point n click might get tricky later

Just getting back into things and have been doing ok (thanks to everyone who responded to my last post!). I think my support characters have been doing a good job keeping people alive and my melee characters have been doing a good job of keeping the aggro on themselves. But up to now I've just been using the point n click method. My major concern is once I get higher in lvls, the little problems that point n click creates at lvl 20 wont be as easy to undo or overcome at lvl 40. For instance, when I'm playing my tank and I notice one of the support characters on my team is being attacked by an enemy that wandered away from the aggro pack, I point n click and use taunt to get them back to the pack (or at least get the enemy's attention). This usually works ok but there are times when the action gets so fast paced that I accidently click away my chat tab or my team tab or both. Also targeting the CORRECT enemy in the middle of a fight sometimes proves a little tricky for me becaus ethere is so much activity on my screen. So I was wanting to try out some or maybe one basic key binding for my tank that would help with targeting foes. Maybe one that would allow me to cycle through them.

Tab is bound to target enemies by default.

Thanks for answering, I didn't know it was already binded to tab.

In addition, esp. for your melee characters, hitting any attack with no target selected will select the closest target on screen. This means that just after a target dies you'll have no target and be able to use this immediately. I think there's a key bind for closest target (control-tab) but since I can get a two for one with the attack I just do that.

A common tactic is to hit your attack, then hit it again to queue it up, then press F to Follow the target you selected. That'll point a melee toon in the right direction and starting them running there. Hit spacebar to jump over any obstacles without cancelling Follow mode.

You do have to be careful not to run across the map at the wrong target while leaving your friends behind. Just try to glance at the target selected to make sure it's a good one, and if you start running at the wrong one, be prepared to hit S quickly to cancel Follow.

Ranged toons should probably be using Tab, or targeting through the melee. I find clicking easier on ranged toons also.

Good luck.

On scrappers my favorite tactic is to tap my attack twice to lay the smackdown on whoever's closest. Although I'll specifically use tab to try to find a special target that needs my attention -- in general bosses, but also any enemy that is especially troublesome, for example Freakshow Super Stunners, Malta Sappers, quantums, voids and cysts, Devouring Earth Emanators (Cairns and Quartz are especially troublesome, they provide +resistance and +accuracy to DE), etc.

One trick I use on a lot of my characters -- not all -- is to rebind the tab key: /bind tab "target_enemy_next" is the default setting; you can use that to bind any other key to do what tab does. (/bind x for example instead of /bind tab). But what I like to do is something like this:

/bind tab "target_enemy_next$$target_custom_next enemy alive sapper"

What this will do is cycle through enemies like normal, except in the case of any enemy with "sapper" in their name (which is only Malta sappers). If there's a sapper in range of targeting, you will target that and only that.

This can be very useful for finding that all-important sapper in a crowd, but also sometimes problematic, if there's a sapper a long ways away and you want to target a nearby enemy.

My actual bind normally looks like this:

/bind tab "target_enemy_next$$target_custom_next enemy alive sapper$$target_custom_next enemy alive cyst$$target_custom_next enemy alive void$$target_custom_next enemy alive quantum"

So that I can auto-target sappers, cysts, voids and quantums. I should probably add cairns to that list too, they're very hard to locate in a crowd. And super stunners, but I'm not sure their name is unique enough to target just them.

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Target_custom_next

Alternatively if you don't want to mess with the tab key, you could crate a macro button:

/macro find "target_custom_next enemy alive sapper$$target_custom_next enemy alive cyst$$target_custom_next enemy alive void$$target_custom_next enemy alive quantum$$target_custom_next enemy alive cairn"

That should give you a button on your tray that you can use to target these specific enemies.

One thing I'd like to add.

Since your Scrappers, Tankers, and Brutes are going to be melee characters, you will want them to stay close to their target.

PROBLEM: Mobs don't always stay in melee range. They'll get thrown backwards, or they'll try to run. Forcing you to break off and chase them before they get too far.

SOLUTION: Add the "follow" command to the string you're binding.

/macro find "target_custom_next enemy alive sapper$$target_custom_next enemy alive cyst$$target_custom_next enemy alive void$$target_custom_next enemy alive quantum$$target_custom_next enemy alive cairn$$follow"

Your melee toon will now automatically move into melee range of his target. If the target moves out of that range, your character will run back into range.

Hi,

I do it a tiny bit different because.....

I use my left hand for keyboard work and right for the mouse (and all my PB/WS shape changing binds on a seperate number pad because I can sit it right next to the mouse).

I use the standard WSAD keys for movement. However if you look at most left hands, the small finger is usually way shorter than the top of the middle finger which is usually placed over the W key (my little finger usually ends up over the left shift key!). This makes it really uncomfortable to reach it up to the tab key.

So I use the options menu and keymapping to bind "nearest enemy" to the Q or E key instead and find that makes it much quicker and easier to hit.

I guess what I am trying to say is that you have the tools to customise your keyboard to assist your particular needs and playstyle so go ahead and change things till you get it the best way for you

Cheers

Oh and Grats on your first "Death by F" experience

I use the tabkey bound to similar as Organica, (but not with sapper which I'll now be adding) and use the tilde (~) bound to closest enemy.
Plus I have
/bind control+n optionset ShowVillainName 6
/bind shift+n optionset ShowVillainName 1
which lets me display enemy names on and off in a pack.

I use the numpad by default to select team mates (ie 1=first player on list).

/bind NUMPAD1 "teamselect 1"
/bind NUMPAD2 "teamselect 2"
...

If its a characters that heals or shields etc then its easy to double tap that number on keypad to select and fire off a heal on them. Most (all?) shields effect a group but I still like it set that way to better direct it.

/bind NUMPAD1 "teamselect 1$$powexecname Ice Shield"
/bind NUMPAD2 "teamselect 2$$powexecname Ice Shield"

You could also make a macro if you prefer mouse clicking, and have a tray of
/macro P1 "teamselect 1$$powexecname Ice Shield"

My /thermal will select & cauterize when the press the numpad number, shiift+numpad is Plasma Shield, control+numpad is Fire Shield. I hate pointing and clicking

Another trick is if someone on your team is being attacked, the default bind to select a teammate is Shift + the number on the team window. This, combined with how auto-assist works let's you generally attack who's wailing on them unless they are not targeting the mobs attacking them.

When tanking for a team I try and zoom my camera out so I can click on any mobs that wander off. I use a combo of nearest enemy and clicking on mobs to spread up my attacks. I will also click and target through teammates that are taking to much agro and taunt/attack through them.

Also don't be afraid if you have to jump out of the mob around you to go and attack a straggler that's after a teammate. This works good at lower levels or if the mob isn't that big. In the case where you are stone armor or cant jump out from too many mobs around you then Fireball works really well if you have it.