Can We Change that...

[Umero]

Dear SE,

Can we change the way healing spells can be cast without a target to a target must be needed in order to cast a healing spell? Or, at least give us an option for that?

Because, it's frustrating to do a quick heal by typing F2 (for the 2nd player listed on the party list) and Lustrate for trying to heal the player while the player is standing out of range... we got no message about the player is out of range but instead, Lustrate is used on self. This really needs to work on.

[Espon]

Out of range targets should already give an error message instead of defaulting targeting to yourself. o_O

[Estellios]

Out of range targets should already give an error message instead of defaulting targeting to yourself. o_O

Same for me. If you are using a macro with multiple targeting conditions it is probably due to that.

[File2ish]

Are you using a macro to use lustrate (like /ac "Lustrate" <t> [line] /ac "Lustrate" <me>)? If you aren't, you should be getting an error message saying the target is out of range or that the move can't be used on the specified target (like if you tried to use it on an enemy). Otherwise it should only default to you if you have nothing targeted or an enemy targeted.

It could be that if you're using a mouse over healing macro it doesn't give you the message, but I'm not sure (I mainly play on PS3, my PC doesn't run the game well enough). Otherwise I'm really not sure why it would default to you.

[Kaisha]

I could go for out-of-range/untargetable(re: Gaol'd/Conflag/etc) members in your party list to show up with a grey name or something signifying you can't touch them.

[PArcher]

Out of range targets give an error message when you try to use a spell on them, even for <tt> macros.

If you have a <t>/<me> or <tt>/<me> macro...that's probably why you aren't getting an error; it just goes to the line that can be executed, which is a self-cast.

[Nyaanyaa]

The problem is not curing a target that's out of reach. The problem is hitting F2-F8 to select or trying to select a character with your mouse from your party list and then casting a cure or whatever.... only to find that player was out of reach, so you could not target them and end up casting on yourself or whoever you still have selected... which I agree is annoying. I like Kaisha's suggestion a lot.

[Husband]

Use mouseover <mo>
Get a Razer naga 12 button mouse
Left hand sits on W A S D for dodging etc.
Right hand hovers mouse over party list
Right thumb for casting everything and easy mode

Win

[Nyaanyaa]

Use mouseover <mo>

That's a workaround, not a solution, and a dirty one at that. Using <mo> will not allow you to use your mouse in other ways while selecting targets/casting spells, e.g. you couldn't use it to rotate your camera at the same time.

Get a Razer naga 12 button mouse
Left hand sits on W A S D for dodging etc.
Right hand hovers mouse over party list
Right thumb for casting everything and easy mode

I'm sorry, but that has nothing to do with anything in this thread.

[Pharazon]

The best way to do what the OP is wanting is to have each spell only have a <t> function. Basically macro'ing all your spells so that if they don't have a target they simply fail. That is how I have everything set up on my White Mage. So my Cure macro looks like this:

/micon Cure
/ac Cure <t>

To the more broad topic of out of range targets that has been brought up in the thread, I am probably in the minority but I feel that indicators whether they are visible only to the healer or not, or people being grayed out isn't needed. When you target someone they have a marker above them so you know where they are. You can set your spells to not default back to you using macros (this should probably be a global option in settings instead of having to macro) and part of the challenge of using spells like Cure III, Medica, and Medica II is positioning yourself to hit as many people as you can. Once the defaulting back to you issue is handled I think the way it works is fine.