Manifest in the Water during Merchant Shipwreck voyages

  • Thaysin
    Captain
    Insider

    This "Bug" has been in the game for so long that i've come to consider it a feature or intended mechanic at this point and I am very good at spotting that gigantic bird pile in the air that signifies it.

    I'll admit it never bothered me much before because i didn't care about the reputation (having been maxed for ages) or the gold.

    I was thinking, since players already can't progress the Cabin Fever commendation when this happens and lose out on that, why not at least have even a small portion of the potential merchant crates you would normally get be in the water with the manifest? That way at least a little of the rep is gained still and its not just a total loss.

    Of the four shipwreck voyages i've done this season, two of them have been Manifest in the Water ones. One of them it was in the water before i even got to the first clue, the other when i was almost to the very end of my voyage so even more time wasted. And it doesn't seem to matter whether i dive to them or sail to them as the first was sailed to, the second dove to.

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  • ThatGuy0800
    Ship Mate

    Ah yes the woes of a merchant. Pull up to the flock of seagulls dive with key in hand and to your surprise, nothing is there. You get on ship and scan the waters surface to see but one glint. I feel your pain as I had it happen twice, rare if your reading this, please fix this bug that plagues merchant emissaries across the seas.

  • CPT PlainView
    Master

    I had thought that this issue had been fixed long ago, 'cuz all the Shipment voyages I had done since last October for Merchant Emissary ledger boosting had yielded shipwreck, manifest, and cargo... up until only one instance this past weekend when I saw birds, no shipwreck, no barrels, and a floating Manifest. Next ones I did after that though were just fine.

    How often do you guys have this issue?

  • ThatGuy0800
    Ship Mate

    @cpt-plainview
    My last issue with it was some time last week whereas my first time with this issue was a couple months ago

  • TheGrimPreacher
    Captain
    Insider

    A strange thing I noticed regarding this topic some time ago (I would love other people who have the time or patience to investigate this further!!):

    As most people familiar with the voyages know, the final clue you find that states the ship is making it's way toward its destination will also have some kind of mention of a calamity or incident that would lead to a ship sinking (ran out of wood, heard a kraken nearby, ran aground, saw a storm coming, etc.) just to flesh out the storyline a bit. Most of them are pretty funny.

    Now keep in mind that I haven't tested this with any degree of scientific method, nor have I done several Lost Shipment voyages in one sitting since many seasons ago, but I can confirm that back then 100% of the time the final clue mentioned a maelstrom (which is a huge whirlpool that sucks down ships whole for anyone unfamiliar with the term) we only ever encountered a manifest floating in the water and no shipwreck to be found beneath the waves.

    Can't guarantee there's a correlation there (or how it would work if there was) or if it's just an incredible coincidence, but my crew never ever got a 'maelstrom' final clue and found a shipwreck at the end of the voyage.

    Would be interested to hear if anyone has experienced this also?

  • ThatGuy0800
    Ship Mate

    @thegrimpreacher
    That's interesting, mabey it's a feature and not a bug. I havent really been paying attention to what the clue says, more just looking at the location I'll have to pay more attention...

  • RealStyli
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @thegrimpreacher said in Manifest in the Water during Merchant Shipwreck voyages:

    A strange thing I noticed regarding this topic some time ago (I would love other people who have the time or patience to investigate this further!!):

    As most people familiar with the voyages know, the final clue you find that states the ship is making it's way toward its destination will also have some kind of mention of a calamity or incident that would lead to a ship sinking (ran out of wood, heard a kraken nearby, ran aground, saw a storm coming, etc.) just to flesh out the storyline a bit. Most of them are pretty funny.

    Now keep in mind that I haven't tested this with any degree of scientific method, nor have I done several Lost Shipment voyages in one sitting since many seasons ago, but I can confirm that back then 100% of the time the final clue mentioned a maelstrom (which is a huge whirlpool that sucks down ships whole for anyone unfamiliar with the term) we only ever encountered a manifest floating in the water and no shipwreck to be found beneath the waves.

    Can't guarantee there's a correlation there (or how it would work if there was) or if it's just an incredible coincidence, but my crew never ever got a 'maelstrom' final clue and found a shipwreck at the end of the voyage.

    Would be interested to hear if anyone has experienced this also?

    Yes, 100%. This has been noticed by many folk. It was first pointed out to me by Shumba on his stream, and I can confirm that the "maelstrom" voyages are always bugged for me.

  • TheGrimPreacher
    Captain
    Insider

    @realstyli

    Oh good, it's not just me then! My buddy Rhino pointed it out to me while we were out on one about a year or so back, and I just kinda dismissed it at the time.

    I figured the clues are all randomly generated, right? What are the chances that the final note you find has any kind of procedural effect on whether the game generates a wreck or not when you reach the final set of birds?? Apparently it does.

  • RealStyli
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @thegrimpreacher

    Yeah, I don't know what would cause it or why it would be specifically that last clue. I wouldn't have thought there was a correlation between the text and the actual wrecks, but this would suggest there is and it's not just flavour text.

  • ThatGuy0800
    Ship Mate

    @realstyli
    Based on what everyone is saying I think it might be an actual feature but the one thing is that why would they make one clue worse than the others

  • RealStyli
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @ravenclaw214 said in Manifest in the Water during Merchant Shipwreck voyages:

    @realstyli
    Based on what everyone is saying I think it might be an actual feature but the one thing is that why would they make one clue worse than the others

    It would be a really terrible feature if that were the case. No other voyage does anything like that and wastes the players' time on a wild goose chase. So I still think it's a bug.

  • ThatGuy0800
    Ship Mate

    @realstyli
    Most likely

  • Soulstinger2k20
    Master
    Insider

    Running these just for the manifests for the Reaper commendation I typically just head to the destination first to grab the book.. you could do the same to check if you got a ship to spawn and back track for the key?

    Not sure if that would help save time in the long run, but is a possible workaround

  • CallMeBackdrafT
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    As an fyi, the reason this happens is as a fail safe, let me explain.

    If you find the manifest just floating there it means that for some reason the shipwreck was not able to spawn.

    Since you are unable to finish the voyage if you cannot find the manifest the safe way this is handled is by at least spawning the manifest.

  • Thaysin
    Captain
    Insider

    I've done well over 200 of these since their release and i'd say about 1 in 8 or so has been a manifest in the water with some routes being more prone to it than others.

    I can also confirm that Maelstrom ones seem to be guaranteed manifest in the water though i haven't actively tested it or payed close attention to it either.

    I also think they are spawned with it being just the manifest when the shipwreck is unable to spawn (i've heard different theories for this like another shipwreck being too close in the area and shipwrecks being limited to one per so much space but its hard to say).

    I understand it might have to be a thing and not be something fixable if it is because of a bug but i'm just hoping they would consider adding a little loot along with the manifest.

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