Is there a legit way to take Sharp as an officer?

[Handel]

I read a russian walkthough which actually an exploit + save/load untill the conditions are met.
So did someone found a legit way to get him?

 

[Fred Bob]

Aye, ye thinks some fellers gots a lil' carried away wid randomizin' thangs, matey?

 

[Sordid]

And just what would this exploit entail?

 

[Handel]

And just what would this exploit entail?

I didn't try it but this is what they wrote:
Basicaly Sharp sails between the towns with bordels (Portobelo for Panama); if you find him and capture him he will be just an officer from the nation of the last visited town (he obviously change the flags because I've seen him go from Tortuga to Santo Domingo).
So you find a town where he just left (like the merchant ships at the end of Bluebord quest); reload the game and enter the port, then change the flag to pirate and hit space ASAP.
The expoit is the icons are lagging just a little bit so apparently you still can anchor even if it is not really allowed if the anchor icon is still visible.
If there is a citizen on the pier ask about news (if not - reload - but not try to move inside because an alarm will be raised). Get the news Sharp just left and board the ship. Ignore/avoid the fort, catch Sharp's ship and board it but before this grape-shot it so they to surrender.
Apparently in this scenario Sharp appears as a pirate and can join you. The catch is you must be under pirate flag when you set foot on the island. I tried to change the flag to pirate after and Sharp appeared as an officer, not as a pirate.

 

[Fred Bob]

Dem Rooski's seem tew love weird stuff like dat!

 

[Sordid]

Wow, that's really convoluted, but it might be worth trying. Thanks for that. I know about the lagging icon issue, but this has to be the most creative use of it ever.

 

[Handel]

Wow, that's really convoluted, but it might be worth trying. Thanks for that. I know about the lagging icon issue, but this has to be the most creative use of it ever.

Remember you must have "Find the Sharp's informer" quest active.

 

[Croaker]

I wonder why someone would go through that much trouble.

Once Sharp becomes an officer, he has no unique dialogue or personality. If all they desire is the character model coupled with the generic officer script, then they can simply add Sharp to he Herodescribe file. This will make him (the Sharp clone) randomly encountered in taverns and allow the player to recruit him with a dialogue option. However, you will still encounter the "real" Sharp when performing the pearl diver quests.

 

[Sordid]

Come to think of it, there might be a legit way of obtaining him. If he sails under the flag of a town he left last, then simply take over a town with a brothel for yourself under a pirate flag and wait for him to come and leave. Then he ought to be under a pirate flag without using the exploit, no?

 

[Handel]

Come to think of it, there might be a legit way of obtaining him. If he sails under the flag of a town he left last, then simply take over a town with a brothel for yourself under a pirate flag and wait for him to come and leave. Then he ought to be under a pirate flag without using the exploit, no?

Seems reasonable. He will have to change the flag to get into the port. But I don't know if the above poster is correct or not - I mean will Sharp be considered a quest officer of just a generic officer with an unique appearance...

Edit: He must change the flag before entering the port; so maybe it will be possible to catch him as pirate on the tactical map before entering the port - kinda like when you catch the Isabela brig near Portobelo.

 

[Sordid]

The fact that it's necessary for him to be a pirate would seem to indicate he'll be just a regular officer - captured pirates that you recruit don't count as quest officers.