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May 2022 Update

Hello, Seals.

As you might have noticed, Elite's status has been quite volatile in the recent past. This has impacted many fascets of the game, and has resulted in a number of changes to the game's community. Longtime programs like the GMP and DWOrg have all stepped back, and the loss of further development on Console has done a great disservice to many CMDRs who we call friends.

This change has not just impacted outside organizations, but the Seals as well. Over the time we've been together as an organization, we've seen a number of CMDRs and valued Seals who could always be trusted come, and go. Unfortunately, this has left us with a vacuum to fill, and we need your help to fill it.

Let us be clear: The Seals are NOT shutting down. We are still trying to carry out our mission in Elite for as long as we can. We will still do our best to offer our services on all platforms, PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, for as long as we can be reasonably sure that we have pilots.

However, we must still face facts, and admit our mistakes as well as the situation we find ourselves in. Over the last few weeks from the time of writing, half of our cases have gone unanswered. Of the last 10 cases, 4 cases received no response from us, and forced CMDRs to go elsewhere to find help. A fifth case was understaffed, with no Dispatcher or other Seal helping coordinate the rescue, causing undue stress and work for the Seal who did respond. We consider all of these instances to be a failure.

This 50% failure rate is not sustainable as an organization.

But, we're not out yet. There are places where we need to do better, but together it is our belief that we can fix these missteps and mistakes, and continue to offer the proud tradition of service that we uphold. The Admins have developed a two-phase project, but we can't do it alone. We need your help in order to continue doing what we do best.

As of today, we're beginning a rollout of Phase One of that plan. We'll give the details on Phase Two later this quarter. Here are some of the details:

  1. Case Notify pings will be replaced with Trained Seal pings, to ensure that all Seals will be notified about incoming cases.
  2. We will be adding a "Low Seal Numbers" warning to the New Case Creation Pages on our website, to temper expectations and warn our clients that we are having issues filling cases.
  3. The Engagement teams will be attempting to organize more events in Elite going forward, to explore and enjoy this game we love.
  4. The Outreach crew - with your help - will be stepping up recruitment of new Seals to help bolster our numbers.
  5. The SOP team will be reviewing the current SOPs to ensure that the documents are clear of any common misunderstandings.
  6. We're asking Seals to fill out the survey linked at the bottom of this form to help guide or process forward.

Additionally, we want to remind you: Any Seal Can Do Any Job At Any Time. You don't need to be fully trained to take a case, or to dispatch, or to do any other job in the Seals. If you are who is available - Go. Call your jumps, even if you're just a pup. Take on that Dispatcher role from your fellow Seal so they can focus on flying, even if you aren't fully trained. If you see someone who needs help - offer it. Take the initiative.

Yes, training is important and a Seal trained in a position should take over if they can, but in a pinch, we're all in this together. Or, sign up for trainings and become a Dispatcher or Advanced Seal Trained position yourself! We can always use more people - and the job is easier than ever.

Finally, we have a request from all of you. Please fill out this survey so we know who we have active in the Seals, and can better estimate where we are as an organization. These questions will help us better develop and continue to evolve the Seals the best we can. The link to the survey is: https://forms.gle/ewPuPra83gdeaxLT7

Finally, from all of us, Thank You for being a Seal and being on this journey with us. While things aren't great right now, it's still our hope that we can right the ship and continue to offer our services in Elite to anyone who needs them.

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