How would you improve the healer experience (UI, balance-wise, etc.)?

[Shurrikhan]

My few cents, in order of extremity:

1. Maximum camera distance for Controller increased to M&KB levels.
   
   
2. Ground-targeting AoEs will now ignore enemy selection hitboxes during placement, preventing their selection from being ignored or cancelled if/when a unit moves in front of your cursor. In short, you can now click through things that have no reason to be clickable at the time you'd be clicking (through) them.
   
   
3. "On release" targeting now available for ground AoEs.
   
   
4. Change to schematic or "trickle-down" targeting. A heal will use, say, your (1) party list mouseover target if available, else (2) your current target, then (3) your target of target, (4) previous (enemy) target, and finally (5) your focus target, skipping each step not available at the time of action/release, per the order you've set. You may also set toggle keys to adjust this order temporarily (e.g. Caps Lock to put Focus before Current or Previous before Target of Target, or to activate or deactivate the "will not nominally overheal by more than <50>%" restriction). Thus you can attack your tank's target or your last enemy target specified even while targeting the tank.
   
   
5. Allow players to change the behavior of modifier keys. Presently, if someone with a spell assigned to Shift-W is running forward (W) and hits Shift, movement will instantly cease and the spell will immediately start casting. I suggest players be allowed to reverse this, retaining the mod state attached to any normal key (e.g. continuing to run forward even while using Shift on other keys). If one wanted, then, to use the Shift-W spell, they'd have to release W for some infinitesimally small time and re-press it during Shift in order to actually activate Shift-W. This allows for far easier use of QWEASD, each of which would be highly convenient binds to double or even quadruple up upon via Shift, Ctrl, and Alt (or LB, LT, RB, RT), if not for how mod states currently function. This also allows use of any controller mod keys (RB, RT, LB, LT) + either or both analog sticks, if so desired.
   
   
6. Adjust casting. Rather than having a preset target, a target may be assigned or swapped at any time before release. Rather than each spell having a set mana cost at the end of cast, mana is drained continuously over the cast, to the same effect. Rather than having a fixed maximum cast time, one can continue to spend mana continuously to hold the spell at ready (for no additional effect) in case they precasted slightly too soon. By default, extended casting is done by holding down the spell key or by having no target on a spell which requires one (Gravity, not Succor, Cure III, not Medica, etc.), giving you time to select a (new, living) target without automatically cancelling your spell. (That part, especially, should be great for casters dealing with quickly-dying packs of mobs.) Spell interruptions or cancellations refund the mana that was spent thus far. Mana spent beyond the nominal maximum is not refunded; this is the only real penalty for precasting without perfect timing, thus buffing ease of precasting considerably and allowing casters the same level of immediacy as instant-attackers, even if at a small cost.
   
   
7. Spells can now be easily diverted to other schemas mid-cast via mod keys, even as an exception to the larger mod key direction (e.g. allowing keys not to be overriden by new mod states except to swap targets during an existing healing spell/attack spell/either). For instance, if you want to quickly swap a heal from your Target to your Focus Target, you can simply hit Alt or RT, etc, as per your customizations.
   
   
8. Spells will now highlight and "snap" -- to varying degrees -- between potential targets based on whether they are require a ground-target, enemy target, an allied target, or a party member target. Casting Cure II, for instance, without a target or with Soft-Targeting (Temporary Targeting) active will cause your cursor to "snap" between its potential targets. With Soft-Targeting active, as with Hard-Tasting the cast will be placed on your current target unless you specify a new one during the cast; the only difference is that selecting the temporary target does not actually change your Target. This should make it far easier to click on the target you actually want when working from combat's visuals themselves, rather than from a party or alliance list.