Deposit tracking bug nailed, info inside!

[mrozzy]

I'm using deposit tracking with material specialisation quite often, and I noticed that it doesn't work like it should. After a day trying to figure out where the bug exactly was I finally nailed it.

The content of some spots is determined by the time of the day, the season, ... When prospecting for specific mats (or tracking, more of that later) The tracking option or the prospecting action detects the mats at a specific spot for all seasons, not for the current time.
So you are spending all of your focus tracking that one source, and you find .. nothing. When you prospect the source you'll get the message: "You found nothing. Some specific materials were detected nearby, though." This message is WRONG! It should be someting like these mats aren't available at the moment.

As for tracking: The source tracking will track the mats that are available during all the seasons, wether types, ... So if you can't find the mat, it just isn't available at the present time.

This tracking bug should be fixed (soon I hope)

Remark: Since I don't have many xp points to spare I only noticed this bug with Armour clip and Clothes prospecting/tracking. It could be its only limited to those types, but I won't count on it.

[predzz]

Sorry but you're getting it all wrong
Deposit tracking works absolutely fine

Deposit tracking will always ignore spots that are not available at the moment if there is a source in its range that works. If there is only one or multiple "not available at the moment" (="not av atm") spot in its range, it will show this.

If you try to prospect this "not av atm" source using Basic- Fine you will get the message ~"... some easier sources were detected nearby though...". This means you must use choice , excellent or supreme prospecting. You may still get the above message using choice if you hit an excellent source, but when you prospect for excellent materials you wont get this message.

Note: "not av atm" sources are always areas that only work at special times during some seasons, not sure about weathereffects but they are probably also a factor. These areas contain choice and excellent sources!

[mrozzy]

Question: For wich mats do you track, because it absolutely doesn't work for me! I never saw a "not avaiable at the moment" message.
I use prospecting for clothes, lining and armour clip, playing as a fyros char atm.

I've had countless trackings where I approached the source from the correct side (so I know its in front of me), did a 360° scan .. and nothing (using 20m prospecting, with a 60° angle and supreme mats .. its very hard to miss a spot like that)
I noticed that the same spot was tracked using other tracking options (yes, exactly the same spot) wich I could prospect with ease for those mats.

So, if 2 exact same locations, get tracked by 2 different mat specialisations and only one can be found, it means that the other mat is hidden.

I came to my conclusion, when I revisited a nice source of fiber. It was next to a big tree and I knew exactly where to stand and where to look at (I had some points in the distance I could aim to). I prospected for clothes .. nothing (got the message: "You found nothing. Some specific materials were detected nearby, though"), I did a 360° scan .. nothing (I couldn't believe it coz I was 1000% sure it was there), then I did rescource tracking .. and guess what .. source found within 1 m ... yeah right. I took a few steps back and aimed at the spot I was standing, prospected .. nothing again (if a source was within 1m of the spot I was standing, it was impossible to miss with a 20m, 60° scan). So .. conclusion, the tracking was incorrect.

Then I did a normal prospecting and a sap source popped up ... no clothes to be anyware near the spot where they used to be. So the only thing I can think of that can cause this is season dependand sources.

I did not take it light to report this bug and to find out exactly what was going wrong with the resource tracking and prospecting for certain mats. I first noticed this hours before I reported it. I talked to guides and gms, explaining what happend and trying to repeat it.

I can give you a lot more examples where tracking and prospecting goes wrong (specific mats tracket but when using tracking with no mat specialisation the closest source is 50m away .. and its from another type ..)

So, predzz, since you aren't experiencing troubles at all with tracking of spots please report what you do differently. Do you use other mats, are you in a different terretory, do you use major mat specialisation, ...

But here with me there is clearly going something wrong .. so the more feedback this topic gets, the better and faster the devs can nail it! So please do contribute

[ozric]

Sorry but you're getting it all wrong
Deposit tracking works absolutely fine

Deposit tracking will always ignore spots that are not available at the moment if there is a source in its range that works. If there is only one or multiple "not available at the moment" (="not av atm") spot in its range, it will show this.

If you try to prospect this "not av atm" source using Basic- Fine you will get the message ~"... some easier sources were detected nearby though...". This means you must use choice , excellent or supreme prospecting. You may still get the above message using choice if you hit an excellent source, but when you prospect for excellent materials you wont get this message.

Note: "not av atm" sources are always areas that only work at special times during some seasons, not sure about weathereffects but they are probably also a factor. These areas contain choice and excellent sources!

No sorry, I disagree with you when you say it works fine. I have had similar problems to mrozzy. For example I tracked in the roots for a specific material. The tracker took me to within 9m of my source, at which point i switched tracker off and did a normal prospect using 20m, 40 degree and supreme. I spun 360 degrees and found absolutely nothing, no sources of any type appeared, and was getting the message "No raw materials found in this area". Note, i didnt get a "not at the moment" message that would indicate possibly that the source was seasonal or timed. This has happened several times, in various locations and with tracking for different mats, or as mrozzy says, a different mat will pop up than the one prospected for. There is definately something not right with it.

