[Pc Combat Options] Ability Auto-Aim?

[LGear]

Only played Warframe for a couple of months, however I already noticed something about my usage of powers in this game: the majority of the time, I use either AoE powers or personal powers in the game. However, I rarely use powers that require you to target a single enemy at a time, like Fireball, or Teleport.

 

It's not that these abilities aren't useful, and they have saved my bacon a lot of times. What made me think something wasn't quite right was that I remember my days playing the Mass Effect series, which has a similar ability system activated via the number keys. In Mass Effect, many of the abilities there are also single-target abilities, like Pull or Warp, and yet I know I've used said abilities extensively, to the point of spamming them.

 

Then I realized why: Abilities in Mass Effect had auto-aiming for their powers. Basically, your character automatically designates an eligible target nearest to your crosshair as the target for your abilities. Thus, you just need to point in the general direction of an enemy, highlight your target, and then fire away, making ability use easy and painless.  

 

Given the nature of powers and of the generally hectic combat in Warframe, pinpoint accuracy is less important for powers than being able to use them immediately. If you're aiming at an enemy to Switch Teleport to for example, you don't need the accuracy to aim at their head or arms, you just need the enemy within your crosshairs to use it. And since many powers like Fireball have AoE anyway, it shouldn't really matter which enemy among a group you need to target.

 

It's not like Warframe doesn't have auto-aiming abilities: Shock, Shuriken and Psychic Bolts are all fire and forget powers that don't need pinpoint accuracy to be used, and of course auto-aim is present for the PS4 version and controllers. And I personally find that I do in fact manage to use said abilities with auto-aim quite frequently when I use the Warframes that have them (except for Psychic Bolts, don't even have it equipped).

 

I therefore believe that having an option to have abilities be auto-aimed in Warframe would be a nice way to ease the tediousness of using single-target powers in the game, and make them more appealing to use.

 

Thoughts?

[BrotherIcarus]

This would be a nice addition as long as it sticks to powers.

 

Do not get me started on the stupid auto aiming in Mass effect 3.

[Hired-Gun]

That would totally break Conclaves, which they said they'd update every so often (almost never)

[LGear]

This would be a nice addition as long as it sticks to powers.

 

Do not get me started on the stupid auto aiming in Mass effect 3.

 

Well, I've only ever used auto-aim for powers in ME3, didn't see the point of having auto-aim on weapons if you're not using a controller. Besides, powers are different from weapons in their intended usage.

 

That would totally break Conclaves, which they said they'd update every so often (almost never)

 

Hence why this is supposed to be something like an option, whether you want auto-aim on your powers or not. And since it is an option, Conclaves can likely be set to automatically have auto-aim disabled if players go into a match.

[Wiegraf]

If it used such an auto-aim (or aim assistance) for those powers, should they also react in the same manner as in Mass Effect? As in, activating the power then moving your crosshair off means you could curve your powers making fireballs arc in the direction you're looking when it goes off?

 

If not by themselves, would a mod or leveling the power to a certain rank allow that feature as well?

Edited April 1, 2014 by Wiegraf

[LGear]

If it used such an auto-aim (or aim assistance) for those powers, should they also react in the same manner as in Mass Effect? As in, activating the power then moving your crosshair off means you could curve your powers making fireballs arc in the direction you're looking when it goes off?

 

 

Mass Effect only used that for projectile powers like Pull or Warp. For powers like Charge or Reave, the effect was instantaneous ala hitscan. No reason why they can't do the same here. Most powers in Warframe like Fireball, Freeze or Smite have such fast projectile times that they may as well be hitscan anyway.

[Dalu__Ka]

Auto aim on a PC game, have you no shame?

[Oriviagene]

there's a time when u need auto aim,especially when the targeted enemy is far,it'll need time to pick that target in our crosshair

why don't we made it more like "if the target is like 30m/more the targets have like hit area" therefore just put our crosshair really near the target and it'll hit em?

if the range is less than 30m no need for that "hit area"

[yles9056]

+1

 

I remembered reading a similar thread about a month ago. Sadly, it didn't get much attention.  :(

 

Probably because skills that need to aim are often ignored.(Such as Bullet Attractor)

 

But I really want auto-aim system. Aiming a running target meters away can be very painful.

