What's *your* technique for targeting players?

docsc00ter

I've kind of been a big Bastion of Health user... not because I enjoy the delay on casting while the hurting player dodges about... ...but because I've just never felt snappy at targeting players with Healing Word. (That being said, I've been pretty successful running just about everything in the game and keeping parties alive. So maybe I should stick with what works, eh?)

What's *your* technique?

Is there a way to set up keybinds that would allow quick targeting of players in the party? (It'd be great to hit, say, F1 and target the first player in the list, F2 for the second, and so on.)

Any other UI tweaks to make it easier to pick out that one tiny bleeding Halfling amidst a sea of giant boss adds?

S

lazuree

I usually just move my mouse left and right until the person i want to heal is in front, this will target them. There are always mishaps when they dodge out of the heal or someone moves in front of them, but this can be minimized with fast reaction time. DCs have to be able to heal at the the drop of a hat, so always be watch hp bars and look around to see if one of them is going to take a critical hit.

ryu750

IT would be so simple if they just made that we can mouse over the picture and press the appropriate button. This would make healing word so much more appealing.

fondlez

ryu750 wrote: »

IT would be so simple if they just made that we can mouse over the picture and press the appropriate button. This would make healing word so much more appealing.

Wouldn't be an action combat game then...

There are plenty of interface-based, traditional MMORPGs out there, take your pick.

ryu750

fondlez wrote: »

Wouldn't be an action combat game then...

There are plenty of interface-based, traditional MMORPGs out there, take your pick.

I would still be an action based combat system. Lets just face it, in heat of things its impossible to use some spells!

it would be cool for certain spells to use that mechanism.

kolbe11

I really wish they would add in a "right-click", "Avatar-Name", "Heal" option for Healing Word etc... Would make life-giving so much easier.

vorphied

I think someone at some point devised a trick to keybind party members as targets when using specific powers, but I never got around to trying it.

Some other ideas:

- Try binding your target lock key to the middle mouse button. It won't help you select a target out of a mess, but it can occasionally help you maintain a target if you think to lock it down in advance.

- Swap out your powers if the situation calls for it. Party is in close quarters or otherwise hugging each other for dear life in the middle of a huge mess, and they're all taking damage at about the same frequency? Bastion. Party members are a little easier to target and are spreading out too frequently to make Bastion efficient? Healing Word.

tyrtallow

I would still be an action based combat system. Lets just face it, in heat of things its impossible to use some spells!

I agree with fondlez, the fact that using/aiming certain powers requires skill is what makes it an action game. In any case people should know better than to tamper with the rules regarding line of sight/blocking. Consider that attack powers far outnumber healing powers in this game - if we go Wow-style then all those attack powers would also no longer require you to aim your reticle at other players. O what a joy that would be.

To deal with having to aim HW on my faithful cleric I simply play proactively, using HW/divine HW in advance and spamming it in combat. For emergencies I try to keep at least 1 HW charge but most times I simply drop my daily or use Soothing Light. The main thing is that HW is not my main heal and imo it should not be treated as one. HW mainly complements my healing/mitigation and helps my faithful cleric (who is practically full support) generate AP quickly - for mainly support clerics and combined with Divine Fortune/Ethereal Boon HW is the best AP-generation power you can have.

Note that just aiming your reticle at someone's general direction works a lot of the time - it's actually pretty easy to heal someone surrounded by hostiles, the tricky part is when you want to heal someone surrounded by allies. Luckily, that's why we have other powers like Sunburst, AS, FF and Bastion and why GFs/GWFs/CWs/Rogues have their own AoE aggro/control powers.

whistlingdixie

There is a way to do this with keybindings, but it's somewhat complicated.

It works extremely well, but has a major drawback: you have to manually type in the names of whoever you want the hotkeys to target.

The way I did mine, you end up having to type something like this (as four separate commands):

/tar1 Drizzt
/tar2 Catti-Brie
/tar3 Bruenor
/tar4 Wulfgar

And then after that magic, your hotkeys will magically toss Healing Word at those targets. You don't have to face them or anything. You can also use your companion's name to heal it in the same manner.

If you'd still be interested knowing this major drawback, I'll write up a tutorial on how to do it.

