Squadron Policies

Stellar Screenshot by CMDR where is my m0m

Squadron Communications are very important to success in-game. All CMDRS must adhere to the following guidelines when participating with the Squadron:

Calling "Comms"

At any point, a CMDR may call "COMMS" in order to relay mission-specific information. If you hear a CMDR call "COMMS", cease discussion immediately and listen. Do not finish your sentence. Do not ask a question. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Comms are Mission-Oriented

Whether in an Xbox party or in a Discord voice channel, do not disrupt mission communications to talk about non-mission content. We have multiple channels for a reason. If you want to hang out and chat, move to a non-mission channel.

Avoid Background Noise

If you have a loud background, mute your mic when you are not speaking. Nobody wants to try to talk over your fan, or someone yelling, or your spotify playlist. Do not play music or videos into the mic without getting approval from the entire party.

Respect Your Fellow Squadmates

We are a community based on respect and fellowship. We have many different types of people in the community, and we're all here to fly spaceships together. This is not the place to be hateful or inciteful. This is not the place for racist, sexist, antisemitic, homophobic, transphobic , and ableist (including the word 'retard') content. Try to avoid talking politics; if you do want to have a political discussion, do so in a respectful manner. Do not put your Squadmates down for their beliefs or experiences.

#croms-general

Our #croms-general is an open forum chat about Elite Dangerous. It is not the place to post mission-specific objectives, or sensitive squadron information (including home system). This channel is open to ambassadors that are not in our squadron, and sensitive information should be limited to #croms-internal.

Deep Space Syndicate (DPSS) recognizes PVP as an established aspect of Elite Dangerous, and approaches this apsect with the following ideology and policies.

Ideology

DPSS recognizes that players may or may not appreciate PVP, and strives to encourage other players to enjoy Elite Dangerous in order to ensure a long and healthy lifespan for the game. Therefore, DPSS divides PVP play into the following categories: PVP, Ganking, and Griefing. All DPSS pilots are expected to abide by the below policies for each category.

Ground Rules

These basic ground rules are expected of all DPSS pilots in any PvP scenario:

DPSS pilots are expected not to combat-log from a PvP instance, including the use of a menu log. Any accidental disconnect must be recorded and submitted to Squadron leadership as proof.
DPSS pilots are expected not to "ghost" in PvP instances (return to the instance after being destroyed).
DPSS pilots are expected not to use premium ammunition in PvP instances.
DPSS pilots are expected not to use concordant or regenerative lasers to buff teammates shields in PvP instances.
DPSS pilots are expected not to use NPC-flown ship-launched fighters in PvP instances.

PVP

PVP involves established, agreed-upon combat between players. In order to ensure a fun PVP session, pilots are encouraged to establish ground rules PRIOR to engaging in PVP. These ground rules should cover whether the fight is to the death (inducing rebuy), or to a lesser point, such as shields dropping or a certain hull percentage. In addition to this definition and policy, PVP play that directly relates to gameplay (such as conflict zones, community goals, and faction/squadron wars) is encouraged by DPSS and does not necessarily conform to the requirement for established ground rules. DPSS pilots should strive to avoid initiating faction/squadron wars, but are encouraged to defend themselves if fired upon.

Ganking

Ganking involves combat between players that is not agreed upon. Ganking is permitted by DPSS within the following guidelines:

DPSS pilots are permitted to interdict/destroy any ship regardless of Rank/Type for any in-game reason.
- Gameplay related PvP (conflict zones, community goals, and faction/squadron wars, roleplay) are examples of valid in-game reasons
DPSS views Powerplay kills as an accepted part of gameplay. Kills on any Powerplay enemies are considered acceptable regardless of the ship the other player is flying, provided the player can reasonably expect to earn merits for the kill. Note: The term "reasonably expect" is used here to to indicate the newness of Powerplay 2.0 and our lack of understanding of exactly how merits are distributed.

