Aim-Assist Exploder 2.0
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2026 4:20 am
Overview
A while ago I designed a smart targeting system for combat hexes that used a series of zone distillations to lock onto any mob in a cylindrical area around your look vector. You can find the full details of that system here. Since then, I've noticed a number of flaws and inefficiencies in the original design, and so I decided to make an improved version.
Unlike the original, this version produces a cone-shaped targeting area by slowly increasing the radius of each successive zone distillation. This results in a much more intuitive lock-on effect, where all entities within a fixed visual radius around your crosshair can be targeted, no matter their actual distance from you (so long as they're within ambit, at least). By means of a variety of optimizations, most notably the use of leading Hermes recursion rather than a Thoth loop, this feature is implemented at no additional cost in patterns - the new hex is exactly as long as the previous version.
Customization
As with the original version, the parameters defining the targeting area can easily be customized by swapping out the relevant number literals in the hex. Unlike the original, this hex now has three parameters: the radius of the first zone distillation, the amount by which the radius is increased every iteration, and the distance between each successive zone.
An interactive diagram of the cone-shaped area can be found here, along with sliders for the three parameters. Feel free to tweak the numbers to create whatever cone works best for you!
Implementation
A while ago I designed a smart targeting system for combat hexes that used a series of zone distillations to lock onto any mob in a cylindrical area around your look vector. You can find the full details of that system here. Since then, I've noticed a number of flaws and inefficiencies in the original design, and so I decided to make an improved version.
Unlike the original, this version produces a cone-shaped targeting area by slowly increasing the radius of each successive zone distillation. This results in a much more intuitive lock-on effect, where all entities within a fixed visual radius around your crosshair can be targeted, no matter their actual distance from you (so long as they're within ambit, at least). By means of a variety of optimizations, most notably the use of leading Hermes recursion rather than a Thoth loop, this feature is implemented at no additional cost in patterns - the new hex is exactly as long as the previous version.
Customization
As with the original version, the parameters defining the targeting area can easily be customized by swapping out the relevant number literals in the hex. Unlike the original, this hex now has three parameters: the radius of the first zone distillation, the amount by which the radius is increased every iteration, and the distance between each successive zone.
An interactive diagram of the cone-shaped area can be found here, along with sliders for the three parameters. Feel free to tweak the numbers to create whatever cone works best for you!
Implementation
Patterns
Code: Select all
// save starting position and starting radius onto stack
Mind's Reflection
Compass' Purification
Mind's Reflection
Alidade's Purification
Subtractive Distillation
Numerical Reflection: 1.25 // INITIAL RADIUS
Vacant Reflection
{
Hermes' Gambit
// expand zone radius
Numerical Reflection: 0.25 // RADIUS INCREMENT
Additive Distillation
Jester's Gambit
// shift zone center forward
Mind's Reflection
Alidade's Purification
Numerical Reflection: 2.5 // STEP DISTANCE
Multiplicative Distillation
Additive Distillation
Jester's Gambit
// run the zone dist
Dioscuri Gambit
Zone Distillation: Living
// remove yourself from the results, if you're in them
Mind's Reflection
Integration Distillation
Mind's Reflection
Single's Purification
Exclusion Distillation
// add remaining results to the end of the raven list
Muninn's Reflection
Jester's Gambit
Additive Distillation
Huginn's Gambit
}
// initialize the raven list and start the loop
Vacant Reflection
Huginn's Gambit
Numerical Reflection: 13
Gemini Gambit
Hermes' Gambit
// explode the first entity in the raven list
Muninn's Reflection
Speaker's Decomposition
Compass' Purification II
Numerical Reflection: 4
Gemini Decomposition
Create Water
Numerical Reflection: 3
Explosion
Conjure Block
Break Block