Catch Up System for Insider Rewards

@shamanmclamie Not necessary. The rewards aren’t going anywhere and can all be earned by anyone by simply putting in the same time of testing as the rest did. They’re bonuses for participating in insider testing so if someone is discouraged from testing and helping Rare because they’re impatient about getting the bonuses, then they simply don’t get the set.

The time argument is bogus because it is just 1 hour a week. It isn't about playing more hours it's about remembering to, or having the time every week to do Insider. What I'm suggesting is in order to advance that extra week you actually have to put more hours into Insider. A lot of things that need testing, especially new voyage types and tall tales usually require more than an hours worth of gameplay to complete, not to mention thoroughly test. Being able to get an extra week could be an incentive for fully testing those features. A friend and I were testing something on Insider and he quit halfway through as soon as he got his hour done.

The issue with the Insider Rewards is that it will take 2 years just to finish the Silver Blade set if your starting to play it for the first time as it currently is. That can be rather daunting and discouraging, especially if you're new to it. All I'm suggesting is a system for getting those rewards a bit quicker. I'm not saying catch up in a week, but a means for players to advance a bit more quickly such as playing more actual hours on Insider, or actually fully testing new features to advance an extra week, or 2.

I have a lot of friends who didn't realize the Insider Rewards kept going after the ship set and another friend who just hasn't been able to do Insider much and they've been really discouraged by the fact that they've fallen way behind on the Silver Blade set and it will take them over 2 years to get fully caught up and this will be even more daunting for new Insiders.

The rewards are as they are. Rewards. You are plainly here to test out certain features, while being given a toy for helping out.

The rewards shouldn’t be the main or only reason to take part. This mindset is wrong.
If your upset because you joined late or aren’t up to date with the releases. You should move on.

@burnbacon You're basically asking people to take time away from their day and more importantly from the main game to test out features on Insider. There really isn't a lot of incentive to do this aside from the current Insider Rewards and checking out what is being released in the main game. I'd wager a good chunk of people who are playing Insider are only doing it for the weekly rewards. You might think that mindset is wrong, but that is the mindset that gets people to test future builds. Rare wouldn't offer Insider Rewards at all if it wasn't necessary to get people to check it out regularly.

I don't think it would hurt to give people a greater incentive not only to participate in Insider, but also play Insider longer and to test out specific features. As it stands all you have to do is just log in, sit at the outpost for an hour until you get your reward for logging into Insider for the week and your done until next week. New features haven't been tested, bugs haven't been found, no useful data generated. I think letting people getting another week for playing Insider longer, or testing out the features Rare wants tested is rather modest Incentive for people to hop into it and to play in it longer.

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@burnbacon You're basically asking people to take time away from their day and more importantly from the main game to test out features on Insider. There really isn't a lot of incentive to do this aside from the current Insider Rewards and checking out what is being released in the main game. I'd wager a good chunk of people who are playing Insider are only doing it for the weekly rewards. You might think that mindset is wrong, but that is the mindset that gets people to test future builds. Rare wouldn't offer Insider Rewards at all if it wasn't necessary to get people to check it out regularly.

That is the entire idea behind an optional and VOLUNTARY testing program. If you can't take time to actually play and test then you have no business signing up. Furthermore it is NOT necessary as the previous testing program (Pioneers) had no rewards yet was a very popular program. If they are ONLY playing for rewards, then it is no great loss if they quit since most are not really contributing to the actual testing or providing feedback.

I don't think it would hurt to give people a greater incentive not only to participate in Insider, but also play Insider longer and to test out specific features. As it stands all you have to do is just log in, sit at the outpost for an hour until you get your reward for logging into Insider for the week and your done until next week. New features haven't been tested, bugs haven't been found, no useful data generated. I think letting people getting another week for playing Insider longer, or testing out the features Rare wants tested is rather modest Incentive for people to hop into it and to play in it longer.

