Cover Tracks

[LindseyBalboa]

Currently, hunt does this:

You crouch down and look for tracks.

Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.
Less than an hour ago someone moved to the south.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the east.
Less than an hour ago a long-strided individual moved swiftly to the east.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.

Suggested Idea: add syntax "cover tracks"

Usage: cover tracks

You shuffle your feet around, kicking up some dirt.

Should be usable by anyone using wisdom, but get modifiers based on stealth and hunt.
You'll target the most recent track first, but as you get a better roll, you'll obscure more
of the tracks. Might need more than one use to cover up tracks.

Could obscure time, race, and direction, either all at the same time or independently, whatever is
easiest to code. Probably gradually all at once.

Hypothetical returns:

You start trying to cover up your tracks, stomping and brushing your feet around.

You crouch down and look for tracks.

These tracks are worthless, scattered and going in every direction.
Less than an hour ago a few faint tracks were made.
Less than an hour ago a few faint tracks were made coming from the west.
Less than an hour ago a long-strided individual was here.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.

[Brytta Léofa]

Yasss. I have often wanted this.

Don't need to add a new skill, just use your hunt skill level.
Possibly charge one stamina point, like forage.

[cali]

It would also be nice that it would remember more tracks than the current limit of five or w/e. Just remember all tracks until they decay from time.

[LidlessEye]

Currently, hunt does this:

You crouch down and look for tracks.

Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.
Less than an hour ago someone moved to the south.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the east.
Less than an hour ago someone moved to the east.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.

Suggested Idea: add syntax "cover tracks"

Usage: cover tracks

You shuffle your feet around, kicking up some dirt.

Should be usable by anyone using wisdom, but get modifiers based on stealth and hunt.
You'll target the most recent track first, but as you get a better roll, you'll obscure more
of the tracks. Might need more than one use to cover up tracks.

Could obscure time, race, and direction, either all at the same time or independently, whatever is
easiest to code. Probably gradually all at once.

Hypothetical returns:

You start trying to cover up your tracks, stomping and brushing your feet around.

You crouch down and look for tracks.

These tracks are worthless, scattered and going in every direction.
Less than an hour ago a few faint tracks were made.
Less than an hour ago a few faint tracks were made coming from the west.
Less than an hour ago a long-strided individual was here.
Less than an hour ago someone moved in from the south.

+1

[Barsook]

I dig this!

[Veselka]

I think that on a success, it should eliminate the most recent tracks from what is turned up in a successful hunt.

I think a very talented hunter should be able to see something like:
'Someone covered their tracks here recently'

It might be a cool bonus to give to subguilds like Bounty Hunter and Outdoorsman, where they can reach a high enough level in hunt to see when tracks have been covered.

Someone who is hastily trying to cover their tracks will likely do so for a room, maybe two, but unlikely more than that unless they have the time to. If they are trying to throw a trail, then there should be a chance that a discerning Bounty Hunter can track through rooms with covered tracks and pick up a trail again.

It should also be static -- If the Bounty Hunter/High Hunter can't find the covered tracks on the first try, they can't keep trying 'hunt' to uncover that aspect. They just see a non-return of recent tracks.

This is something that could also be made impossible if too many people have been in the room recently, so you can't cover the tracks of your 5 PC patrol. But you can cover your own tracks, and maybe that of your mount, if you are skilled enough.

It'd be cool too in consideration of 'sneak', in that you could (with time on your side), place a false trail, double back sneakily, and then cover up your real pathway.

I like it!

[Halaster]

I like it.  I've added this to my to-do list.  Meaning... one day eventually possibly.

[Brokkr]

On the flip side, if we added more slots for tracks, we should have scent trails, and predators that love to hunt by scent.

[Brytta Léofa]

Out on the salt flats with muh bag o' meat, baitin' meks.

[Armaddict]

On the flip side, if we added more slots for tracks, we should have scent trails, and predators that love to hunt by scent.

that would actually be really cool, with lots of nuances to add into it.

