Salvage ops are a way for groups to salvage together, along with a friendly escort to defend against pirate attacks, and for everyone to be happily paid for their time. A salvage op centers around a salvage canister: an object in space into which all salvagers will transfer their debris. The person who rents the canister is the op leader, and this person decides which salvagers and defenders to invite, and when the op ends.
A salvage op is a relatively complex group activity. If you're looking for help on individual salvaging, please read the "Salvaging" help file.
Steps for completing a salvage op:
1) Find the salvage op controller facility on your capital planet or an organization space station.
2) Type RENT to rent a salvage container.
3) Go back to the landing pad and get into your asteroid hauler. You brought an asteroid hauler, right? Canisters are very large and only an asteroid hauler can transport them!
4) Launch it. Observe the canister being attached to your ship.
5) Go to your favorite debris-filled sector.
6) Call your friends. Use the OP ADD [ship] command to add them to the op. Make sure to add them to the correct roles or they may not get credit! You can switch their roles by adding them a second time. Each person will only have one role at a time.
7) Type UNDOCK to drop the canister.
8) You need not stay in your asteroid hauler. Switch to a salvaging ship or a warship, as you prefer.
9) Salvage. Dock to the canister. TRANSFER. Check the op's status periodically using the OP command. Pirates will probably attack. Hopefully your defenders handle them.
10) Canister finally full? Go get that asteroid hauler. DOCK to the canister.
11) Take the canister back to a spaceport with a salvage processor.
12) Use the OP END command to end the op and reward the participants. Credit for the op will be totaled, then distributed proportionately to each participant.
Important tip: Salvage ops are quite flexible! A canister being full does not confer any specific advantages, so if you can't fill it, complete the op anyway at no loss to your profits. Or rotate salvagers and defenders in and out! Everyone gets paid in proportion to their work.
ROLEPLAYING NOTE: Salvage ops, particularly ones far from beaconed space, often come under attack by human factions whose ships do not have rescue pods, which can result in their deaths as salvage op defenders attempt to drive them off. Many characters feel strongly about this one way or the other. If you're not familiar with this debate, you may wish to talk to more experienced characters about it before you embark on an op!