And what makes you think being able to earn more rewards is going to curb the idlers and freeloaders? If anything it will only increase this behavior and have people idling longer in the test servers instead of actually playing and testing. There is no benefit to Rare allowing those who missed out for whatever reason to "catch up", it only benefits those who feel "entitled" to the rewards but for whatever reason did not put in the time and effort.

Insider needs players who care about the testing (even if it is just playing as they normally would), not the rewards for just being there...those are but a nice bonus.

@dlchief58 said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@burnbacon You're basically asking people to take time away from their day and more importantly from the main game to test out features on Insider. There really isn't a lot of incentive to do this aside from the current Insider Rewards and checking out what is being released in the main game. I'd wager a good chunk of people who are playing Insider are only doing it for the weekly rewards. You might think that mindset is wrong, but that is the mindset that gets people to test future builds. Rare wouldn't offer Insider Rewards at all if it wasn't necessary to get people to check it out regularly.

That is the entire idea behind an optional and VOLUNTARY testing program. If you can't take time to actually play and test then you have no business signing up. Furthermore it is NOT necessary as the previous testing program (Pioneers) had no rewards yet was a very popular program. If they are ONLY playing for rewards, then it is no great loss if they quit since most are not really contributing to the actual testing or providing feedback.

I don't think it would hurt to give people a greater incentive not only to participate in Insider, but also play Insider longer and to test out specific features. As it stands all you have to do is just log in, sit at the outpost for an hour until you get your reward for logging into Insider for the week and your done until next week. New features haven't been tested, bugs haven't been found, no useful data generated. I think letting people getting another week for playing Insider longer, or testing out the features Rare wants tested is rather modest Incentive for people to hop into it and to play in it longer.

And what makes you think being able to earn more rewards is going to curb the idlers and freeloaders? If anything it will only increase this behavior and have people idling longer in the test servers instead of actually playing and testing. There is no benefit to Rare allowing those who missed out for whatever reason to "catch up", it only benefits those who feel "entitled" to the rewards but for whatever reason did not put in the time and effort.

Insider needs players who care about the testing (even if it is just playing as they normally would), not the rewards for just being there...those are but a nice bonus.

More people in Insider testing features means more data can be collected, more bugs can be found, the game can also be better stress tested since a low population test build might not have the same issues as the high population main game. In general the more game play hours and players the better for testing since it will be closer to the live game which always has more players and more time put into it. The idea any game is better off with less testers instead of more is just laughable.

If people had say 2, or 3 hours to then play on Insider they might not be as keen to just idle. You do still need to do something in the game before getting Lazybeard. Also as I suggested maybe one way to unlock this extra week isn't simply playing longer, but to actually test certain features and fulfill certain developer goals in Insider. This could further reduce idle Insiders. I keep repeating this. The extra reward(which is just unlocking a week of insider a bit quicker) isn't for nothing it is for actually putting more time into playing Insider and possibly having to test certain things the developers want.

Also Pioneer was just a select segment of the play base. It wasn't completely open to the public like Insider.

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@dlchief58 said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@burnbacon You're basically asking people to take time away from their day and more importantly from the main game to test out features on Insider. There really isn't a lot of incentive to do this aside from the current Insider Rewards and checking out what is being released in the main game. I'd wager a good chunk of people who are playing Insider are only doing it for the weekly rewards. You might think that mindset is wrong, but that is the mindset that gets people to test future builds. Rare wouldn't offer Insider Rewards at all if it wasn't necessary to get people to check it out regularly.

That is the entire idea behind an optional and VOLUNTARY testing program. If you can't take time to actually play and test then you have no business signing up. Furthermore it is NOT necessary as the previous testing program (Pioneers) had no rewards yet was a very popular program. If they are ONLY playing for rewards, then it is no great loss if they quit since most are not really contributing to the actual testing or providing feedback.

I don't think it would hurt to give people a greater incentive not only to participate in Insider, but also play Insider longer and to test out specific features. As it stands all you have to do is just log in, sit at the outpost for an hour until you get your reward for logging into Insider for the week and your done until next week. New features haven't been tested, bugs haven't been found, no useful data generated. I think letting people getting another week for playing Insider longer, or testing out the features Rare wants tested is rather modest Incentive for people to hop into it and to play in it longer.

