Verb:TRACK/saved posts
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 104
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 06/07/2020 07:33 PM CDT
Subject: Ranger Tracking
Rangers now have the innate ability to TRACK creatures within hunting grounds. The syntax is TRACK {creature}, where {creature} is one that can normally be found in that area. Successfully tracking the creature will move the Ranger to a room where a live creature of that type is present and no other players are currently engaged with it. Tracking success is based on the Ranger's Intuition and Wisdom bonuses, their Survival and Perception skills, and the level difference between the Ranger and the target creature. Rangers gain a bonus to successful tracking if they currently have an Adventurer's Guild bounty for that creature. There is a one minute recovery period after tracking a creature, success or failure. Tracking results in some roundtime, which can be reduced by Survival training and having their animal companion present.
Note that Rangers can also track while hidden to attempt to sneak up on their target, or, if they're leading a group, can lead their group members to the creature.
GameMaster Oscuro
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 118
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 06/09/2020 06:07 PM CDT
Subject: Re: Ranger Tracking
>>How does it work for summoned creatures amd sunfist, bandit, or escort type activities? ROLFARD
>>Could you track a ki-lin, a bandit, a grimswarm warchief, or an SOS shaper's snake? ROLFARD
It only works for normally spawning creatures in standard hunting areas. So no bandits, no Grimswarm, etc. It does work on lurks in SoS, however, since they spawn naturally and not just from being "summoned" by shapers.
>>Neat idea, but rewarding a critter with 10-15s of free attacks on you after you have successfully tracked it seems the wrong way round. RATHBONER
The absolute maximum for a successful track is 12 seconds, which is unlikely to ever occur with a modicum of survival training. You get extra RT for a failure, but a failure also puts you in an empty room so there's no immediate danger. You can reduce the RT with additional Survival training and by having your animal companion present to as little as 2 seconds (or 1 second with incredible enhancives). This ability is meant to encourage further training in Survival.
>>The cooldown also seems awful long. 20 sec or less would probably be sufficient. KANDOR
A CD as low as 20 seconds would quickly lead to Rangers being able to pick up every spawn of a particular creature type in areas with multiple creature types. Running numbers on 30 seconds vs spawn rates, and it was still doing it in some areas. 60 seconds is a way to let Rangers use the ability frequently enough to impact their hunt without causing a very negative experience for other potential hunters in the area. We tried to avoid the Provoke problem here where it was a benefit for the user, but others frequently hated it.
>>Or, maybe it's a skill the ranger can get better at, like a guild skill. KANDOR
I think most of us on the dev team consider guild skills are in a "maintain only," state. We're not looking to expand their use when they're onerous for players to do and for us to code. If Ranger Tracking was instead a guild skill, it would take many dozens of hours to master and probably have taken me upwards of a 10 to 100 times as much effort to code. This would mean I'd be less likely to code it and, if released, players would be less likely to use it.
You can improve your ability to track via stats and character manager skills instead. They can get better (RT-wise) with training Survival, and can improve their success rate with higher WIS, INT, Survival and Perception. Consider using Assume Aspect, particularly Yierka for a good boost.
GameMaster Oscuro
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 120
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 06/09/2020 07:43 PM CDT
Subject: Re: Ranger Tracking
>>10s is the minimum I've seen. Do you actually have the ability to train enough ranks to get a reasonable RT before you are pretty high level if not post cap? RATHBONER
Do you have any Survival ranks, because 10s is the minimum RT for 0 ranks. At 100 Survival ranks and an animal companion, so 2x at level 48, you can get 4s. I would call that reasonable. The RT reduction is linear in skill bonus.
GameMaster Oscuro
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 126
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 06/11/2020 07:06 PM CDT
Subject: Re: Ranger Tracking
>>1x Survival RATHBONER
With 24 ranks of survival, you should see 8 to 10 seconds on a success. Once you get an animal companion, you'll get a another decent drop. If you're up hunting cyclops by quite a bit, that's a big part of why you're failing a lot. The level difference scales quadratically.
>>Cyclops being cyclops, a lot of the time there won't actually be an unengaged cyclops to find, so some proportion of the failures are probably down to that. RATHBONER A failure due to there not being a viable target provides separate messaging and no RT or CD.
>>That it takes significant RT, I don't particularly mind, its that the whole time spent tracking is spent in front of the critter being tracked while it wails away at you feels really wrong from an immersion perspective. When something is taking 9-15s RT there's a lot of time to be influenced by the messaging and its not a consistent picture that it creates. RATHBONER
Track RT is applied consistently with all movement between rooms that causes RT. That always happens after the move occurs. In fact, that's how (nearly) all actions in GS work. The RT is applied at the same moment the effect occurs and you have to wait it out afterwards. You don't type ATTACK, then wait 5 seconds and then see the attack resolve.
GameMaster Oscuro
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 139
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 06/23/2020 10:15 PM CDT
Subject: Re: Ranger Tracking
Ranger tracking has received the following updates:
1) Companions should now be brought along with the Ranger immediately if they assist the Ranger with tracking.
2) Rangers who have a dangerous creature bounty and have already gotten the creature's attention (i.e. the grizzled creature has been spawned) can track that creature. No special command is necessary; if you have such a foe available (and it's not hiding due to being burrowed or faded or some other similar ability), it will always choose that foe first.
3) TRACK AREA is now an option which will display all creatures that will normally inhabit that room for which the Ranger has the possibility of succeeding at tracking. For players with point-and-click enabled, the list is able to be interacted with in that sense.
GameMaster Oscuro
Topic: Rangers
Message #: 271
Author: GameMaster Oscuro
Date: 12/10/2020 01:37 PM CST
Subject: Re: Ranger Tracking
The +5 sec RT penalty for a failed TRACK attempt has been removed. That was too punishing in addition to already failing and still being put into cooldown.
In addition, the baseline success chance for TRACK has been increased by 15. So, for example, if you had a 33% success rate before, you should see a 48% now.
If you find yourself failing tracking attempts frequently against like-level creatures, the primary recommendation is to increase your Survival training.
GameMaster Oscuro