Consider that instead of a box that shows nearby animals, Track would interact with perception system so the player would have to investigate the world to track.
This could also give the ability with those high skill in perception to learn track skill itself but maybe not to the level of a Ranger or something.
So many options for linenar perception progression.
Food for Thought.
The only thing I would change about tracking is that a ranger/scout would pick what they want to track and that is what they track, not a list of every mob within a 5 mile radius. As their tracking skill gets better, not only does their tracking range and accuracy increase, but so does the number of mobs/animals they can track simultaneously. As well as the abilty to know how far behind the "trackee" they are.
Without projected textures, or something like what the Witcher has for footprints and scents, having a vector/distance/name filter/interface like EQ1 has is pretty much all you need.
Really, 99% of the time people just want to know where a particular spawn is and/or if a named has spawned. Sure, it can be used for a whole bunch of other stuff, but that's usually what most players expected of it, in my experience.
I think VR has already said they won't be using projected textures for footprints (despite such a thing working perfectly in RIFT), so I don't think you're going to see any great innovation on the tracking front in Pantheon.
I like the idea, but in addition to being a lot more work for the devs, it would also put a ton of strain on the servers and thus probably create a lot of lag, which all of a sudden makes a great idea not worth it. VR has said this is why they won't have dynamic footprints, as vjek said. Storing data for where every NPC has walked would add up very quickly.
Iksar said:Track is really only a benefit if it points you in the right direction quickly, otherwise someone else just doing sweeps of an area will likely find whatever it is you are looking for while you have your head to the ground playing detective.
I see your point. I was just watching a Stargate episode and Master Praytec was doing some tracking and I though that be kinda cool if tracking used perception clues instead of go left go left, go right go right text print outs.
I edited the OP to better describe what I had in mind.
Bazgrim said:I like the idea, but in addition to being a lot more work for the devs, it would also put a ton of strain on the servers and thus probably create a lot of lag, which all of a sudden makes a great idea not worth it. VR has said this is why they won't have dynamic footprints, as vjek said. Storing data for where every NPC has walked would add up very quickly.
Thanks. Yeah I just had the idea and figure I'd run it by the community.
What about footprints overlaid on the landscape and fingerprints on the flora that simply vector toward the mob(s), not trying to honor the actual path they walked or anything.
Just a more realistic version of what directional tracking represents.
You can vary the number of footprints visible at a time, how clearly they show up in weather, and even how clear they are depending on the terrain (they could just stop showing up on rock, then show up again on mud or grass - perhaps your tracking skill let's you continue to see them on rock?)
This opens up options you don't have with other ways of showing where a mob is that aren't involving the game world itself.
Projected textures don't create a lot of lag. They're used to tremendous effect in RIFT with no discernable graphics load. >50 texture projections on the screen doesn't drop the FPS by any measurable amount. Even MOVING projected textures don't create a lot of lag. It's a very efficient means of creating dynamic effects.
VR is simply choosing not to use them, it's not that they wouldn't work, or wouldn't work well.
Zorkon said:Yep, thats where you lost me as well.
Strider tracked, not Frodo
Druids and Bards had lower levels of tracking in EQ. /shrug
Khendall said:I guess we all remember how the "boss up check" was done in the old EQ days ? Creating tons of low level rangers alts, teleporting and escorting them to every zone in which there were interesting bosses, and everyday connecting them, hitting the track button, and voila, we get the complete list of bosses that are available.I don't want that in Pantheon.
I agree, that was lame, but in the end it wasn't really a huge deal. Hopefully this team can find creative, balanced ways to figure out solutions to issues like this without introducing cures that are worse than the disease.