Griefing

Griefing is any type of PVP meant to cause moral discouragement, including (but not limited to) destroying pilots unequipped to defend themselves without in-game purpose, or following and harassing players who are not interested in engaging in combat. DPSS pilots are expected to avoid kiling CMDRs below combat rank "Mostly Harmless" within 20 lightyears from HIP 97950. Griefing is strictly against DPSS policy.

BGS is the Background Simulation of the game. It allows Squadrons such as ours to inject themselves into the game's lore, expand into populated systems, and ultimately grind to take control of them. Deep Space Syndicate’s home system is in Coelaba, and we have expanded out from that point to maintain several surrounding systems. The following policies relate to operating in Deep Space Syndicate space.

Non-Requirement Clause

BGS participation is completely optional and greatly appreciated, it is NOT required of any member of the Squadron. BGS is a unique aspect of the game, which many of us enjoy. As such, our BGS Committee will continue to post daily objectives, but in no way will any CMDR be disciplined for choosing not to participate in our BGS.

Non-Counter Clause

All DPSS members are expected to make every effort to avoid countering squadron BGS. A DPSS member found to be intentionally working against Squadron BGS objectives will face disciplinary action, up to and including immediate removal from the squadron.

Contentious Action Clause

DPSS Members must be mindful of DPSS Space and refrain from doing any activities in our systems that are not listed as BGS Objectives. All DPSS Members seeking to participate in BGS must check the most recent BGS objectives in #bgs-objectives-daily on Discord prior to any transaction in systems where Deep Space Syndicate has a presence (i.e.: turning in data, combat bonds, bounty vouchers, and missions; or buying and selling goods from starports in the system). Failure to do so may lead to inadvertent countering of squadron BGS goals, which creates more work for those actively working our BGS.

Inara Update Clause

All DPSS Members are required to keep their Inara linked and up-to-date. This means enabling auto-updates, as well as logging in once every 30 days at minimum to re-enable Inara's access to your account. Additionally, please ensure that your privacy settings for all of your logs (Flight, Mission, Combat, & Location) are all set to Squadron ONLY. Be careful about setting these to everyone, that would allow any CMDR outside of DPSS to view your activities which could reveal sensitive DPSS BGS activities & objectives.

Reporting

DPSS Members are heavily encouraged to report any and all BGS Actions in #bgs-objectives-daily. This allows our BGS Committee to keep track of how our actions are affecting systems, and will also help us identify if we are being worked against

Increasing Influence

If #bgs-objectives-daily is requesting we increase influence in a particular system for Faction A, the following actions should be taken: - Completing missions for Faction A in that system - Turning in exploration data at stations in that system where Faction A is the controlling faction - Turning in bounty vouchers at stations in that system where Faction A is the controlling faction - Buying and selling commodities at stations in that system where Faction A is the controlling faction

Decreasing Influence

If #bgs-objectives-daily is requesting we decrease influence in a particular system for Faction A, the following actions should be taken: - Completing missions for factions other than Faction A in that system - Turning in exploration data at stations where Faction A is not the controlling faction - Turning in bounty vouchers at stations in that system where Faction A is not the controlling faction - Buying and selling commodities at stations in that system where Faction A is not the controlling faction - Destroying clean Faction A ships

Special Circumstances

In addition to the above transactions, BGS Committee may request any other specific transactions, and those working BGS are expected to fulfill the demand for those transactions to the best of their ability. - During War or Civil War, DPSS Pilots working BGS are expected to complete as many conflict zones as possible. Failure to complete a conflict zone may count as a loss, so DPSS Pilots should remain in the conflict zone until it is over. Bounty vouchers turned in help aid the war effort for the day they are turned in. Missions, exploration data, and non-combat transactions do not affect a war. - During Elections, DPSS Pilots are expected to complete as many elections-related missions as possible. Combat, bounty vouchers, and other standard transactions do not affect an election.

