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Targeting System? Just some thoughts.

I'm curious, has the possibility of a targeting system been discussed?  Akin to Dark Souls or Legend of Zelda? When I was messing around in the stress test, I found that the free form targeting looked... weird. If we were able to focus on a target to strafe around instead of free handing, It might be more aesthetically pleasing as well as a better action combat experience. This was a thought I had and so I wanted to see what other people thought. I've always found that games with targeting end up with a better combat experience then ones that don't. It might even mesh better with a hybrid action/tab-target combat system.

Comments

  • Support classes can only properly function in action combat if they are AoE casters, because keeping track of all allied players in a raid setting is near impossible otherwise. A hybrid system with a raid UI will be needed if direct cast support classes are to be a thing.
  • By the way, Guild Wars 2 has an action combat hybrid system. It allows for traditional point and click play or action cam play because of it. I hope this game can get as many targeting options.


  • I kind of want to disagree with this as the point of having our hybrid system is that if you want to have targeting, you can choose tab target skills. I think action skills should stay free aim and be balanced around the fact that they require aiming and are harder to use because of it. You allow players to get aim assist with the free aim skills then it can throw off the balance.
  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited September 2018
    I kind of want to disagree with this as the point of having our hybrid system is that if you want to have targeting, you can choose tab target skills. I think action skills should stay free aim and be balanced around the fact that they require aiming and are harder to use because of it. You allow players to get aim assist with the free aim skills then it can throw off the balance.
    There is one issue with such a system that could get annoying. Free aim prevents the use of a clickable user interface while active. Tooltips, party portrait targeting, and having a diverse amount of consumables within the game come to mind when it comes to MMORPG user interfaces. Switching between two modes sounds like it would be encumbering for specific classes.
  • Hartwell said:
    There is one issue with such a system that could get annoying. Free aim prevents the use of a clickable user interface while active. Tooltips, party portrait targeting, and having a diverse amount of consumables within the game come to mind when it comes to MMORPG user interfaces. Switching between two modes sounds like it would be encumbering for specific classes.
    Free aim does not prevent the use of a clickable ui. Look at League of Legends.

    I really hate having to switch between a reticle and normal ui in mmorpgs. Every time it's a little reminder that you're not inside that world. It's a break in the spell that I've never experienced in an mmorpgs that does not incorporate a reticle.
  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited September 2018
    Hartwell said:
    There is one issue with such a system that could get annoying. Free aim prevents the use of a clickable user interface while active. Tooltips, party portrait targeting, and having a diverse amount of consumables within the game come to mind when it comes to MMORPG user interfaces. Switching between two modes sounds like it would be encumbering for specific classes.
    I don't really know how this ties into aim assist and there is several ways they can go about solving this wither it's with hotkeys or clever targeting mechanics. A lot of us already hold down right click during play to turn which makes our courser go away and use different hotkeys for targeting. 

    If you don't want to play with free aim then cool, choose more tab target abilities. I thought the point of the hybrid system was to allow players who like free aim to play with free aim and those who want tab targeting to use that. Kind of silly to make a hybrid system but then also make free aim abilities function similar to tab target ones.
  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited September 2018
    Hartwell said:
    There is one issue with such a system that could get annoying. Free aim prevents the use of a clickable user interface while active. Tooltips, party portrait targeting, and having a diverse amount of consumables within the game come to mind when it comes to MMORPG user interfaces. Switching between two modes sounds like it would be encumbering for specific classes.
    I don't really know how this ties into aim assist and there is several ways they can go about solving this wither it's with hotkeys or clever targeting mechanics. A lot of us already hold down right click during play to turn which makes our courser go away and use different hotkeys for targeting. 

    If you don't want to play with free aim then cool, choose more tab target abilities. I thought the point of the hybrid system was to allow players who like free aim to play with free aim and those who want tab targeting to use that. Kind of silly to make a hybrid system but then also make free aim abilities function similar to tab target ones.
    In the game I'm currently playing, untargeting a player has advantages. Leap abilities can be used to run away rather than engage. Melee splash damage and cone of fire spells can be directed into the middle of groups rather than having a character auto face a target. You can attack where you might think a stealthed player might be. Tab targeting is disadvantageous in some areas. It really isn't that silly for such a system to exist.
    As long as I'm allowed to quickly switch between aiming mode to cursor mode by releasing the mouse key, I'll be fine. I'm more than used to both aiming spells and using a targeted cast. I'm not really worried about myself here. I just don't want to see a problem where a support player gets put in some odd situation where they aim a CC or healing spell too far because they were watching health meters.
  • Hartwell said:
    In the game I'm currently playing, untargeting a player has advantages. Leap abilities can be used to run away rather than engage. Melee splash damage and cone of fire spells can be directed into the middle of groups rather than having a character auto face a target. You can attack where you might think a stealthed player might be. Tab targeting is disadvantageous in some areas. It really isn't that silly for such a system to exist.
    As long as I'm allowed to quickly switch between aiming mode to cursor mode by releasing the mouse key, I'll be fine. I'm more than used to both aiming spells and using a targeted cast. I'm not really worried about myself here. I just don't want to see a problem where a support player gets put in some odd situation where they aim a CC or healing spell too far because they were watching health meters.
    Let me make sure you are away that in this game we have a hybrid system. You will be able to choose to have a mix of tab target skills and/or free aim skills. There is already a option for players who prefer to have aim assist to use tab targeting skills.

    Free aim skills will be balanced around the fact they require you to aim which can make them harder to land. Yes, an advantage of free aim skills is you can use it without a target and there are curtain skills, like the ones you mentioned, where that is almost enough of an advantage but it is most likely not the case for all free aim skills. My argument is adding aim assist to free aim skills can interrupt that balance because it makes them easier to land. On top of aim assist potentially interrupting the balance of free aim skills, players already have the option to choose tab target skills.

    I feel like your support example is kind of niche but if a support player's build really feels awkward maybe they should rework it, maybe exchange that free aim skill for a tab target one if that's the problem. Maybe if everyone finds this skill a problem, the devs could make it easier to use.
  • Hartwell said:
    I kind of want to disagree with this as the point of having our hybrid system is that if you want to have targeting, you can choose tab target skills. I think action skills should stay free aim and be balanced around the fact that they require aiming and are harder to use because of it. You allow players to get aim assist with the free aim skills then it can throw off the balance.
    There is one issue with such a system that could get annoying. Free aim prevents the use of a clickable user interface while active. Tooltips, party portrait targeting, and having a diverse amount of consumables within the game come to mind when it comes to MMORPG user interfaces. Switching between two modes sounds like it would be encumbering for specific classes.
    Much of which can also be done out of combat mode.
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