Guide to Command

Wiki Moth says: "Command isn't suited for beginners. It's recommended to have a basic grasp of how every department within a ship functions and some knowledge of the ship you're playing on, but you can host your own ship and learn on the go!"

Ship Command

Being the leader of a ship isn't as terrible as being the leader of a station. The job is still to ensure the stability and productivity of whatever you're a Captain of, but everything is smaller, and you can get a good grasp on how leadership works easier without all the pressure of a larger everything. It's mostly just helping everyone else do their job that's the hard part. This guide will, hopefully, go through what you need.

First in Command

The role of captain is forced onto whoever spawns a ship (through normal means, an admin will not automatically be the captain of an adminspawn ship), or can be chosen if nobody took it. Specific duties may vary with crew size, ship role, and similar factors, but before all duties remains one above the rest - the bridge is going to be the place you stay the most at to pilot the ship somewhere interesting. Every single ship benefits from going to different places, be it for materials or simply ruin looting, but it keeps your crew busy so they don't get bored. And while you're piloting the ship, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE CONSOLE! If you leave it, you WILL run into an asteroid storm and blow everything up. Many Captains have met their demise from keeping their helm console turned on.

Apart from piloting, most bridges are equipped with a wideband intercom, a handy device for easy communication with other ships in the sector. You may also be equipped with a wideband encryption key on your headset (currently broken and non-functional) which allows you to receive wideband transmissions, but not broadcast them. Holopads serve a similar function, where by standing on them and calling another holopad, you can call other holopads and look around their surroundings. You may also call emergency ghost-controlled holograms in case you need advice or help.

If there's nothing going on in the bridge, search for things to help with. Maybe medical needs help dissecting the twenty corpses the miner brought back, maybe there's a hull breach caused by your own piloting that needs to be patched up, or maybe there's a naked, screaming moth onboard stealing and eating everyone's shoes, and security keeps stepping on glass shards. Either way, there's almost always something to do.

Second in Command

If you are not the Captain, but still a command role and don't have a specific job, you're probably going to be glued to the bridge anyway, but to a crew monitoring console or similar instead. Same principles still apply - help the crew, but now with your pal! One can coordinate the crew, the other can take over the jobs in the bridge, or viceversa.

Acting Captain

Maybe the Captain went to cryo, has no idea what they're doing, or faced a horrible, traumatizing incident and can't/won't be the Captain anymore. You're the next higher rank, or nobody else wants to take up the role. What Do?

Chances are that you're going to have to make space within your normal duties to pilot the ship. It's not all bad, mind you, you'll most likely still be able to do them, but you will return to the bridge every once in a while.

I'm Alone... Alone!

Being in a ship alone changes things up considerably. There's nobody to boss around, but there's nobody to help you if you get in trouble either. Every area of the ship is unmanned, and left completely up to you as how it is operated (if at all). The reasons why nobody joins your ship can be multiple and of dubious justification, but if you really do not wish to be in a solo ship, you are within your right to start a bluespace jump and join another ship.

EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE

Things are blowing up, on fire, mauled by a massive creature from outer space, or glowing an unearthly green. Even when you do things right, they are still bound to go very, very wrong. It's your job to stay calm when emergencies occur, and to determine how to deal with them appropriately. It's in these cases where your authority will be pressed the most for weaknesses, because some people will fend for their own lives before they listen to you! Take a deep breath, get your shit together, and assess damages:

If you are in movement, STOP THE SHIP! Land it in empty space or a nearby planet before things get worse! This will give a chance to crewmembers who have obtained space suits and oxygen to provide damage control without dying to hyperspace!

Ship Owner Menu

This is an OOC utility that will help you in managing the ship. Within the different categories:

Ship Status

How members join your ship. If set to Open, anyone can join. If set to Apply, members can send in one, and only one application, that can be accepted or denied, and optionally linked to their Ckey. Applications are ship specific and not job specific. If set to Locked, nobody can join. It is worth noting that people are more likely to join Open ships rather than Apply ships.

Ship Memo

This is shown to everyone who is trying to join your ship. It is recommended that you set application requirements, roleplay levels, and the general jist of the ship so newcomers have expectations of what is happening/going to happen. The ship memo is a good way of directing the people you want in your ship. Make a ship with one-armed plasmamen! Charge people outrageous sums for medical services! The power is in your Memo (and within the server rules)!

Ship Owner Status

Determines who can be owner, and allows you to transfer ownership. Useful if you're going to cryo or need someone else to hold ownership.

Guides

• 
  Piloting
• 
  Command
• 
  Construction
• 
  Engineering
• 
  Robotics
• 
  Surgery
• 
  Medical
• 
  Chemistry
• 
  Food
• 
  Drinks
• 
  Paperwork
• 
  Chat
• 
  Beginners
• 
  Species
• 
  Songs
• 
  Pirating

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