There are other variations of this technique. For example, you could make a hotkey that doesn't cast any spells, but rather just locks onto the target you specified using HardTargetLock. Then you can use Healing Word, Soothing Light, or whatever, then tap Ctrl to break the lock. Or you could specific the name of a particular boss or mob in order to throw an offensive spell.

In practice, I find it's just easier to hold Ctrl while aimed at your intended target, that way no matter what happens your Power will hit the person you want. Mostly because I'm too lazy to type out names. Sometimes it's hard to use this technique with names that have special characters, though you can copy/paste from the chat log.

craeh1

kolbe11 wrote: »

I really wish they would add in a "right-click", "Avatar-Name", "Heal" option for Healing Word etc... Would make life-giving so much easier.

... and so much more boring, since NW turns out in handling like almost every other MMO...
The aiming system is one of the reasons I play Neverwinter, and love to play it's cleric - guess I will end it if it's changed. (also love to play by it's hybrid healing mechanics)
In general my HWs hit the one it should - ok sometimes it misses, may it's 3 of 100...

If you can't handle it, you got two options left:
- train and learn
- play another class or switch to another game
(or find a way not to use spells like these)

also there's a kinda of auto-aiming, sometimes it getting easier by that, sometimes harder if the stand close.
Educate your team in that cases.
Tell them to stand close together, but with enough space to aim each single one.
That's a hard point many meleeish can't handle that well, tell them to get out of fight a few steps for heal or make sure not to hug each other.

Also as it was said in another thread:
healing = move, move, move. If you can't aim from your position move to get another point of view.

docsc00ter

As I said, I've become pretty good with my current setup. I can also use HW pretty effectively for many settings (especially boss fights where the terrain seems to open up a bit). But when running with a group that's really rushing through the content -- say, a GF, 3 CWs, and me -- and we're pulling big groups of mobs in tight spaces, and if I've still got HW slotted, I find myself hesitating just that split-second to make sure I'm focused on the right target (even as that player is skidding around in a hallway to avoid the red on the floor). Suddenly I'll wish I still had Bastion slotted for convenience. Sometimes I'll try and change powers on the fly depending on where we're at in the dungeon. But, again, if we're rushing through content, that can be cumbersome. In general, I like HW better than Bastion, and I appreciate the challenge and pacing of NW's targeting system. I just wondered if anyone had other approaches.

And, yeah Whistlingdixie, I'd love to know more about your keybind setup, the drawback, and how that's worked for you.

shadow5930

I actually stopped using HW when I got Bastion. I used SB, BH and AS for my 'heal' spec. In PVP I may run HW now and then, depending on if it's pre vs pre or not. But I tend to run damage heavy and just use AS for the innate regen + def pump.

As for BH, I would use sunburst non-divine mode for the divinity boost. tap tab, drop an instant BH, then drop back out of divine. Between that and AS, I've never have anyone die on a run with me in PVE.

morsitans

What, never? Even with a pug?

docsc00ter

shadow5930 wrote: »

As for BH, I would use sunburst non-divine mode for the divinity boost. tap tab, drop an instant BH, then drop back out of divine.

Yeah, I'm throwing SBs (with a quick Tab) and keeping AS up regularly, and that really takes care of most healing needs for a decently-equipped and smart/experienced party, even in a PUG. I'll throw BH as often as needed if things get dicey. But, as you know, there's nothing as frustrating as sitting through a BH casting animation to offer help to a teammate only to watch them get twitchy and panic, jumping out of that circle and wasting the heal. That's why I'm looking to make better use of HW... or at least to play around with it and see if it works better for my style.

shadow5930 wrote: »

Between that and AS, I've never have anyone die on a run with me in PVE.

Seriously? Never? For me it seems like about every other PUG has that one player who totally ignores the big, deadly accumulation of red circles beneath his feet, expecting me to somehow miraculously stop the combined damage of a Totemist & Warrior beating on his stubborn, unmoving caboose, only to drop from full health to dead by the ugly one-shots. ("Hey! Yeah, you! See the big red warning on the ground? You'll find life a lot better if you'll just step to one side. Thanks!")

xcessiveforce40

Just do your best. You are going to get whiners no matter what you do. You either use too many dailies or Astral shield too often or "you didn't single me out enough for heals". I can hit my daily nearly every 25 seconds or so (Hallowed Ground). Thats while dropping astral and healing words as often as I can. And I still hear whining. CW last night (who wasn't standing in any of my circles) "Tank please help with Adds because the healer isn't healing me". I just complete the run the leave group. My patience for whining is at an all time low. Just do your best and let the rest go by the wayside.

docsc00ter

xcessiveforce40 wrote: »

My patience for whining is at an all time low.

