Targeting options. Please add it!

[Kio]

I'm quoting myself from a different thread regarding what I'd like to see for gamepad use, since it's relevant here.

I don't typically play computer games, so I'm most at home using a gamepad to play. If it weren't for the viable option in XI and XIV I most likely would have never tried them.
However, XIV sorta lacks any sensible scheme and whilst I'm sure this is something that will be improved upon in 2.0, it doesn't hurt to offer a suggestion I suppose.

My largest problem with gamepad only use in this current scheme is that it basically forces you to scroll through everything that's in camera view. The division options between enemy only or player only is too limiting. For instance, I can't target only enemies and also cure myself. There are probably ways around this but I'm finding it to be convoluted and requiring me to cycle too much through extra menus. In order to target correctly sometimes I either have to sit and scroll many times over or drop the controller and dive for the mouse. Is there an easier way in place already? Maybe, but I'm not aware of it and welcome others to enlighten me.

In the meantime, my ideal controller set up would be a scheme such as this:

Pressing left ← or right → on the dpad would cycle through only players with priority on party members first. So that once it cycled through your party list, the next targets will be the next closest pc's in your range of view.

Pressing up ↑ or down ↓ on the dpad would cycle through enemies and npc's only. With priority on the closest enemy incurring the most enmity.

Depressing the dpad itself would focus the cursor on your own character (which it already does).

Thanks for reading through my frustrated rantings

[ChiefCurrahee]

We had what you have posted at the beginning of the game. It wasn't good at all.

I've been playing since alpha, I don't recall having this type of targeting available. However if we did, please make it an option to turn back on because I HATE HATE HATE targeting multiple mobs before I'm able to target one that closest or next closest to me.

[ChiefCurrahee]

In the meantime, my ideal controller set up would be a scheme such as this:

Pressing left ← or right → on the dpad would cycle through only players with priority on party members first. So that once it cycled through your party list, the next targets will be the next closest pc's in your range of view.

Pressing up ↑ or down ↓ on the dpad would cycle through enemies and npc's only. With priority on the closest enemy incurring the most enmity.

You can get something close to this:

use /targetmode a
set your target filter to Enemy

this allows you to use up and down to target PT members and left and right cycle through enemy targets.

however you'll still have to deal with sometimes targeting something thats far away before you target something thats close.

[Griss]

I have been using mode b since it was implemented.

The two gripes i have are the following

1) Nearest enemy targeting is based on character position and not the cameras. (though this is a global problem)

I can't count the amount of times that i have hit r (the button i have nearest enemy set to) and targeted myself.

2) The thing that catches me up most times is that the change target filter buttons are the same as the buttons to change your active hot bar. when you have the hot bar set to always display like i do accidentally switching away from the enemy only setting to party or friendly happens way to often.

The target falls just a little bit sooner then you were expecting and at the same moment you go to switch between hotbars. Seems you're not locked onto a target any more the up and down keys revert to switch filter mode. then you stand there like a gimboid for a couple micro seconds wondering why the hell your not attacking. And then you feel like a moron of the highest order.

[Maea]

Which button does it, because i AM playing with a gamepad, and no button seems to have any effect on it.

The buttons for changing target filters were hidden in the patch notes for 1.17a and for some reason never added to all the tutorial information on the Lodestone or explained anywhere in-game. To change filters, hold down the button you've assigned to auto-run and then press one of the following depending on which filter you want:

All: Emote List/Stack Battle Commands button
Friendly: Main Menu button
Party: Cancel button
Enemy: Select/Confirm button

It took me a while to find this information when I was having major targeting issues, so I feel your pain

I've found that using Target Mode A with the Enemy filter on really helps me target things more easily when I'm in a party, since I have easy access to both enemy-exclusive targeting and party member targeting. However, when I have my filter set to All, it's an entirely different story. It drives me crazy when I'm in town trying to target an NPC right in front of my character's face, with no other characters in my line of vision, and when I press enter/confirm it will target some random PC standing off to the side instead. Trying to select my Lalafell retainer in the Market Wards is a bit of a nightmare, and I've found that for some asinine reason trying to tab through targets will entirely skip her when I'm going one direction (i.e. left to right) but will randomly decide to target her when I go about it the opposite way (right to left).

Targeting priorities are totally screwed up right now, and the addition of targeting modes and filters is only masking the underlying problem in party situations. Even then I'll still run into times where I select an enemy far out of range instead of the one right next to me, and with how fast party battles can be this can sometimes result in me not even engaging until the party target is practically dead.

Targeting in FFXI was by no means perfect, but if they had copied its priorities and added the modes and filters on top, I would personally be a very happy camper. As is, targeting has become a constant source of frustration when it should be something players don't even have to think about.

[Corrderio]

Totally support the OP's idea.

[ApplePie]

You can get something close to this:

use /targetmode a
set your target filter to Enemy

this allows you to use up and down to target PT members and left and right cycle through enemy targets.

however you'll still have to deal with sometimes targeting something thats far away before you target something thats close.

We did; it would go left/right from closest to farthest left/right, but it sucked because if you moved a little from the left or right, it would restart you at the beginning or become buggy. Everyone complained about it and they changed it. That always happens with that type of targeting. The targeting solutions they have now work perfectly. If you want to target enemies only, you turn on to target A and change with controller or use target B and use the up/down arrow keys. And, if you are fighting enemies while "enemies" is on, it will focus on what you have claimed over non-claimed monsters.

I don't see why we should go back to what we had at launch, which everyone hated. You should just research the current targeting system a little better.

[ChiefCurrahee]

We did; it would go left/right from closest to farthest left/right, but it sucked because if you moved a little from the left or right, it would restart you at the beginning or become buggy. Everyone complained about it and they changed it. That always happens with that type of targeting. The targeting solutions they have now work perfectly. If you want to target enemies only, you turn on to target A and change with controller or use target B and use the up/down arrow keys. And, if you are fighting enemies while "enemies" is on, it will focus on what you have claimed over non-claimed monsters.

I don't see why we should go back to what we had at launch, which everyone hated. You should just research the current targeting system a little better.

1) you quoted the wrong post.

2) I'm asking for an option to be put in to set targeting priority from closest to farthest from left/right or right/left. Not forcing everyone to use this.

3) If you set your system to "/battletargetmode on" you only target enemies you currently have enmity on. So if something pops good luck trying to target it.

4) I've been playing this game since alpha 1. I've explored the targeting system inside and out.


Just to give another example today while in Natalan SH (sp?) we were camping the Sent Belt chest, you know how many times I targeted mobs well outside the chest room? Hundreds! I would press left or right and instead of targeting 3-4 mobs that were in close proximity to my character I would land on the mob that was on the border of my vision furthest away on the other side of the fence.

Something is wrong with targeting priorities!

[ApplePie]

Do you use enemy only targeting? I never have this issue. Depending on your targeting mode, it puts priority on how you target. I never have an issue of targeting something extremely far from me. It always targets what is nearest to me. I just don't see your issue in the game. We had what you wanted at first, like I said, and it wasn't any better than what we currently had.

I don't mind if you played since Alpha.

[Kio]

How are you supposed to change the target focus (enemy, friendly, all) via a gamepad only? I can't seem to figure this out. Do you have to map a button? None of the native ones do anything.

Also, on that same note, how are you supposed to access the chocobo call, food pack etc buttons on a gamepad only?