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Volunteer Program

March 30th, 2006 by Eva

The Intertellar Services Department

The Interstellar Services Department (ISD) is a group of volunteers who graciously share their free time in order to assist fellow players in the world of EVE. They answer questions, help resolve minor problems and act as good-will ambassadors throughout the community.

ISD roles

There are several branches in the program and each has its own area of interest. These are player support, new player support, forum moderators, events and bug hunters.

Support, Training and Resources (STAR) is the branch for player support and new player support volunteers who focus their attention on the in-game Help/Rookie Help Channels, answer petitions, greet random new players. Players are able to enter the channel and get quick answers to their questions about EVE. Though volunteer powers are extremely limited, they can perform simple tasks such as answering some low-level petitions, moving characters that are stuck (under certain circumstances) and providing information about current conditions in the game that may affect mobility or connectivity.

Communications Relay Commission (CRC) is the division for forum moderators who monitor the EVE message boards on our website and strive to retain the spirit of community there. They alert the game masters and dev team about hot topics or issues that may need to be addressed.

Auxiliary Union for Relay, Observation, Recording and Analysis (AURORA) is the name of the volunteer event division. They assist the creators of EVE with in-game events as well as writing and producing events of their own in which players can participate.

Equipment Certification and Anomaly Investigations Division (ECAID) is the group of bug hunters. They test equipment and features on our test server, Entropy, before these things are implemented on the live server, Tranquility.

ISD in-game abilities

Volunteers have little or no in-game abilities. They do not have access to the account information of players nor do they have the ability to create items in the game. They do not receive special items or equipment for their play characters. Their actions are closely monitored and they are not privy to information that is highly confidential.

There have been few allegations of abuse of power by the volunteers, but upon investigation, nearly all of these cases are proven to be false. To those outside ISD, the program is mysterious and the object of frequent misconceptions about what the volunteers can and cannot do. These misconceptions make the volunteers an easy target. We take accusations of abuse of power or other wrongdoing by the volunteers very seriously and investigate each thoroughly. On the rare occasion when a volunteer has broken the rules, he/she has been swiftly dismissed.

Applying to become an ISD volunteer

Any EVE player over the age of 18, been playing for more than 3 months, and with an account in good standing may apply for a position. Applications are manually reviewed by the various team vice admirals/team captains. Candidates must successfully complete an interview and the training process before they are inducted into the team of their choice.

ECAID and CRC are an exception. Unlike the other branches of ISD, ECAID and CRC members are by invite only. Bug Hunters are invited to join the crew based on the quality and quantity of bug reports they have submitted.

To apply to become and ISD volunteer log in to the EVE Player website and go to the sign-up page. Due to the volume of applications received, we regret that we are unable to respond to all applicants. If your application is approved, you will be contacted with further information about interviewing and training.

• STAR HINTS: If you have submitted an application and have not heard anything after 2-3 months, update your application. It shows that you are still interested in being a volunteer.