In my opinion focus is a LITTLE overpowered, and no that isnt coming from a bad day on a 50 levels combat server. I think focus should work in a way such that it does more damage based on how much moving around your doing, versus a base damage per chamber. IE: Instead of more damage per chambers now, make it so more chambers means the time required to stop moving to do full damage is reduced. I think focus working on a level of movement would put some much needed emphasis back into ambushing well instead of going celerity+focus and running around like an idiot trying to get the most bites in. So, for example, a completely still skulk that has been lying in wait for about 5 seconds would do alot more damage than a running skulk. Also, take away the bite reduce speed. I believe this would be a much better and more fun way to implement focus. Just a thought.

not bad, does this mean a vinilla lvl one rine stupid enough to walk up to a cloaked focus sulk deserves to die?

in other words can we exspect to see a slight buff in max focus no moveing heaps of chamber bites

Nice sig and avie, CWAG.

But, TBH, I don't really like this idea. It's not bad...it's just, meh.

it just... makes sense

Focus- to divert ones attention into the task at hand

*shrug* why not give it a try, just for the sake of argument

I'd say weaken it to where it takes 2 bites to kill a non-parasited marine if the skulk is moving, if its still, and ambushing then 1 bite up untill armor 1 where it would be 1 bite and a parasite. I realize this sounds ovepowering, but how many skulks do you really see truly ambush these days anyway

Good enough idea, puts the main usage of focus back in the hands of skulks rather then fades/lerks how it currently is. Biggest downfall as I see it is that a single focus skulk with this model would drop structures in seconds without a second thought.

De-buffing early focus in a sense sounds alright but then again it could provide a marine with the advantage when a non-upgraded marive vs focus skulk...

For example a skulk standing still for 5 sec to get max focus damage yet he has to move to attack the marine therefore losing the max damage when moving. So the marine would have to walk into the skulk which is almost impossible unless there is an sc near by.

Which is why i don't like this idea.

don't get me wrong it could be good but skulk has to move in general to attack and the skulk in your idea loses the max focus strength when moving so it would be very rare that the skulk would get the full advantage of focus.

I kinda like the idea, except the waiting time seems a bit too long, and the penalty of moving is too great.

Perhaps a tweak in the idea?

It's pretty simple... all you have to do is wait for 5 seconds to 'power up' the focus by being completely still. After that, it's charged and you can move around as much as you want.

It'll make it somewhat viable for fades again, but only for the first hit. After that, the fades would have to go find a corner and sit still for 5 seconds, which is a very long time for a fade that needs to cover the map. For skulks, it does what you want.

What do you think?

Make focus be a continuous thing

One bite every 3 seconds = full damage

but the RoF is 1 bite every second

Every bite that is LESS than 3 seconds after another bite would reduce the damage by 25%

Thus, after 12 seconds of biting an rt, you'd have lost 25%^4 of your damgae!

Or: the faster you click, the less damage it does.

You can hold the button and bite 75% normal speed at normal damage...but if you bite slower (say, 50% of normal speed), you do full focus damage.

While basing it off movement is a good idea, it's just impractical. I think a better solution would be to base it off adrenaline.

Make it so focus doesn't change the RoF, but it does use a little more adren. When your adren bar is at 100%, you do base damage plus 100% focus damage (a little mor ethan now, to balance). If it's at, say 50%, you'll do base damage plus 50% focus damage. This means that you'll never have a bite less powerful than normal, but you will do less damage the less adren you have left. This will encourage you to lie in wait somewhere near the marine, so you don't have to leap first. It will also affect fades a lot. They will have to be more mindful of their energy remaining.

So, to recap:
Focus doesn't slow RoF
Focus attacks use (25?)% more energy
Focus attacks loose their bonus damage as the energy bar is depleted, but will never go below the base, non-focus damage.