 

Also, auto-aim system should be optional in case someone don't like it just like "smart casting" in League of Legends.

Edited April 1, 2014 by yles9056

[Shackram]

That would totally break Conclaves, which they said they'd update every so often (almost never)

 

No reason they couldn't make it so it doesn't work on conclave.

[LGear]

Auto aim on a PC game, have you no shame?

 

I have no shame, only sense. Even though I'd like to call myself one of the 'Glorious PC Master Race', it's not like auto-aim is something unique to consoles. And I've already articulated my points well enough on why auto-aimed abilities are a good idea.

 

there's a time when u need auto aim,especially when the targeted enemy is far,it'll need time to pick that target in our crosshair

why don't we made it more like "if the target is like 30m/more the targets have like hit area" therefore just put our crosshair really near the target and it'll hit em?

if the range is less than 30m no need for that "hit area"

 

Most abilities in Warframe do already have a 50m hard limit on aiming, so we can use that distance as the baseline for auto-targeting.

 

+1

 

I remembered reading a similar thread about a month ago. Sadly, it didn't get much attention.  :(

 

Probably because skills that need to aim are often ignored.(Such as Bullet Attractor)

 

But I really want auto-aim system. Aiming a running target meters away can be very painful.

 

Also, auto-aim system should be optional in case someone don't like it just like "smart casting" in League of Legends.

 

 Agreed on all of these.

[Dalu__Ka]

I have no shame, only sense. Even though I'd like to call myself one of the 'Glorious PC Master Race', it's not like auto-aim is something unique to consoles. And I've already articulated my points well enough on why auto-aimed abilities are a good idea.

 

And here are some reasons why it is not a good idea:

Auto aim does not always hit the target you want, but rather hits the enemies closest to you.

It replaces skill and effort with mindless spamming.

 

But hey, what ever floats your boat.

[LGear]

 

It replaces skill and effort with mindless spamming.

 

 

 

Mindless spamming is already what we have in Warframe with stuff like Molecular Prime, or any other AoE Ultimate power combined with power efficiency mods. On the other hand, there is no "skill" required with aiming single-target abilities in Warframe, just needless effort in aiming, especially when your target at the distance is small and moving.

 

Also, there's nothing wrong with targeting enemies closest to you: Combat in Warframe as is mostly focuses on getting the nearest enemies out of the way, so you're still aiming at the closest enemies anyway, and if you're aiming at loosely-spaced enemies or a lone enemy the auto-aim will work flawlessly anyhow. And the system I describe from Mass Effect is precise enough that you can pick out enemies in a crowd. There's a small measure of error doing so sure, but not so much as to make the system unworkable. Also, Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer had the auto-aim system I described, and yet it requires more skill in ability usage than I believe Warframe currently has (though I think that's because ME3 had no room-clearing ultimates for one, and even the most powerful room-clearing power is a combination of two powers).

 

What adding auto-aim to Warframe will do is to reduce tedium in the use of single-target powers, and allow a player to focus on applying his skill to power use. Most direct-damage powers in Warframe like Smite and Fireball already lose out to weapons and AoE ultimates in terms of damage and overall usefulness, it's time to reduce the gap between them by making said skills easier to use.

Edited April 2, 2014 by LGear

[Dalu__Ka]

I just disagree.

I do not like Nyx's bolts or Ash's shuriken, they are mindless spam powers that require 0 effort.

 

But like I said, whatever floats your boat.

[XenosInfinity]

I do not like Nyx's bolts or Ash's shuriken, they are mindless spam powers that require 0 effort.

Auto aim on a PC game, have you no shame?

 

You've never tried using Oberon's Smite to hit a moving target at mid-range, have you?

 

 

I support this completely on the grounds that Smite is completely useless half the time without it.

