To De, Focus. What Does It Mean?

[LocasMaxis]

Focus: Meaning: The Centre of interest or activity. [iI] The state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition. [iV] Pay particular attention to.

The Focus system should reflect these three meanings. It should bring the Tenno to their centre, it should be the way they see themselves, it should show what makes them who they are, how they fight and what they fight for.

In truth, it should be three things. It should be a way to fight, a beast mode as it was originally envisioned. It should
give them the strengths they desire. It should give them identity.

This is how I see Focus should be, in short.

More in detail, I think Focus should be foremost, a mode used in missions for that extra edge. It should give you bonuses when you fight, when you are in the zone and doing everything the way you know you can.

So to reflect that Focus has a bar, the way this bar works depends on how you use your Focus. Are you more of a slash and smash happy melee user? You Focus by being in the thick of the fight, slashing your foes. Are you more of a all out damage kind of tenno, killing all that fall before you? You Focus by dealing damage, killing enemies. Or are you a living wall, dividing the line between your enemy and thier goal? You focus by stopping anything that comes against you and living to tell the tale. Basically what focuses you should relfect how you Focus.

So now you have Focus, but what does it DO? Well that also depends on how you focus. As you gain focus, you should start doing what you do best, BETTER. When you Focus, you're on a roll, your doing everything just the way you want to and its working better for you. Whether that's laughing at your enemies trying to pass you perfect defence, or mowing down enemies left right and centre. The more you Focus, the better you fight YOUR way.

You choose the bonuses and as you Focus you become better in what you do best, what ever that may be.

But you can't Focus for ever, there are many Distractions. One Tenno's speciality is another Tenno's weakness. This is why we run in packs, to make up for what makes us weak.

So while you might Focus when your up close and personal with the enemy, once their out of your reach, you start to slip out of Focus. You might deal all of the damage, but taking it is distracting. You might be a living wall, but moving just doesn't keep you centred. For every situation you excel in, another takes that strength away.

All of this brings together part of you, where your from and where you go. It is a part of you, no matter where you go or what you look like. You are a Tenno, you might be different from other Tenno. But its those differences that together make us strong.

That is what Focus should be and should mean. At least the way I see it.

So DE, I hope you read this and get back your focus on Focus. Because it feels like its going to be one hell of a system no matter how you spin it to me.

 

With great hope, the aspiring game designer you so much inspire.

[(PSN)Strifedecer]

[AlphaHorseman]

So like an ability bar to which we can activate to go into like a super mode? That's what your vision of Focus is?

[LocasMaxis]

So like an ability bar to which we can activate to go into like a super mode? That's what your vision of Focus is?

Sort of, but more like as the bar fills, as you focus more, you slip into that super mode bit by bit.

[AlphaHorseman]

Sort of, but more like as the bar fills, as you focus more, you slip into that super mode bit by bit.

Though it sounds like an interesting concept, I would've hoped they keep to it being a bonus across all frames no matter what. I like the concept of a super mode we would be able to go into, but sadly the mobs we face at the moment don't last long enough for us to be able to do it. If it was on a timer or something I'd be annoyed because the damage multiplier that melee has is stuck on a timer, and it still sucks and melee isn't as viable as most would think.

[LocasMaxis]

Though it sounds like an interesting concept, I would've hoped they keep to it being a bonus across all frames no matter what. I like the concept of a super mode we would be able to go into, but sadly the mobs we face at the moment don't last long enough for us to be able to do it. If it was on a timer or something I'd be annoyed because the damage multiplier that melee has is stuck on a timer, and it still sucks and melee isn't as viable as most would think.

You're right, but I suppose I didn't explain it clearly enough for you, which was kind of my intention as its supposed to be open ended. But basically how I see it is that you have things that you do that help you focus and things that happen to you that make you lose focus. These change depending one what clan of focus you go into.

