Can we please have a hotkey for 'target nearest surface element' (to where I am aiming)

[solardawning]

The 'target previous/next surface element' hotkeys are not useful. They may require many presses to actually find the right thing.
The zoom-in hotkey is difficult to use (can't zoom while paused), means you stop doing things for a couple seconds while zooming in, and clicking to target the desired element can still be hard.

We need one button to just automatically target the turret/shield/whathaveyou we're pointing our guns at, so that they actually aim at it. Please.

[azaghal]

Have you tried using the "Target Object" input control? By default it should be T on a keyboard. If you are close enough to L/XL ship, it should target the closest surface element in front(ish). Not 100% sure if it will always target what you _really_ want, though - try using it around the stations to see what I mean

EDIT: And if it does not do what you needed (or maybe you have tried it already), maybe post how you would envision what the control should do.

[Rastuasi]

Have you tried using the "Target Object" input control? By default it should be T on a keyboard. If you are close enough to L/XL ship, it should target the closest surface element in front(ish). Not 100% sure if it will always target what you _really_ want, though - try using it around the stations to see what I mean

EDIT: And if it does not do what you needed (or maybe you have tried it already), maybe post how you would envision what the control should do.

This works if close, but things like the new hyperion, you want to be more at a distance and it can snipe surface elements. At the 9k range, you'll just target the ship and then have to use "next surface element" commands till you get one you want. Specifically in my case, it always seems to cycle through the ones on the opposite side of the target from me first, only getting to my side towards the end. Ironically if I use "previous surface element", it still goes to the other side.

[flywlyx]

Yeah, there should be a hotkey or a modifier key like Ctrl+T for that. The same goes for the station-building interface—whenever I try to move a part, I always end up selecting the handle instead. There should be a modifier key to ignore the handle since it's way too close to the model.

[azaghal]

Have you tried using the "Target Object" input control? By default it should be T on a keyboard. If you are close enough to L/XL ship, it should target the closest surface element in front(ish). Not 100% sure if it will always target what you _really_ want, though - try using it around the stations to see what I mean

EDIT: And if it does not do what you needed (or maybe you have tried it already), maybe post how you would envision what the control should do.

This works if close, but things like the new hyperion, you want to be more at a distance and it can snipe surface elements. At the 9k range, you'll just target the ship and then have to use "next surface element" commands till you get one you want. Specifically in my case, it always seems to cycle through the ones on the opposite side of the target from me first, only getting to my side towards the end. Ironically if I use "previous surface element", it still goes to the other side.

Ah, right, I just realised that solardawning mentioned zooming in. In some situations I try to switch to the external target view to try to pinpoint the element, but... It can still be a bit wonky with really large ships, like Xenon I (you need to zoom in to be able to select engines etc).

[solardawning]

Have you tried using the "Target Object" input control? By default it should be T on a keyboard. If you are close enough to L/XL ship, it should target the closest surface element in front(ish). Not 100% sure if it will always target what you _really_ want, though - try using it around the stations to see what I mean

EDIT: And if it does not do what you needed (or maybe you have tried it already), maybe post how you would envision what the control should do.

Hello:
Current Example: You are piloting the Hyperion, and are 7km away from a K, and pointing your reticle directly at the L Graviton Turret on it's cheek. You press "T": The K is targeted, not the turret. Result: I can't shoot the turret!

Desired new hotkey function: Same case, I am pointing at the K. I press (hotkey): The L Graviton Turret is targeted. Now I can blow it up!

[GoldenAlpharex]

I totally agree with this, it's also pretty tedious when you're trying to take out surface elements on a station yourself (because AI-piloted ships will get too close and get killed by the turrets when trying to do this, generally), so being able to have an easy way to target whatever surface elements are the closest to my cursor would be great.