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Tab targeting.

delete5230delete5230 Member EpicPosts: 7,081
About tab targeting twitch and everything in between. 

My prospective: 
I've played at least 20 mmorpg's with every variations of combat.  I find likes and dislikes of all three.  It got to the point that none matter.  Each could range from suck > great depending on game. 

Vanilla WoW- tab 
Vanilla Dungeons & Dragons Online- both 
Darkfall Unholy Wars- twitch  

My scientific break down goes like this,

It depends on how your CHARACTER or your GROUP interacts with the FIGHTING ENVIRONMENT.  It doesn't have to be analyzed deeply but simply broken down to, is it strategic and fun ?

 

Again,  I've found all three equal. In Old School I LIKED all three styles in most every game.  In modern games I HATE all three, mainly because their two easy and nothing matters….This is what I find boring !

If I had to pick one since I find likes in all three, I would pick tab targeting.  Because of infinite amount of variables.

 

My best example (because it's fresh in my mind) would be Vanilla WoW.   Rogue, Warlock, Hunter and Holy Priest.  The sky's the limit on creative play and ideas I could come up with.  I could put the game down for a year.  Forget my situational rotations and make completely new ones next time around.

Recently this happened, I played a Holy Priest only up to level 15.  Pure healer built for groups.  Thing is I couldn't solo at all…. It got to the point I couldn't solo the easiest of mobs.  I had to STOP what I was doing and analyze my build and abilities because all I was doing was spaming mindlessly. I found I had huge amounts of crowed control at my fingertips.  Once I began utilizing my resorceses I totally exceled in killing.


This is why tab targeting is the best !!! 

Twitch, has a limit and eventually becomes boring, even if you play on the edge of your seat !..... Just because you have to pay attention for quick response and click the left mouse better, doesn't mean the player evolves deeper as you play longer.  Increasing my "stamina perk" to allow me to swing twice doesn't cut it for me if I plan on playing a game for two years.


What does this have to do With Pantheon ?.....Everything :)


Post edited by delete5230 on
Kiori001

Comments

  • JakobmillerJakobmiller Member RarePosts: 687
    For me, it's the opposite. After playing Darkfall Online and Unholy Wars for years, tab targeting is so dull. It's slow. It's easy. What Aventurine managed to do with Darkfall is rather unique for online gaming and I've been looking for something like it ever since. 
    delete5230SlyLoKJippiijoo
  • immodiumimmodium Member RarePosts: 2,610
    edited March 2019
    Your argument doesn't make sense. Tab vs Twitch is about how you target your enemy.

    How many skills open to you is irrelevant.

    IMO what lets both down in MMO's is PvE. The PvE leveling in all MMO's I've played since EQ is mindless.

    As @blueturtle13 says, it's virtual whack-a-mole.

    PvP however is a totally different kettle of fish.
    craftseekerMrMelGibsonKiori001

    image
  • delete5230delete5230 Member EpicPosts: 7,081
    immodium said:
    Your argument doesn't make sense. Tab vs Twitch is about how you target your enemy.

    How many skills open to you is irrelevant.

    IMO what lets both down in MMO's is PvE. The PvE leveling in all MMO's I've played since EQ is mindless.

    As @blueturtle13 says, it's virtual whack-a-mole.

    PvP however is a totally different kettle of fish.
    It's true, I'm over simplifying twitch by saying this:
    Three weeks in, your simply getting better at left clicking, tuck and roll.
  • KellerKeller Member UncommonPosts: 602
    Tab target puts everyone on a more equal level. You see the difference between casual vs regualr and old vs young in first person shooters.

    TERA had a system that worked for me. It had manual aim, but you could stick certain abilities to a target. Healing was fun to do and it had better dodging mechanics than GW2.
    immodiumMrMelGibsonKiori001
  • rounnerrounner Member UncommonPosts: 725
    Its not just tabbing an enemy target. EQ, VG and I assume Pantheon will have a party target and enemy target. The mechanics of having both and cycling for healing and buffing the party is whats important, I'm not sure many non EQ/VG players understand this.

    Wack a mole vs co-op chains vs red carpet vs hit box. Bunny hop vs circle strafe vs ride the zerg  vs stand next to the healer. I have played all types that I enjoy but pantheon suits its origins as its group centric with true trinity.
    Kiori001
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    edited March 2019
    Of course any direction can suck,that is no reason to eliminate any idea.

    Why i would always aim for ttab target is because in a mmorpg that is designed as it SHOULD be,catering mostly to the MMO/Group idea,you can do soo much more with every part of the design.