[lorgerol]

No sorry, I disagree with you when you say it works fine. I have had similar problems to mrozzy. For example I tracked in the roots for a specific material. The tracker took me to within 9m of my source, at which point i switched tracker off and did a normal prospect using 20m, 40 degree and supreme. I spun 360 degrees and found absolutely nothing, no sources of any type appeared, and was getting the message "No raw materials found in this area". Note, i didnt get a "not at the moment" message that would indicate possibly that the source was seasonal or timed. This has happened several times, in various locations and with tracking for different mats, or as mrozzy says, a different mat will pop up than the one prospected for. There is definately something not right with it.

I think that this kind of "blunder" may very well be intended behaviour. If you notice, there are several version (levels) of the material prospecting stanzas, like minor, major etc. It says in the description that the major one has higher chance of finding the specific material than the minor one. What could this possibly mean? There are several scenarios that I can think of :

- if there is a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on to it less often
- if there isn't a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on something anyway more often than the major one

Either of these two behaviours is quite possible in my opinion, they could have put it in on purposes. You didn't really think that just popping a mat specialization in your prospection will solve your problems 100% of the time? That would make it too easy.

[ozric]

....if there is a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on to it less often
- if there isn't a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on something anyway more often than the major one

Either of these two behaviours is quite possible in my opinion, they could have put it in on purposes. You didn't really think that just popping a mat specialization in your prospection will solve your problems 100% of the time? That would make it too easy.

I understand what you are saying and have also pondered on the minor and major stanzas. In my example above tho remember, the tracker "locked on" to absolutely nothing at all. In your 2 scenarios, the first one is acceptable, the mat prospect used may or may not find what you are looking for, and the chances of finding what you look for would possibly increase with an upgrade to major prospect. The 2nd scenario tho, that it may lock onto another type of mat, would render these type of stanzas useless. Up to lvl 100+, only 20m range is available for your specialist mat prospect. If you use the tracker with it, then a heavy focus cost is incurred, especially if you wanted to add "above average mat" stanzas also. This doesnt make things as easy as you seem to suggest. (along with the fact that often the higher "quality" mats are found amongst/near aggro mobs, so even if a source is "located" its not always possible to get to).
Im still not convinced that all the actions work "as intended".

[mrozzy]

I think that this kind of "blunder" may very well be intended behaviour. If you notice, there are several version (levels) of the material prospecting stanzas, like minor, major etc. It says in the description that the major one has higher chance of finding the specific material than the minor one. What could this possibly mean? There are several scenarios that I can think of :

- if there is a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on to it less often
- if there isn't a source with that mat, the minor one might lock on something anyway more often than the major one

Either of these two behaviours is quite possible in my opinion, they could have put it in on purposes. You didn't really think that just popping a mat specialization in your prospection will solve your problems 100% of the time? That would make it too easy.

This not explains why I can track and prospect a source succesfully (with ease and multiple sources) at one time, and am able to track the same source a bit later but beeing unable to prospect it (due a seasons or weather change the type of mat changed), but was easely be able to prospect other mats at the exact same spot(s). Note: it wasn't delped.

[rugster]

I dont have supreme anything... or alot of much..

but i have had tracking take me to edge of cliffs which are inaccessable below and the mats are 5 m away in that direction.

i have had tracking take me to areas which are exhausted, sorry but imo, if its exhausted it shouldnt track to it.

I have also tracked to nothing, because i dont have high skills it means i have to box search the area, which is time consuming, but i have often found nothing with 50m of the point it stopped me in any direction facing which ever way.

I have also tracked to stuff inside cliffs (possibly on top of cliffs) also inaccessable. Or worse tracked to places outside of collision, like steep hills. no way up from the bottom no way down from the top.

Tracked and located resources in water, which you cant mine if you're swimming...this isnt so bad. at least the resources were there.

atm i use 40 degree, 5m, choice prospect, its costly but it works, sometimes i just use choice and 40 degree angle. as thats the cheapest, with my setup.

[oloriun]

I do hate tracking. But I've had the same as you all, in that you you get to the tracking spot, do a 360 search..nada. But also I've found stuff by actually moving around the spot several paces. This of course isn't exactly easy as if you go the wrong way you can end up spending donkeys years moving around the general area trying to find something. Anyway, my beef with tracking is the bloody thing [applys to prospecting as well actually] not making use of the mat quality brick and bringing up basic over and over. I find it hard to believe this would be working as intended.

[mboeing]

I only use tracking to make sure if there is anything at all in the area. For everything else i use patience and loads of prospecting.

Seems the easier way to me. And specializations are so expensive SP wise and i need it all in Focus/Focus regen =)