This document is not intended to take the place of reading and understanding Dispatch SOP.  This is a guide intended to summarize key points, and then provide further details and options in the finer details.  For information on all Mecha’s capabilities, visit mecha.fuelrats.com.  For a guide on how to file cases, see this page here: How to File Cases / When to !md, !invalid and !delete cases.

Quick Reference Guides

 Extended Guide (with extra information!)

Normal Cases

Prepping and Greeting the Client

When clients enter #fuelrats you will see the following messages which will give you vital information on the case:

<&RatMama[BOT]> Incoming Client: Grünregen - System: HIP 104045 - Platform: PC Odyssey - O2: OK - Language: German (de) - IRC Nickname: Gruenregen
<%MechaSqueak[BOT]> RATSIGNAL Case #3 PC ODY – CMDR Grünregen – System: "HIP 104045" (G Yellow dwarf 167.5 LY from Fuelum) – Language: German (de) - Nick: Gruenregen (ODY_SIGNAL)

The client must first be prepped, by using any number of prep commands.  An example of this is:

!prep-auto 3
Bitte falle vom Supercruise in den Normalraum und komme zum Stehen. Deaktiviere alle Module AUSSER der LEBENSERHALTUNG (Instruktionen sind bereit, falls nötig). Falls irgendwann der Sauerstoff-Countdown beginnt, lasse es uns sofort wissen.

For more methods of prepping, please see Common Prepping Practices.

If the client is using a language other than English in their browser (mecha will indicate this in the ratsignal), you should ask them if English is okay in their browser language.  For example:

Hallo Gruenregen, kannst du Englisch sprechen?

If the client agrees, the rescue can proceed in English (you may choose to use the translated facts, though).  Please note, even if you are a native speaker, the rats on the case may not be.  If the client is capable of reading and responding in English it is to everyone’s benefit that the rescue proceeds in English.

Many dispatchers will take an opportunity shortly after prep to greet the client and ask them to report back once their modules have been turned off.  It is best if this welcome is kept as short and simple as possible so as to avoid confusion. An example is:

Welcome to the Fuel Rats Gruenregen.  Please let me know once you have those modules taken care of.

It is a good idea as well, while you are waiting for your client to prep and while your rats are calling jumps, to examine the rat signal for potential errors or issues.  You might be looking for a system that is likely wrong(ie: Sol), a system that is incomplete (ie: Col 285 Sector), an unusual platform (PC-Legacy), or a client’s commander name being different from their IRC nick.  Mecha will also attempt to provide mostly accurate information about the client’s system and online status, but it is not infallible.

Once the client has responded to your prep-query, you can proceed with assigning rats!

Getting a Rat Assigned

(from this point on, we are assuming Gruenregen has a browser language of English to make things easier for you to follow)

Ideally, multiple rats have eagerly called their jumps in #fuelrats by now.  If not, you may need prod the folks in #ratchat with a stick to wake up the sleeping ones (common pings are ‘psrats’, ‘xrats’).  Worst case scenario, if no rats respond and call jumps after five or more minutes, you may wish to !alertc the case out to our social media.

!alertc 3
Successfully sent post "PC rats needed for a rescue near Fuelum! Case #3 (<#>) <link>" to Mastodon & BlueSky

Once you have rats that have called jumps you will have to choose which rat to send.  A rat who is further away will take longer to get to the client, unless the other rats are less experienced.  An experienced rat will likely make quick work of a case, but have they been assigned recently?  We prefer to spread the love and make sure as many rats get a chance to land a limpet as possible.  Another method of choosing is to go with the order called, though this does not take the earlier statements into account, and could result in complications.  Every dispatch has a different preference, but as long as you can explain your reasoning and are fair in your choices, you’re unlikely to run into any issues.

You can send the rats you choose using the command:

!go 3 Salvuwu
Gruenregen Please add the following rat to your friends list: "Salvuwu"

You can then follow this with information for adding a friend, if you feel the client may not know how.  A client that expresses they have knowledge of the game may not need this information.

!fr 3
Gruenregen: To send a friend request, go to the menu (Hit ESC), click SOCIAL, and search for your rat(s) in the upper right. Click them, then click ADD FRIEND.

You can include both pieces of information at one time by using the command:

!gofr 3
Gruenregen Please add the following rat to your friends list: "Salvuwu"
To send a friend request, go to the menu (Hit ESC), click SOCIAL, and search for your rat(s) in the upper right. Click them, then click ADD FRIEND.

Once the rats call fr+ in chat, you are clear to proceed to the team/wing portion of the rescue!

Adding the Rats to a Wing/Team and making sure the beacon is lit

You can now instruct the client to add their rats to a team/wing by using the command:

!team 3 (!wing 3)
Gruenregen: To invite someone to your team, go to the comms panel (Default key 2), hit ESC to get out of the chat box, and move to the third panel (Default key E). Then select your Rat(s) and select Invite to team

In some cases, the rats may skip calling tm+/wr+/bc+ if the next step in the rescue is more relevant or fuel+ is imminent.  A pause here may indicate that they were so close to the client that they dropped nearly immediately and are entering the instance, fueling the client as soon as possible.  It can be easy to become frustrated by the lack of information, but remember that the rat’s directive is always “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate” and fueling comes above all but the aviate.  If you are concerned, you can always ask your rats about the team/wing status.

Otherwise, once the rats have been added to a wing/team, you may need to instruct the client to light their beacon.  Beacons start lit by default in PC live and will remember their on/off setting between sessions. In all other game modes they are off until lit for each login.  You can instruct a client to light their beacon by using the command: 

!beacon 3
Gruenregen: To light your beacon, go to the right panel (Default key 4), navigate to the SHIP tab (Default key Q), then in the FUNCTIONS sub-screen select BEACON and set it to WING/TEAM

Closing the Case

Provided you run into no issues, you should have a rat call fuel+.

You can then close the case to the rat who scored the first limpet using the command:

!close 3 Salvuwu
Successfully closed case #1 (Gruenregen).

After closing the case, some dispatchers like to include a send-off message to the client.  This should ideally also be brief, especially if there are other cases going on in the rescue channel.  It is also recommended that you prompt the client to check their in-game chat to facilitate the debrief for the rat who got first limpet.   An example of this is:

You should now be receiving fuel, Gruenregen.  Thank you for calling the Fuel Rats.  Please say “hi” to Salvuwu in game and fly safe o7!

Rats may also request the use of #debrief, where you can direct the client if necessary.