We need a targetting system

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by Bollen, Aug 11, 2022.

  1. Bollen

    Bollen Captain

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    I have to say, I'm really enjoying playing the late game now! After more than two thousand hours on this game, I was pretty bored with starting from scratch and the late game really is a different experience. I dare to say, it's everything Star Citizen wishes to be in the future! I can walk around ships, I can fly little fighters or huge leviathan capital vessels, I can trade, do missions, etc. I'm particularly enjoying the Eden scenario which adds so much more to this late stage of the game.

    However, despite all the glorious things above, there are some desperate QOL improvements needed. A typical situation, when you arrive at a hostile system and find yourself surrounded by enemy drones and perhaps 1 or 2 CVs, the UI tells you nothing of use! I have all sorts of red icons on the screen, but many of them are for enemies far, far away including stations. What I often do in this case is jump on my fighter and let the CV fight on its own, but it's impossible to target anything and when they fly past you, you have no way of telling which of the many icons is the drone or CV you're chasing.

    Dear devs, please consider adding a targetting system and a way to distinguish, in the UI, enemies near you (attacking) and station and other enemies far away.

    Pretty please, with a cherry on top!
     
    #1
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  2. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    Maybe it could be a simple "band aid fix" but... what about being able to have a bigger / more prominent "crosshair" that is still linked to the precise center of the screen, so it turns red when aligned with a target ?

    Just an idea. The usual "combat" cursor in a ship is still pretty small, but it could be made larger and more elaborate, and when its center coincides with a valid target part of the UI would turn red, making it easier to keep track of targets...
     
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  3. Bollen

    Bollen Captain

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    Hi Kass, long time no hear! I was thinking more of a "selectable" target with a shortcut. The problem is when you want to keep track of a particular target, but the UI is full of red icons and arrows pointing you in all sorts of directions.

    Every space game I've ever played has had a "target closest enemy", "target enemy in front", etc. Not to mention how ideal it would be to have a target specific device... But that's just me dreaming!
     
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  4. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    I just wished weapons would aim for the cursor instead of the middle of the screen in pilot mode. This is how weapons are aimed in X:Rebirth and X4. It feels very natural and intuitive, whether you're doing fighter or capital ship combat. It gives you a degree of fast precision aiming even on the most cumbersome ships.

    It would also help to have an icon laid over any turret or entity that shoots at you. Not creature melee and spitting attacks, though. That would be silly.
     
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  5. Bollen

    Bollen Captain

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    Yeah exactly, but it'd be even better if we could select it separate from other turrets, so we can concentrate our firepower on a specific one. This would be particularly useful when fighting an CV with an SV...
     
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  6. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    Under the hood, I'm imagining a drone/trooper/turret that aggros and shoots at you also adds itself to a "put a tracking box overlay on me" list. Then players can visually track combatants without having to continually poll every object around with a detector. Space drones already sort of do this.

    This thread should probably be in the suggestion subforum at this point.
     
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  7. Bollen

    Bollen Captain

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    I normally do, but then they just get ignored. In my experience posting here has a better chance of getting some traction...
     
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  8. XLJedi

    XLJedi Lieutenant

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    This is really how pilot mode *should* work. ...and the fixed weapons are all then gimbaled to the cursor. Precise targeting is just waaaaay too finicky in this game.
     
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  9. Bollen

    Bollen Captain

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    Way, way, waaayyy...
     
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  10. Aetrion

    Aetrion Lieutenant

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    Would definitely be good if you could give your turrets orders somehow. It would also counteract a lot of armor stick cheese if you could tell them where to shoot on an enemy ship.
     
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  11. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    Maybe a fire control toggle that switches preselected turrets between automatic targeting and guided targeting, aiming at the spot under a player's crosshair in a control seat or turret. They would still otherwise operate themselves normally, so you don't have the same fine direct control you have over fixed weapons. If the thing you're looking at is a potential target, the turrets shoot at it on their own. If it isn't, the turrets do nothing. Having to preselect which turrets will use guided targeting in the control panel means players would pick which turrets they want to aim for, and which they wish to continue operating automatically.
     
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  12. Aetrion

    Aetrion Lieutenant

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    Yea, something like a targeting laser that can be operated like a turret and causes other turrets to aim at where ever it points.
     
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