Ranged Aim Assist (and Lock-On)

Ranged Aim Assist (and Lock-On)

Description

A highly configurable aim assist and lock-on mod for ranged combat in Gothic 1 Remake, built as a native C++ UE4SS mod. Primarily designed for controller players, fully supported on mouse + keyboard.

Why? I like to play third-person RPGs with a controller, but I'm really bad at aiming with them. This isn't helped by the terrible camera controls in this game. Since the game does not feature a native aim assist for ranged combat, I decided to make my own. I don't know anything about Unreal Engine modding, UE4SS or C++, so this thing is entirely vibe-coded.

This project was initially started as a Lua mod, but performance was really bad, so I switched to C++ instead. Performance impact is negligible on my system (Ryzen 5700X, 32 GB DDR4, RX 7900 XT). Even in crowded environments with 10+ NPCs my frame times only drop by around 2-3 ms when aiming or locked on. There are some configuration options to lessen performance impact for weaker systems.

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Features

Aim Assist (soft correction)

While you aim a bow or crossbow, the mod finds the valid target closest to your crosshair and gently eases your camera toward it. The aim assist pauses briefly when moving the camera to allow for manual corrections (e.g. to compensate for arrow drop). Once you stop moving the camera, the reticle will return to the target after a configurable delay. Fully configurable and toggleable in the settings.

This mod only modifies camera movement, projectiles are untouched. However, the game has native "heat-seeking" arrows beyond a certain range. This can make aim assist really OP in long-range engagements. Sadly, I haven't found a way to turn it off that does not crash the game (yet).

• []Magnetism ("aim friction")

  Magnetism dampens your own camera movement on whichever axis steers away from a nearby target - movement toward the target always passes through at full speed. Similar to the aim friction found in modern console shooters. Not to be confused with bullet magnetism: projectiles are never touched. Fully configurable and toggleable in the settings.[/]

• []Target Leading

  Compensates for the projectile's flight time against moving targets by placing your reticle in the target's movement path. It only uses the target's current velocity and a configurable projectile speed. Note that projectile speeds are guesstimated at the moment. Correctly calculating projectile speed is planned for the future. Can be turned on or off in the settings.[/]

• []Dexterity scaling

  Your character's Dexterity attribute influences the assist: higher Dexterity converges faster onto targets and tracks drifting/moving targets more stubbornly; lower Dexterity gets a lazier assist. Reads the live attribute value (buffs and equipment included) and can be disabled for a flat, stat-independent feel. Configurable and toggleable in the settings.[/]

  Hard Lock-On

  A traditional, Dark-Souls/Zelda-style hard lock-on for ranged weapons - a self-contained replacement for the game's own native lock-on, using the same buttons:

  • []Press TAB / middle mouse button / R3 (mappings are configurable) while a ranged weapon is equipped to lock onto the best visible target. Press again to release.[/]

    []While locked and not aiming, the camera smoothly tracks the target and the game's native name/health bar indicator is pinned to it.[/]

    []Cycle targets left/right by flicking the stick/mouse or pressing NUM1/NUM2 (all configurable). This might feel a bit jittery with the mouse at the moment.[/]

    []Aiming (RMB/LT) while locked on to a target switches to Aim Assist mode and returns to locked mode when you release the aiming controls.[/]

    []Automatically re-targets the next-best enemy when the current one dies, is defeated, or leaves range. Releases unconditionally when you holster or switch to melee.[/]

  Quality of life

  []Live config reload: edits to config.ini are picked up automatically within ~0. 5 s.[/]