Lock-on improvements#148

Right now, locking on enemies has quirks that IMO should be resolved.

• The lock-on system is currently based not only on which enemy the camera is looking at, but also which enemy the M.A.S.S. is looking at. I think it should be one or the other (which could be dependent on a setting in the options menu), but not both at the same time. I’ve found myself locking on enemies I didn’t want to, just because I was circling the enemy I did want to lock on to.

• The lock breaks as soon as a piece of the environment gets between the M.A.S.S. and the locked enemy, and the lock can’t be re-engaged until the enemy is fully visible again. Even if, on screen, that piece occludes 1% of the enemy. That system needs to be relaxed, to allow for more leeway when it comes to occlusion amount, with maybe a grace period (three seconds at most) during which the lock would stay engaged.

To add to this, currently lock on aquisition and switching doesn’t work while jumping or flying/boosting. That includes both manual and auto targeting.

And breaking the lock isn’t possible either in those situations.

Maybe a prioritizing lock-on could help out:

• lock on to largest (elites and bosses) only
• lock on to ranged only
• lock on to nearest only

Then you could switch to melee, to clear out and push back on the regular mobs, switch back to guns (lock-on priority largest) and deal damage to the one elite in the mass of regulars. And once that one’s down, switch back to melee for some more mob control, rinse and repeat.

I’ve got my own thoughts on this from the Discord. Putting them here too.

-Idea 1:
An alternate lock-on behavior type, inspired by Gundam Breaker (Yes, I bring this game up a lot). Rather than the lock-on button locking onto and off a target, it goes between two behavior modes: Passive and active. In passive, the camera behaves as it normally does and any active lock-on is cancelled. In active however, behavior changes as such:

-If a lock is broken due to target proximity using a ranged weapon, it will attempt to re-establish itself once you are at range again.

-If a lock is broken due to the target going off camera, the camera will auto rotate to re-establish the lock on the target.

-When an enemy is killed, the enemy closest to the one you killed is automatically locked onto.

-If you are in Active Lock mode with no current target, you will automatically lock onto a target once they are in view.

-Idea 2:
This is on top of my previous suggestion to have two new lock-on inputs, which could be mapped to up and down on the right stick for controller, and to new keys/buttons on keyboard + mouse.

-Closest enemy lock: Move the right stick down to change your lock-on target to the enemy closest to you.

-Boss target lock/cycle: Move the right stick up to target the boss, if one is present. Repeatedly moving the right stick up/pressing the corresponding key cycles between the body parts of the boss.

Can you please make that when locked on monster is dead the lock on automaticly goes on another monster?