Ranger Archive

Delta, there are definetely problems with mask scent perhaps all people are not experiencing them, but there are definite problems with it.

Also I'd like to point out, from the patch notes:

You are now much more likely to successfully mask scent against a creature.

This is not true at all, mask scent now breaks much more often than it did before.

Also we are getting attacked in situations that you would not be attacked in without using mask scent. Normally an aggro creature will not attack you unless you are within 40 meters of it. Turn mask scent on and you are effectively increasing your aggro range to about 120 meters. This means that, while sure there are plently of red dots on radar you are still far enough away from all of these creatures that mask scent shouldn't even matter yet.

I know you are not personally experiencing a problem, but please do not take this issue lightly just because you haven't experienced it. There are plently of people having problems with this right now.

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Ki_Gu_Lon wrote:

I am ok with Maskscents effectiveness as it is now, being that our Conceal is suppose to be better.

It is the frequency of it provoking attack that I want to see tweaked down.

I am more concerned with Conceal not working any better than Maskscent on creaturesand notworking on NPC's as it is suppose to. The frequency of provoking attack with Conceal is just as bad as with Maskscent and should be adjusted.

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I'm sad to say that Ihave to disagree with myself now.

I have been using Maskscent all night and I have had some really disappointing experiances.

I tried to sneak prone on a herd of Cannibal Dewbacks forseven minutes and after12 failed attempts, seven attacks, and two incapitations due to warping, I finally gave up and went on my way to search for a safer source of Tatooine Reptilian Meat... head hung low.

The rest of the night was little better, being attacked by kreetles and

Guys,

One of the things that I am noticing in the comments about maskscent is that those who began playing the game before the first "big update" back in mid-July generally think that maskscent is working well, and those that began playing after the update- when maskscent never granted XP, but never broke - think its working horribly now.

I am having a hard to figuring out whether or not this is a bug, because I'm not getting enough information.

In order for me to diagnose the problem, or at least for me to have enough information to go to the Devs with, I need to know the following information when you are talking about an issue with maskscent.

1.) When you started playing - pre-"big update" or post-"big update" (the one that added the waypoint monitor, if you aren't sure when this was).

2.) What level you are - I'm assuming that if you're here, you're a Ranger so we're all at the same level.

3.) What kind of creature you were going up against- red/yellow, name of creature, CL and ferocity if you know them.

4.) Were you running, walking or crawling

5.) The total number of red (aggressive) creatures within a 64 m radius to you.

Each of these things will make a difference in your overall perception of maskscents utility and in the actual working of the skill. Simply saying "mask scent isn't working" doesn't help because I don't know your frame of reference.

Thanks for your help here.

B

That's irrelevant Delta. I've been playing since beta (where it worked better), but that is not the issue. The issue is that in certain or rather a lot of situations it's better to keep it turned off than on as you're safer. That is enough to show the skill is not working as it should. I rarely use it anymore as I can avoid most encounters by paying more attention to the radar instead, where I with mask scent on often can't prevent a creature aggroing on me as it spawns within 64 metres.

Guys this may just be me, however I'm not noticing much of difference from scout to ranger other than an increase of awarding of scout xp for masking. Admittedly, I don't have /conceal yet but this seems to be working fine on Kauri. As far as the aggros go, I can still get within in range of them w/o prompting an attack even inside the 64m range. Not saying that I don't get attacked by them, it just doesn't seem to be with any more frequency than before.

Ch'hag Yuul, Corporal

Rebel Alliance

Master Marksman/Scout - Novice Ranger

1.) I have been playing since unlaunch day. I do not recall when I got the Maskscent ability, but I do know that I have never recieved scouting experiance for successfull masking attempts or if I did, I never noticed it.

For the record: Inever thought Maskscent worked as it should pre-patch. It did work against small, non-stalking creatures at one time (kreetles and occassionally feral banthas), but I had always, 100% of the time, been stalked and attacked by aggressive stalkers (mutant womps, scyks, dune lizards, bocatts, dragonets, etc...)no matter what method I used to approach them pre-patch.

2.) Master Scout (of course), Master Ranger

3.) All manner of Tatooinian fauna. All levels and all ferocity levels. For a time, even non-aggressives would attack if maskscent broke.

4.) Running, walking or crawling has made only marginal difference if any in my tests, pre- and post-patch.

5.) From one to five plus. I have always tried to walk or crawl just enough so that my mask was checked by one creature at a time.

I want to add that I think Maskscent works now, just not as effectively as I feel it should for master levels. At least now, I am not stalked and immediately attacked on successfull checks. I can actually see that the ability is working, where before I never knew where I stood with a creature while masked.

