Dispatcher SOP

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is for a Hull Seals Specalized Role. In order to become a Dispatcher, one must first become a standard Hull Seal and pass all Hull Seal trainings. This document is a supporting addition to the Hull Seal SOP, and is not superior to that document.

Dispatchers SOP, Guidance and Procedures Glossary

Revision 8

What is this Document?

The Dispatcher SOP is designed to be the ultimate guide for one of the core roles in the Hull Seals - The Dispatcher. Dispatchers are those Seals who run and operate the logistics of every rescue. They are those who watch from afar as the Seals carry out the repair, keeping everyone on the same page. This document is meant to unify the framework by which Dispatchers operate, and to keep the procedures and processes uniform across all Dispatchers.

Guidance for Dispatchers

Dispatch is there to gather and supply information, guide the client and Seals, and make the repair operation as smooth as possible. This should allow the Seals to travel to their target with minimal interruption, and the client to focus on one voice for guidance.

Anyone can try their hand at Dispatching, however, if you become overwhelmed, recognize it and put a request in the general channel for someone to take over. If you enjoy Dispatching, consider being officially trained for the role.

Dispatch will determine what Code the call is, analyze the situation, and determine which of the nearest Seal(s) will be dispatched as well as other high-level executive decisions regarding the case. Dispatch should keep the situation calm and communicate all aspects of the case clearly.

Dispatchers have Seal Command Authority and are responsible for the care and response of the Seals to calls. We are here to provide the best outcome for the client, and if anything is preventing that you have the authority to act. For example, you can tell people to stop unnecessary chatter in the channel or re-direct them to the appropriate chat channel.

Be nice at all times. Lots of CMDRs are new and a bit lost. If we can help we should do so unless it’s really busy.

If multiple Dispatchers are online and available for response, the first responding dispatcher to establish communication with the Client will provide direct assistance.

When actively Dispatching, you should identify yourself as dispatch, ideally with [Dispatch] at the start of your chat name. Be sure to have this registered as a valid IRC alias on the website.

When communicating with the Client/Seals, always use their full name to ping them and focus their attention. Most IRC clients will notify people when their full chat name is said. For most people, you can type the first few characters of their name, then hit tab to autocomplete.

For XB1 repairs, both the Client and Seal need to send and accept friend requests. With this method, there may be some delay.

Dispatchers should not be dispatching and conducting repair operations simultaneously. Focus on doing one well rather than trying to multi-task! Don’t text and fly!

Seals can do the dispatching themselves, if no dispatch is available, or if things are very busy the seal can offer to self dispatch.

Code Colors

Green 50% - ~~99%~~95% Hull Intact

Amber 11% - 49% Hull Severely Damaged Avoid High-Risk Activities. Do Not Leave System

Red 0 % - 10% Hull Integrity Critical Hold Position. Do Not Land. Do Not Leave System.

Black Canopy Failure Emergency O₂ In Use Emergency Logout. Await Further Instruction.

Blue Client is Stuck in Neutron Cone Emergency Logout. Await Further Instruction.

Unusual Cases Guidance

Long Range Repairs

Long-distance repairs (Over 15,000Ly from the nearest Seal), are not uncommon for Seals. Our galaxy is a big place. These repairs may be undertaken, but do not force any Seal to take on the Repair. Another good rule of thumb is to assign no more than three Mechanics to a case except for Code Blacks.

Suspicious Cases

It is the unfortunate fact that there are CMDRs out in the galaxy who delight in messing with or disrupting the emergency services the Seals provide. As such, measures can be taken to combat suspicious repairs.

Dispatchers can, at their discretion, verify a Client by asking for any of the following:

Confirm their current instance (Open, Solo, PG)
Confirm their CMDR Name and compare against other tools (EDSM, etc)
Confirm their current location via Friend Requests
Request a screenshot showing the current location as well as the current game date and time

If responses are not satisfactory, contact a Moderator. Also, consider using the !verify command in IRC to ask for some of this information.

Client goes Silent

If the client stops responding to pings, wait a short while. Sometimes they are looking up how to do things, or are struggling in-game. If this occurs after receiving of a Friend Request (FR+), then check with the Seals to ensure no in-game comms are ongoing. If after a 5 minutes nothing occurs, request one Seal to send messages in-game. If another 5 minutes pass with no feedback, the case can be aborted and everyone stood down. This case is considered in limbo so no paperwork needs to be filed.