And what makes you think being able to earn more rewards is going to curb the idlers and freeloaders? If anything it will only increase this behavior and have people idling longer in the test servers instead of actually playing and testing. There is no benefit to Rare allowing those who missed out for whatever reason to "catch up", it only benefits those who feel "entitled" to the rewards but for whatever reason did not put in the time and effort.

Insider needs players who care about the testing (even if it is just playing as they normally would), not the rewards for just being there...those are but a nice bonus.

More people in Insider testing features means more data can be collected, more bugs can be found, the game can also be better stress tested since a low population test build might not have the same issues as the high population main game. In general the more game play hours and players the better for testing since it will be closer to the live game which always has more players and more time put into it. The idea any game is better off with less testers instead of more is just laughable.

There is absolutely no proof that your suggestion would increase the number of people playing Insiders, much less actually testing features or playing and not just idling to get rewards - if they can do it for an hour they can certainly do it longer.

You also brought up the idea/justification earlier that people can't do it because of the time requirement. If they didn't have time before, what makes you think they will make more time now if they couldn't before? Where did all this extra time come from?

More is not always better. If all they are doing is idling for rewards, then nothing of value was contributed to Insiders and no constructive feedback generated. And since servers are limited to 6 ships/24 players (but almost never hit those limits since the galleon is not the most popular ship and the issues getting 4 friends together), more participants just for stress testing is not really needed in this game.

If people had say 2, or 3 hours to then play on Insider they might not be as keen to just idle. You do still need to do something in the game before getting Lazybeard. Also as I suggested maybe one way to unlock this extra week isn't simply playing longer, but to actually test certain features and fulfill certain developer goals in Insider. This could further reduce idle Insiders. I keep repeating this. The extra reward(which is just unlocking a week of insider a bit quicker) isn't for nothing it is for actually putting more time into playing Insider and possibly having to test certain things the developers want.

Limiting it to certain tasks is not going to help make a better testing environment. People need to play as they normally would with some focus on new features, but not required to do specific tasks. And as I stated above, if they can idle for an hour they can certainly do it for a longer period of time. Swing and a miss with you trying to discount the possibility of idlers/freeloaders using the "Lazybeard" defense - they already know how to idle so nothing stopping them from doing it longer and not providing any useful data to Rare.

You have no proof that adding a "catchup" feature would increase overall player engagement on Insider. If they couldn't find the time to do it weekly, what makes you think those same people would find time to do so longer on another week? There has to be some sort of limit or you will just have some people grinding or idling for all the rewards they can get in one week instead of coming back regularly to test features as they are introduced. The reward should not be more important than the actual testing/playing, nor the reason why someone signs up for Insider.

Also Pioneer was just a select segment of the play base. It wasn't completely open to the public like Insider.

Yes, and it was one that many people wanted to be a part of (hence the introduction of Insiders in its place). There were no set rewards (though they did get some cosmetics as a thank you, just not a regular drip of them like now) but people STILL wanted to participate in it.

@dlchief58 There is no proof that the number of people wouldn't increase, or idleness wouldn't reduce either. Unless you have the data lack of proof isn't an argument cause it cuts both ways.

The specific friend in question can play for several hours a day, but can't play everyday. He does have a specific issue with Insider. His Internet is slow as a rock and by the time Insider updates(cause it is always updating) his time to play it has already passed. So he's only able to get onto Insider once, or twice a month. I know he really likes the Silver Blade set, but the fact he's fallen so far behind is a real discouragement for him especially since he has to wait so long before it finishes updating. Having a catch up mechanism might get him to tough out the load times and play Insider more often.

When new features come out most players rush to play those features first. People want to try out the shining new things. Because Insider isn't the main game and because they occasionally reset characters on Insider the incentive to actually test those features isn't that great. A prime example of this is A Sunken Pearl tall tale. That tall tale was riddled with bugs and issues and a lot of it was caused by multiple crews doing the same tall tale at the same time. I had a friend who came back to Sea of Thieves for A Pirates Life quit because of the bugs in A Sunken Pearl and he hasn't been back since. Having an incentive to actually test the upcoming features could help find those bugs that people may quit the game over. Also I don't see that many other ships on Insider unless I play well past the 1 hour needed to unlock rewards and even then it isn't a guarantee.

