Just my initial feedback, I’ll update it as I play with it more.
What works
- Targeting and auto-targeting the next enemy works pretty well under most circumstances.
What needs improving
- You can’t adjust your characters direction when locked in place. Ex: I’m using channeled Lightning Blast and if I kill all the enemies on one side of me, I can’t just rotate my aim to the other side if enemies are coming from behind me. So I have to stop using the skill, walk in the opposite direction (to face the enemies behind me) and then start firing again. This is much more challenging to accomplish vs the previous controls or just kb&m controls.
- This is likely similar to the above, but if I’m using channeled LB and really fast enemies (like the rats) get close I need to constantly adjust my position to target them. It is nearly impossible to target close fast moving enemies as they are targeted one sec and then out of the targeting range and when you adjust to where they are now, they’ve already moved. Again, if I could rotate the character while locked in place using channeled LB then I could probably deal with this.
- The targeting system is good and all, but not for a skill like Teleport. I almost always want to be teleporting away from enemies, not locking on to them and teleporting at their feet to then see 10+ enemies maul me to death. Grim Dawn had a setting that allowed you to teleport in the direction you were facing (as far as the skill would allow, minus obstacles) and disregard the auto-targeting system.
- Obstacles can get in the way of the targeting system. I used to be able to use the environment to my advantage by hiding behind obstacles and using targeted Glacier (for example) to hit enemies on the opposite side of the obstacle. This may just be a concession of the new targeting system vs the old mouse pointer controls.
- Speaking of the pointer, it should probably fade away if it’s not actively being used as I found myself still “pointing” at the enemies but was like oh yeah…that doesn’t do anything. So it’s a bit distracting having it on screen now during combat.
As much as I do like this direction for the controls, I wouldn’t mind if the old controls were an option in the settings. As much as I disliked them at first, I actually got really good at it and now feel quite a bit less effective at accomplishing the same things as before. Maybe when further improvements arrive that address my current issues with the controls, then maybe it’ll be easier to use but currently the old controls were easier (for me anyways).