Ranger Archive

Don't know if someone has suggested something similar to what I am about to, but I thought about this skill at work and I think I came up with something decent.

I remember reading on this forum that someone suggested an EQ-style tracking system, but other people said it would be difficult to work out due to the mostly-random spawning method the game uses. I tried to think of a way around that. It came to me - Mission terminals use a method that I think could be fit into a tracking skill. For a mission you select something that sounds good, it creates a waypoint and leads you out to the lair/base you chose. Why not something similar?

You type /tracking (or use your macro) and it brings up a small menu just like the missions: except it lists Creature lairs. Highlight the lair of your choice and click the button that says "Track" (or else Cancel). A check Vs. your tracking skill is made and 1 of 3 events occur:

1. "You successfully locate a %whatever%'s lair" - a waypoint is created to a lair which is spawned by the system, just like in missions.

2. "You fail to locate a %whatever%'s lair" - and nothing happens.

3. "You successfully locate a %whatever%'s lair" but this is actually a CRITICAL FAILURE and the waypoint created may lead to nothing at all or possibly something dangerous.

I think that could be worked out fairly well...but in addition:

Tracking skill would be gained in the Wayfaring line. Trackiing +10, +10, +10, +10, and +10 at Master ranger, or whatever values they would want to use. Higher tracking skill:

A. Reduces chance of failure and critical failure.
B. Spawns the lair/waypoint CLOSER to you.

IN ADDITION:

The Lairs that are available for you to ATTEMPT to track would be dependent on your Creature Knowledge skill - in the Hunting line. The more you know, the higher the level of lairs you can try to track. If your tracking skill was great but knowledge was much lower, you might only be able to find lairs of light or dark blue critters. Higher knowledge and you can find lairs of white/yellow/red cons.

I like the idea of splitting it between the 2 lines; making each more valuable, and reducing the likelyhood of someone doing all of the Hunting line before WAyfaring or vice versa. I think being able to find high-con lairs would be valuable to a group, making them more likely to want to have a Ranger with them, and making the Ranger class itself more desirable. I also think the ability might be extended to include human/sentient "bases" and such, but not sure.

wow, i really like this idea, except for the critical failure part of it. i think i understand what you're getting at, but i don't think it is really necessary unless maybe it is very rare.

but i also like splitting it along two branches, so people don't just focus on one. the way you did it was good... hunting lets you track better animals, exploration gives you higher success of finding them, or maybe makes them spawn closer.

of all the ideas people have suggested to flesh out ranger, tracking appeals the most to me. i hope our ranger correspondent (if we have one yet) really pushes for this ability.

dude that sounds bad ass. it would help a lot for groups and what not. i hate grouping and spending forever trying to find big game. that would def make for a cool ranger addition. need game go to a ranger to take you to it. good times.

Yes, I myself would love to track down the lair's of the creatures I hunt most often (or at least, would prefer to hunt most). And I do think it would help a Ranger's grouping appeal.

The critical failures should be pretty rare, and even rarer as your skill increases, if they are put in at all (which they don't need to be)

Tracking is the best "new" ability I would like for a Ranger, too..

this is an awesome idea. it could actually make a whole new job for us. stand around selling your tracking services to hunting groups looking for a particular type of beast. as of now, its so hard to stumble across a lair of a particular type. and you can spend HOURS looking for a specific beast.

would also make us EXTREMELY useful to creature handlers. again, something we could be hired for.

yeah i love selling hides, but most people have some scout especially if they want to becoma a bounty hunter. so i am for a couple new things like tracking abilities and teh taxidermy, to give us a market of your own. bounty hunters have their own mission terminals etc, we should have something.

Even easier....integrate the tracking command with the already built in Find system you have when in cities. Bascially type in "/track <creature>" and if you succeed it creates a waypoint to the closest along with the neat little green path thing you get when you use /find in towns. Between that and the camps once they are fully fixed and working right, a ranger would be in huge demand by any hunting party, especially on the "wild" planets.