    When you have movement /action based,the combat ends up as strafing around and around and around,then the unrealistic back flips and somersaults spammed on stop to no end.I do not like chaotic combat,i like controlled and organized,action combat is NEITHER.How would you properly heal with targets moving around flipping and somersaults?The buffs,how would you properly buff different characters with everyone moving all around?

    Also because action combat would have you running all over,you would be attaining aggro from all over the place,so those type of games tend to make combat spammy/too easy,sort of like ARPG's type combat.

    So with action based,yoru group would be a FAKE group,within a structured/controlled group it favors tab targeting.

    The real OBVIOUS reason why action just ALWAYS sucks?Pretty simple,the game developer will not and cannot allow you to avoid all attacks,it would trivialize combat down to again an ARPG no brainer simpleton style.If ANYTHING be it rolls,somersaults,kiting,if any of it allows you to move faster and out of the way,then what is the point of combat?

    If you ever watched the UFC or MMA,the worst fights to watch are those where nobody engages,lots of running around.The whole purpose of a FIGHT or in gaming "COMBAT"is to ENGAGE.Creating the perfect balance in the formula's/combat structure is what separates a good developer from a pretender.I often wonder if people are so busy playing in automatic thinkign mode ...see yellow marker,must click,see dungeon finder...must click,that they don't pay attention to the combat design at all,they just hit the hotbar 1/2/3 3/2/1 over and over no thinking.




    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    True discussion of gaming takes way too much discussion,game design is not something people in a chat room can just sayin two lines,this sucks,this does not.\
    You would need a narrated video to fully explain what is going on and why some ideas just don't work well or not at all.
    THOUGHT<<very much the keyword in all of it,lot's of thought must be used to determine as many scenarios as possible,we used to call this testing but now a days it is just a gimmick to sell incomplete games for full price and not have to polish them or make sure the yeven work.

    There is literally no incentive anymore,developer's don't need to make AAA game because people are buying Single A crap.It is so bad right now,i seriously have no idea which developers could actually make a AAA game because nobody has to.
    Point is even when i say something,it is not fully and properly explained,game design is not as simple as 3+4=12,it takes a shit ton of thought and testing and veteran knowledge,having actually played several types of games and learning from each.


    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    I find issues with both systems so either is fine.
    Hatefull
  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,843
    Played WoW for years at very high level. I loved 28 keybinds and tab targeting. 

    I then played ESO  15 keybinds enclouding potions and such. Action combat, no auto attack and a BLOCK  button. It is easily the most engaging and thrilling system I have played.

    There’s no going back for me. I will accept nothing less.
  • KajidourdenKajidourden Member EpicPosts: 3,030
    bcbully said:
    Played WoW for years at very high level. I loved 28 keybinds and tab targeting. 

    I then played ESO  15 keybinds enclouding potions and such. Action combat, no auto attack and a BLOCK  button. It is easily the most engaging and thrilling system I have played.

    There’s no going back for me. I will accept nothing less.
    Same, although in the case of ESO there were other reasons I dropped it. 
  • AmatheAmathe Member LegendaryPosts: 7,630
    I have always liked tab targeting. But I have no objection to the inclusion of other controls as an alternative.
    Kiori001

    EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests

  • LokeroLokero Member RarePosts: 1,514
    They are equally flawed in MMOs, if we are being honest.  That's why a hybrid system is somewhat necessary.

    In a game such as EQ, tab-targetting was a nightmare if you had a ton of enemies around, and you usually ended up struggling to target what you wanted anyway.  Anyone who tried to play Enchanters or do any serious crowd-control knows what I'm talking about.  Enemies stacked on top of each other since EQ's enemies had no collision system with one another, so targetting was a nightmare, in general.

    In more twitchy, action combat it's just as bad oftentimes.  Sometimes you need to be able to strategically target specific enemies, etc. -- which is why we have hybrid systems.

    Most MMOs just aren't designed with reasonable target control systems.

    My number one thing is archery/ranged systems.  I cannot stand projectiles that lock on and follow a target like heat-seeking missiles.  There's nothing like watching an arrow make a U-turn on the screen.
    In other words, I much prefer a more twitch/manually-aimed style system for things like archery.

    Spells are a mixed bag, sometimes you need to be able to efficiently target a particular target with a spell, and this just isn't possible in large action battles with characters bouncing all over the screen.
  • delete5230delete5230 Member EpicPosts: 7,081
    Lokero said:
    They are equally flawed in MMOs, if we are being honest.  That's why a hybrid system is somewhat necessary.

    In a game such as EQ, tab-targetting was a nightmare if you had a ton of enemies around, and you usually ended up struggling to target what you wanted anyway.  Anyone who tried to play Enchanters or do any serious crowd-control knows what I'm talking about.  Enemies stacked on top of each other since EQ's enemies had no collision system with one another, so targetting was a nightmare, in general.

