Fighting multiple enemies: targeting problems and how they could be improved

Fighting multiple enemies can be really fun, and there are few moments in the game quite as exhilerating as desperately trying to fend off 4 or 5 foes at once. But there are some nagging issues with the lock-on and camera that can really taint the experience.

Here is a video of me attacking a group of bandits. In the description I put timestamps of all the lock-on and camera issues that occured during the fight. Hopefully this shows the problems with fighting multiple enemies. None of the issues I mentioned ruined the fight; it was still loads of fun. But wrestling with the overly stiff lock-on still takes some of the fun out of it.

So I was thinking of possible ways to alleviate the difficulties with the camera and lock-on when fighting several people. If anyone else has some ideas, or sees anything wrong with any of mine, please share.

Idea #1 - Button to toggle unlock target mode. By default, you can already unlock targets either by sprinting or holding the middle mouse. But the ability to toggle targeting would still be a useful addition, especially when trying to run away. I’ve had several instances where I have low stamina when I start running, so I can only go a short distance before I need to stop sprinting in order to regenerate my stamina. I often use this time to quickly turn around and see how close the enemy is, and oftentimes the camera suddenly locks onto one and I start running towards them. Its a very irritating issue with a very simple solution.

Idea #2 - Allow blocking while targeting is unlocked. This would be especially useful when combined with a toggle button. When facing many opponents you want to keep as many of them in front of you as you can so you can block. But oftentimes you end up locked onto someone on the end of a line of enemies, or maybe they are spread out in a way that makes it impossible to see them all while locked on. It would be much easier to defend if you could just toggle targeting and keep you cursor inbetween everyone so you can at least block them. I don’t see why this couldn’t be implemented.

Idea #3 - Add a button to perform a 180 degree turn in combat. This would be helpful in instances where the camera locks on to a lone enemy while there are several others behind you, such as when you perform the master strike that pulls an enemy past you. This happens a few times in my group fighting video at the beginning.

Idea #4 - Add a setting for “lock-on strength”. It is possible to switch which enemy your facing by moving the mouse left and right; however, it is very stiff and only seems to work if your switching to someone who is already quite close to who your currently facing. It would be great if the player could tweak this to their liking to allow greater freedom when fighting groups.

Once again, I’d love to hear anyone’s input. And sorry this ended up being so long.