An Idea for Focus Target and Assist.

hello.

trying to think of an easier way for game-pad users to have access to Focus-Target and Assist without having to use macros. or change their keyboards input method.



hold down X button for at least 2 seconds to set Focus-Target. and then hold down Circle button for at least 2 seconds to cancel your Focus-Target.

there should be some kind of check implemented too. one that will prevent accidental selection or accidental selection canceling. like we won't want to cancel our selection while trying to cancel our Focus-Target. a tap = cancel target selection. a hold = cancel Focus-Target without canceling current selection of a target. same for X button, but the other way around.


and for Assist. a simple double tap of the X button would suffice. the press that is used to actually select your target could be included as a part of the double tap to use Assist. or maybe make it so if target is already selected, a single press of X button will Assist the target.

I still haven't figured out how to select my focus target with my gamepad.

you need a macro for that too.

to set your Focus Target is /focustarget. to remove the Focus Target just cancel your selected/highlighted target and use the macro again.

to select your Focus Target you can use either, /target focustarget or /target <f>.

the assist is /assist <t>, this targets the target of your target. and then of course /assist <f>.


it really is absurd gamepad users need to either use a macro or disable direct text input on the keyboard. using the keyboard would be, in my opinion, a compromise. i don't want to disable direct text input. i don't wish to execute commands through the keyboard when it is not my primary control device.

i could be putting useful potions in those slots used by macros for Focus Target and Assist.

and for the Assist idea. i would like to re-cap on that. it should be a user configurable setting. the setting would allow the user to configure if Assist should occur on a single press or a double tap.

like by default it would be a double tap though. i say this because some people just want to initiate their auto-attack after selecting a target. so for those people the double tap would be good. but for people who do not care about this. a single press would be quite acceptable.


example :

you highlight your target. press X to select. then press X one more time to execute Assist.

OR

you highlight your target. press X to select. then double tap X to execute Assist.



and the implementation won't eliminate the usefulness of the macro. as you will have to actually select your target to assist them. whereas the macro will work if your target is only highlighted.

You can get focus target by selecting the enemy and choosing the option focus target as well, rather than needing a macro, that's what I do. Sounds pretty similar to what you are asking for.

I don't remember what the default select to bring up the menu is though as I changed it to my start button.

You can change gamepad button configuration to make the R3 button work as /assist.

right. but then a macro will be needed for something else. the idea was to reduce the need for a macro. maybe Square Enix will do something different in the future. if not, then oh wells.

Suggestion: Hold L1 and press square to target the Focus Target. When Focus Target is currently selected, hold L1 and press square to select last target.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

Suggestion: Hold L1 and press square to target the Focus Target. When Focus Target is currently selected, hold L1 and press square to select last target.

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that would interfere with the binds used in Custom Filters. that filter would need to be disabled. i didn't come up with anything for selecting the target. because if any player needs to actually target their Focus Target, then they most likely already have it woven in to their regular macro's.

but there is still the L1+L3 button combo yet. though i don't know if Square Enix plans to do anything with it.

Uh... I just set a focus target by hitting square while targeting something then selecting it from the list. It's not hard at all.

If you want to use potions I'd just practice making an extra bar that you swap to manually. I have an all-purpose bar with potions/ethers on it as well as limit break/sprint/mounts that works fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Estellios

Uh... I just set a focus target by hitting square while targeting something then selecting it from the list. It's not hard at all.

If you want to use potions I'd just practice making an extra bar that you swap to manually. I have an all-purpose bar with potions/ethers on it as well as limit break/sprint/mounts that works fine.

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Ahh square is the default. Like I said but square.

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Originally Posted by BLaCKnBLu3B3RRY

that would interfere with the binds used in Custom Filters. that filter would need to be disabled. i didn't come up with anything for selecting the target. because if any player needs to actually target their Focus Target, then they most likely already have it woven in to their regular macro's.

but there is still the L1+L3 button combo yet. though i don't know if Square Enix plans to do anything with it.

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Oh yeah, forgot about that. Knew there was something.
Quite honestly, do we need these custom filters?

I used them often on keyboard but absolutely never on gamepad.
I mostly used up/down, L1+up/down, and get close to something and press X.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

Quite honestly, do we need these custom filters?

