Episode 6 the forums strike back.

Stealing them from someone who intended to turn them in to Merrick to try and save the Outpost would help through means of denial. Doing the Voyage and then just turning the Rum and Cloth into the Reapers did nothing but get you some coin.

This is also true for Ghostflame Rowboats. Stopping someone who was taking one to the Outpost to detonate and destroy it would help through means of denial. Just blowing up random ones out in the world effectively did nothing and running the Voyage and then just destroying the Rowboat did nothing.

So it was possible to help in this way through a process of denial, but not by trying to game the system and do the Voyage opposite of what you should be doing for your side in the battle.

@redeyesith would love it if rare told me this, I havent been able to find an official answer and that is now my quest.

@lackbarwastaken they essentially have, in a very fragmented manner across socials and such. There is no single concise spot where they flat out spell it all out, but if you do some digging you will see that this is how it was setup (and that it generally makes logical sense as people wanting to destroy the outpost should not be engaging in the questline for helping because it is better for actually destroying, and those wanting to help should not have been engaging in the questline for destroying because it is actually better at helping). The idea was clearly do the Quest for the side you actually want to win, and stop people trying to do the Quest for the side you want to lose. Logical.

@redeyesith would you link me where they said that turning in sailcoth and tinas rum didnt help burn golden sands?

@lackbarwastaken I don't personally feel like trying to track down the exact Tweets/Replies/Comments/Posts that indicate this. If you're that concerned about it that is gonna be on you friend, I'm not here to be a free researcher for others (in particular since I am in a car heading out on vacation and just poking in while I have some signal), simply trying to pass along information I am extremely confident to be accurate since you had a question. It is out there, disjointed and spaced out across multiple platforms and posts. Again, there is no concise spot where they simply spelled everything out. But I'm not defending their communication skills here, simply trying to provide you with an answer to your question.

@redeyesith darn it doesn't exist, unlucky.

@lackbarwastaken no, it does exist. Here is one example:

Note it says "intercept rum and sail cloth" not "dig up rum and sail cloth to turn in at Reapers" - this implies that you help by stopping those who were going to use them for the intended purpose. It does not imply that doing the Merrick side of the story and then just handing in to Reapers will help.

There are more examples of you want to feel even more concrete about it, but again, I'm not gonna try to find enough data for you to feel secure about what I am saying when the data is out there and I came to my answer due to that data - you are welcome to do the same, but as I said it is spread out across many posts/comments/etc and would require some time (at least a couple hours) to dig them all up so you can have enough data in your hands to know for sure that Rare did put it out there (albeit very poorly). I know my answer is correct cause I already vested this time for myself, if you care this much to keep opening threads on this as they keep locking them down then maybe invest that time into finding the data you're looking for instead.

Insert Elsa .gif

@redeyesith well i just get implications that I have to scratch my head and try to read into it. From that tweet stolen sailcloth and rum bottles should help? Thats how you could reasonably interpret it. I'd love a concrete answer so I opened a support ticket and the chain of inquiry brought me back here. I am simply doing what the Rare employee told me to do to find the answer. The truth is out there I just have to keep searching.

@tre-oni Except I haven't been given a concrete answer, I raised a support ticket but that yielded no results. I was told to ask here so here I am, bravely searching for the truth. Even though its over it matters because I want to have an idea of how future adventures are going to be structured.

@lackbarwastaken correct, and as they mean by that - the community has provided you the answer you were looking for, you just don't seem to want to accept the answer. Again, there is no place where it is concisely spelled out in a nice simple answer, nor would I expect someone from Rare to pop into the forums and provide you with a succinct answer either.

You can either accept the information I have given you, which is correct and based on more than just this single post by Rare (again, I'm not your researcher nor is anyone else here, it is out there if you go looking and spend the time but you get one freebie from me and that is it). Or you can go out and spend the time and effort and find the information yourself, just to come to the same conclusion as I drafted for you above. Or, you can keep opening threads about it that will go nowhere really and have a high chance of being locked down (since you're now on number 6 per the title) and potentially have action taken if the staff eventually feels like your continued posting of threads they have been closing is trying to circumvent their moderation of their forums.

Your call, but I'm done with this thread now. I've given you your answer, I've given you a load of context, and I've even taken a moment to track down one of numerous sources that can lead you to this conclusion. Best of luck on your endeavors.

@redeyesith godspeed, the search continues.

@tre-oni thank you i do my best.

@tre-oni well its not clear and so I raised a support ticket and the support ticket led me here and so the search continues. If you care to point to the thread where it says that turning in sharons sailcloth and tinas rum bottles does not help the reapers efforts then im all ears.

If you keep going with these threads there's a strong likelihood you will get some kind of ban. You do realise that, right?

@hijack-hayes I don't see why I would be banned I'm not making duplicate threads, I'm trying my best to not break any rules, the last thread i had no idea that you couldn't discuss support ticket info. I was told by a Rare employee to make a thread so I am. If following the directions of a Rare employee is bannable then that's pretty wild.

