So, while poking around the RSI website, I came across a couple of interesting articles regarding ship salvaging, and I know that a couple of folks have touched on the mechanics of it here on the TEST forums. It's been talked about in as much detail as is currently possible, but there is one thing that still bothers me. I understand the mechanics of it, more or less. My concern (and this can be applied to mining as well) is the rights to what is found. I like exploration. I like it so much that I bought a ship dedicated to it. So, let's say that I'm out exploring and I find a wrecked ship. The hull's mostly intact, but the engines and power core are fried. It'll take some credits, but eventually it'll be space worthy again and I'd like to add it to my fleet. One problem, my Freelancer doesn't have the space or the facilities to run a salvage operation and I don't own a dedicated salvaging ship. So I get a message back to TEST HQ that I've found some salvage and need a team sent out to collect it. Now the ship I've found isn't alone, it's one of several in the near vicinity. So my question is; who has the rights to discoveries made by TEST explorers? Do they go to the ones who made the discovery or to TEST as an organization? And are the explorers entitled to compensation for the discovery? Because spacecraft ain't cheap. Repairs and fuel start to add up when you're making repeated trips out into the deep black.
