Improvements to tracking skill

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jrawlings

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I'm not exactly sure how tracking currently works, so if what I say is already there, please let me know. I think that if a party has 0 tracking skill, they should not be able to see any tracks, save their own party. As tracking skill improves, more tracks can be seen, and eventually identified (which I think is in the game). What I'd like to see is that when tracking there can be a chance that you lose the track. Also, a neat command to add would be if you click on an arrow on the ground, you can be asked if you want to follow the track. If you say yes, the party automatically moves to follow the track until they reach the party that made them or they lose the track. Of course, you can always abort this process at any time. What do you think?
 
The tracking system is really neat, it goes from nothing, to just arrows, to actually being able to see things like numbers and how old the tracks are. I'd love to be able to follow the tracks by clicking an arrow, sometimes arrows can get confusing at a place where lots of tracks cross. It's kind of bothered me that there is no way point system on the navigation map (at least I haven't found it yet), and no pathfinding to take you around obstacles like mountains. I'm guessing navigation will get better in future releases though.
 
I suggested waypoints a while back. Interestingly, in a previous release of the game 0.632, there was pathfinding that worked. Not sure why it was disabled in the 0.7 series.
 
On the other hand, in .632 whenever you wanted to go somewhere your units would only travel in a semi-circle to the target unless you clicked the ground immediately in front of them.

I like the idea of being able to follow one track, but you can pretty much do that already...you just have to keep an eye on things.
 
Nairagorn said:
Seems pretty realistic to me. I imagine it would be somewhat difficult to follow one particular set of tracks where lots of groups have been walking around.

Right, that would be a place where you might be likely to lose the track. The higher your tracking skill, the less likely that would happen.
 
well unless im mistaking a higher tracking skill gives you more info about the track . number of people in the group and even the name of the group at higher skill levels. thus keeping on track at a well trafficed spot is easier with a higher tracking skill allready
 
It would just take less mouse clicking basically. Much easier to click once on 'follow the arrows' than to manually click towards each one as you follow along their trail.
 
SimonForsman said:
well unless im mistaking a higher tracking skill gives you more info about the track . number of people in the group and even the name of the group at higher skill levels. thus keeping on track at a well trafficed spot is easier with a higher tracking skill allready

Exactly, I'm just saying that right now, you can see pretty much every track that is made, regardless of your level. Granted, the track information isn't very informative at low levels, but it is there. Also, once you are on a track, you never lose it. I was proposing that it be possible with lower tracking skill that you could lose the track. For example, in a high traffic area with lots of tracks going everywhere, you might get confused as to which tracks are which, provided you aren't Aragorn or someone like that :smile:

Also, the "click to follow tracks" feature would be a great addition to the game. I was trying to come up with an idea that would encourage people to consider putting skill points in tracking.

The highest I've ever had tracking get is like 5, so I have no idea what a tracking skill of 10 does for you, anyone with knowledge on that, please share!

On a side note, I'd also like to see some quests that make better use of the tracking skill. Right now, perhaps the "nobleman" and "raider" quests are the best bet, but you are given enough info from the start to where you don't really need a tracking skill. What if the "troublesome bandits" quest was changed a bit. Instead of having them spawn near the town, have them spawn from a more distant location but have tracks coming from the town. So the quest would be to hunt down the bandits, but to do so, you have to find where they are hiding out. Obviously, they've troubled the town so there would be the start of your trail... if you have a good tracking skill, you can trace their route from the town back to their hiding spot and viola!
 
jrawlings said:
I'm not exactly sure how tracking currently works, so if what I say is already there, please let me know. I think that if a party has 0 tracking skill, they should not be able to see any tracks, save their own party. As tracking skill improves, more tracks can be seen, and eventually identified (which I think is in the game). What I'd like to see is that when tracking there can be a chance that you lose the track. Also, a neat command to add would be if you click on an arrow on the ground, you can be asked if you want to follow the track. If you say yes, the party automatically moves to follow the track until they reach the party that made them or they lose the track. Of course, you can always abort this process at any time. What do you think?

Ahh... that's basically what is in the game.
You can lose a track because of turing parties/other ones corrupting the one you chose to follow.
 
0 no tracks
1 lil grey tracks
2 party size and time of passage

But then i havent seen any difference in the tracking info after level 2. Whats the point spending your precious points on it after 2???

It would be nice if level 3 or 4 told you the number of horses in the party for example.
Maybe level 5 could go as far as telling you if some are wounded of if there were prisonners.
"a large party of horsemen went through here, some tracks are irregular so there must have been some wounded among them. And here there are footmen walking in line, so i would say they have a dozen captives."

Then level 6 tells you what brand of shoes they are wearing
and level 7 makes a DNA analysis on their spatters
"they were wearing nike airs and some of them had diarhrea from drinking too much coffee, I'd say nescafé expresso"

Cool eh?
 
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