    In more twitchy, action combat it's just as bad oftentimes.  Sometimes you need to be able to strategically target specific enemies, etc. -- which is why we have hybrid systems.

    Most MMOs just aren't designed with reasonable target control systems.

    My number one thing is archery/ranged systems.  I cannot stand projectiles that lock on and follow a target like heat-seeking missiles.  There's nothing like watching an arrow make a U-turn on the screen.
    In other words, I much prefer a more twitch/manually-aimed style system for things like archery.

    Spells are a mixed bag, sometimes you need to be able to efficiently target a particular target with a spell, and this just isn't possible in large action battles with characters bouncing all over the screen.
    What your referring to is the aggro system and over all bad design of the game.

    I remember EQ2 was very lazy about this. You would eye up a mob, formulate a plan, but no matter you did the ENTIRE MOB would come storming at you.  Un-doable unless you had the number of players to overcome the strength of the mob.

    Yet Vanguard and WoW allowed you to selectively pull from the group.  Infact the player could self determine the mob placement distance and formulate a strategy.  

    Notice I haven't mentioned targeting at all ?.... Thats because it wasn't a targeting problem, but an overall game problem. 


    Speaking of lazy... All modern games have the simplest answer, MAKE EVERYTHING EASY !
  • svannsvann Member RarePosts: 2,230
    edited March 2019
    I dont mind aimed targetting so much, but when combined with bunny hop avoidance its bullshit.
  • LokeroLokero Member RarePosts: 1,514
    Lokero said:
    They are equally flawed in MMOs, if we are being honest.  That's why a hybrid system is somewhat necessary.

    In a game such as EQ, tab-targetting was a nightmare if you had a ton of enemies around, and you usually ended up struggling to target what you wanted anyway.  Anyone who tried to play Enchanters or do any serious crowd-control knows what I'm talking about.  Enemies stacked on top of each other since EQ's enemies had no collision system with one another, so targetting was a nightmare, in general.

    In more twitchy, action combat it's just as bad oftentimes.  Sometimes you need to be able to strategically target specific enemies, etc. -- which is why we have hybrid systems.

    Most MMOs just aren't designed with reasonable target control systems.

    My number one thing is archery/ranged systems.  I cannot stand projectiles that lock on and follow a target like heat-seeking missiles.  There's nothing like watching an arrow make a U-turn on the screen.
    In other words, I much prefer a more twitch/manually-aimed style system for things like archery.

    Spells are a mixed bag, sometimes you need to be able to efficiently target a particular target with a spell, and this just isn't possible in large action battles with characters bouncing all over the screen.
    What your referring to is the aggro system and over all bad design of the game.

    I remember EQ2 was very lazy about this. You would eye up a mob, formulate a plan, but no matter you did the ENTIRE MOB would come storming at you.  Un-doable unless you had the number of players to overcome the strength of the mob.

    Yet Vanguard and WoW allowed you to selectively pull from the group.  Infact the player could self determine the mob placement distance and formulate a strategy.  

    Notice I haven't mentioned targeting at all ?.... Thats because it wasn't a targeting problem, but an overall game problem. 


    Speaking of lazy... All modern games have the simplest answer, MAKE EVERYTHING EASY !
    I wasn't speaking about aggro systems at all, but since you mentioned it...

    Actually, no, I feel the opposite.  The aggro system in games like WoW was horrid compared to EQ.  EQ had a fantastic aggro system(bit buggy through walls, I'll grant you).

    The enemies in WoW had a bad habit of being tethered to one another.  I consider that bad game design.  Don't even get me started on those stupid rubber-banding systems they tie enemies down with.
    The enemy groups in WoW were rather predictable.  You usually knew exactly which enemies would come because they aggroed as a group.  Crowd control and pulling systems in WoW were so shallow in comparison.
    You are right about EQ2, though.  EQ2 was arguably worse than WoW in this regard.  Everything was tied together in EQ2, it seemed like.

    Enemies in EQ responded fairly realistically in those swarm situations, but you had plenty of skills to break them apart.  Having to learn how to play your class and use your skills to pull what you wanted, instead of everything around, made for some great strategic play.
    I realize you didn't get too far into EQ so you probably never really saw how amazing the aggro/pulling system could be.

    If you just run into the middle of 20 mobs and shoot an arrow at something, everything should come for you.  Why would they not scream for help from all nearby allies?  However, there were plenty of ways to trick enemies that made for some incredible strategy in pulling.
    Some of those strategies were so amazing you could actually cheese many big pulls -- too amazing.


