Tracking

I realize that I probably alienate at least half my audience when I talk about other games not related to World of Warcraft, but I'm gonna do it anyway. I got to thinking about the new tracking system that Wow has put in place. And Elinor was kind enough to test and point out that all of the hunter trackings have been integrated into that tracking as well. While it's a great improvement, I think there's still better options out there.

First, I suppose, there's the option of Blizzard emmulating some in-game mods. (They've done it many times to date with scroling-text and enemy cast bar being two examples.) There is a map mod that I have (of which I have totally forgotten the name) that allows you to right-click on an icon on the main map (think of mapped herbs or mining nodes) and track to that point. An arrow will come up telling you the direction you need to travel. It will also tell you the distance you have left, and how long it will take you to get there. Pretty nifty stuff. But how do you know where these mobs are on your main map? Sure, you see the tracking on your mini map, but...

Next, I steal an idea from my second favorite MMO, of which I no longer play. All Scouts in Everquest II at a certain level gained the ability to track. (Bear in mind, that it's been more than 2 and a half years since I've really played EQ2, so things may have changed.) You clicked a skill and it brought up another window that listed all the mobs in a certain radius of where you were. If there were 15 Deadly Bunnies in the area, it would show all 15 with their levels among the other mobs as well. You could then click on a mob and track it. This would bring up a white, thin, cloud that only you could see that would direct you to where that mob is. (Think of any old cartoon where the scent of the freshly baked pie might guide a hungry being around various obstacles until the pie was within reach.) It was great fun to have a Scout in your party, especially if you were looking for named mobs.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think the improvement is great. I'm just thinking of things that they may be able to do even better.