Don't do it, it's a trap
by Amanda Dean 
Mar 15th 2008 at 6:20PM
Typically players know when Hunters are dropping traps for two reasons. First, there is an unmistakable squatting animation that shows the character setting the trap. Of course you have to have your camera on the Hunter to see the animation. Second, Hunters who are worth their salt lay traps whenever they are able to in the PvP environment. The difference is the combat log now states what type of trap has been dropped.
The discussion in the thread revolved around how this relates to other class cast animations and abilities. Is the Hunter trap supposed to be stealthy? Because if it is, it currently clearly isn't. Chacko of Stormscale pointed out that Hunters usually learn to conceal their squatting animations. I admit to being a level 70 hunter and not knowing how to do this. Anyone willing to clue me in?
Thanks to reader Orin, for the tip. Orin also gave us a link to Zanzer's Admiral Ackbar addon that announces to your raid or party when a Hunter drops a trap. With no official Blizzard response in the thread, we have to assume that this change is working as intended.
Do you think this is a serious nerf to Hunters?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Traxter Mar 15th 2008 6:30PM
I think that as one of the Hunter's major abilities it shouldn't be as it is right now. There should be at least an animation that is at least a little more subtle. I can't believe I'm actually defending the hunter class as I play as a mage and hate them since the removal of the deadzone >.<
Jared Mar 15th 2008 7:43PM
It is called a trap.
The victim is not suppose to know the trap is there.
They need to rename a bunch of hunter abilities.
Like "Look at me I'm a snake box don't step on me"
Lucas Mar 15th 2008 8:28PM
So they should lay the trap with their feet?
Jared Mar 16th 2008 5:18PM
It's a game. Too many things to count do not make sense visually or physically.
The important part of this is the game mechanics.
If blizzard intends traps to be a "trap", then it showing up in the combat log would be contradictory.
I don't know the exact percentage of people using addons, but they are VERY useful. I believe a large percentage of serious raiders and PVPers use addons. This is a PVP issue however because mobs can't think.
If an addon can do a raid warning sort of thing when a hunter lays a trap, you will look directly at the hunter as fast as you can, an avoid that spot.
Traps won't be stepped on by those with such an addon.
Mity Mar 18th 2008 11:07AM
this is sortof like having a "see stealth"abillity against cats / backstabbers. traps are the primary snare hunters use to survive the meleeclasses getting to close. reducing its effectiveness EVEN more is a serious reduction of its value. its not really a debatable point tbh, anyone can understand this easily.
the really skilled pvp hunters will manage to adapt. the 99% other hunters will suffer, and the weakest represented arenaclass will get another blow against its classbalance.
and u know what comes next.... more stupid buffs, like mortal strike and despells aso.
and yes, im a hunter.
Moshnerd Mar 15th 2008 6:36PM
I have no idea how one would hide it...
Unless you, like, pretend you were drinking and then /say "Oh wait, I don't need to drink right now! Silly me!"
energyvortex Mar 15th 2008 6:39PM
It's very easy to interrupt the squat animation when trapping by simply moving while in the act of placing the trap. Your toon shows no 'trapping squat' animation and hopefully your target is non the wiser.
All this change does is make the game that much more dilluted and 'easier' to play. If Blizz keeps stealing addon ideas and incorporating them into the game then it's going to easy enough to play while watching Surviorman and eating dinner.
Trapping is the *ONE* thing we can do without being obvious about it, and now that looks like it's gone. Thanks Blizz. Guess I'll just keep leveling my Prot Pally to farm Black Temple and supply my other alts... can't stand to watch more fun get sucked out of the class I love..
Salty Mar 16th 2008 8:43PM
Yeah, Blizzard really did modify the entire logging architecture including developing an object-oriented schema just to screw you out of your ability to trap in PvP.
This is a side effect of an incredibly useful and highly involved modification to the game engine - I'm sure there will be future considerations for this issue now that the testing community has discovered its existence.
Thank you for being yet another inflamatory and misinformed member of the sensationalist mob.
Gogey Mar 27th 2008 8:47PM
Even if you move, half the time you get the sliding kneel pose which is physically impossible.
