How does the tracking window work?
 

I've always wondered about the specifics of the tracking skill and how it works.

What determines the order of mobs listed in the tracking window? Their relative proximity to you, or how long they've been alive? Or neither? Or both?

Why do mobs disappear in real time from the tracking window when killed, but it doesn't update with new mobs that spawn or new mobs that you've come into the proximity of without having to wait and actually use the skill again to refresh it?

Other than skill = diameter of trackable area, it's still a big mystery to me.

Yes I'm trying to kill quillmane.

1. Depends on class. Rangers can sort by distance, level, spawn order (default), maybe something else? Everyone else is default.

2. The tracking window is actively tracking everything in the area (radius) you "pinged" when you used the skill. It only updates with new spawns (or new area) when you re-use the skill.

At least, that's my understanding of:

https://wiki.project1999.com/Skill_Tracking

-Mcoy

Right, so if the server is just constantly sending out a signal of whether a mob is dead or not within a specific area, why doesn't it also insert newly spawned mobs who appeared within that same area? It's constantly checking, so why can it only depopulate the list?

Also why can you continue to get tracking updates on a target you began tracking even if you've moved way outside of your trackable range, as long as you don't re-engage the tracking skill? You can get tracking updates every tick all day long even as the target moves in and out of your range.

I mean I know there's tons of stuff in original eq that is crappily designed, but the tracking skill just seems like such a simple thing to implement coding wise.

It's a semi-static list once you refresh, and if you have it set to normal, the newest spawned mobs are at the top. Mobs will drop off if killed, but new mobs won't be added until you refresh your track.

I keep mine bound to my turn key.

For range, at max track you can get targets 2325 loc away from you (so if you were at 0,0 of a zone, anything from 2325,2325 to -2325,-2325 would be visible).

you cannot track the entire range of where the quill triggers can pop from one static spot in SK. your best bet is to stand on the top of the hill between SP and KFC, refresh 10 seconds before a potential spawn, then refresh when it could spawn, and if you don't see anything new, run east.

Likely for the same reason that sense heading was eventually replaced with the compass. Skilling up tracking required hitting the button, so the results you got in your track button were based on your current skill at the time. If it was automatically firing all the time then it would also need to automatically skill up, which didn't align with the early design of the game.

We already know because of cheat programs that the client is already aware of all the spawns in the zone at all times, so it wasn't like they didn't have the information available -- it was a design decision.

so baler, here's how it works
you open track window and the mobs that appear are alive in the zone

there's your answer

the higher your track, the more mobs in the window

maybe use your brain next time or go read the wiki more religiously

I read guides like "pick the elephant that spawns after 6 seconds" and I try it and i have no idea

I recently tested this... Gareth the Trader in EW is at -7412, 161 and I still had him on track at -7412, 2558. Max tracking at Skill 200 is 2400, not 2325. Not sure how to change the Wiki.

https://i.imgur.com/s27U2Pv.jpeg