Also there was no reward for doing Pioneer.

@shamanmclamie more rewards per week need to go both ways for fairness in all honesty. You want to earn more than 1 reward per week, then the people that have played since day 1 of insider need to be able to unlock more than 1 new reward per week as well.

I know that doesn't make sense in the context of you wanting a "catch up" mechanic, but to be honest that would be no different than players being able to choose which emissary ledger rewards they want to work towards unlocking. You do it in order, in the manner Rare intends.

@kommodoreyenser Which is why I suggested if an Insider who is caught up does the extra time, and/or developer goals they get a reward in gold, doubloons, or maybe even Ancient Coins for putting the extra time in themselves. I've also suggest a buffer of about a month, or two of rewards so those who stayed caught up can remain caught up as well. I don't think the big issue is falling behind. The issue is falling behind multiple years on Insider Rewards.

There are certainly other possibilities for this that I haven't thought of and it'd be great to hear alternative suggestions for it.

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@dlchief58 There is no proof that the number of people wouldn't increase, or idleness wouldn't reduce either. Unless you have the data lack of proof isn't an argument cause it cuts both ways.

Yet you still have nothing to back up your supposition - playing a contrarian doesn't change that fact that you have none to begin with. You are the one who said it would increase the population, so back it up or it is not a valid argument. Your circular argument doesn't fly here as I (and others) can see right through it.

The specific friend in question can play for several hours a day, but can't play everyday. He does have a specific issue with Insider. His Internet is slow as a rock and by the time Insider updates(cause it is always updating) his time to play it has already passed. So he's only able to get onto Insider once, or twice a month. I know he really likes the Silver Blade set, but the fact he's fallen so far behind is a real discouragement for him especially since he has to wait so long before it finishes updating. Having a catch up mechanism might get him to tough out the load times and play Insider more often.

Anecdotal and only applicable to your one "friend". If he is doing this only for cosmetics, then he is in it for the wrong reasons. He has to work out his own issues as it is not Rare's fault he has bad internet or that he can't or won't dedicate himself to the program. If he cannot commit (for whatever reason), then he doesn't deserve the rewards.

When new features come out most players rush to play those features first. People want to try out the shining new things. Because Insider isn't the main game and because they occasionally reset characters on Insider the incentive to actually test those features isn't that great. A prime example of this is A Sunken Pearl tall tale. That tall tale was riddled with bugs and issues and a lot of it was caused by multiple crews doing the same tall tale at the same time. I had a friend who came back to Sea of Thieves for A Pirates Life quit because of the bugs in A Sunken Pearl and he hasn't been back since. Having an incentive to actually test the upcoming features could help find those bugs that people may quit the game over. Also I don't see that many other ships on Insider unless I play well past the 1 hour needed to unlock rewards and even then it isn't a guarantee.

And what does this have to do with anything being discussed? Its does nothing to show why such a thing would be needed or justified. In fact not a single person has shown a valid reason why Rare should do this, most thinking they deserve these without being there for the full journey (i.e. entitlement).

Furthermore your own "example" contradicts your own reasoning. If the Tall Tale was crashing because too many people were playing it, how would encouraging MORE players to do the same thing help?

Also there was no reward for doing Pioneer.

Exactly (other than one cosmetic - a sail or flag if believe)...and people still did the testing and others wanted in on the fun...even without any stated rewards.

And before you go off and think I'm gatekeeping (I hate that term as it is often used by entitled individuals to shout down people who call them out on their entitlement mindset), I myself am pretty far behind in terms of testing on Insider (having been there pretty much from the start). But I don't care because I realize that it was MY decision or circumstances that prevented me from getting on a particular week.

