Ranger Archive
Thread: /TRACK
LamirVargas
Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:58 am
#14
I was having a chat with a friend the other day about how good it would be if the Devs made missions where our skills in tracking were put to the test a bit by having missions where we were sent to track and return people to a specific point (giving ability to make use of our rescue skill too... if it works, apologies if it doesn't as am fairly new to being a Ranger). The Mission could give a rough idea as to where the person is... like north west region, north region, central... etc... and so it'd be up to us to use our tracking to find him out. It'd be handy if they implemented it so these targets when we find them would join our group and allow us to give them commands like we can pets/droids AND would help if they allowed us to camo NPCs just in case the trip back is fairly hazardous.
Just my additional thoughts, I like the ones already suggested too.
"Everything is going to my Design"
Phenix1050
Sun Jul 25, 2004 10:44 pm
#15
Hauger wrote:
I don't see why you'd need two different types of /track. What's wrong with using the /track command.There isn't a /track command. There is an /areatrack command. /areatrack is uses to see all the spawned creatures in your area. The idea for the /track command isto have a skillthat spawns a lair itself. You then get a waypoint to it. . Getting a list of animals, or persons. You then select one, then every few seconds the direction to that selected mob updates. Again...the idea is that you'd be CREATING a lair rather than just finding a pre-existing one. That way, if you're hunting a specitific creature you can /track one down, rather than having to use /areatrack. Also, sometimes the spawn system makes a certain area barren of creatures. This way a Ranger couldcreate a lair to hunt. Sort of how it works in everquest. I don't see the need for the large elaberate beast track or rare track. It would make the rare findings much less rare... and take alot of fun out of being a ranger.
Squidwalker
Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:25 am
#17
As before Owen, fantastic work. Can we get this stickied Calc? I think many of us seem to really like Owen's lay out and ideas on how the /track command would work.
Do we want there to be a skill mod associated with /track? So it's a "chance" you get what you're looking for as was orginally proposed by Q3PO? We could either use Creature Knowledge seeing as it continues to go up through Ranger and master, or come up with a new skill just called Tracking. Both the Beast and Big Game hunting would use it to "roll" to see if you get what you wanted. And if not in the acceptable range of success but within say +- 50(example) you get something else, and if +-100(example) you get nothing at your waypoint.
This would allow for the skill to increase as you go up in scout. Seeing as these two new skills are straight commands, once they are given in the skill box, you have full use of it, if a skill mod is not used to make it a "chance" based skill. Maybe give the Beast Tracking at Tracking 1 skill box, and the Big Game not until Master Ranger. That would force those big game hunting groups to seek out Master Rangers to ustilize that skill. Thus prompting a fun usefullness of Ranger in the community.
And if I had this skill, I would not have had to lair steal on Talus yesterday. 
Calculus_Entropy
Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:30 am
#18
I would like it if you could make a post with links to your current discussions, Owen. I recall a few in the last month or so that include the current Track and Camp (modular) discussions, as well as a few more general discussions. If you could compile those into a thread, I would be happy to sticky it, or some version of it...I may do a player ideas thread...we will see 
.
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OOM
Mon Jul 26, 2004 9:12 am
#19
Although effectively 'spawning' a rare creature, the ranger will still need to do alot of work in order to find the game habitat for himself or group. This challanges the ranger and also provides a system that is rewarding for groups and fullfills the ranger's role as a path finder in groups.
I like this idea a lot. I quoted the above section to frame my question/comment.
Would these habitats be static, instanced or would they work sort of like resource shifts? I am in favour of them either being instanced or working like resource shifts. If they were static then it would take a couple of days to completely map them and post the maps on the internet.
Cheers,
Aitwexoeth
murphy7
Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:46 am
#20
Well, that would go a long way to making Rangers more popular, if they could guarantee leading people to an instanced big game for hunting, as an alternative to the POI camping that is prevalent. I like all aspects of this idea, but it might be appropriate to have such an ability on a substantial timer. Being able to guarantee finding such creatures as Greater Krayts could get a little rediculous if one could expect to spend a few hours hunting several of them.
StikerRunningfly
Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:46 am
#21
I can see this making the ranger profession even more overpowered than it is now. It is obvious that rangers need a big nerf because everyone is dabbling in the ranger profession to gain our elite skills.
/sarcasm off
Seriously, I think this is a great idea, and as long as it's not a guarenteed find everytime on the big game hunting I could see this type of situation answering the question, "What can be implemented so that some groups will say 'We need to find a ranger.'?". This type of update would revive the rangers as a useful profession, making us what we were meant to be (in my opinion) from the beginning, the masters of the wilderness.