Well, thankfully, I don't seem to encounter a lot of whining. I'm doing my job, keeping people alive, and biting my tongue when someone gets themselves killed by carelessness. Once in a while I'll run into a player who wants to tell me (and everyone else) how to use our abilities, but I figure that's just because they've come out of a bad PUG and are scared of it happening again.

Of course, every so often I have one of those unique Cleric moments that we all can appreciate but the rest of the party could not possibly understand, and which keeps me coming back to this character. (This week, during the final fight in Malabog's, I was able to not only dodge the dragon's red stripes, but also revive a character, drop an AS on me and a nearby player, and still throw a BH across the battlefield to top someone off before the dragon landed again. Without feeling twitchy or having my heart rate increase. And I kind of wondered if the rest of the party had any idea what a marvelous thing had just occurred. Heh...)

xcessiveforce40

Docs - its not a lot but maybe i've been online too much lately. Its seems a couple of times a day you get the pug statue of stupidity that wont move into the circles (if he/she is outside them) or wont move out of the red. Then whines to the heavens...

docsc00ter

xcessive -- Heh... Yeah, I understand. Lately, when I've seen that happening during the first few fights of a dungeon, I've taken to saying something like this in Party Chat: "I'm not naming names, but someone around here has a nasty habit of standing in red circles and hoping for a miracle."

Amazing how much better the party does after that. (Or else there will be a quick reply of something like, "Sorry. I'm lagging.")

jeffro9000

vorphied wrote: »

Swap out your powers if the situation calls for it. Party is in close quarters or otherwise hugging each other for dear life in the middle of a huge mess, and they're all taking damage at about the same frequency? Bastion. Party members are a little easier to target and are spreading out too frequently to make Bastion efficient? Healing Word.

^ this.

I hope they remove the hard target lock keybind, because I agree that takes the "action" out of the MMO.

Aim at the feet of your target and look for the blue highlight/circle and hold ctrl if you want to heal without keybinds. It is hard to lock the right target somethimes, but if that is the case, maybe it is time to go back to bastion.

Bastion from non-divine mode builds a lot of divine power, if you slot divine fortune, and is generally better in almost any situation. As the OP mentioned, boss fights where the rogue or the tank may be too separated to heal efficiently with AE are more suited to healing word. Even then, swapping sunburst out for word and keeping Bastion is another option. You can run both.

Don't let other players comments affect your playstyle too much, if you are a decent DC you probably know more about the game than the people giving you advice in pugs already

xelliz

I almost never use healing word in dungeons and skirmishes anymore. Solo or duo is ok, but if I need more healing than just AS, I will use Bastion.

shadow5930

Heh. No, I can't say "never" as in ever. I'm hardly perfect, so there could be times that someone did die. What I can say is I don't remember anyone ever dropping.

I actually used hallow ground a lot. That with the feat heal + AS + d-BH makes it so most just stay up. I did regular pug dungeons/skirmishes, so all I dealt with is puggin. I switched to a DPS spec and joined a pvp guild at 60. Haven't really run 'heal mode' since then.

... doesn't help I have a GF I'm bringing up with a project in mind. But that's a different location on the forums.

mercervanquish

I don't, if your in a group fine but if your all over the place I'm not looking for you if I'm being chased. Props to players who run to me or to where I can see them on the field.

abell39

I almost never use HW anymore unless I'm in a particularly needy party. I use AS when the situation isn't dire yet, Astral Seal on everything all the time for prevention, Forgemaster's to heal the guys getting pounded on while also weakening the critter doing the pounding, and Chains in non-divine to build divinity (which helps the CWs get away if needed and makes it easier for the melees to do their thing). If I have to do some intensive healing, I'll drop an AS and finish off the divinity with the healbeam, cutting off before full health so Enduring Relief can finish up while I do something else. If I've got the AP (which I frequently do, my DC has something like +41% AP gain IIRC), I'll drop Hallowed Ground and keep AS in reserve for when it's needed.