Why should a veteran insider be rewarded less than a new one for doing the same amount of doing Insider ? Because that would be a consequence of a catch-up system.

People who aren't interested in the current feature to be tested might skip a week or two and spend 3 hours during the next feature. Their feedback will be missed.

I would be in favour of a redo of the Insider system and/pr its reward system, but this isn't the way.

Haven't read the full thread, but I agree with a catch up system. It can be discouraging to see how far behind you are, and can lead a lot of people to just say "why bother." However, I do think it is important that work actually be put into catching up, not just idling for longer, so I think it should come with some caveats.

The hour requirement should stay and is mandatory for earning any reward for that week.

However, players can get a second progression counted by completing something that Rare decides is important for that patch (voyage, fort, etc), and for which they want extra testing to be absolutely sure it doesn't break because of the new addition. This would be in addition to the 1 hour per week. It also might not be feasible to offer for every insider patch.

This would require work on Rare's part to implement, so it isn't without cost, but I do think would come with a lot of benefit for both the testers who do want to put in the effort, and for Rare who may not be incentiving people enough to actively play insiders and not just idle.

That is of course if you are someone who is okay with other people having the same things you have, which takes some maturity. You don't see people complaining on the forums that they see other people are just idling in insiders and aren't actually testing, despite that being very common in my experience. Personally, I think you lose the high road to complain about other people suggesting ways to put in the work to earn what you have, even if it is after the fact, while you are okay with others who have what you have and didn't do the work. Or maybe you are guilty of idling as well?

The point is, it's a video game. The cosmetics earned shouldn't be so prized that people become possessive of them. But, it is natural to want something to work toward because that is what motivates people to become engaged, play, and come to the forums to suggest ways to make the game better. And a catch up system would make the game better.

@lem0n-curry they would lose out on one instance but then get more data on another. I dont see the issue here as they are still getting data both ways. Also they could do as others have said before and add specific challenges to reward people for actually playing the feedback focus. Just my 2 cents

@calicorsaircat said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

Haven't read the full thread, […]
You don't see people complaining on the forums that they see other people are just idling in insiders and aren't actually testing, despite that being very common in my experience. [...]

Perhaps you should read more posts in threads, because that's a common complaint in Insiders.

@personalc0ffee said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

I disagree with most here. I absolutely think we need a catch up system.

There will be some users who join today and they will NEVER be able to catch up if it keeps going. No matter how much time they put in.

I think conversations need to be had on how to reward players for participating in Insider but also, how to go the extra mile for those of us that maybe want to put in 5 hours into Insider for testing and feedback. I personally think a catch up system would allow for more testing because most people once they get their week, they are out. That's unfortunately not enough time to properly test some features intricacies and how they play into the system at large. I think a catch up system would retain those players for longer sessions because they know they are being rewarded/compensated.

I am weeks behind, so yes I would benefit from a catch up system but I still think that at large the system would benefit by keeping people rewarded the more they invest into the session. I'd love an unlock every -2 hourd and to make it so you can't get them ALL in one day or something, that way you can never fully catch up. Say always a week behind, that way it ensure that for people who only show up for that 1 week, still have to show up.

Who said anyone had to be caught up? Everyone earns the rewards at their own pace. They aren’t going anywhere so I don’t see what the rush is. It’s simply impatience and people playing only for the rewards. The only thing I will say is that the gold filler weeks are lame. Would be a lot better if were getting a cosmetic weekly or if not every two with just one gold filler.

@lem0n-curry People aren't suggesting ways for it to be improved or mitigated though, and as evidenced here, are shutting down posters, even asking for the thread to be locked for suggesting rewards for playing insiders as intended. Instead, they are defending the "work" they put in, which again, for many people means just idling. Not to accuse anyone here, you know who you are.

If there are complaints about people idling, it is simply to point out that it is a "fact of life" that people will do it regardless. And that is true while the current system exists. And the irony is that OP is in fact asking for a better system.

So no, I don't need to read more to become informed enough to see the hypocrisy. The hypocrisy is self evident by the sheer negativity toward OP's suggestion.