If the case remains unanswered after a substantial amount of time, the case may be closed, but no paperwork will be filed.

Close to a Star/Planet/Object Navlock Repairs

When a client is close to a stellar object, usually behind the EZ, navlock will be unsuccessful and will drop Seals hundreds of km away from the client. Generally, asking the Client to move is possible, but in Code Red cases moving the client away might not be an option. If this is the case, get a senior seal who is comfortable doing a Tactical Faceplant, and have them go to the client.

The Tactical Faceplant is a procedure devised by the Fuel Rats. From their Confluence:

Tactical Face Plants (The act of intentionally slamming into an Exclusion Zone to reach a client) are required for Code Red rescues where the client has lost the ability to power their ship while too close to a star or planet. We provide the optional TFP training specifically for these incidents. TFP training is not standard drill material because in 98% of cases, people who drop out inside Exclusion Zones still have fuel enough to perform a Supercruise Hop and get themselves out of the situation. Thus, TFPs are not SOP for non-CR rescues.

The reasons for this can be summarized simply; it's less risky. For both the client, the rat, and for the outcome of the case. Faceplanting, be it tactical or not, is a risk to the player's ship, both client and rats. It is also a gamble, since you might very well end up well out of reach of the client, even with a carefully planned TFP. When the client can get out of the Exclusion Zone, we get them out of the Exclusion Zone first. Then we fuel them.

The bottom line: Tactical Face Plants are for Code Red rescues. It should not be attempted simply as an 'expedient' way of getting to the client. Non-CR TFPs are at the discretion of the dispatcher, when the actual situation requires it. (Client unable to understand instructions to SCHop, or otherwise unable to do so, for instance.)

Notes:

If the client did not hit the body's Exclusion Zone, TFP will not work. Instead, the seal has to perform a manual drop without targeting the beacon on the client's position.

The client can target the body they are near, and use the compass (small circle with a dot beside the radar) to aim directly away from it and fly so as to get to a point where charging the FSD wont make as much heat. ALSO they can use FA OFF and coast while charging to reduce the heat generated while the FSD is charging.

Here is a video of how one CMDR does it: https://youtu.be/ZBpt7lv4xLc

Fuel Requests

Speaking of Fuel Rats, this is their domain. All fuel repairs should, as matter of course, be referred to the Fuel Rats. If there are no Fuel Rats in range, and a Seal is closer, it may be better to send a Seal. This, however, is an extreme rarity due to the fact of the sheer number of Rats online at any given time.

If a CMDR needs both Fuel and Repairs, on all but Code Blacks send the Client to the Rats first. However, on Code Blacks, how to approach the repair is at the discretion of the Dispatcher.

Consider using the !fuel command in IRC to quickly redirect a client to the Rats. Be sure to have them log out first!

Client gave Wrong Information

If the Seal and Client cannot find each other in the social menu, ask the client to verify his IGN as well as his platform.

If the wing request isn’t possible, ask the Seal(s) to verify the game mode of the Client. If the Client is in the wrong game mode, have them log out to the main menu and log into the correct game mode.

If the beacon doesn’t show up even after toggling it, the system is most likely wrong. Request your Seal to confirm the system and reroute them to the correct system.

Note: Verifying these things may also be done during the Seals travel, to ensure a smooth operation.

High-G Repairs

If the Client is on a High-G planet, your Seal(s) need to be trained in High G approaches. Be sure to inform your seals about the risks involved, proper procedures, or danger of losing the ship on a bad approach.

If Client is landed, have them remain landed! Wait until the Seal(s) are in the instance with the Client, then tell the Client to liftoff to an altitude that will depend on the G of the planet. A normal liftoff will likely result in the death of the client, so tell them to hold the ventral (up) thrusters until they reach the requested altitude. DON’T retract the landing gear, it will absorb some of the damage.