Edited October 10, 2014 by LocasMaxis

[Semshol]

By the way, this music might get you more in focus: 

 

I'd rather that Focus be completely about:

 

- Passive abilities

 

Why?

 

When a Tenno focuses they focus upon a discipline. Whether it be ranged attacks, warframe abilities, defense, melee attacks, speed etc.

 

A Tenno effectively focuses upon a discipline and we already showcase this via the style in which we play. Some Tenno are balanced or rather dynamic. They move from melee to long-range, then to mid-range and then back to melee. Some have a strict play-style. Always at range, all the time (that's usually me).

 

So I believe the Focus system, rather than being a super-bar, should be about the passive bonuses we get for focusing on a discipline of our choice. Let's give these fictional trees random classifications:

 

- Form I - Focuses on ranged combat. Tenno who choose this form are more proficient with their primary and secondary fire arms.

 

- Form II - Focuses on melee combat. Tenno who choose this form are skilled duelists and have chosen to master the blade.

 

- Form III - Focuses on defense. Tenno who choose this form prefer to negate damage rather than to deal it, they are the first into combat and the last to fall

 

- Form IV - Focuses on speed. Tenno who choose this form prefer to create a battlefield of their choice. Whether it be in the air or on the ground, these acrobatic Tenno are capable of controlling the Terrain and the positioning of their enemies.

 

Now let's take a look of how the trees work. When a particular Warframe reaches Master Rank (30). They start to acquire focus. They may choose to focus on one of the many different forms. Let's say my Ash chooses Form IV.

 

Some ideas of passive bonuses from this form might be:

 

- Slipstream - While sprinting, 5% chance that an enemy attack may miss completely and damage is negated.

- Shadow Step - While sprinting, pressing the action key, allows you to teleport a short distance forward.

- Trickster - Roll or slide distances are greatly increases and enemies find themselves less able to target you while you are performing these actions. (Invincibility frames for rolling, and mini-turbulence effect for sliding).

- Sonic Step - Sprint speed increased by 5%.

 

This would allow warframes to become even more diverse, because an Ash could choose from any of these forms based on the play-style of the player. I am someone who hates taking damage, so a Form III or Form IV style might fit me. Someone who loves melee and perma-invis Ash/Loki might choose Form II for aggressive melee bonuses.

 

That is what I see in the focus system. It is a discipline, not really a zone.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Semshol

[AlphaHorseman]

Semshols concept was something I was thinking that Focus would be. Though I must say, the mode that the OP is talking about would be interesting to have, maybe it might be something they'll be doing when we have generic powers for all warframes.

[Semshol]

Semshols concept was something I was thinking that Focus would be. Though I must say, the mode that the OP is talking about would be interesting to have, maybe it might be something they'll be doing when we have generic powers for all warframes.

 

Why not combine them both?

 

Each Tree gives the Tenno who chose it a unique finisher skill that can be utilized when a focus bar fills up.

 

Kind of like a unique attack that sort of sums up what the tree is all about.

[AlphaHorseman]

Why not combine them both?

 

Each Tree gives the Tenno who chose it a unique finisher skill that can be utilized when a focus bar fills up.

 

Kind of like a unique attack that sort of sums up what the tree is all about.

Borderlands Style skills? Haha, I like it.

[LocasMaxis]

You both seem to be miss interpreting what I was saying. That,s fine, I left a lot of information out because its what Steve has said are main parts of focus already. Mainly the Tenno clans that Focus will centre around, each based off of a different Polarity symbol. So Focus is always going to be a branch system, no matter the form  it takes. Also I didn't explicitly point it out but I said that this Focus mode strengthens you as you focus. This is supposed to convey that Focus gives you increasing bonuses as you Focus more; bonuses that you select as you level up, as you become more disciplined.

 

Basically you're taking my words literally when they were meant to be taken a bit more inspirationally.I wrote this to DE because they're having trouble agreeing on what focus should be and I wanted to hopefully give some of them a new perspective to try and focus on what Focus is in the end.