Tracking: the grass method

[bain 23]

This isn't a new idea, I know, but upon searching previous threads I couldn't find anything discussing it at any length. I train wilderness survival in real life, which includes tracking. Let me say to start off, tracking is one of the most difficult skills to pick up in the survival realm. It requires a life time of practice to do it well and reliably. That said, any system in a video game is merely a representation of reality and doesn't always need to be perfect.

 

IN-GAME CONCEPT:

I'm not a coder or developer, so I have no idea what is reasonable or possible. So I'll begin with the concept and how I think it would benefit gameplay.

 

As it stands, our interactions with other players are limited to chance encounters and planned ambushes (that often is considered camping). There's very little intention behind it, it's going to be some random person we probably never met before. We see someone and we know if we lose sight of them it'll be a lot of guess work and luck to try and follow them. So we force interaction in the moment because if we pass it up it may be a long time before we see another player. That interaction may be shooting or talking, and both have their consequences.

 

But what if we could track them? I know that if I spotted someone in the distance I'd be very excited to run over to that spot and track them to their destination. Maybe I want to follow someone for awhile and see how they play before I talk. Maybe it's a group I'm tracking and I need to set up the perfect ambush to make sure things go my way. Or maybe I'm looting a dangerous airfield. Everything looks clear, but if I take the time to track around it maybe I'll find tracks left behind by a group of bandits. Maybe that military jail with a closed door is not untouched, considering the track in front of it.

 

Tracking could add more intention into the encounters we have with one another. Also, it's my belief that a core pillar of DayZ gameplay is that nothing is safe. If people can track us, we'll need to consider that in our movements. Maybe we'll have to engage in some confusing counter-tracking techniques to throw people off our trail before we set up that perfect sniper nest. Maybe we could even use our own tracks to lead our pursuers right into an ambush. It gives us more choices for what we do when we encounter another player.

 

THE REALITY OF GAME DEVELOPMENT:

I would love to have a system where barely visible tracks were laid down after every foot fall. Maybe that's a texture applied to the ground that changes based on ground type. Something that faded over 30 minutes or so. That's enough time to track a player but not enough time to really take your time with it. If you take to long the trail obscures. If something like this were to work, it'd have to be really hard to see. Think about MGS 3 when you're fighting The End. Sure you can put on thermal goggles and the print light up like a xmas tree, but if you don't use that crutch the tracks are still there. They're just really hard to see.

 

Is something like this even possible? I don't know. Sounds like a heavy server load, but I admit I know nothing.

 

THE GRASS METHOD. A SIMPLER CONCEPT, A COMPROMISE PERHAPS:

 

We already know grass flattens when we crawl on it. It already as an animation where it slowly pops back up to full height. What if we changed it so it half-flattened when we walk through it, and fully flattens when we crawl. Then we slow down that animation where it pops back up to take 15-20 minutes or so.

 

It's a system already in the game, so clearly the server can handle it right? It's also not entirely obvious to spot. If you're blasting through a field at top speed you probably wouldn't even notice. Also, it's a form of tracking only applicable to certain areas. Honestly, in real life tracking, if you search for each and every track you're going too slow. You have to get in your quarry's head and predict, only occasionally verifying at obvious tracking spot to loose soil or mud.

 

The grass method kind of emulates that. You don't get a constant line straight to the quarry. You have to predict still, keeping tracking as the chess game it really is.

 

FINALLY, ONE LAST QUESTION:

Grass only renders at a certain distance. I may have to test this when I play next, but I wonder: if I flatten grass when my friend is out of the rendering range, will the grass be flattened for him when he comes into rendering range? I'm not sure. Just a question that occurred to me while writing this post.

 

TL;DR: Trust me, you don't have the patience for tracking anyway.

[Mancomb 131]

[liquidsnake 275]

I agree. Tracking players to assassinate them would be great. Tracking them to their camps even more so. What I'm worried about is being tracked to the place I log out and seeing the "You're Dead" screen upon my next login. The ultimate act of cowardice, and it's bound to happen. Bandits who'll deliberately not engage and wait for their victim to log out. I'm willing to take the chance of this happening, though. Tracking would be too cool to pass up.

[whothe 60]

Great idea - there are already some footprints in place for a short time, if you walk over the streets coming from the fields.

A mix of both aproaches would be perfect. I think it is critical to ceep a certain amount of difficulty in such a mechanic to prevent massive abuse on this.

Anyway i would be surprised, if this feature wasnt added together with the huntingsystem.

 

If it would be possible to differentiate the appearance and visibility by including factors like "type of footwear" and "weight of person" that would be great.

[TEST_SUBJECT_83 465]

Love the grass idea!

 

Blood trails would be awesome as well.

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/188100-bleeding-player-blood-trail/

Edited April 25, 2014 by TEST_SUBJECT_83