EVE Online is the kind of online roleplaying game that everyone seems to know about, but haven’t actually played it. It’s been jokingly referred to as a ‘spreadsheet simulator’ for a reason, after all, which isn’t all that farfetched as many players use spreadsheets to keep track of the intense volumes of data the game throws at them. And soon, that data collection will be made easier, as CCP Games has announced a partnership with Microsoft for Excel support. According to a news post detailing many of its EVE Fanfest 2022 reveals, players will be able to set things up so they can export data from EVE Online directly into Excel. Depending on their focus, this could save a lot of time as they won’t need to manually copy over multiple data points. Instead, they can just export everything they need in one go, then have more time to compare and calculate the numbers. It might seem bizarre, but EVE Online does have a lot of moving (player-driven) parts—right down to its own economy. If you manage a corp with multiple players, you might need to keep track of who’s in charge of what and when. If you’re planning a massive attack against a rival fleet, you might need to stay on top of what every pilot can contribute. Or maybe you just want to keep better track of which systems pay the most for which materials. Regardless, there’s a lot of stuff to keep track of. CCP Games hasn’t specified a rollout date for Excel compatibility but says it will reveal more details later this year. If you want to give the game a try for yourself or are just curious why a spacefaring MMO would need spreadsheet support, you can try it out for free.
