Sticky Targeting - How I target my team

[lacitpo]

UPDATE

Graphical demonstration of sticky targeting

Here is a write-up of the targeting method I use for my multiboxing team. I call it sticky targeting.

This targeting method keeps your DPS targeting a single mob while allowing your healer and tank to switch and alternate targets at will, all in a single macro.

The Setup

I'm assuming that one of your characters will be considered the main assist, i.e. will 'pass' targets to the DPS. I think this is a typical setup for most people, with slaves all following (targeting) the master character.

For my examples below, I'll be using ASSIST in place of the name of my assist character.

The magic line

/target [target=target, harm, nodead, exists][target=targettarget, harm, nodead, exists][target=ASSIST, nodead, exists]

How it works
This is the most basic version of the targeting line. Lets explore what this does. Lets start where your slave characters have no targets. On your ASSIST character, you acquire whatever mob you desire your slaves to DPS next. Here's what happens

• 1st keypress - All slaves will target your ASSIST character.
• 2nd keypress - All slaves will target your ASSIST character's target
• 3rd - nth keypress - Slaves will continue targeting this enemy mob until it is either manually cleared as long as the mob is still alive.

Once the mob dies, the next keypress will reset all slaves back to targeting your ASSIST character and repeat the process.

A full example
Lets look at what this would look like in a simple fireball macro for a mage

/target [target=target, harm, nodead, exists][target=targettarget, harm, nodead, exists][target=ASSIST, nodead, exists]
/stopmacro [dead][noharm][noexists]
/cast fireball

You'll see I added a stopmacro line in there to prevent errors from when there is no valid DPS target to engage.

Conclusion
By incorporating this into your DPS macros, you'll be free to cycle targets all you want on your assist character which is useful if this character is a healer or a tank, requiring you to switch off of the focus-fired mob to taunt or heal. During these switches you don't want your DPS switching with you. However, adding another key to force your slaves to acquire a new target adds yet another keypress to what is typically an already complicated setup.

This is my first forum writeup of this method. I'm sure it's not original but I haven't seen it around and wanted to share it, hopefully solving someone's targeting woes.