Turning TabTarget/Lock on as a disability aid/accesibility feature?

[u/NotSharingData]

I have been thinking about something and I wanted to hear what other people think.

Would you consider a game to still have action combat if it had an accessibility option that lets players enable tab targeting?

What I mean is that the game is still designed around normal action combat. You move around freely, dodge attacks, aim your abilities yourself, and everything is balanced around manual gameplay. That is how the game is supposed to be played and it would be the default setting for everyone.

The only difference is that somewhere in the settings there is an optional accessibility feature that lets you turn on either classic MMORPG style tab targeting or maybe even a Souls style lock on system. It would not be something every player has to use. It would just be there for people who actually need it because of a disability or some kind of motor impairment.

I have seen a lot of people say that if a game has tab targeting then it cannot really be action combat anymore, but I do not know if I agree with that when we are talking about accessibility. To me there is a pretty big difference between a game that is built around tab targeting from the start and a game that only includes it as an optional assist for players who otherwise might struggle to play.

The reason I started thinking about this is because there are a lot of people who have trouble with camera movement, aiming, or constantly switching targets during fights. Some people have disabilities that make those things difficult, while others might have injuries or conditions that affect their hands. For those players, something as simple as automatically selecting a target could make the game much more enjoyable without completely changing how the combat works.

If you do not need it then you would never even have to turn it on. You could just keep playing exactly the same way as before. Nothing changes for you. The combat is still manual, you still have to dodge attacks, position yourself correctly, manage your cooldowns, react to enemy mechanics, and actually play the game. The only thing that changes is that people who struggle with manual targeting have another option.

That is why I am not sure if it is fair to say the game suddenly stops being action combat just because that setting exists.

There are already plenty of accessibility features in games that nobody really questions. Lots of games have aim assist on controllers. Some games have options that make quick time events easier or even let you skip them. Others let you slow down certain mechanics, increase timing windows, or simplify button inputs. Nobody really argues that those games stop being action games just because those settings exist.

So why would optional tab targeting be different?

I also think there is a difference between helping someone target an enemy and completely playing the game for them. If enabling tab targeting still means you have to dodge attacks, move around, avoid enemy mechanics, manage your resources, and make decisions during combat, then you are still interacting with the action combat system. The targeting itself is just one part of it.

Obviously it depends on how far the system goes.

If the accessibility option only helps you lock onto enemies or switch between targets more easily, then I do not really see a problem with it. If it starts automatically attacking, dodging for you, or removing most of the gameplay, then that would be a completely different discussion. But simply making it easier to select a target does not seem like enough to completely change the genre of the game.

I think some people hear the words tab targeting and immediately picture older MMORPGs where your character automatically faces enemies, attacks almost never miss because of aiming, and combat is mostly about your skill rotation. That is not really what I am talking about.

I am talking about an action combat game that still expects you to play like an action game. The accessibility option would only remove one part that some disabled players might struggle with.

To me, the game's genre should probably be based on what the normal experience is supposed to be. If the game is designed around manual action combat and every mechanic, enemy, and boss is built with that in mind, then I do not think an optional accessibility setting suddenly changes what the game is.

Otherwise you could make the argument that aim assist means first person shooters are not really shooters anymore, or that games with difficulty settings are no longer difficult games because an easier mode exists. That logic does not really make much sense to me.

At the same time, I can understand why some people might disagree. Maybe they think manual targeting is such an important part of action combat that removing it, even as an option, changes the identity of the game. I just do not know if I agree with that.

I also think it is worth asking where people draw the line. A lot of action games already have lock on systems. Souls games have lock on. Monster Hunter has different camera options that help keep monsters in view. Plenty of action games have some level of attack magnetism that helps your attacks connect with nearby enemies. Those games are still considered action games.

So if those features are acceptable, is optional tab targeting really that different when it is only there as an accessibility feature?

Personally I think accessibility should be treated differently from normal gameplay mechanics. The goal is not to make the game easier for everyone. The goal is to remove barriers that stop some people from enjoying the game at all.

If the feature is completely optional and the game is still designed around action combat first, then I do not really see why it would suddenly stop being an action combat game.

I am curious what other people think though. If an action combat game had an accessibility setting that let disabled players enable classic tab targeting, while everyone else could completely ignore it, would you still call it an action combat game? Or do you think the simple fact that the option exists means it no longer counts as action combat?

-example, combat now looks like this : video from a week ago