Target Assist-Macros

[DroodBox]

Hi,

i have the Problem if i change the target fast and then beginn to cast, the old target will be used.
Sometimes the old "dead" target is used.

/assist #main#

is there a option to say: assist only if the target is "nodead" and "exists"

another good thing would be if something like this could be done:

/cast [target=playertarget] abc

playertarget = target from #main#


i saw something line [taget=player1target], but 1st it didnt work and 2nd the place in the group is not always the same.

[Ualaa]

It doesn't matter what your macro is, when you change targets the slaves will be on the old target... for roughly double your latency.
It is just how the game works.

The main/master changes targets.
The target change goes to the server.
And comes from the server to the alt/slave toons.

You can set a focus target.
And switch from the current target to the focus immediately.
Because each of the toons already knows who their focus is.

You can include [nodead] in a macro if you want.
This should prevent you from casting at a corpse.
It won't speed up the time it takes the server to notify you of a target change.

Player = Current Toon
Party 1 = Party Leader (if not the Leader) or F2 Target (if you are the leader).
Party 2 = F3 target
Party 3 = F4 target
Party 4 = F5 target.

You can use a variety of assist methods.

/cast [target=Party1Target] Spell

/assist [target=Party1]
/cast Whatever

/assist [target=Focus]
/cast Whatever

/castsequence [target=FocusTarget] Whatever

Or a target based approach:
/target [target=ToonA,exists,nodead][target=ToonB,exists,nodead][target=ToonC,exists,nodead]...
And...
/cast [target=TargetTarget] Whatever

[DroodBox]

kay, thx

/target -targettarget-macro sounds good

[Ualaa]

Search for the "No Focus Manifesto" on these forums, if you're interested in a Target=TargetTarget assist method.

The weakness is a fixed order of assist.
As in, if Toon A is active, everyone assists Toon A.
But if Toon A is not active, the assist automatically goes to Toon B.
If you don't mind that, its a decent method.
I used this approach, prior to coverting to FTL via IS Boxer.

Your Focus is free, for PvE or PvP.

[jinkobi]

I spam my target/assist macro usually they target first try but nothing sucks worse than being half way through a fight to see 1 slave is targetting nothing. So I spam it due to the latency.

My tanks 1 key is attack- default key actually. All my slaves just have the macro /assist jinkobi for their 1 key- works for me. That way I can just walk and press 1 and everyone is on the same page.

[Flekkie]

Some kind of sticky targeting might help, but you have to remember to assign a new target if the old one is behind you or you want to force a switch.

Pros include being able to tank the next mob ahead of the DPS, and then if you do that the DPS switch as soon as the old one is dead.
Cons include zero DPS if the current target goes behind the toons, and having to use a second click/press to force target to switch if current target not dead yet.

So to do it, if I remember it right, the DPS macros are something like this:

/cast [harm,nodead] SpellName
/stopmacro [harm,nodead]
/target xxxx-target

(Where xxxx is the lead toon's name. You can use /click [harm,nodead] ActionButtonName in the first line if you prefer that way.)

and you also need to bind a key or mouse button to force a target switch if needed:

/target xxxx-target

[Ualaa]

No matter what assist method you go with.
When you change from one target to a new target (not to your focus), it will take roughly double your latency for the slave toons to know what the new target is.

If you click on one and immediately DPS, it won't be the new target on the slaves consistently.

If your latency is 180ms, and you wait half a second (500ms) until you start DPS, then it will be on the correct (new) target. If you have 400ms, then you'll need to wait 4/5th's of a second before the slaves will have the correct new target.

No way around that.

[Flekkie]

The reason I suggested sticky targeting was becaust the tank acquires the next target in advance of the DPS switching.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I envisaged the following. Given a 100ms latency, the sequence of events would be:

T0: DPS client is targeting current target. Tank client switches target
T100: DPS client thinks tank still targeting current target. Server sees new tank target.
T200: DPS client also sees that tank is targeting a new target, but continues to DPS old target because it is not dead yet (this is the sticky targeting in effect)
T10000 (say): DPS has killed the target, and now switches to tanks target. The switch is instant, because it has been updated with the tank's target since T200.


Agreed, the tank switching cannot be instantly communicated to the other clients. My suggestion was a work-around; an idea to help cope given this premise. Sorry if its a crap idea

[Ualaa]

Pretty sure it would work as you intend, according to your above post.