Targetting System Improvements

[Tolero]

Discuss the upcoming Module 9 feature: Targetting System Improvements!

Here are the details, as mentioned in Kate Paiz's Letter To Players:

...we have updated the targeting system to help out newer players or those who are annoyed by the need to hit tab so often to keep monsters in their focus. When you are close to an object, like a monster, NPC, door, or lever, it will automatically show up in your focus orb as your soft target. In game, your soft target is marked with a light ring, its floating name, and a floating hit points bar, for monsters. As you walk around a space, your soft target changes as you get closer and farther from things. You can make any of the soft targets into a hard target by pressing the tab key or clicking on it, and you can use your old targeting reflexes anytime to achieve exactly the same results as before. If you don’t like the new targeting system, you can toggle it off and on anytime by pressing the G key. We’re very excited to see what you think about it, and look forward to your feedback when it comes out!

[Gum]

I like this. Seems like it will let you engage with the enemy even faster. Initiative! haha

[Elaril]

The space where my tab key used to be approves of this, kind of. And I like the ability to toggle it on and off.

[The_Phenx]

Very neat... I like the implications of a floating hit point bar...

No more tabbing thru orthons in VOD to find the one thats almost dead again... after he ported..

Thumbs UPPPP!

[Jefro]

Well I wondering how the wand changes will be effected by this. I know some wands, like icewand in abbot would not fire if you have abbot in focus window

[Borror0]

Sounds pretty cool. Depending on how it works, I may be able to reassign my tab key now.

[Nemonon]

I kinda like this idea. It will allow you to always have a mob in focus if i'm reading it right. However the wording of "soft target" confuses me.

Does that mean you have to lock on to the soft target by hitting the tab key before it becomes an attackable target? Or can you attack soft targets?

Again the use of the new terms with no current deffinition in game reduces the ability to provide constuctive feedback.

Please take the time and clerify on Monday when you guys are back in office. Since i know Tolero most likely posted these from home on her own time. = ) Good work on the new mod guys. I do like what i'm seeing. I do however think a longer spell list would be nice and also maybe doing something about our Bards not being able to cast mass heal as well as some of the other problems the community has offered up.

-Nemo

[Ollathir]

Very nice. If I'm understanding this correctly, frees up a key for mapping, better understanding of which target you are engaged with. Very nice.

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

so if you have autoattack on then you will autoattack your soft target? That is a good thing - e.g. for wraiths that zone in and out, just turn on autoattack and I assume they will be automatically soft targetted and attacked when they phase in.

However, I worry about aiming for spells e.g. aiming past a set of mobs to target a firewall. If I have a hard target on a distant mob and then another mob runs into my soft target range will I automatically soft target the closer mob and re-target my spell? Or does a soft target never override a hard target? If so - I assume making anything a hard target will override any soft target selections - can you even have a soft target when you have a hard target selected?

Garth

[Thoon]

so if you have autoattack on then you will autoattack your soft target? That is a good thing - e.g. for wraiths that zone in and out, just turn on autoattack and I assume they will be automatically soft targetted and attacked when they phase in.

However, I worry about aiming for spells e.g. aiming past a set of mobs to target a firewall. If I have a hard target on a distant mob and then another mob runs into my soft target range will I automatically soft target the closer mob and re-target my spell? Or does a soft target never override a hard target? If so - I assume making anything a hard target will override any soft target selections - can you even have a soft target when you have a hard target selected?

Garth

If you have something 'hard targeted', meaning you have manually selected it either using a double click or tab targeting, that target will not change until you either a) kill it; b) manually select another target; or c) hit escape to clear your targets all together.

'Soft targeting', when turned on, will automagically select the closest target. I had a lot of reservations with this feature when it was first introduced into testing. But after working with it for a while I find it can be very handy for those that use auto-attack often and those that do a lot of attacking from distance -- wasted 'many shots' and "I was going to fireball that mob but the melee killed it and my fireball went into the sky!" is not something you'll be worrying about any more.

There is a way to turn it off for those that do not want to use auto targeting, but I suggest people give it a try before doing so.

[Borror0]

If you have something 'hard targeted', meaning you have manually selected it either using a double click or tab targeting, that target will not change until you either a) kill it; b) manually select another target; or c) hit escape to clear your targets all together.

'Soft targeting', when turned on, will automagically select the closest target.

Wow. That is too clever.

[The_Phenx]

Sounds fantastic so far.... I like...

[Lifespawn]

If you have something 'hard targeted', meaning you have manually selected it either using a double click or tab targeting, that target will not change until you either a) kill it; b) manually select another target; or c) hit escape to clear your targets all together.

'Soft targeting', when turned on, will automagically select the closest target. I had a lot of reservations with this feature when it was first introduced into testing. But after working with it for a while I find it can be very handy for those that use auto-attack often and those that do a lot of attacking from distance -- wasted 'many shots' and "I was going to fireball that mob but the melee killed it and my fireball went into the sky!" is not something you'll be worrying about any more.

There is a way to turn it off for those that do not want to use auto targeting, but I suggest people give it a try before doing so.

the only problem i see with it is if i want to cast some spell like a firewall say behind the closest mob so that it hits stationary archers or something and then i can run the mobs through it.

Or strategically place a ball lightning so that it hits 3-4 mobs instead of my closest target.

I know i can turn it off i just hope you can set it for each char and not just the account because it's great for my repeater user but as i described would suck for my caster i don't target cast too much except things like fod.

[Nyvn]

'Soft targeting', when turned on, will automagically select the closest target.

How does this work with healing spells? Exactly the way it is now, where the if your target dies you get healed?

[ThrasherGT]

How does this work with healing spells? Exactly the way it is now, where the if your target dies you get healed?

Pretty sure this is only for enemies, not party members............

[Borror0]

Pretty sure this is only for enemies, not party members............

I think it's for whatever you happen to target at the moment.

[ThrasherGT]

I think it's for whatever you happen to target at the moment.

I was talking about the "soft" aspect. As far as I can tell, if Your focus is on a party member who dies, that would break Your "hard" Target focus and then find the nearest enemy, not another party member.

I could be wrong, but that's how I read it..........

[Thoon]

I was talking about the "soft" aspect. As far as I can tell, if Your focus is on a party member who dies, that would break Your "hard" Target focus and then find the nearest enemy, not another party member.

I could be wrong, but that's how I read it..........

This is correct. If you have a player hard targeted and they die, your target will not move to the next player, but the next soft target (which won't be a player). So you will still heal yourself, just as you do today. Better than healing the monster! Unless of course the monster is undead

[Tanka]

This is correct. If you have a player hard targeted and they die, your target will not move to the next player, but the next soft target (which won't be a player). So you will still heal yourself, just as you do today. Better than healing the monster! Unless of course the monster is undead

On a similar note, is there a way to give us a togglable option to disallow the use of LoH on undead? I've lost many of my LoH to undead when I've meant it for myself.

[ahpook]

On a similar note, is there a way to give us a togglable option to disallow the use of LoH on undead? I've lost many of my LoH to undead when I've meant it for myself.

This should go for heals and cures as well. Perhaps those spells/feats have two icons you can put on your toolbar, one to affect self/allies and one to affect foes. Then you have full control over what you are intending that is not dependent on the target item. Because you can also get in the situation where you want to damage an undead and then something else kills them and you heal yourself pointlessly (albeit a rare situation).