Actually according to the tech guy I talked to on the first day tormenta guys do in fact count. An looking at the BBK skellie total I would have to agree. I spent a lot of my time when I could be on in tormenta on the guys beside the bridge. (Love my nades.
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As for getting info out of live chat, that just won't happen. They are told specifically to not reveal anything. It's probably best not to try an get them to, lest D decide to revoke live chat, and it is useful for tech stuff.