@bronzeinquiztor said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@lem0n-curry they would lose out on one instance but then get more data on another. I dont see the issue here as they are still getting data both ways.

No, they won't. They will get the data / feedback on the feature the person is interested in but not in the features he isn't.

Also they could do as others have said before and add specific challenges to reward people for actually playing the feedback focus. Just my 2 cents

Agree on that. Stop rewarding AFK players or send them to a server full of AFK'ers so people who want to actually test can meet up with others that want to test.

@calicorsaircat said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

@lem0n-curry People aren't suggesting ways for it to be improved or mitigated though, and as evidenced here, are shutting down posters, even asking for the thread to be locked for suggesting rewards for playing insiders as intended. Instead, they are defending the "work" they put in, which again, for many people means just idling. Not to accuse anyone here, you know who you are.

If there are complaints about people idling, it is simply to point out that it is a "fact of life" that people will do it regardless. And that is true while the current system exists. And the irony is that OP is in fact asking for a better system.

So no, I don't need to read more to become informed enough to see the hypocrisy. The hypocrisy is self evident by the sheer negatively toward OP's suggestion.

So you're basing your reply on one person in this topic that want to shut it down, and don't consider other replies at all and then continue with making up stuff.
Not really here to discuss, I guess.

I think 2 full cosmetics sets along with the gold and such should suffice - once the 2 sets are fully done the rest of the rewards could just be in game currency as it is now as that is still incentive (which they don't even have to give to be honest). That seems more than generous of them in regards to rewards, and means that those who do want the cosmetics know that there is a reasonable point at which they can know they will have them all and not rely so much on a FOMO approach.

@shamanmclamie said in Catch Up System for Insider Rewards:

I have a lot of friends who didn't realize the Insider Rewards kept going after the ship set and another friend who just hasn't been able to do Insider much and they've been really discouraged by the fact that they've fallen way behind on the Silver Blade set and it will take them over 2 years to get fully caught up and this will be even more daunting for new Insiders. Can we come up with a system for catching up on Insider Rewards at least up until a certain point? Maybe have the player do an extra hour, or two for another weeks reward, or have specific goal for testing and if the player accomplishes it they can get another week of Insider Rewards. A lot of what Rare wants tested takes more than the hour all a player needs to do to get their weekly rewards for testing Insider and being able to catch up on rewards could be a way to encourage more testing from more players.

For the people who have stayed caught up their could be a buffer of several weeks that won't qualify for catch up weeks. Now that a second Insider Reward set is being release maybe allow catch up until the Silver Blade Set is finished and then end it for the Sapphire Blade Set until it is finished and we move onto the next Insider set. Just so they can continue to feel special for keeping up with Insider. Another reward could be some extra Gold, Doubloons, or Ancient Coins for staying caught up.

You know if your friends do insiders for 2 years, they will still be 2 years behind?

I'm very mixed on this issue. I also fell in the trap of thinking the ship was it, and shirking on Insiders until I actually cared about it. Now I'm in the 100s because I tend to miss a week here or there.
I'm with @galactic-geek , Rare's got to consider that at some point, some of the Insider rewards will be impossible to get for those that aren't caught up. I was expecting the Silver Blade set to end it and have currency continue on. I think that if there is anything after the Sapphire Blade set, there should be no gold weeks inbetween to lessen the grind, and at some point have it end for cosmetics. But I think that those higher insiders should have something extra. Let's face it, veterans on the level of 140+ definitely aren't looking for gold or doubloons on retail. I think that weeks of Insider after the cosmetics should be focused on progressive Insider titles, such as "Captain of the Uncharted" and increasingly cool titles. Inbetween those titles should be some Ancient Coins and doubloons if Rare doesn't want to give AC exclusively.

I think that giving an extra hour for actual testing could spruce up the bug testing, but I think that could alienate the players really high up, because they've been at it for three years. Even if they would get the ability to move up faster as well, for some it would be cheapening the time they've already put in it.
So it's a touchy subject... I don't think there's a solution that would remove lower Insider's feeling of dread while still respecting the time that the higher Insiders have spent.