If I'm in one of those parties where I have to take an extra heal and use HW, I keep extra divinity stacked up (my DC gets four pips due to Faithfulness) so I can spam it if I miss the guy that needs healed.

vitaliy1717

I not use BoH: if party stay in DV AS - no need additional healing (max HW for someone), if someone no stay - no sense cast BoH on one player, simple use HW.
With Etheral Boon + Divine Fortune any HW cast/cooldown generate DV.

P.S.
I recommed rearrange HUD - place you party member icons in screen center, and you fast see who need healing.

championshewolf

I don't use Healing Word anymore, but as far as targeting, outside of the really bad PUG who just kept leaping or teleporting around when I was trying to throw a heal because they are too cool to bring potions like they should, I ignore them until they stop long enough for me to cast. But since I use anvil and shield now, no need to bother, if they don't want to hit the mob I put my divine powers on then that's their problem, not mine, if they feel like they need to scatter everything, well, then I will have words. So far, finding majority of the problem players I encounter are wizards who think repel and ice storm are awesome spells to cast just after I divined a critter for the tank, followed by rogues who think their dodge should only be for getting in quicker not avoiding the big FU attack bosses are about to lay down.

I also let people that love spamming button time to reflect on it while they get teleported back to the last campfire, because nothing annoys me more than some impatient **** who thinks hitting help me more than once is some how going to make me get to them faster.

jazzfong

maybe that is my problem but even i slotted sooth, after casting an Divine AS into the middle of field and use Bts and SL to regenerate quick divinity, all the mobs will come to attack me and if thr are less than 2 cw beside me, i need to spam pot and start dodging or die. Btw im pvp cleric with 2500+ def and 700+ deflect if im not mistaken...
So i wonder how u guys can survive after throwing so many heals and wont OT?

vitaliy1717

CW not have armor - they MUST jump, use teleport etc. If no AP and potions couldown, they can die fast. And sometimes cannot stay in AS - damage from boss too high. You help CW, CW help you.

P.S
I say more - TR also can die in 1 sec, when deflection chance not proc. As default, defence - not first priority for TR.
But DC cannot help in this situation.

vitaliy1717

jazzfong wrote: »

maybe that is my problem but even i slotted sooth, after casting an Divine AS into the middle of field and use Bts and SL to regenerate quick divinity, all the mobs will come to attack me and if thr are less than 2 cw beside me, i need to spam pot and start dodging or die. Btw im pvp cleric with 2500+ def and 700+ deflect if im not mistaken...
So i wonder how u guys can survive after throwing so many heals and wont OT?

1) sooth is trash.
2) mobs - problem CW + support tank/TR. If they not kill mobs, you cannot heal and run,run, run.

morsitans

Half the trick is not to immediately throw down a shield.

A) you're only getting the benefit of the mitigation, not the healing (coz everyone's hale and hearty at the start of a fight), and
nobody else has had a chance to grab any aggro yet

so you're pretty much just waltzing out and saying O HAY MONSTERS LOOKIT MEEEE.

If you wait a few seconds for your GF to get an AoE taunt in, or for your CWs to start murdering absolutely everything everywhere, THEN throw down the shield, you rate much lower on relative threat.

championshewolf

morsitans wrote: »

Half the trick is not to immediately throw down a shield.

A) you're only getting the benefit of the mitigation, not the healing (coz everyone's hale and hearty at the start of a fight), and
nobody else has had a chance to grab any aggro yet

so you're pretty much just waltzing out and saying O HAY MONSTERS LOOKIT MEEEE.

If you wait a few seconds for your GF to get an AoE taunt in, or for your CWs to start murdering absolutely everything everywhere, THEN throw down the shield, you rate much lower on relative threat.

that's the point though. If you can get them rounded up and close together for the wizard singularity to pull them in nice and tight it makes it much easier for guardian fighters to grab aggro, and part of preventive maintenance is keeping things topped off proactively instead of re-actively.