One of EF-Map's most powerful features for corporations and alliance planners is Compare Regions—a side-by-side analysis tool that helps you make data-driven decisions about where to expand, which territories to contest, and where to find untapped resources.
This post breaks down how the Compare Regions feature works, what metrics it tracks, and how savvy players are using it to gain strategic advantages in EVE Frontier.
The Challenge: Too Many Choices
EVE Frontier has dozens of regions, each with unique characteristics:
- Resource density: Some regions are rich in rare ores, others are barren
- Strategic position: Chokepoint regions vs. remote backwaters
- Player activity: Bustling trade hubs vs. quiet exploration zones
- Gate connectivity: Well-connected highway vs. isolated clusters
When your corporation wants to establish a foothold, claim territory, or identify mining opportunities, you face analysis paralysis: which region should you choose?
Manual analysis is tedious—opening dozens of tabs, copying stats to spreadsheets, trying to remember which region had better asteroid yields. Compare Regions solves this by putting all the data you need in one view.
The Feature: Side-by-Side Region Comparison
Access Compare Regions from the main toolbar or right-click any region on the map and select "Compare with...". You'll see an interface like this:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Region Comparison [✕] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Select Regions to Compare: │
│ [Amarr ▼] [Caldari ▼] [Gallente ▼] + Add Region │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐ │
│ │ Metric │ Amarr │ Caldari │ Gallente │ │
│ ├─────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┤ │
│ │ Systems │ 143 │ 127 │ 156 │ │
│ │ Gates │ 89 │ 72 │ 94 │ │
│ │ Avg Sec │ 0.42 │ 0.38 │ 0.51 │ │
│ │ Mining/day │ 12.4M │ 8.2M │ 15.1M │ │
│ │ PvP/week │ 238 │ 156 │ 89 │ │
│ │ Corporations│ 42 │ 31 │ 28 │ │
│ │ Stations │ 18 │ 12 │ 15 │ │
│ └─────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘ │
│ │
│ [Export CSV] [Save Comparison] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
You can compare up to 5 regions simultaneously, with metrics updating in real-time as blockchain activity changes.
Metrics Explained
Basic Geography
Systems Count: How many star systems are in this region. Larger regions offer more exploration options but are harder to defend.
Gate Count: Total stargates connecting systems. More gates = better mobility within the region.
Average Security Status: Mean security rating (0.0-1.0). Higher = safer for solo players, lower = more PvP risk but better rewards.
const calculateAvgSecurity = (region: Region): number => {
const systems = getSystemsInRegion(region.id);
const sum = systems.reduce((acc, sys) => acc + sys.securityStatus, 0);
return sum / systems.length;
};
Economic Activity
Mining Activity (ISK/day): Total value of ore/gas extracted daily, aggregated from blockchain mining events. High values indicate resource-rich regions.
PvP Kills (per week): Ship destructions in the region over the last 7 days. High values = dangerous but potentially lucrative salvage opportunities.
Active Corporations: Unique corps with presence in the region (based on structure ownership, mining activity, or kills). More corps = more competition but also more trade opportunities.
const getMiningActivity = async (regionId: string): Promise<number> => {
const events = await db.query(`
SELECT SUM(value_isk) as total
FROM blockchain_events
WHERE region_id = $1
AND event_type = 'mining'
AND timestamp > NOW() - INTERVAL '24 hours'
`, [regionId]);
return events.rows[0].total || 0;
};
Infrastructure
Stations: Player-owned stations and citadels. More stations = developed territory with services (markets, manufacturing, repairs).
Smart Gates: Blockchain-controlled gates with access restrictions. High count may indicate contested territory or private highway networks.
Sovereignty: Which alliance/corporation claims the region (if any). Unclaimed regions are easier to settle but offer no protection.
Trend Indicators
Each metric shows a trend arrow:
- 📈 Increasing (>10% growth over last 30 days)
- ➡️ Stable (±10% change)
- 📉 Decreasing (>10% decline)
This helps you identify emerging hotspots vs. declining areas:
const calculateTrend = (current: number, historical: number): string => {
const change = (current - historical) / historical;
if (change > 0.1) return 'increasing';
if (change < -0.1) return 'decreasing';
return 'stable';
};
Use Case 1: Finding Mining Opportunities
Scenario: Your mining corporation wants to establish a new mining operation. You need:
- High ore values (profitability)
- Low PvP activity (safety)
- Unclaimed territory (no rent/fees)
Compare Regions Workflow:
- Select 5 regions with high mining activity (from the Stats page heat map)
- Sort by "PvP/week" ascending—find the safest
- Check sovereignty—prefer unclaimed regions
- Review station count—avoid 0 stations (no local markets)
Result: You identify Region X: 10M ISK/day mining, only 12 PvP kills/week, unclaimed, 2 NPC stations. Perfect for a low-risk mining outpost.
Use Case 2: PvP Hunting Grounds
Scenario: Your PvP corp wants to find active hunting zones with targets but not overwhelming opposition.
Compare Regions Workflow:
- Filter regions by PvP kills/week (>100 for active combat)
- Check mining activity (high activity = more industrial targets)
- Review gate count (more gates = easier escape routes)
- Compare active corporations (avoid regions with >50 corps—too crowded)
Result: Region Y has 200 PvP kills/week (active), 8M ISK/day mining (juicy targets), 15 corps (manageable competition). Great hunting grounds.
