I found out that targeting controls are quite limited or if not simplistic.
It’s a simple request.
Add a feature (extra binding option) that targets:
Nearest Enemy
Next Enemy
Hostile Enemy (the enemy that is shooting at you)
Why? You might or might not ask.
Simple. In certain situations like a dogfight that is all so common we need to be able to keep track of enemies out side or screen. You might never have thought of this since many space simulators have these kind of features for the simple fact that you’ll get shot to peices if you don’t realise that you stumbled onto a nest of enemies.
This also brings me to something a little out side the topic.
It’d be useful to split the targeting timing into:
Target selection
Target lock
Missile lock
Target selection is immediate. It shows name of the target and range.
Target lock takes some time and is 360 degree lock (it doesn’t have to be on screen). Target lock can only when target selection is made. It shows additional information, that is, ship type, target lead, hull, shield, live feed of target (camera).
Missile lock takes time to lock depending on the missile and other factors. It can only lock if target is ON SCREEN or ON CURSOR (that is your turret crosshair). It primarily depends on the missile (if they ever want to make the game abit more complex).
Why do I add this? Well because it makes the game more fun and gives us the feel of more detail or at least some deeper game mechanics. This is only the case if they create variance in target settings like some ships can Target lock at a greater distance than some other ships due to the type of ship or equipment they’re holding.
Next target, nearest one, etc… are somewhat necessary I feel.
But I’d love to see a better radar, to be honest. By better, I don’t mean this one sucks, but we should be able to set the distance, you know? You think there’s none there, then you look closely, and there are enemies, but radar range is very short…
About splitting the targetting; it already works like that (xcept missiles). What I mean is, you see names and distance when you look at them. When you lock, you get target lead and camera feed. You want to be able to split locking into two parts? Soft-lock and hard-lock, lets say, you want to swap between targets by key pushes (even if you don’t see them), and use another button to hard-lock on it?
Missiles; I think some sort of “freespace-like” approach could be better, but then again, there is a button to get rid of missiles. And it is a module; people run out of missiles, but you don’t run out of flares. If you add missile lock feature, I believe it’ll make missiles less useful than they are right now.
One more thing, when i press <target any ship> (which will hopefuly be changed to < target nearest ship >), i would like to see the range to that ship, preferably below the monitor which focuses the selected target on the top left
I’ve been missing some of these features as well. Especially getting info on distance and ship type of current target before it is fully locked without having to point the cursor on the target.
It would also be good to have ‘R’ target the enemy nearest to your cursor position to more easily target very fast moving ships that you are leading with your guns.
All it takes is remapping your R and T keys to be Target enemy in your crosshairs and Target who’s targeting me respectively. It makes things much easier.