I just hope it doesn't turn into mad scanning of every nook and cranny...
Agreed. I don't want the Witcher Version of Assassins Creeds Eagle Vision (or Noob Vision how I call it (no offense))
I wonder if the discernible entities are visible outside of Geralt's 'sense'. So, for instance, the ground has visibly explicit grooves from a beast's walk.
That would at least give players an option to decipher the whereabouts of said monster without being spoon-fed by a red paintbrush.
I always liked what they did in AC3 with the hunting. In the "Eagle Vision" you saw the traces more exact, but you could also turn it off and find the traces. Then you could go there and press a button to analyze it.
I'd like it if bigger traces can be identified by yourself, while smaller traces you would go there, press a key and then Geralt would say something like "it looks like the footprint of a Necrophage" "those are not animal claws, that's for sure, they are more edgy and they cut deeper into that tree than any animal could. And yet, they are very thin" and then you would have to look it up and say "Yes, that's it. Thin Claws, footprints like a Necrophage when walking, that's species X Y"
Or something similar.
And if you just want to know the direction you could do it by following the tracks with your eyes or with the Witcher sense (easier), though you would have to be careful not to be let astray by other tracks in the area from other monsters.