I think that there's merit in requiring a feedback focus for some weeks so that idlers have to actually play Insider.

I'm aware it can be discouraging, but Insider wasn't made as a way for you to get some special cosmetics, it's to test future updates and get feedbacks from players and rewards are just... well... rewards for participating.

And in all honesty I don't think it'd be fair for us who had to be good boys and go do our Insider hours every week for years, you'd be telling me that now none of my patience mattered and that anyone could cross me and beyond while having spent half less time in Insider? That doesn't sound right :/

The only way I'd support a catch-up system is if it wasn't based on more hours, but instead was based on actual content testing and providing feedback to the devs via the Insider forums.

Way too many AFK cosmetic collectors on Insiders as it is. An hours-based catch-up system would just further promote that garbage.

@lovelocc the problem is that some people can put in more time AND effort as some of the people who have been around since the start and still be wayyyyyyy behind. I'm not suggesting we give them out for free but with some kind of challenge that you can't do by idling.

@bronzeinquiztor That is fair, but it's Rare's program and as long as they don't have a problem with it then I don't see why I'd try making one.
Idling only results in you having to deal with your own consciousness of knowing you don't actually earn nor own those entirely XD

I am of the camp of players who think that cosmetics which are time-limited gained cosmetics should make a return and be cycled through so people can get the chance to get them periodically throughout the year/s.

A prime example of this is the figurehead from Hunters Haul, which I'd love to see as an annual event.

It would also be nice to see the Frozen Horizon and Rising Morningstar Twitch drops make a return at some point.

Heck, I even think that they should re-release a Sea of Thieves controller with the Ferryman cosmetics code!
Why? Because they are items that people got by doing tasks of something that could easily be seasonal, or by just watching or buying an item and everyone should get the chance to do the same (this does not extend to items like the day one eye patch, which symbolizes having been with the game since the beginning and helping the game launch, or items tied with season releases.)

That being said, I do NOT agree on there being any "catch up system" for Insiders Rewards.

Players can -already- 'catch up' by simply doing the time in Insiders that each of the rewards require. The rewards are not time limited. They are rewards that people have earned, and can STILL earn, for doing insiders for literally that long. The people who have the later ship sets got them BECAUSE they did insiders for two years and are rewarded for doing such. Others can get the same rewards by putting in the same amount of time and nothing is stopping them from being able to do so.

I had done insiders in the past, my account was deleted, and am now further back on Insiders then I would have been if my account hadn't been completely wiped (something of my own doing and for reasons outside of anything to do with SoT itself.) I only have items for the first year. Sure I'd love to have more items and I'd like to get the full ship set as well as the next one- but to do that, they have to be EARNED by doing the time that the set actually allows. Others have earned those rewards, and unlike time-limited items where some players may never have the chance to gain them, any player can earn the very same rewards as well by putting in the same amount of time as the people who had already earned them had done.

The onus is completely on the players, and the reward should not be changed simply because some do not want to put in the time the reward requires when it is still available to be earned.

@wyvernkraehe The literal only reason you want to see all the stuff return I bet is because you didn’t get them. You can best believe that controller will not be coming back nor will the ferryman set. They’ve made that very clear. As for the drops, they can always be brought back. Those periodically cycle through.

The ridiculous attitude I've seen drifting around the forums of players not wanting other people to get a chance to get something because they have it and want it to be exclusive to them is utterly petty. It's not even the childish selfishness of 'not wanting to share toys', because nothing gets taken away from any of us by other players also being able to get a chance to have nice things.

You can best believe that controller will not be coming back nor will the ferryman set.

They absolutely should let it return.
Unlike items such as the day one eye-patch which is symbolic of something players have done (like having played the game since launch or during a season release), the controller was an item people bought offline and something entirely capable of being re-released. If not that then a recolor like it. They've done it with other cosmetics. There is no reason why they couldn't, or continue to sell controllers based on the game with codes attached. They could even limit it to one per person to take the wind out of the sails of would-be scalpers.