I used them often on keyboard but absolutely never on gamepad.
I mostly used up/down, L1+up/down, and get close to something and press X.

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I find those custom filters quite useful.

Up/down can target party members, but doesn't help if you want to heal other players not in your party.
L1+up/down can target mobs whom you've already engaged, but doesn't let you target new mobs you haven't attacked yet, as those ones won't be in your enemy list.
Getting close isn't convenient for ranged characters, and even when close it can still be hard to control which mob may get selected by just pressing X.

So I'm usually selecting targets with left/right, and it's helpful to be able to control what gets included in the cycle for those.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

Oh yeah, forgot about that. Knew there was something.
Quite honestly, do we need these custom filters?

I used them often on keyboard but absolutely never on gamepad.
I mostly used up/down, L1+up/down, and get close to something and press X.

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That's all I use is the custom filters, I like being able to only select enemies or only selecting allies etc.

But what I'm saying is, you already have a filter for enemies. L1 and R1 only selects enemies.
And quite honestly, I've almost never had to heal people outside of PT. Not even in Crystal Tower. And if I have to, L1+left and right select those people.

I can just think of so many better uses for L1+ face buttons!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

But what I'm saying is, you already have a filter for enemies. L1 and R1 only selects enemies.

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??? But those are for switching hotbars. How can you target with the same key that changes your hotbar?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

And quite honestly, I've almost never had to heal people outside of PT. Not even in Crystal Tower. And if I have to, L1+left and right select those people.

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Really? I come across people low on health pretty regularly. Most often in FATEs, but also just passing by them as I'm travelling around. Then again, I do actually travel around. I guess lots of people port everywhere, so maybe don't get chances to see other players as often (at least not where they'd be in combat and potentially in need of healing). But anyway, I didn't know about L1+left/right targeting other non-partied players.

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Originally Posted by Niwashi

??? But those are for switching hotbars. How can you target with the same key that changes your hotbar?

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If you press L1/R1 while holding L2/R2, the target cycles through enemies only.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Devante

If you press L1/R1 while holding L2/R2, the target cycles through enemies only.

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D pad is much easier. If you are fine with doing that. Why are you not capable of hitting square and selecting the option for focus target?

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Originally Posted by Eruantien

D pad is much easier. If you are fine with doing that. Why are you not capable of hitting square and selecting the option for focus target?

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you have to press Square and use Up on the d-pad. then press either Square or Cross again. and that is not even counting having to repeat the process to completely remove your focus target. that is too many pressed buttons for something that should be so simple. in the middle of combat when you have other things to worry about like positioning or hate it can be much easier to make mistakes. i have never played a MMORPG where you had to go through so much trouble to set a focus-target.

sure macros work, but they're an inconvenient work-a-round. a more direct approach would be suitable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BLaCKnBLu3B3RRY

you have to press Square and use Up on the d-pad. then press either Square or Cross again. and that is not even counting having to repeat the process to completely remove your focus target. that is too many pressed buttons for something that should be so simple. in the middle of combat when you have other things to worry about like positioning or hate it can be much easier to make mistakes. i have never played a MMORPG where you had to go through so much trouble to set a focus-target.

sure macros work, but they're an inconvenient work-a-round. a more direct approach would be suitable.

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3 key presses, same as what devante uses every time he changes enemies. So for example if you changed targets using lt/rt and l1 then hold l1 and hit square. That's more key presses than dpad, open menu up on dpad and then select. If you want it on less presses macros is best.

macros are great and everything. but we shouldn't have to rely on them. i have literally almost no free slots on the XHB. it would be wonderful put something more useful in those slots. and sure disable direct text input and just use the keyboard to set a focus-target. but that defeats the purpose of playing with a gamepad to start with. i've had to remove the 8 or so gearsets from a XHB to fit macros and other important stuff. which means now i have to browse a list of like 20 or so gearsets every time i want to change. either way, a macro is a workaround.

right, that idea would be the same key presses. sometimes it would actually be one less button pressed. but like previously said L1 + Square would interfere with an already existing button combo. though still more convenient.


anyhow, i didn't come here to complain. i just thought it would be nice to have control functionality that we should already have. if Square Enix doesn't want to make focus-target more user-friendly for gamepad users... then so be it.