Nah, make it have some penalty of some sort

ah... an idea i like, because it fixes the problem i have with focus, people just running in, 1 hit kill and running out.

just because it is based on movement dosen't mean an alien needs to sit still for 5 secs to do full damage though. the wait time can be very short, but enough to ensure that aliens can't run around at max speed tearing through the marines like paper.

Solution a:
Focus charge up time is = time to fully cloak (unafected by scan)
After you charged up, your v-weps get are emitting a faint glow (only for you) in a not-yet-set collor, maybe red. You then can sneak around for unlimited range (+walk) or charge a short distance of X (PLAYTEST) units to rip the rine's leg off. Falling shouldn't be counted for that distance, but this would be REALY heavy work

Solution b:
If you evolve Focus, your Stamina bar is extended with another bar for Focus.
Do I have to say more?
(For Joe Stupid: The Focus bar shows your current level of concentration for Hive 0 Weapons and is depleted by attacking with said weapons. Depletion is
1% (bite 1), 2% (bite 2), 4% (bite 3), 8% (bite 4), 16% (bite 5).
Yes, it's an exponential binary curve, and is to avoid idiots biting holes in the air while they try to eat the human's shoes.)
The Adrenaline Upgrade does have a negative effect on the Concentration-bar, too, as you quite can't concentrate when you are pumped up with adrenaline...


Focus should NOT in any way bungle with attackspeeds!

The only thing I dislike about focus is that it actually weakens you later on, you actually do less damage per second, than without focus. Which means it owns in the early game but weakens you in the later game when a marine can take one focus bite and still shoot back.

I like the idea that focus would be a skill.


It would have the same ROF as normal bite, but if you didnt time your bites, then you wouldnt get maximum damage. Works for me.

Interesting idea except that focus+leap is the only reliable way to kill JPs. Since leap makes you go really fast you'll need to get 3-4 bites in. This new focus would make JPs in CO much more effective. Basically, it puts far too much work on the fade.

ur idea is dumb

An alien's only real defense is movement, and you're asking them to sacrifice that for the ability to be just as effective as they are now? Huge nerf to them. You can see Fades go down the drain right now.

As it stands, aside from the first attack, Focus works as intended. The alien is indeed taking extra time to size up it's target and make a more forceful or well-aimed strike at the enemy.

Focus was already hit rather hard by the +5 armor Marines received. It's like free Armor 1 from the get-go, and Armor 1 is a huge detriment to Focus. Consider: it takes three bites to kill a Marine, or two Focus bites. A Focus bite is equal to two regular bites. That's four regular bites if you don't make the first hit and the second immediately after. You need 100% accuracy for it to be more effective, which is difficult given that the Marine isn't being juggled around as much as he should.

ha

i don't really like this stationary focus. i'd much rather see focus attacks as a charge-up attack, where the longer you hold onto +attack before you let go, the more damge you do (up to a limit). this would be like how the sniper rifle works in TFC (remember that? ah, good times). basically, it'll let you get in a first focus bite, but then after the initial bite you won't get another focus bite in (or not a powerful one) unless your opponent can't shoot barn wall to save his life, or is distracted. it'll still allow for mobile focus hit'n runs, but allows to you stay in battle as well if you are content with using normal non-focused attacks.

on a side note, with a system like this, you might add in a bonus for primal scream where it reduces the charge-up time for a focus attack, making it more useful in a battle after initial contact.

all in all, i think a powerful charge-up attack fits the term "focus" better than a skulk hiding in a corner somewhere

p.s. i love /menu servers. it usually gives the marines the extra edge to balance out combat games

this is basicaly my charge up shot thread were the longer you hold down the trigger the more power you put into it, but that was about xeno

This idea is good. With current focus, a focus fade can basicaly screw a whole marine team. He just flies in and hits once, no matter if he's taking TONS of fire or NO fire. He's pretty much invincible. He doesn't have to stay in and risk dying to do a decent ammount of damage, cuz focus insures good damage with only 1 hit.