to all the vagaries the industrial pilot has to go through to try and make a living in New Eden. Poor equipment, expensive equipment, being AWOXed by the shooter ostensibly there to protect the miners (HA!). That was Hulk #5. Being hunted by CODE, getting can flipped. You name it I’ve seen it.

I offered the idea that miners should stick together so they could force an increase in the prices of their products, making it a far more equitable exchange of time versus income. I was roundly laughed out of the room for even suggesting I could make a change that meant something. I, as a miner, had no recourse, was unable to fight back.

Well sweethearts, that party ends with CCPs changes to mining as they are announced. No more mister nice guy. We’re done being at the bottom of the food chain. This time it’s war and I’m going to win.

Here is where the magic happens, from the From Extraction to Production Dev blog:

• Type A: Standard yield
• Type B: Higher yield, high waste, less reliable
• Type C: Lower yield, very high waste, very unreliable

Do you see it? It’s right there.

The best feature for miners in the history of New Eden: the Type C mining crystal. The ONLY mining crystal I will ever use. It is in fact essential to the success of my plan that I only ever use this mining equipment. It is at the very core of the effort. You thought scarcity was over *laughs in miner*? Sweet Summer child, the best is yet to come.

This mining crystal wastes vast amounts of ore for a very low yield. I can scarcely contain myself from the joy I feel.

This mining crystal, ostensibly created to deny third parties access to mining resources, is in fact a perfect conduit to deny ANYONE access to mining resources.

The point of three tiers of mining crystals is so the miner would have their regular production assured using the Type A crystal versus the lay-waste-to-everything version in the Type C crystal. There are riots in Jita by people who do not appreciate the magnificent gift this is.

What is going to happen? I’m mining. I’ll be mining anyway. But now I will be mining in the most unproductive way possible. This should be a bad thing but it’s actually not. Because: I’m mining and in so doing I’m wasting vast amounts of ores that others won’t be able to mine. Can you see it coming?

When my fellow miners engage in the same technique, and I fervently hope they do, it will mean entire systems will be stripped of their resources, leaving none to be harvested by others. What it does is: it kills the competition. It’s economics 101. Scarce resources brought to market will claim a premium price.

I don’t care that I mine in the most unproductive way possible. My ore is going to be the only game in town. There’s not going to be any other ore. It’s all gone (it will never be all gone, it’s going to be very much harder to find any).

What it will look like is this: a price fork between 75 and 100 ISK per unit of Veldspar (forgive me my enthusiasm). You’ll be paying my price because there won’t be any other (again, there is going to be more ore but will come from scarce resources, a fact that my peers will hopefully see as an excellent opportunity to fatten their own purses).

It takes in excess of 4 billion units of Tritanium to build an Avatar titan. When my plan comes to fruition the age of titan blob fleet fights will effectively be over. They’ll put up a museum for the last one to be displayed and the collective of new pilots to gawk at and the experienced pilots to reminisce. Because nobody is going to be able to afford to build one, let alone a fleet of these monsters at the prices my ore will go for.

I’m giddy with anticipation. Thank you CCP, you’ve made this miner a happy man.