Quote Originally Posted by darkstarpoet1 View Post
1. unlock the item you have targeted.
2. select the new target.
3. select your spell.
4. hit enter.
5. target the original mob.
Kinda seems like you're adding steps based on assumption to make it sound more complicated. Target lock is a stupid feature when you're fighting numerous enemies, so there's 1 step gone. In a good PC UI, it would go:

1. Click enemy
2. Hit spell to cast
3. Click new enemy and/or choose new spell

So that's 4 steps tops, 3 if you're not constantly switching enemies.

Sorry, it's less complicated for sure, which is why you don't see a FFXIV-style system in other games. FFXI is the only other game to use a similarly archaic controller-based system, and it's 9 years old.

as a mage in this game there is no dedicated healer. mages in this game in battle heal and buff party members, but they also use dot's or damage over time spells on the mob you are fighting as well as debuffs on the mob. if that mob is not targeted you do not see what is on the mob so you don't know what you need to cast on it. you target the mob you are fighting to see what spells are still "stuck" on the mob and what has come off and you need to recast.
That's one very specific situation, and it's probably not even going to be true for very long with the introduction of white mage for party play.