Ranger Archive
Thread: Area track??
"I can click on those animals but wonder if I am missing something here? Shouldn 't i get a track in a direction rather than just they are around?"
Ah yes... Another newcomer to the art. 
Clicking on the list window does nothing...
You receive Direction and Distance in the higher skill levels of Tracking. So until then you will have to search manually.
As you progress through the tracking tree, you'll get more information -- direction, distance. You'll also be able to track humanoids and, lastly, players. The "ok" button doesn't do anything. Keep working on the line, you'll start really liking areatrack.
We also have another part of Tracking being developed -- we will be able to select a single creature and receive waypoints. This hasn't been implemented yet.
wow, I didn't know that going into this tree. Don't have many points left so guess ill have to spend them wisely.
Always good to see a happy camper...err Ranger.
2 boxes from master now, but what a fun trip it has been
If I am out in the middle of nowhere and use Area Track (I have lvl 4), most of the time I get no animals. Yet when I run just a couple hundred meters some will show up on my radar. I guess the reason for this is that the server is not generating the creatures until I (or someone else) is close enought to spawn them, but it kind of defeates the purpose of Area Track.
Ranger is an awesome profession because this game is basically Star Wars: Big Game Hunter.
and we are the best at it! lol
I think areatrack is probably the best skill a Ranger has going, and would consider dropping all others before I give it up.
In PvP I can "scout" most of town without moving...why yes, Mongo and Pongo, notorious baddies, are 350m to the west, places them at the bank.
For CHs, I find babies...very profitable. For Weaponsmiths, I can find Dragons... let them worry bout killing em, I find em only. For BEs, like CHs, I can find the animals.
In PvE.. why waste time looking for something, why kill 1xp when the 1100xp are the other way. A time saver. Same with harvesting, why kill vrelt when you can kill gronda?
Yes I rent my skill out, and sometimes get a cut or a discount to boot.
Just thoughts on why areatrack is my friend.
JB
Yes, AreaTrack is increadibly useful and I use it regularly for the following:
1) My partner/wife is a CH and AreaTrack is amazing when it comes to finding babies. Especially those harder to spawn critters because you can't get a mission.
2) Safety. If I'm on an agressive planet, and out hunting, I use area track to help plan the route myself and my group will take.
3) When I get a request to harvest certain kinds of resources in return for payment, AreaTrack is my greatest friend. It saves me a heck of a lot of time just wandering known creature spawn zones and using AreaTrack instead of just going and getting a mission. I tend to have better luck just wandering and using tracking than I do with missions because I save the run back and forth time. Plus, depending on your profession, you may never be able to get those missions anyway.
4) Checking creatures without risking my butt. For example, if I'm hunting Kimo's on Lok, I want to know how many Kimo's are near that lair without getting too close to it, because 9 times out of 10, that Kimo is going to charge me instantly once I get in range. And there is nothing worse than going after one kimo, and getting two to play with instead lol.
Once you get used to AreaTrack, you'll find it incredibly useful in all sorts of situations. It just takes a little time getting adjusted to using it. When out in the field, I am always using it now.