@wolfmanbush there is no game of gotcha just a genuine search for an answer to a question that will help inform my future action in future adventures. There is no grand reveal or vitriol that will come from me if the answer is yes or no. I'm not trying to belittle or punish anyone/anything. I am in fact trying to figure "things out for the next attempt"

@galactic-geek unequivocally from Rare? Like not something that hints at or suggests or could be interpreted to mean it does or doesn't count but actual concrete irrefutably and in no uncertain terms puts the matter to rest?

@galactic-geek I covered that in detail in this thread already. We should just let this thing sink to the depths of the sea.

@galactic-geek hmm a straightforward "yes" or "no" is what I seek, shame about having to read tea leaves to divine the truth. Its a mystery really, why can't I find an answer? What mysteries lay just beyond the veil? I feel like I'm close to cracking this case wide open, I just have to keep searching. Perhaps it has to do with who killed demarco, perhaps its the reason why the capstan is uncentered, maybe it even is a secret about Bratz the movie the video game!

Find out next time on episode 7: To the Support ticket and beyond!

@galactic-geek thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

@lackbarwastaken

I respect your diligence in searching for truth, but this is one of those cases where Rare made a mistake and really are just trying to move on with it for the better of the community. You are experiencing what any good journalist faces trying to get the facts and hold those accountable who didn't make things clear and fair from the get go. You aren't wrong to continue to seek truth here, but there is great strength in offering forgiveness to Rare for their blunders.

I don't think anyone disputes that the event was a bit poorly communicated, and had stakes that were deemed too great by the community for how lackluster and inconsistent the scoring was communicated. Rare was just trying to drum up publicity for the game by making something with real stakes. And I think it was a success in that regard. Lots of fun propaganda on reddit and news articles, & lots of engagement from the community that may help add some new players. But also some real clashing among the most dedicated of the community torn over ideology and whether the event was rigged.

Conflict isn't always bad. Sometimes it is constructive and it helps move the game forward in a positive direction toward real change. I say this as someone who regularly disagrees with others because I am not satisfied with their reasoning or evidence. So I know where you are coming from.

Everyone here is so passionate about the game, and you are too, it shows. Really. I respect that, and can tell you just want what is best for the game.

But what I think is best right now is to let Rare save face. They made a mistake. It wasn't fair to everyone who passionately contributed to their side. Everyone makes mistakes, and ideally companies would hold themselves to a higher standard.

I think it is good you are trying to hold them accountable and seek truth, and you should continue doing so. Just maybe not with this event. You can tell the whole thing was kind of an embarrassment for them, because I don't think they expected quite so many people to fight vehemently for each side and try to really optimize their contributions. Who would have thought, gamers want to know the rules of the game.

Anyhow, like I said, I respect you trying to get the answers. Just wanted you to know you are heard, and I think Rare has heard you too.
Doesn't mean they are going to give you the answer you seek, but it wasn't wrong of you to try.

@calicorsaircat The absolute wild thing is that I don't want to hold anyone accountable, or blame anyone, or throw a fit, or embarrass or harrass or point fingers or or or or etc. I simply want to know if it counted or not.

@lackbarwastaken

I don't think they ever explicitly said it didn't count, though I remember seeing a lot of people informally agree that it probably didn't count. I have searched the twitter and reddit posts during that time, and people were focused on compiling lists of what did absolutely count. The only thing they really clarified was that destroying rowboats itself away from Golden Sands did not help Merrick score points since this was miscommunicated on the forums.

Wiki for Tina's Rum Bottles echoes this ambiguity:

"The crate can be delivered to Merrick to aid with rebuilding efforts at Golden Sands Outpost, or alternatively can be delivered to the Reaper's Bones to help ensure the destruction of Golden Sands."

To me, this all sounds like the event scoring was more simplistic than they let on.
My theory is that each player counted as one vote. If you did more things Reaper oriented, your vote went reaper. If you did more things Merrick oriented, your vote went Merrick. A player who did both sides of the voyage but nothing else basically was neutral.

What this would mean is that grinding was basically moot.

Again, just a theory. The other alternative is that they realized too late that the event was so lopsided and full of loopholes that they canned the whole scoring / tug-o-war, and kind of covered it up out of embarrassment.

I also didn't mean to insinuate that seeking accountability is a bad thing. I don't think it is honestly. This was kind of an experiment for Rare, and they certainly went big with the stakes without a lot of concern for whether the rules were communicated well. I know you are just looking for answers and are not looking to finger point, but at some level, this is about asking as nicely, but directly, as you can for Rare to be transparent, which is a form of accountability.

Anyhow, I guess the important thing is that you fought hard for what you wanted, which is the most any of us can do.

@calicorsaircat I would honestly accept "we aren't going to tell you and stop asking" as an answer. Just any answer.

@shifty189 you were silenced.....what did you know.