BGS Committee

Any DPSS member is eligible to join the BGS Committee. BGS Committee Members are responsible for guiding the Squadron's BGS Initiative, including future planning and setting daily objectives. When our @BGSBot first detects a tick, a member of BGS Committee will use our /bgstick command to notify everyone, and then will immediately post the next set of objectives.

Rank Policy

To enable ease of understanding of the different experience levels of our CMDRs, we identify our pilots by class. This allows us to plan and involve CMDRs on missions they are prepared for, tailor events toward players based on skill level, and utilize effective communication strategies so that all CMDRs participating in a mission are able to participate at a high level. Promotions are handled at our monthly Full Squadron Meeting, and a CMDR that has recently joined the Squadron must move through each rank to reach the placement of their experience. Furthermore, attendance and participation plays a large factor into consideration for promotion. The ranks are as follows:

Recruit

A Recruit is new to the Squadron, and serving a probationary period. DPSS firmly believes that CMDRs should strive to find the Squadron they are best fit for; therefore, Recruits are trialing the Squadron and the Squadron is trialing them. A Recruit shall have access to all standard Voice Channels, and all public text channels in DPSS Essential Croms. In order to move past the probationary period into the role of Cadet, a Recruit must (barring extenuating circumstances) actively play (as defined, one hour on voice comms with the Squadron, including at least one Wing Leader or Squadron Leader) with the Squadron no less than five separate instances over the course of a two week period. At that point, active Squadron members will vote to approve the Recruit's status as a Cadet, or deny the Recruit membership. If a Recruit is denied membership, DPSS will help the denied Recruit find a more suitable fit in another Squadron.

Cadet

A Cadet is a newer member or an inexperienced player. Cadets have little-to-no engineering on their ships, limited Guardian modules, and a limited in-game balance. Cadets should focus on participating in missions and events that bring them up to the next level, including engineering-unlock events, Guardian-unlock events, and trade missions. Cadets are expected to listen and act on directions from Wing Leaders and Squadron Leadership that are designed to advance the Cadet's in-game status. CMDRs that are flying with Cadets should be prepared to explain and help clarify gameplay and teach Cadets how to understand and meet objective

Pilot

A Pilot is a CMDR who has made notable progress in-game. Pilots have begun the engineering-unlock process, have unlocked the Guardian FSD booster, and have a balance of more than 500,000,000 CR. Pilots are fully capable and are not expected to need guidance/training on wing missions, particularly trade missions. Pilots are eligible to participate in the BGS Committee.

Wingmate

A Wingmate has achieved a high level of gameplay and is a regular participant in Squadron activites. Wingmates have fully engineered ships and an in-depth understanding of the game.

Wing Leader

Wing Leaders comprise the leadership body of the Squadron. They are responsible for managing committees, overseeing daily operations, and ensuring the longevity of the Squadron.

Reserves

Should a member member of any become inactive, Squadron Leadership will flag them as Reserves. Reserves members will retain their rank but have limited access to sensitive Squadron information via Discord. A Reserves member may request to be listed as active again when they return to Elite Dangerous, and will be reassigned their previous rank.

Summary

Any DPSS member or affiliated ambassador may put in a rapid response request by using /sos in the DPSS Discord server. Submission of a /sos request indicates understanding of DPSS Rapid response policy. Anyone using /sos will be granted the @sos role in the DPSS discord, and will be expected to provide a more detailed synopsis of the reason for the call to all responding Rapid Response CMDRs either via the #rapid-response-sos text channel or the #rapid response wing voice channel.

Scope

Deep Space Syndicate’s Rapid Response committee represents the Squadron’s PVP wing. The Rapid Response committee will be the first to respond to SOS calls by Allied Squadrons, as well as serve as DPSS’ mercenary wing to aid friendly Squadrons. The Rapid Response committee will be limited to DPSS CMDRs who meet the defined requirements.

