GETTING STARTED / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE

Turn a first run into a regular crew

Set expectations, meet up and leave with the same people to play with next time.

EveryoneTwo or more4 min read

STEP 1 OF 3

Tell people what a good session means

Give a potential crewmate enough detail to decide whether the session fits: activity, experience, time zone, duration, voice preference and what you hope to learn. Keep the first session small enough to finish together.

1
Offer a specific shared session
Use an agreed contact route to propose a loop, a start time with time zone and a finish time. Say whether you bring a ship, need a place aboard or want to learn a crew station.
What you should see
Both players agree on the same activity and practical meeting time.
That did not happen
If the availability or expectations differ, adjust the session before anyone spends time travelling.
RSI Playing with Friends, updated 24 Jul 2026

Name the activity
Give a time and timezone
Say what you want to learn

Read the complete guide as text

The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.

Tell people what a good session means

Offer a specific shared session

Use an agreed contact route to propose a loop, a start time with time zone and a finish time. Say whether you bring a ship, need a place aboard or want to learn a crew station.

Expected result: Both players agree on the same activity and practical meeting time.

If it did not work: If the availability or expectations differ, adjust the session before anyone spends time travelling.

Name the activity
Give a time and timezone
Say what you want to learn

Add the right person and group up

First confirm the other person's actual RSI handle, then use the game contact and party flow. A community display name alone may not uniquely identify their game account.

Add the intended game account

Use the Friends panel at the main menu or the in-game contact flow to find the agreed handle and send the contact request. Ask the other person to confirm receipt.

Expected result: The intended person appears in the contact list and can acknowledge the request.

If it did not work: If a similar handle appears, stop and compare it with the person's confirmed RSI identity rather than inviting a stranger.

Create the party and agree one meeting point

Separate controls: F11

Open Commlink, select the contact and use the party invitation. Once accepted, agree a named station or location and confirm both players are in a session where they can meet.

Expected result: The party is formed and each person can describe the same physical destination.

If it did not work: A party indicator does not mean both players are already standing in the same hangar. Check location, session and ship access.

Share the mission separately

Separate controls: F1

If the session uses a shareable mission, open Accepted contracts, select it and choose Share. Each participant accepts the offered mission and verifies it in their own list.

Expected result: Everyone who should participate sees the relevant accepted objective.

If it did not work: A party invitation alone does not accept the contract. Resolve sharing before completing a stage that another player needed.

RSI handle confirmed
Contact request accepted
Party formed
Meeting location agreed
Mission shared if applicable

Field note: Confirm the RSI handle with your friend. Similar display names are not enough to identify the right account.

Make room for a next time

Use the end of the session to establish what the learner can now repeat. One clear lesson and an agreed next session build more continuity than a large unexplained payout.

Have the learner explain the completed loop

At the return destination, ask the learner to describe what they pressed, what proved success and where they became uncertain. Save the guide section that addresses that point.

Expected result: Both people know what was learned and what the next practice should cover.

If it did not work: If the explanation skips a hidden step, replay that small step next time instead of treating the session as a failed lesson.

Share evidence with permission

Ask before publishing crew screenshots or identifiable details. For a guide correction, record the patch, equipment, control, visible result and source, then use the review proposal flow.

Expected result: The contribution is useful to a reviewer and respects the people pictured.

If it did not work: Do not label an observation universally verified from one run. State the conditions so another crew can reproduce it.

Keep the useful guide link
Ask before sharing crew screenshots
Agree the next activity if everyone wants to

Version history

Sources & guide information

Sources checked 13 October 2026. Latest-known keyboard defaults; not gameplay verified on Alpha 4.10.2.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.

RSI Playing with Friends, updated 24 Jul 2026 RSI Missions and Contracts