Vandilar Darkwave
Master Ranger/Carbineer - Kettemoor
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 28, 2004 2:27 am
#22
Squidwalker Wrote:
Do we want there to be a skill mod associated with /track? So it's a "chance" you get what you're looking for as was orginally proposed by Q3PO? We could either use Creature Knowledge seeing as it continues to go up through Ranger and master, or come up with a new skill just called Tracking. Both the Beast and Big Game hunting would use it to "roll" to see if you get what you wanted. And if not in the acceptable range of success but within say +- 50(example) you get something else, and if +-100(example) you get nothing at your waypoint.
This would allow for the skill to increase as you go up in scout. Seeing as these two new skills are straight commands, once they are given in the skill box, you have full use of it, if a skill mod is not used to make it a "chance" based skill. Maybe give the Beast Tracking at Tracking 1 skill box, and the Big Game not until Master Ranger. That would force those big game hunting groups to seek out Master Rangers to ustilize that skill. Thus prompting a fun usefullness of Ranger in the community.
Sounds a great idea. I like the idea that our tracking would get better over time alot, perhaps like you said, based on creature knowledge.
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 28, 2004 2:28 am
#23
I would like it if you could make a post with links to your current discussions, Owen. I recall a few in the last month or so that include the current Track and Camp (modular) discussions, as well as a few more general discussions. If you could compile those into a thread, I would be happy to sticky it, or some version of it...I may do a player ideas thread...we will see
Nice calc, ill get on it
Owen-Lars
Wed Jul 28, 2004 2:33 am
#24
I like this idea a lot. I quoted the above section to frame my question/comment.
Would these habitats be static, instanced or would they work sort of like resource shifts? I am in favour of them either being instanced or working like resource shifts. If they were static then it would take a couple of days to completely map them and post the maps on the internet.
If they were static the problem would be once you've killed the creature, how can you track when you are already in the habitat area?
I personally would like to see like a random habitat area created for each track and the directions to it given so you cant just camp a habitat zone and refresh track over and over. Also a point to note would be kill stealers: If the large animals we can spawn drop good loot then you can bet that once a habitat zone is found you will see kill stealers following you around and just riding around the habitat zone to find the creature you have spawned.
Yeah overall i think that i would be best if it was random.
Phenix1050
Wed Jul 28, 2004 10:22 am
#25
The only thing- certain creatures only spawn in certain areas. That, or course would have to stay the same. You shouldn't be able to summon creatures that only live in Agrilat swamp right outside a city. That's just common sense.
I also like the idea of it being a modified skill, meaning we have to get certain boxes to get better at it, 'cause then they would be another skill Ranger could get skilltapes for, increasing both the level of the creature we could hunt and the likelihood of finding it. I imagine a day when someone shouts "I have a +8 Big Game Tracking skilltape- 3mil plz send tll" over and over and over again in Coronet....well maybe not. but you get the idea.
SpaceKidAmnesiac
Sun Aug 08, 2004 2:09 am
#26
StikerRunningfly wrote:
This type of update would revive the rangers as a useful profession, making us what we were meant to be (in my opinion) from the beginning, the masters of the wilderness.
Masters of the wilderness? What about Master of the Universe!?! Oh, never mind. That's He-Man. 
Owen, I abso-friggin-lutely love this idea! I like using the exploration mission terminals because the payout is so big and I can concentrate on one creature, but I'm at the point where the missions are for creatures that are hard as hell to find, so the beast tracking part is most exciting to me.
Anyway, I was thinking that as much as I like your ideas for the interfaces, the most logistically simple interface would we one that's already in the game, something like the one survey tools use. While this would pretty much take the 'hunt' out of it, it would still require a bit of work. You would use your /track command to find a lair or single rare creature (which the rare creature tracking really should be on some sort of timer) and the same sort of map window would come up with color-coded sections for increased level of tracks. You would then have to run to the reddest section, stop, and use the /track command again, repeating the process until you get to the darkest red area before it starts lightening again. It should be a large area though so thatyou would need to use /areaTrack to further pinpoint where the lair/creature is. And by using a mod such as creature knowledge, you could either be led on a wild goose chase or straight to your prey.
I was also thinking that maybe there should be some sort of tool involved, just for interdependency and so that it's quality could also have some effect on the ability, but I'm not sure how that could be implemented in a way that makes sense. (A spotting scope, maybe?)But either way, this window would also show the list of available resource and/or animal types in a tree structure like the one used on survey tools, for the most functionality with the least fuss for the devs.
And maybe it should require that you have either /maskScent or /camouflage applied at the time (assuming they fix camo kits so that they don't break easier than /maskScent), but now I'm just throwing out random ideas for the heck of it.