[LGear]

I just disagree.

I do not like Nyx's bolts or Ash's shuriken, they are mindless spam powers that require 0 effort.

 

But like I said, whatever floats your boat.

 

 Psychic Bolts are pretty much useless in terms of actually dealing damage, and Shuriken is Ash's only ranged damage power. Considering those, having those be auto-aim is just fine (Bolts being useless is not, but that's another issue). It's not like you actually see both of them being spammed endlessly in a match like Molecular Prime, Reckoning, Crush, or other Ultimates that are powers that require 0 effort to aim and use: simply press them and watch enemies die. Why shouldn't less powerful abilities that require aiming have the same ease of use, when not having auto-aim has no negative effect for them, and doesn't unduly imbalance them? 

Edited April 2, 2014 by LGear

[yles9056]

I just disagree.

I do not like Nyx's bolts or Ash's shuriken, they are mindless spam powers that require 0 effort.

 

But like I said, whatever floats your boat.

 

The auto-aim we are talking about is different from those two skills. It is suppose to help you choose the target you desire.

[Phoenix86]

that would be nice... some sort of "lock on reticule" perhaps

[Prodromata]

The auto-aim we are talking about is different from those two skills. It is suppose to help you choose the target you desire.

This is just a bad idea. Oh, by the way...if the aiming is automated, how do you suppose the target will be one of your choosing? That's the problem with auto-aim, you see. In most games, there's no issue beyond ruining your credibility. There are so many targets to choose from at any one time in Warframe, the system would become glitchy. It would mostly target nearby enemies, not distant mobs like you think. I have a solution. Stop using the number keys. Scroll through the abilities with the mousewheel and pick a button to activate them with. Now it's like aiming a gun. Problem solved. Number keys can be reserved for gear.

[LGear]

This is just a bad idea. Oh, by the way...if the aiming is automated, how do you suppose the target will be one of your choosing? That's the problem with auto-aim, you see. In most games, there's no issue beyond ruining your credibility. There are so many targets to choose from at any one time in Warframe, the system would become glitchy. It would mostly target nearby enemies, not distant mobs like you think. I have a solution. Stop using the number keys. Scroll through the abilities with the mousewheel and pick a button to activate them with. Now it's like aiming a gun. Problem solved. Number keys can be reserved for gear.

 

You've never seen how the Mass Effect auto-aim, the example I used as a reference, works?

 

I've played Mass Effect 3 on PC for months, and its ability auto-aim system is the most intuitive and easiest to use system I've played in a long while, that allows you to choose your targets while still allowing for instantaneous aim. It also has lots of enemies onscreen during times, which is no different from how Warframe plays, and many times enemies are clumped together (Warframe in general has many similarities to the ME series, specifically ME3's multiplayer gameplay). And yet auto-aim in that game works, and doesn't become glitch as you describe. There are momentary mistakes sure, like targeting the enemy beside the one you want, but for the most part the system is quite accurate. Otherwise you wouldn't land stuff like biotic combos often given that stuff like the warp + throw combo requires you to land both abilities on the same target, yet people do it often and precisely.  

 

Also, switching which button you press to activate autoaim doesn't really change the face that -aiming- is a problem. Even the slowest firing weapons in game have a faster RoF than powers, so a single miss doesn't bother them much, and they don't have to worry about consuming a large chunk of your energy per use to boot.

 

Finally, as mentioned the type of auto-aim I'm advocating already exists more or less in Warframe: Ash's Shuriken is a great example. Shuriken doesn't just target any enemy nearby, it goes at targets that you aim at.

 

The idea isn't to make the game choose your targets for you, it's to allow abilities to land on the target you choose without having to get "Invalid Target" messages due to your aim being off by a millimeter.

[Onihikage]

For those abilities which require a target, if not an auto-aim a la ME3, at least let us hold the button and jiggle the reticle until it moves over an enemy. I played ME3, and its abilities were quite natural to target and use, far more so than single-target abilities in Warframe.

[Gaslightingway]

Go play console for auto-aim.