Development Cycle Archive

Anything to make a certian profession stand out from the rest gets a big thumbs up from me.

Great idea.

Maybeone for Group Leaders like their 'Target' so we can tell what to kill next.

I completely agree with annelid0.

The peer targeting system is extremely difficult to use.

Sure, you can click on a group member's name in the list to target them, but that involves switching to cursor mode if you yourself are in combat. Then switching back. That's three annoying clicks.

We already see group members' HAM in the indicator, so why do we need an icon that is only visible to group members?

Tab is easy for targeting enemies. Mappable via macro to an extra mouse button if you'd like (I have mine set up that way, it's very convenient).

I don't need more icons, I need a way to easily target my group members for medical attention when I myself am in the midst of combat. CTRL-2/CTRL-3 or switching to cursor to click on a group member name is not fluid. I usually end up swimming with my mouse crosshairs until I find the person in need of help.

As annelid0 requests, is there a way to cycle your target through friendlies? If not native, anyone have a clever macro setup that's more fluid than the built-in CTRL and click mechanisms?

My thoughts:

1. I think its a great idea to have a visual clue for medical professions so we can easily determine who needs attention.

2. I think the idea of the icon for the target of a squadleader is also a great idea.

But . . . (you knew there had to be a but)

1. Can this be done without increasing the loss of framerate in crowded areas. I already Bog down when I come close to the starport in Coronet and I'd like to think I have a decent system.

2. Perhaps instead of only having it so a player can turn off viewing the icons (all/ or none approach) make it so the individual can also choose whether they want their health status displayed for their toon. That way if someone doesn't want their status seen, it won't be seen.

3. Make it so Coverts/Overts can only see status of their own faction to limit griefing the heavily wounded. Neutrals could see everyone's status.

Now another idea.

Can we get a similar icon that shows up to healing professions if someone has a TEF? I'd sure like to know if that blue dot I'm about to heal has a TEF that is going to get me killed in the Med Center. Perhaps make it so only those not involved with the TEF can see it? Some visual clue, either an icon or a note when you examine a player would be helpful. Perhaps instead of only seeing Guild, badges, and Bios we could also see "TEF Active against XXX player" or such. Not sure how intensive this would be on the servers, but its a nice idea.

I see some pretty potential problems with the idea. Would it apply do Damage, or to Wounds, or both? What's the threshold? is it percentile or absolute numbers? What if the player doesn't want medical attention? What about pvp griefing? Is a squad leader really a better judge of when someone should be healed rather than the patient or the medic? What about a crowdedcantina just becoming incredibly annoying? What if the treating medic has a differetn threshold for wanting to heal people?

Plus, you've got the group window, which can display at a glance the entire groups condition much quicker than looking for icons that don't show the degree of damage.

Here's what I would propose:

1. the "need medic" flag is a toggle that the player can set. Like yelling "medic!!" but silent. They player gets to decide. It cannot be set in any other way. Also, you can still set this flag on yourself even when incapped.


2. This flag would not be visible to people who have no medic capability


3. If the player reaches a state of zero wounds and less than 10% damage in any stat bar, the flag would get auto-cleared.


4. people of the opposed faction (covert or overt) cannot see the flag. Neutrals generally see the flag, but not of people they can't heal (overt/tef).


5. There's an option to suppress the visibility of these.

For squad leaders, I think the ability to drop a big arrow on a target to members of the group would be great. it would solve the 'no no, attack the baz nitch on the LEFT' problem.

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Holocron wrote:

Today one of the programmers decided to add a floating icon over people's heads who were badly wounded (he was playing a medic, and found it useful). This led to a discussion on how a feature like this might work--what filters you'd want, who should be able to see the icons, how you turn them on and off.

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NO way No how uh-uh.. a "this person is injured" mark?

Why not just a big huge target for PVP...?? .. "shoot this guy.. hes almost dead!"

Squad leader idea.. great idea.. make these marks only seen by group members.. and they are fine.. same with the injury mark.. make it for only group members.. and it will work. But how about letting players see which marks are above them now? *cough*OVERT*cough*

YAY!!! See, Dev's playing the game IS good!!!

For the medics to see if people are hurt, put a little RED CROSS symbol or something infront of their names. That would be nice, so I can see who needs medical attention.

The symbols above the head do not have to be big, although, I think that we should not have the ability to have any names up, or to see other players on our radar. It would make PvP more enjoyable.

If they aren't in your group who cares if they are wounded. If they are in you group look at the group bar. If you really care if someone is wounded click on them and find out. I don't see the point of the icons for wounds. I'd like an icon to see who's overt in my faction though.

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Holocron wrote:

Today one of the programmers decided to add a floating icon over people's heads who were badly wounded (he was playing a medic, and found it useful). This led to a discussion on how a feature like this might work--what filters you'd want, who should be able to see the icons, how you turn them on and off.

Another suggestion was the ability for a group leader to set an icon over a target (I believe that the squad leaders have already asked for something like this as an ability). Ability for anyone? For SL's only?

What do you think about all these notions?

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While I like the idea,as a medic I have often called foran ALT-TAB-like ability to cycle through players. I can instantly see based on the ham in top right how wounded they are, but when trying to heal someone on the run, knowing they are wounded is only half the battle, the other half is trying to click on them while they are scampering like wounded rabbits. Could you kill two birds with one stone :>

You gave us /diag. That is enough. The last thing there needs to be is more clutter on the screen, and makes you a target for PvP's. SL's having the ability to put a icon on a target is a good idea though. They are SL's so it should be easy for them to lead.

Make it so that wound icons only show up in hospitals and campsites.

Griefing will be prevented and they won't be cluttering up the screen so much. And it's not like they're necessary anywhere else.

Just an idea to help:

Green Cross: If wounds are 20% of total Ham

Yellow Cross: If wounds are 50%

Red Cross: 75% or more.