Targeting system: it won't confuse you until you read this.

[Gorgeras]

After some experimenting I've worked out a basic thesis for how targetting works in WAR.

It runs on a 'dual-targeting' system where you can have two targets at once: one enemy target and one ally target which includes yourself. Ally is considered the priority 'secondary target' and when your ally chooses an enemy target while you have them targeted, the ally becomes the secondary and the enemy they targeted becomes the primary. Think of this as an 'auto-assist'.

When you target an enemy, their targeted enemy becomes your secondary target. If they have targeted you, you are your secondary target. If they target one of your allies, that ally becomes your secondary target.

Further tests are still needed to determine this, but if you target an ally and then target an enemy, you will keep your current ally target and not switch your ally-target to whoever your targeted enemy is targeting.

*Head explodes*

[Revoran]

I understood that, but I can see how people might find it confusing. More importantly, is this a good thing?

[SaintyBoyo]

I understood that, but I can see how people might find it confusing. More importantly, is this a good thing?
As a shaman who can dps and heal at same time then yes very much usefull

Great to target tanks then pop the spell that drains life from target and gives it to you secondary target - in this case the tank :d

you can cast a bunch of heals and without retargetting, hit a dps spell on his target

[Bakebehe]

Doesn't mean much really, just nice to have. Anyone seriously cooperating enough to watch for that assist target to come up from their assist is already with other people on vent.

[Gutgob]

Well, you do have a player guide in your gamedir (WAR_Player_Guide.pdf)

But I will shamelessly quote it:
Dual Targeting
The first pass at dual targeting is
here! As the name implies, this
system allows you to have two
different targets at once: one Offensive target, and one
Defensive target. The system is fairly seamless and easy to
use. Clicking an enemy will set it as your offensive target,
while clicking an ally will set it as your defensive target. Any hostile abilities that you
use will be aimed at your offensive target, and any beneficial abilities that you use will be
aimed at your defensive target (or at yourself if you did not have a defensive target). At
the moment, your offensive target will appear to the right of your character portrait, while
your defensive target will appear just below the Offensive Target.

[Stromm85]

as a healer i really like this system but it also has one flaw; sometimes when im in a PQ and get low on health i accidently heal someone else instead of myself, i have died many times due to this. It should be able to prioritize yourself if you have lower health than your defensive target.

[Gooey_Kablooey]

I think what he is saying is that if you have no target (ESC cleared target) and you click on an ally their target is your secondary target. We'll call him your new offensive target making it an automatic /assist key for your offensive (damaging) spells or attacks.

That's the main gist of it anyway.

This could be useful in many ways:

MDPS and RDPS can use this for the MAin Assist strategy and help when others need it easy switch off and on.
Healers have an easier time building up healing magic by doing damage to the person attacking you or the one you are attacking.


Now is this from only people in group, and not out of group or for all?

I noticed at times on my toons that are healers my offensive target would change some times after picking defensive targets to heal.

[Creepir]

but that's not how it works, If you have no target and target an ally, you just target that ally, it doesn't put their target in your other window. The two selections act independantly of eachother you have to physically select both targets it will not automatically add/change targets for you UNLESS you have no target and an enemy attacks you then it will put them into your offensive target spot.

On one hand it would be nice, because you can pick out enemies and it would show you their target but on the otherhand I wouldn't want to target some other ally when I target an enemie all the time. Sometimes I want to heal other people or myself and vice versa, just because I healed someone doesn't mean I want to change my offensive target though it would be good for assisting I see this as a detriment to healers and would never hope it goes live.

[Gooey_Kablooey]

I would see it as a plus. Because it would allow you to start gunning down the opposing person on the person you're trying to heal. Or at least be able to use debuff.

Where it wouldn't work is if your defensive target (person you're trying to heal) is targetted on someone else. Or if the person is rooted in which case it would just release them. ;)

I haven't checked it out yet, but certainly will soon enough.

As the original poster stated, I don't think it will change your offensive target if you already have one.

I know I had some targetting funkiness 2 nights ago, and I am not sure if this was it or not. We'll see when I get home to test.

[Gorgeras]

OB ends tomorrow so I probably won't have time to test. But I have a CE headstart key so can start over again on sunday if it doesn't get completely GOAed.

[Hagger]

I haven't noticed the secondary target changing automatically before, maybe its because I have one picked half the time. But the only auto targetting stuff as far as assisting goes seems to just be when you get attacked by someone with no target, they come up as your offensive target. You can also type /assist to assist your defensive target, but I can't seem to get this to work in a macro. Although I do wonder if you can assist your offensive target as well, since that would help a lot for healing.

[Crazy Eddie]

as a healer i really like this system but it also has one flaw; sometimes when im in a PQ and get low on health i accidently heal someone else instead of myself, i have died many times due to this. It should be able to prioritize yourself if you have lower health than your defensive target.

No thanks, that doesn't work for me. If I am low on health and away from danger I don't want it to default and heal me when I have someone else on target. The solution is simple, F1(or whatever hotkey is easy for you) will target self. Come up with an easy button to use to target self, if you need to heal yourself hit that first quick and u know you are on yourself if you have any worry. I did what you are talking about a few times when I was first starting to heal, and realize this was an easy solution and no longer an issue.

[SpeedyG]

Didn't know this before, as I couldn't get into OB, so nice! Seems great for damage/healing hybrids that want to multitask a bit without having to wear - down the TAB key.

[Tristik_CA]

...Although I do wonder if you can assist your offensive target as well, since that would help a lot for healing.

~~
Just an FYI: Apparently, there is no code in the game to assist a hostile enemy target. Heard it many times on the modder boards as a lot of people want it. The modders say it's not even an option to be modded. It's an ability that just flat out doens't exist in WAR.
~~