Why all the White Knights?

[Ava]

So use the target nearest NPC key.
Sorry, I just don't have any issues with targeting.

Since you need it spelled out for you...

Targeting system is not fine, but I am so glad you don't have issues, because it's really a pain for us that do. I bought a controller when this game first came out, a really good controller actually. The brand new Logitech F710. It comes fully capable with macros and everything.

I played up until about a week ago with the controller, I chose to switch to kb/mouse because using the controller promoted lazy play. I found that switching to the keyboard to reply to chat was a hassle and because of this I tended to ignore chat altogether. I also found that as a healer, targeting specific individuals in clutch situations for a fast single target heal was borderline impossible. Knowing they were removing AOE heals, I decided to learn kb/mouse since heal -> click unit-frame is a much more efficient way to heal someone in a clutch situation. But after switching, I learned targeting for *everything else* is awful.

If I were a pugilist and just had to engage a mob, run up, and use abilities, that wouldn't be so bad. But when I need to target an enemy, throw my dots up, then switch to myself to heal, the problems become apparent. My first, and probably biggest problem is related to the action bar and how it functions in combat. It really screws up targeting. I have up/down mapped to two mouse buttons, and I have my heals on bar2, my debuffs on bar1. So let's say I engage with bar1 active, I double click my target and cast the appropriate debuffs. But I just took damage, so I need to swap to my heal bar, so I push *down*. What happens? My bar doesn't switch. It instead changes target to myself. So from here I need to first double click myself, THEN push *down*, then press my heal, then click myself again. That's a huge PITA for one heal, isn't it?

My second issue is related to the camera and how it's so restrictive in combat. And first let me say, no I don't use auto-target lock because the camera being locked makes this even worse. Let's say I engage multiple monsters during a leve (I had no choice, pack of 2). The two targets clump up but one of them is slightly behind it (the name of mob2 intersects the model of mob1). Well, with FFXIV's targetting system, you cal click either the body of the monster, OR the name. So in this situation where the name and body overlap, it becomes very difficult to select the proper target without the use of TAB. And when we use TAB, there is the issue of multiple idle monsters on the screen and having to cycle through unnecessary targets. In addition, if I have two monsters engaged, due to the restrictive camera, it's difficult to switch target at all with the mouse due to your character name consuming a large portion of screen estate. The issue of player name could be resolved by simply turning off the personal player's name.

Does the system work? Sure. Is it effective? It could be, probably easier for the DoW classes. But this is not a standard targeting system. Some things in games SHOULD be standard, this is one of them. I can get by the way things are, but I do hope that down the line SE fine tunes it so that the issues I have become resolved, I am sure others experience the same frustrations.

[SuzakuCMX]

The only problem I have is that Up/Down changes targets as well as action bars, but if you already lock on by engaging it only changes the action bar so I learned to do it that way.

IJKL changes the camera angle by the way, so not sure what kind of uncommon incident you get into where you can't switch the angle to be able to target what's behind something else.

EDIT: Oh and you can switch targets with the left/right arrows keys too if you don't have the action bar selected and active.

[Tigercub]

Since you need it spelled out for you...

Targeting system is not fine, but I am so glad you don't have issues, because it's really a pain for us that do. I bought a controller when this game first came out, a really good controller actually. The brand new Logitech F710. It comes fully capable with macros and everything.

I played up until about a week ago with the controller, I chose to switch to kb/mouse because using the controller promoted lazy play. I found that switching to the keyboard to reply to chat was a hassle and because of this I tended to ignore chat altogether. I also found that as a healer, targeting specific individuals in clutch situations for a fast single target heal was borderline impossible. Knowing they were removing AOE heals, I decided to learn kb/mouse since heal -> click unit-frame is a much more efficient way to heal someone in a clutch situation. But after switching, I learned targeting for *everything else* is awful.

If I were a pugilist and just had to engage a mob, run up, and use abilities, that wouldn't be so bad. But when I need to target an enemy, throw my dots up, then switch to myself to heal, the problems become apparent. My first, and probably biggest problem is related to the action bar and how it functions in combat. It really screws up targeting. I have up/down mapped to two mouse buttons, and I have my heals on bar2, my debuffs on bar1. So let's say I engage with bar1 active, I double click my target and cast the appropriate debuffs. But I just took damage, so I need to swap to my heal bar, so I push *down*. What happens? My bar doesn't switch. It instead changes target to myself. So from here I need to first double click myself, THEN push *down*, then press my heal, then click myself again. That's a huge PITA for one heal, isn't it?

My second issue is related to the camera and how it's so restrictive in combat. And first let me say, no I don't use auto-target lock because the camera being locked makes this even worse. Let's say I engage multiple monsters during a leve (I had no choice, pack of 2). The two targets clump up but one of them is slightly behind it (the name of mob2 intersects the model of mob1). Well, with FFXIV's targetting system, you cal click either the body of the monster, OR the name. So in this situation where the name and body overlap, it becomes very difficult to select the proper target without the use of TAB. And when we use TAB, there is the issue of multiple idle monsters on the screen and having to cycle through unnecessary targets. In addition, if I have two monsters engaged, due to the restrictive camera, it's difficult to switch target at all with the mouse due to your character name consuming a large portion of screen estate. The issue of player name could be resolved by simply turning off the personal player's name.

Does the system work? Sure. Is it effective? It could be, probably easier for the DoW classes. But this is not a standard targeting system. Some things in games SHOULD be standard, this is one of them. I can get by the way things are, but I do hope that down the line SE fine tunes it so that the issues I have become resolved, I am sure others experience the same frustrations.

We're getting away from the point. I was trying to explain that opposition to some of the complaints is not necessarily white knighting. Whether I agree with you or not is irrelevant, the point is I sure as hell didn't come to that conclusion because of blind fanboyism. Don't mistake someone who thinks you've lost perspective for someone who is white knighting. I simply think many of these issues are small (or even nonexistent) in contrast to the myriad other problems with the game.

Do I disagree with you about the control scheme? Yes, I have no problem doing anything with it, be it selecting the right mob/character, healing one character in a crowd, taunting extras, or whatever. Is it because I'm a white knight? Hell no. This game is crap, I'm not here to defend SE.
Perhaps targeting is not the best example since it's more about opinion. But people complaining about Archers getting "nerfed"? Yeah, I'm just going to /rolleyes, really. You could not pay me to care.