Would anyone be interested in a sentry plugin?

[PeteSampras]

So I was thinking of things that havent been done in plugins for what i might work on next. A simple one that I came up with is that i could create a plugin to keep sentries around on the map that could notify you whenever a spawn of whatever type you designate passes through. Just like the sentry spell in EQ that was later removed. That way you could set up sentries around your camp or on spawn points and would get notified whenever someone or something went through. Could maybe even have it visual on the map.

I envision people could use it to check if someone is coming to their specific camp, or if a roamer repopped, or perhaps for specific mob monitoring at locations.

Or maybe nobody would be interested at all and i shouldnt even bother... so that is why I am asking.

My first priorities are to fix a few things (and add some features) in mq2bot, but i should have some time to work on something else and was just trying to generate some ideas.

 

[dewey2461]

How would it be different than setting alerts by location and checking them inside a macro?

 

[devestator]

So I was thinking of things that havent been done in plugins for what i might work on next. A simple one that I came up with is that i could create a plugin to keep sentries around on the map that could notify you whenever a spawn of whatever type you designate passes through. Just like the sentry spell in EQ that was later removed. That way you could set up sentries around your camp or on spawn points and would get notified whenever someone or something went through. Could maybe even have it visual on the map.

I envision people could use it to check if someone is coming to their specific camp, or if a roamer repopped, or perhaps for specific mob monitoring at locations.

Or maybe nobody would be interested at all and i shouldnt even bother... so that is why I am asking.

My first priorities are to fix a few things (and add some features) in mq2bot, but i should have some time to work on something else and was just trying to generate some ideas.

This sounds familiar, I thought maybe MQ2SpawnMaster or something like that had the capabilities of doing this? Granted it's been a while since I had need of something like this so it might just be me remembering trying to find something like it before and then writing something of my own for it hehe.

I know I used something similar way back in the day for watching for Raster and his PH while I was off camping an FBSS when I was doing one of my monk epics. Just can't remember how I accomplished it.

One thing to point out that I've noticed that you may want to be aware of. Roaming mobs don't update their locations to the client as often when they are beyond 600 units away. That may cause issues on the reliability of any sentries placed and moved further than 600 units from. Just figured if you write it you might want to take that into consideration from the start.

How would it be different than setting alerts by location and checking them inside a macro?

It would be a plugin! Plugins are often superior to macros for jobs like this. Plugins are faster, aren't restricted to only one running at a time, and can generally be written better since you don't have some of the limitations of the MQ2 language (like no classes, in line function returns, etc.).

The biggest thing though would be the fact that as a plugin this could be used while any other macro is running where as to do it in a macro, you'd have to include the code to do it in any macro you wish to run, and you'd always have to be running a macro with it included.

 

[PeteSampras]

How would it be different than setting alerts by location and checking them inside a macro?

/alerts are based on spawns coming within YOUR radius. a sentry is like a bouy or waypoint that you would drop and it would check for spawns within *that* location's radius.

But ya, i didnt think about the 600 update, it would be less useful beyond that range maybe, but the way it would check would cycling each spawn each time like mq2targets so that may have accurate data because you are accessing pSpawnList->pNext style.

Anyway, just an idea if it doesnt already exist. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[dewey2461]

/alerts are based on spawns coming within YOUR radius. a sentry is like a bouy or waypoint that you would drop and it would check for spawns within *that* location's radius.

That is incorrect. An alert can be any spawn search so you can make them based on a location and distance from the center.

I've used them to create a path and check to see how many named, or pc's are along the path with in a pulling radius.

 

[PeteSampras]

Oh nice, that wasnt mentioned in the alert wiki. well then nm @ this plugin!

 

[KingArthur]

/alerts are based on spawns coming within YOUR radius. a sentry is like a bouy or waypoint that you would drop and it would check for spawns within *that* location's radius.

That is incorrect. An alert can be any spawn search so you can make them based on a location and distance from the center.

I've used them to create a path and check to see how many named, or pc's are along the path with in a pulling radius.

Dewey, could you give a example of how using this please? Great function that can be used on macro etc... Thanks a lot!

 

[dewey2461]

Try something like this.

/alert add 2 radius 125 loc ${y} ${x}

how many PC's are near that location?

/echo ${SpawnCount[pc alert 2]}

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alerts are really just a list of spawn searches. See : http://www.macroquest2.com/wiki/index.php/Spawn_Search

Each time you do /alert add 2 [some search term] , it adds that to the list.

It is amazing what you can do with them. Probably one of the most under used, least understood tools we have.

 

[KingArthur]

Try something like this.

/alert add 2 radius 125 loc ${y} ${x}

how many PC's are near that location?

/echo ${SpawnCount[pc alert 2]}

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alerts are really just a list of spawn searches. See : Spawn Search - MacroQuest Wiki

Each time you do /alert add 2 [some search term] , it adds that to the list.

It is amazing what you can do with them. Probably one of the most under used, least understood tools we have.

Woow~~~More than LEET!!!

 

[Rusty]

Possible to get the distance between mobs at a mobs location for pulling singles?

 

[JimJohnson]

Possible to get the distance between mobs at a mobs location for pulling singles?

Yes, if you know the agro range you can do the alert based on your targets location with a radius check. Then see if any are in agro range.

I used to do this in PoFire so I could set up in C2 and pull Arch Magus tower lower C2, Fennin Ro and then start pulling Field2 depending on what mobs where spawned on one of my pull paths.