Use Case 3: Territory Expansion
Scenario: Your alliance controls one region and wants to expand to a neighboring region that's strategically valuable.
Compare Regions Workflow:
- Compare your current region vs. 3 adjacent regions
- Prioritize high gate connectivity (easier logistics)
- Check existing sovereignty (avoid challenging dominant alliances)
- Review station count (infrastructure means established opponents)
- Analyze trend arrows (avoid growing regions—competition will increase)
Result: Adjacent Region Z has moderate activity, unclaimed sovereignty, declining PvP trend (players leaving), and connects via 3 gates to your space. Ideal expansion target.
Advanced Filters and Sorting
The Compare Regions UI supports:
Column Sorting: Click any metric header to sort regions by that value. Great for quickly identifying extremes (highest mining, lowest PvP, etc.).
Threshold Filters:
Mining Activity: [5M] to [20M] ISK/day
PvP Kills: [0] to [50] per week
Security Status: [0.3] to [0.7]
Filter regions that match your criteria before comparing.
Saved Comparisons: Save interesting comparisons with a name ("Potential Mining Regions Q3 2025") and reload them later. Useful for tracking changes over time.
const saveComparison = (name: string, regionIds: string[]) => {
const comparison = {
name,
regions: regionIds,
savedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
metrics: regionIds.map(id => getRegionMetrics(id))
};
localStorage.setItem(`comparison_${name}`, JSON.stringify(comparison));
};
Data Sources: How We Calculate Metrics
All metrics come from our blockchain indexer + aggregation pipeline:
- Real-time events: Mining, kills, structure deployments indexed from on-chain transactions
- Hourly aggregation: Cron jobs sum events by region and store in Postgres
- 30-day rolling windows: Trend calculations compare current vs. historical averages
- Snapshot exports: Every 30 minutes, region stats export to Cloudflare KV for fast frontend access
This architecture keeps data fresh (≤30 min lag) while maintaining fast response times (<50ms for comparison queries).
Exporting Data: CSV for Spreadsheet Analysis
Power users often want to run custom analysis in Excel or Google Sheets. Click "Export CSV" to download:
Region,Systems,Gates,Avg_Sec,Mining_ISK_Day,PvP_Week,Corporations,Stations,Trend_Mining,Trend_PvP
Amarr,143,89,0.42,12400000,238,42,18,increasing,stable
Caldari,127,72,0.38,8200000,156,31,12,stable,decreasing
Gallente,156,94,0.51,15100000,89,28,15,increasing,stable
From here, you can:
- Create pivot tables
- Build custom charts
- Calculate ratios (mining per system, PvP per corp, etc.)
- Merge with other datasets (market prices, corp member counts)
Limitations and Future Enhancements
Current Limitations
30-Minute Data Lag: Blockchain events take ~30 min to appear in region stats. For real-time monitoring, use the live event stream.
No Historical Drill-Down: You see current metrics + 30-day trends, but can't view detailed historical charts (yet).
5-Region Limit: UI becomes cluttered with more than 5 regions side-by-side. Use filters to narrow down first.
Planned Enhancements
- Time-Series Charts: Click any metric to see 90-day historical graph
- Predictive Trends: ML models to forecast region activity (e.g., "Mining activity likely to increase 20% next month")
- Custom Metrics: Let users define weighted scores (e.g., "Mining Score = (Mining ISK × 0.6) - (PvP Kills × 0.4)")
- Region Clusters: Auto-group similar regions ("High-Sec Industrial", "Null-Sec Combat Zones", etc.)
- Alliance Overlays: Show which alliance controls each region on the comparison table
Real-World Success Stories
Mining Corp "Asteroid Miners Inc.": Used Compare Regions to identify 3 underutilized mining regions. Established outposts, increased monthly ore revenue by 40%.
PvP Alliance "VOLT": Compared neighboring regions for expansion. Avoided high-activity Region A (too contested), chose Region B (declining activity, easy conquest). Now controls 2x territory.
Solo Explorer "Captain Wanderer": Compared regions by security status + mining activity. Found quiet high-sec regions with decent ore yields—perfect for solo operations without PvP risk.
How to Access Compare Regions
- From Map: Right-click any region → "Compare Regions"
- From Stats Page: Click "Compare" button next to region list
- From Toolbar: Click the "Compare Regions" icon (overlapping squares)
No special permissions needed—it's available to all EF-Map users.
Tips for Effective Comparisons
Start Broad, Narrow Down: Begin with 10+ regions in filters, use thresholds to reduce to 3-5 finalists, then compare details.
Watch Trends, Not Snapshots: A region with declining mining might be losing players—bad for competition but good for easy settlement.
Cross-Reference with Map: After identifying regions numerically, view them on the 3D map to check spatial positioning. A great region surrounded by hostile alliances might be inaccessible.
Save Comparisons Weekly: Track how your target regions evolve over time. If mining activity spikes suddenly, someone else might be moving in.
Compare Regions transforms vague intuition ("I think this region is good for mining?") into data-backed strategy ("Region X has 2x the mining activity of Region Y and 50% fewer PvP kills—clear winner"). Use it to make smarter decisions in EVE Frontier's complex territorial landscape.
Related Posts
- Region Statistics: Visualizing Player Activity - Deep dive into the metrics Compare Regions displays
- Database Architecture: Aggregation Pipelines - How we compute region statistics from blockchain events
- Smart Gate Authorization: Territory Control - Understanding gate access as a sovereignty indicator