Gravity of planet	1 - 3.5 G	3.5 - 6 G	6+ G	(6 km for 6 G, 11 km
Altitude for client to rise to	1,000 m (1 km)	5 km	1 km per G of planet	for 11 G, etc)

A client can reach the altitude required with only ventral thrusters. Instruct the client to not use forward, reverse, or downward thrusters under any circumstances. It is important that the Client remains vigilant once they reach the desired altitude, to ensure they do not fall back to the planet surface. The Client should never release the vertical thrusters until ready to engage supercruise.

After the repair is complete (RC+), guide the Client to a successful FSD high wake, if possible, from the planet. Have the Seal(s) search for a suitable jump target.

Consider using the !highg command to assist in teaching clients how to take off safely.

Instancing Issues

If the Seal is unable to get into the same instance as the Client, have both of them restart their game. If that doesn’t help, have both of them jump to a nearby system.

Client Jumping Toward Seal

This should be done on long range cases ONLY if the client is not at a low Hull %, and also only the dispatcher gives the OK for this. Then the seal(s) will coordinate a system to meet in and let dispatch know the target system.

Busy Times

When there are three or more repairs ongoing and a new case comes in, or if there is a major event such as a Code Black, you may decide to run any new cases in a separate channel. This decision should not be made lightly, but you as Dispatcher have the authority to make that call.

When this occurs, and a new channel is conscripted, any new cases should be directed there, and a clear statement should be put in the chat being conscripted to cease all conversations. For example, the following quote can be used.

--DISPATCH –

This channel is now in use for a repair request, please cut any chatter until the repairs are closed. Thank you

Once things are quieter, and the channel can resume the chatter, please post another statement to re-open chat. If people do not keep quiet after reminders, please report this as an issue to the Moderators with a timestamp so we can take a look.

Before moving over to #Seal-Bob, consider using other secondary channels like #Code-Black, #Drill-Chat, #debrief, or others, even if they do not quite fit the channel purpose.

NOTE: If an experienced seal that is capable of self dispatching is assigned to the case, the dispatcher may ask them to self dispatch in game with the client, so as to lighten the load on the requests channel. They can still report into the requests channel to update the main dispatch as appropriate. They can also ask a dispatcher for assistance if issues are encountered.

Open Mode Cases

In general, all repairs should be done in the Open game mode. However, if a Seal or Client requests a Private Group repair, try and accomodate. Client Experience is a priority.

Some players play open only, DO NOT try to force them into a PG for the case if they don't want to use one.

Dispatchers Process Walkthrough

Ensure that you are logged in to the Hull Seals IRC network, and that you have joined both the #Seal-Bob and #Repair-Requests channels.
When pinged by an incoming case, the dispatcher will enter the repairs channel and initiate communications with the Client. This is often done by the !welcome command.
All case information should be shouted out in both #Seal-Bob and #Repair-Request.
Seals should already be calling jumps without prompting. While waiting for jump calls, gather any other information from the client as needed, and get them ready for the case.
Determine the nearest responding Seal(s) and assign them to the case.
Request the client bring their vessel out of Supercruise, come to a full stop, and deploy Landing Gear to ensure the safety of all parties during repair operations. This can be done by using the !prep command.
Request the Client add the assigned Seal(s) to their friend's list, and assist the client as needed in this procedure. This is often done with the !pcfr, !xbfr, or !psfr commands.
Wait for confirmation from the Seals that friend request has been received, and prompt the Client as needed. Remember, however, they may not be familiar with the process. Provide assistance as needed.
Instruct the Client to send Wing Invites to responding Seal(s) and provide assistance to the Client as needed in this procedure. This is often done with the !wing command. As previously, wait for the Seals to confirm.
Instruct the Client to enable Wing Beacon and provide assistance to the Client as needed in this procedure. This is often done with the !beacon command.
Dispatch will request Seals to complete their Paperwork at the notification of successful repair completion. The !paperwork, !pw, or !clear commands can be used to send an automatic request with report form link to be posted. Before this step, make sure the client doesn't need anything else!

If you're not actively dispatching, please remove the [Dispatch] tags and use a different IRC alias to help prevent confusion.

Food for Thought...

Over the course of the Seal's devleopment, several Dispatchers have developed their own scripts for repairs, not reliant on the bot to be online. It is good practice for Dispatchers to know how to dispatch manually, should the bots assisting repairs go offline, however either bot-assisted dispatching or regular text dispatching is acceptable.