Deployment Conditions

DPSS Rapid Response will not serve as a police force or general anti-gank initiative. Rapid Response wings will be deployed on an as-needed basis, and will have the discretion to unanimously opt out of any call. Some sample cases of Rapid Response deployments include:

A DPSS or coalition-affiliated CMDR is being repetitively griefed without antagonization and have exhausted efforts to diffuse the situation.
- Rapid Response will deploy for griefing in organized gameplay, including working on squadron objectives, BGS for DPSS or DPSS’ coalition partners, or group trips.
- Rapid Response will not deploy for solo/personal objectives and gameplay such as powerplay and travel in high-traffic systems. In these situations, CMDRS may ping @rapid response for unofficial assistance.
DPSS or a DPSS coalition partner with mutual defense agreements is under threat from coordinated hostile players (a faction war)
DPSS or DPSS allies are under imminent threat from organized hostile players (a group of coordinated hostile players moved into a DPSS or DPSS coalition partner system with the sole purpose of destroying other players)

Rapid Response will deploy when a qualifying SOS call is received and Rapid Response can muster a minimum of one pilot more than the anticipated number of hostiles. At any time, Rapid Response CMDRs are welcome to aid other CMDRs or Squadrons without an official /sos call, and this will not be considered a Rapid Response deployment.

Deployment Process

Any DPSS pilot or Ambassador within the DPSS server may request aid from Rapid Response by utilizing the /sos command in the DPSS discord. Use of the /sos command constitutes agreement to the Rapid Response policy and protocols, and misuse of the /sos command may result in revocation of privileges. The person using the /sos command must specify the system, number of anticipated hostiles, and any hostile identifiers (such as CMDR names or Squadron tags). When the /sos command is used, the following processes run concurrently:

The person who used the /sos command will be given the @sos role in the DPSS discord server, and will have access to the #rapid-response-sos text channel as well as the #rapid response wing voice channel.
- This person is expected to provide additional details immediately via voice or text to the Rapid Response committee.
All Rapid Response committee members shall be notified via DM and other official channels of the Rapid Response call.
Rapid Response committee members shall indicate via the #rapid-response-sos channel if they are able to respond, and will be instructed to deploy or not based on the number of responses.
Responding Rapid Response committee members shall enter the #rapid response wing voice channel to coordinate the response and deploy.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for Rapid Response committee, a CMDR must meet the following requirements:

At least two fully engineered (Grade 5 - maximized) dedicated PvP ships, including at least one medium class ship and at least one large class ship
Willingness and availability to make at least one monthly training (though two is preferred)
Optimal performance in a series of eligibility tests, including Solo Combat, Wing Combat, Evasive Flying and Gank Evasion
An understanding that status as a member of the Rapid Response Committee may be revoked at any time due to inactivity or ineligibility.

Training

The Rapid Response committee will hold two monthly training sessions to ensure all CMDRs are well-practiced and able to respond effectively when necessary. These trainings will include solo (1v1) fights, outmatched (1v2+) fights, wing fights, gank evasion, and rebuy avoidance. This training shall be open to any DPSS CMDRs who are interested in learning PvP. Additionally, Rapid Response committee will be responsible for hosting a quarterly training for other DPSS CMDRs in gank evasion and rebuy avoidance.

Expectations

Upon acceptance to the Rapid Response committee, a CMDR will be assigned a Rapid Response number. All of that CMDR’s dedicated PvP ships will use the callsign DPSS##, where ## reflects that particular CMDR’s Rapid Response number. Rapid Response CMDRs are expected to make a concerted effort to make at least one of two monthly trainings, and may be dismissed from the Rapid Response Committee for inactivity in game, poor performance as determined by Rapid Response leadership, or failure to meet any Rapid Response expectation in lieu of prior approval. At any time, Rapid Response CMDRs are expected to respond to calls in a timely manner if availability permits. At all times, Rapid Response CMDRs are expected to adhere to all DPSS Squadron Policies.