Click-and-hold monster targeting ease of use

I've played PoE several times over the years and recently came back. I'm disappointed to find a feature from both D2 and D3 still missing (unsure if it was present in D1). Click-and-hold for attacks functions differently in the 2 games, partially because targeting functions differently, but the function I'd like to see return is independent of this. I'll explain the difference in targeting first.

According to my memory, attacks in D2/D3 function in 1 of 3 different ways:
1 Targeted - If enemy is targeted, you attack it (or move towards it then attack). Otherwise, player moves to location.
2 Projectile - If enemy is targeted, attack is fired in direction of target. Otherwise, attack is fired in direction of cursor.
3 Area - If enemy is targeted, attack is centered on target. Otherwise, attack is centered on cursor position.

In PoE, things are similar but not exactly the same:
1 Targeted-Only - Same as D2/D3 Targeted. This may be limited to attacks on left-mouse-button or the basic attack.
2 Targeted - If enemy is targeted, same as D2/D3 Targeted. Otherwise, you attack the air.
3 Projectile - Same as D2/D3.
4 Area - Same as D2/D3.

That's all fine and good. Accidentally targeting the air when not holding shift can be frustrating, but it's more a design choice than a lack of feature, and it has its benefits over the other choice.

Now onto the issue: in all 3 games, your character locks onto a target when you click and hold, repeatedly attacking them until they die. The targeting behavior after they die is what is very different.

In D2/D3, when the target dies, the game acts like you release the button and immediately clicked it again. If you move your mouse to a new target before the first dies, your character will switch to attacking this new target seamlessly. If you move your mouse to a spot of open ground before the target dies, your character will switch to moving in that direction seamlessly. This is a convenient feature and reduces the requirement for nonstop clicking.

In PoE, when the target dies, the game acts like you are already click-and-hold on the ground; it does not target an enemy even if your cursor is over them the whole time. This can be okay for Projectile and Area attacks, though even those you might prefer to have locked on to enemies. With targeted attacks however, this is a huge nuisance. A single target attack swung at the air is very likely to miss even if your cursor is somewhat close to an enemy, even more so if your character decides to walk past the enemy and then attack the air behind them. If you happen to be using a Targeted-Only attack, your character is now running around aimlessly, meaning you have to release the mouse button and click again in order to attack.

Why is this a convenient feature to have? Because spamming your attack button is the optimal way to continuously attack without downtime. Constant clicking however puts more strain on your body and is annoying. Being able to click-and-hold is supported already, but it's missing valuable functionality. Instead of battling enemies, you're instead battling the game functionality. The challenge of the game is fun, the challenge of properly controlling your character is not. PoE is already more challenging to control your character because the game lets you attack the air with melee attacks even when you aren't holding the Shift key, and the lack of this functionality only exacerbates that issue.

TLDR: Please allow the click-and-hold function to lock onto a new target if your cursor is aimed at the new target when the current one dies. This will make the game less clunky and more enjoyable.

+1

Agree with op
+1

+++++
I started playing a build recently that must use left-click to do a single targeted attack, this is why:
It is static strike hash proliferate build, i need make 1 good strong hit and i cannot use right mouse or keyboard for it or id be swinging at air most of the time and that is more terrible than spamming left mouse and picking up all the crap loot that covers the screen (started using "key pickup" and it only adds to annoyance).

Now incidentally i tried out Grim Dawn and it has click-hold targetting. It was so nice to just click hold and do the same amount of work than in PoE you would have to click 200 times. Was immediately noticeable.

Stop being backwards GGG! Things like this kills the fun.

As an arc user all I want is that I never ever target anything, all it does is that my Light Warps end up with me in a middle of a pack when I try to retreat, the same goes for leap slam. I use LS/LW to run away/reposition, they should have the option to not lock on. To be honest there really isn't a case where I'd prefer the lock-on system with spells, they might be good for melee, I never tried "real" melee skills as I wouldn't be able to tell if I really misclicked/missed through mechanics/was trying to hit an oos monster.

Was Multistrike added just as an excuse not to fix manual targetting? Is this why we get so many aoe gems?

Just fix it already and you`ll see many more builds appearing.

"

Erak wrote:

Was Multistrike added just as an excuse not to fix manual targetting? Is this why we get so many aoe gems?

short answer: yes.

longer answer:
single target lock-on, is a one way trip to desync hell.
GGG have no intention to actually ever handle synchronization - reasons being: "'tis gud vs cheaterz", "'tis part of hardcoreness and difficulty", and "we can't be bothered to dive into the messy core of our 5-year-old code" - so their way to walk around it, is add AoE.
then when in doubt, add more AoE, and automate stuff so user doesn't click anything he shouldn't.