[Tisiphone]

Out on the salt flats with muh bag o' meat, baitin' meks.

Those are usually called "your internal organs" unless you're a Byn Runner.

[Veselka]

On the flip side, if we added more slots for tracks, we should have scent trails, and predators that love to hunt by scent.

This also creates an interesting concept for 'bait' and more complicated ways of hunting and laying traps for animals.

Consider the following --

Predators could be attracted to the scent of fresh blood (think Raptors, Tembo, or Kryl, as an example) but not be attracted to the scent of decaying meat. So if you are recently wounded and running, a 'Predator' animal might pick up your scent and begin hunting you.

Scavengers could be attracted to the scent of decaying meat and fresh blood (think Gortok, Vultures, Jakhal, Kagor, and so on). If you have a bag of meat on you, say from recently skinning something, you might pick up a scavenger or two that begins trailing you.

Herbivores could be attracted to the scent of fresh herbs or flowers, or satchets/bait might be craftable. The bait could be left in a conspicuous area, so that you might better prepare and hunt something like a Carru or Bahamet.

It creates some interesting options for luring animals rather than needing to find them outright, via both scent trails and scent 'bombs'. Stationary bait might create a radius of 'scent' that can be picked up by a creature passing by (1-2 rooms in cardinal directions), that becomes inert after X amount of time, based on the quality of the bait.

It also might make a way to strategically pass through otherwise very dangerous areas -- You could, say, bait a clutch of Mantis or Kryl away from the direction you are going by leaving a few bloody corpses there, in the hopes of slipping around them. If it works, you avoid them, if it doesn't...You just rang the dinner bell.

Just some food for thought (heh).

[Brytta Léofa]

One problem here that nobody's mentioned but you'd run into immediately on trying to use this: How are you gonna cover your tracks leaving the room? If you only modify existing tracks in the current room, your pursuer will see:
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
  > n
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
  > n
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
The lack of entry tracks isn't really gonna help you.

Ideally, "cover tracks" would cover both your tracks coming into the current room and your tracks leaving the previous room (if applicable)? However I suspect that the tracks data isn't structured - that the code doesn't know which tracks are yours in either room.

Maybe could set a flag on your PC when you cover tracks, and when you leave a room with that flag set, do another skill check to see if you leave any tracks on the way out.

[Brytta Léofa]

On the flip side, if we added more slots for tracks, we should have scent trails, and predators that love to hunt by scent.

This also creates an interesting concept for 'bait' and more complicated ways of hunting and laying traps for animals.

Glorious. If nothing else, raptors should def follow the tracks of wounded things.

[Veselka]

One problem here that nobody's mentioned but you'd run into immediately on trying to use this: How are you gonna cover your tracks leaving the room? If you only modify existing tracks in the current room, your pursuer will see:
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
  > n
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
  > n
  A few hours ago a humanoid moved lightly to the north.
The lack of entry tracks isn't really gonna help you.

Ideally, "cover tracks" would cover both your tracks coming into the current room and your tracks leaving the previous room (if applicable)? However I suspect that the tracks data isn't structured - that the code doesn't know which tracks are yours in either room.

Maybe could set a flag on your PC when you cover tracks, and when you leave a room with that flag set, do another skill check to see if you leave any tracks on the way out.

If you are good at sneaking, there is a chance that you don't leave tracks, but that is a fair point. Maybe if you could:

>cover tracks east

It would try to cover the most recent tracks in that direction. It should cost stamina and take time (delay: after), so that you can't just spam covering tracks ad nauseum. If you were being actively chased by someone (or something) that is hunting you, you should maybe be able to do it once or twice just to try and throw off the trail.

[Lotion]

On the flip side, if we added more slots for tracks, we should have scent trails, and predators that love to hunt by scent.

ah yes my favorite magick spell, detect scent trails