    As an example, in a zone called Droga(a zone full of goblins), there was a room with the Chieftain that was just packed with enemies.  Several of those could be healers, to boot.

    Now, the way aggro worked on lower level mobs was peculiar.  They had a lower assist range when you were above their levels, so they would only assist him as he ran past them.
    I used to farm him for his loots on my Wizard, which would have been impossible if I had to face the whole room.
    But, there was a semi-safe hallway a ways back through the dungeon.  I would invis down to his room and levitate up high enough to see him from the top of his platform(needed line of sight to cast on enemies in EQ).  Cast a "root" spell on him, to aggro him but keep him in place, while I re-cast invis on myself.  Then, I'd run back to the safe hallway while his root broke and he'd start running there to meet me.
    However, since I was invisible, the other enemies wouldn't assist him when he ran past screaming for help, so he'd eventually make it to my safe space all alone.


    As you can see, there could be quite a lot of strategy involved in choosing and controlling your targets and pulls, which was amazing for challenging yourself, but since the game was pretty old and had limited AI, sometimes you could game the system a bit. 
    There were all kinds of pathing exploits in the game where enemies would get stuck and just pace back and forth unable to reach you. 

    So, the AI definitely had flaws, but overall the enemies simply responded sensibly.  If one of their own was running past chasing an enemy, they joined in, unless the players accounted for such things(which you could certainly do).

    TBH though, the way enemies would "train" was one of my favorite things about EQ's dungeons.  "Derailing" trains was an intense load of fun for many players.
    delete5230Amathecraftseeker
  • asteldiancaliskanasteldiancaliskan Member UncommonPosts: 58
    I prefer tab target, I don't have a strong hate for action combat but my experience of it (ESO, Terra) left me underwhelmed, combat felt simplified to enable it. At times it does have a fun feel, but overall the most it added was active dodge and block....which when you think about it could easily be in a tab target game - rolling out of an incoming attack or actively blocking an attack (as opposed to walking out of an aoe or pressing a button 'to block next attack). Meanwhile, actively spamming to do basic attack doesn't achieve more than auto attack does for me
    svann
  • goboygogoboygo Member RarePosts: 2,141
    For me, it's the opposite. After playing Darkfall Online and Unholy Wars for years, tab targeting is so dull. It's slow. It's easy. What Aventurine managed to do with Darkfall is rather unique for online gaming and I've been looking for something like it ever since. 
    Its fun to have to aim but so few people do it well enough to have it work in an MMO, the divide becomes too great between those who can effectively play the game and those that cant. There are far far more that cant, so you end up with a small player base that eventually cannibalizes on itself through these divides until death. Tab targeted games allow players to focus on their skills and rotation making your game far far more accessible which means more players which gives you more potential to run a successful game.
    delete5230
  • AdamantineAdamantine Member RarePosts: 5,093
    Good luck keeping an offensive and defensive target at the same time, without tab targetting, and only one mice.

    Not sure why this is even discussed in this subforum.


  • infiniti70infiniti70 Member UncommonPosts: 73
    Should be an option for both tab and LOS, as I think different circumstances and what a player is trying to do will call for both. Either way, without friendly fire it al becomes a boring mechanic. Targeting is simply what you are aiming at. As an archer for example, I can be locked on that target, but realistically I would need LOS to hit the target. Could always choose to switch targets (by tab, click, or other mechanic) but if target is blocked by a teammate, not sure how the arrow hit it.

    LOS targeting could just be picking a gap in the line, lob arrow,... to me it is not so important how the target was selected but the realism of hitting a target. This imo makes combat more action and strategic than just a group rotating skills.

    Imagine if a mob actually tried to take cover, players would need to slow down, move into better position, change to another target (causing aggro issues), Crowd control and tanking take on a whole new strategy. It engages everyone.
  • svannsvann Member RarePosts: 2,230
    Friendly fire doesnt really work so well if melee are included.  If you have 3 melee facing a mob they are likely to hit each other unless they poke it with spears.
    delete5230
  • delete5230delete5230 Member EpicPosts: 7,081
    svann said:
    Friendly fire doesnt really work so well if melee are included.  If you have 3 melee facing a mob they are likely to hit each other unless they poke it with spears.
    I'm dealing with this in Legends of Aria, great game but this part really sucks.

    Hardcore game    "Yes"
    Irritating feature  "Yes"
    Tip, don't use tab to cycle through targets.
  • AlbatroesAlbatroes Member LegendaryPosts: 7,671
    In PvE, twitch combat is poor and will always come down to efficiency over fun if you're doing it too long. Of course twitch combat will shine in pvp simply because you're dealing with variety of variables that require you to adapt and respond as quickly as possible.

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