JohnC Mar 15th 2008 6:39PM
i think jumping is supposed to help
and also /kneel is good to scare people
Perrins Mar 15th 2008 6:40PM
usually in the heat of battle when theres a rogue behind me or casters in fornt and i want to lay a trap i start jumping around and while in the air hit the trap button. its not completely stealthy but the majority of times it goes unnoticed.
rick gregory Mar 15th 2008 7:01PM
a NERF? Please.... First this will only matter to people who get addons developed to watch for this. Second... um, let's see you can hit me for a ton of damage, sic a pet on me too and trap me in a myriad of ways... And the fact that this is being added to the combat log is a serious concern?
I get that you want to conceal it and that it's an advantage, but crying about this much really does feel like QQ.
Orin Mar 15th 2008 7:10PM
There are two ways to sort of conceal the trap animation - one is to keep running while laying a trap, but all this does is make it look like youre sliding across the ground on your knee and doesnt really work unless your opponents have sucky latency. The other way is to bind "/kneel" to a button or macro, so that youre constantly kneeling (same animation as the laying trap animation), and throwing your opponents into a confusion over whether youre actually laying a trap or not.
Problem is, this new combat log change will basically TELL your opponent whether or you you've actually laid a trap, and what kind of trap it is, rendering the /kneel tactic worthless.
Earlier nerfs to traps gave it a delayed arming time, and increased its visibility so that those nearby will be able to see the trap. As you can imagine, what was once a strong PvP component of a hunter's repertoire is increasingly finding its way into the wastebin and off the action bars :(
Not fun for a class with a 50% or below representation across the board.
Muu Mar 15th 2008 7:20PM
QQ more, Hunters are imba, in fact, almost game-breakingly so.
csarcops Mar 16th 2008 2:10AM
? I must not be playing mine right...
Bambislayer Mar 17th 2008 8:05AM
if i remember correctly hunters are least represented class in Arenas so how is that imba?
Aichon Mar 15th 2008 7:48PM
I've never much cared for Hunters either, but when they have serious class issues, such as having to use those macros with FD + Trap back in the day, I was fully in support of them getting the ability to use traps while in combat. Things like that made sense, and I fully believe that they should have had that capability earlier.
That said, I don't see why this is such a big deal or unfair in any way, especially considering the removal of the dead zone. If the person is close enough, I think that it should definitely show up in the combat log. Inclusion in the combat log is not a guarantee that the person will be aware of the trap anyway. The animation is really the most obvious giveaway, and I know that plenty of Hunters were using various animation tricks to make the trap animation virtually disappear.
Besides, there are already workarounds for it. Some addons track the mana of your target if it's a Hunter, and if they see that the mana goes down by an amount equal to the cost of a trap, it'll alert you that a trap has been placed. Since the information can already be gathered in game, it only makes sense for Blizzard to either disable that means of acquiring the information, or else legitimize it.
I equate it to the fact that Blizzard now allows us all to see talent specs in-game (even for the opposing side) and the fact that we'll be able to see gear for opponents in-game as of 2.4. Since that can all be acquired via the Armory already, they just chose to legitimize it.
ringu0 Mar 15th 2008 7:54PM
> As you can imagine, what was once a strong PvP component
> of a hunter's repertoire is increasingly finding its way
> into the wastebin and off the action bars :(
Let's all dream about it for a second...
...
... done. Now, back to the real world. Of course everyone and their pets will continue to use traps whether it's made obvious by the record in the combat log or not.
Elroir Mar 15th 2008 8:39PM
I hope they change it, that kinda sucks, before you could see it at the animation, but that required a minimum skill...
SenRepus Mar 15th 2008 8:45PM
This is surely a nerf. You can argue that it will get buried in the combat log, but you know darn well that some disgruntled player will make a mod that says in big red letters that a freezing trap has been laid so that when they are chasing down a hunter in greens on their epic warlock they don't get away.
So, instead of regurgitating the same "QQ less"s you heard when your class got a nerf, why don't you go reroll or respec into one of the many classes/specs that can kill hunters?
BTW, the easiest way to hide a trap lay is to tap the left or right key as your kneel animation starts. It cancels it.