Also, you do reach a point where you can gain no more scouting experiance. Be prepared to say "goodbye" to that nice success notification that you get in the form of experiance gains. I think that they should add another form of success notification after you max out and stop recieving scouting experiance.

I hope this helps to pin-point the problems with Maskscent.

I have noticed that Novices are having a more successfull time with Maskscent (Conceal as well), than Masters (Scout or Ranger).

My girlfriend has resently started an account and has worked up the Scouting tree and we have noticed this progression... err... should I say regression of abilities as she has advanced.

I cannot agree that maskscent is working as intended. At the moment, a master ranger maskscented is far more dangerous to a group than the non-scouts. Maskscent has been turned into a liability because it will cause creatures that will not attack you to aggro on you and the whole group, and it does so on a regular basis. For a Master Ranger, with masscent at 100, I cannot fathom how this is to be considered working as it should.

My personal opinion is that the way mask scent worked after the first big patch (where it no longer gave you exp) is the way conceal should work. You should be able to move about virtually undetected by creatures for a long long time. Getting scout exp is pretty easy without it, but it seems that scouts should be able to get experience from exploring the world. Even if they brought maskscent back to the pre-bigpatch version (without the 1 minute timer) would be fine.

But I am tired of picking up aggro every few minutes and running off to get rid of it while my non-scout group members sit around and wait for me.

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DeltaXi65 wrote:

1.) When you started playing - pre-"big update" or post-"big update" (the one that added the waypoint monitor, if you aren't sure when this was).

I started playing during the first week, yeah I remember how mask scent was originally, and it was still more functional then than what it is now. Yeah, I'd like to see it return to to its functionality prior to the most recent patch, where it rarely ever broke, it did still break from time to time, and you would get aggroed, but usually only happened once or twice per day, itstead of once every three minutes like now.

2.) What level you are - I'm assuming that if you're here, you're a Ranger so we're all at the same level.

Ranger 0/2/4/0

3.) What kind of creature you were going up against- red/yellow, name of creature, CL and ferocity if you know them.

Any red creature will break it/agrro you.

4.) Were you running, walking or crawling

Any doesn't matter, had it break while lying prone and not moving.

5.) The total number of red (aggressive) creatures within a 64 m radius to you.

None. This happens when mobs are more than 64 meters away, you effectively increase your aggro range to over 120 meters by using mask scent.

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I have to agree with Ember on this one. The worst feature of Mask Scent now is that it aggros creatures on you from FARTHER OUT THEN 64M. Sorry but I just wanted to get that point across . I have 2,2,3,4 in Ranger and I frequently get aggroed creatures warping to me before they even appear on my radar (radar is set for 128m). This happens to me while others in my group (without mask scent active) can run around these nests at a safe distance (>64m) and not incure any kind of aggro. Mask Scent appears to be getting checked at farther out then 64m and if it fails the mobs warp to you.

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sbjnyc wrote:

This is the way I look at it. Maskscent is a scout skill and conceal is a Ranger skill.

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I don't get why maskscent should cap at Master Scout. I don't get why a Ranger can't develop it further. The camo kits are not worth it for a solo explorer, which is what I spend a lot of my time doing. Allowing the Ranger to develop Mask Scent beyond Scout would be worthwhile for the solo player, leaving the camo kits available for when the player groups.

DeltaXi65, you can not say that it's working. I, as many others, do not use it any longer as it's a risk. Sure, if you're intending on running straight through a group of mobs you have a better chance to get through with it than without. But if you're trying to move over a long distance and stay away from any aggressive mob lairs you are safer with it off than on. Simply cause often things will spawn within 64 metres and can then break it without you having a chance to get away. If I don't have it on there's usually no problem just stopping and moving back without the creatures caring about me.

A skill that a class do not longer use cause it's a risk rather than a help is not working as it should. If this is how the devs did intend it to be they need to be enlightened of the problem.

I'm on Endor now. Maskscent is not much better than useless. Creatures not in range to hide from (ie get exp if you still can) can still aggro on you. This is a major major nerf to scouts and rangers. And after the harvest nerf, the only worthwhile thing about rangers is the camps, and they nerfed those as well with the new resource requirements! They say they want to make rangers better but 2 major nerfs and a minor one doesn't sound like it to me. If this isn't fixed, and I mean tquickly, not like the month it took last time, I'll simply surrender ranger as the skill points aren't worth a cool looking camp.

Quas, you're English, aint'cha?

Gotcha on the 'metres.'

Darn Englishmen authors screwed me up when I was a kid, I was writing 'grey' and 'metres' for years.

Now I write good, like a 'Merican!

Darn you, C.S. Lewis! Do you know how many times my ignorant grammar school teachers marked me down for spelling?!?

Oh, by the way, you hit the nail on the head as far as the maskscent liability goes, as I like to call it.

Cheers,

-- YP