Alternative idea to fix focus fire

[Shin_getter]

We have the lockbreaker module, and it doesn't seem to stop focus fire. Here I propose a different solution:

Target vulnerability scanner: Low slot module
It scans all ships you have locked for weak points in defenses and would randomly activate on one of the locked targets. (or fail to apply to any target) Applying damage to the target during an active cycle would have the following effects with probability depending on damage divided by base hp of ship:

1. Boosted damage
2. Disable the effects of high slot modules for some time (say 10~20 seconds)
3. Randomly cause high slot module damage

Probability of module activating is modified by numbers of target you lock. Assuming locking one target uses Base_Rate, multiple targets uses Base_rate*(1/target_count)^1/2 so the more targets you lock, the higher total chance of getting an active cycle. For example 2 targets give you 0.7*base_rate per target. Two targets gives base*(0.7+0.7) total probability for getting an activation.

(all numbers can be tweaked to improve balance and game effect, lock numbers may also boost raw effect if activation chance is not enough for scaling)

Intended effect:
An combat pilot with this module fitted, will in, addition to shooting primary, lock and shoot targets of opportunity and lower incoming dps. It also reduces effectiveness of alpha-fleet type concepts, since it can suppress incoming alpha with well planned spread fire, while dps fleets gets a further dps bonus when trying to out dps logi.

This module also boosts "solo/small gang pvp" since larger groups suffer from the effects of this module more due to the way more locks = more likely to activate.

[Tyrus Tenebros]

How about: there's nothing wrong with focusing fire.

The fix to focus fire is high player skill and division of fleets in to independent alpha-strike-capable units.

This doesn't happen much because it's difficult to maintain fleet and target comms separately and artificially doing something to make people shooting other people worse is retarded

[StevieTopSiders]

What Tyrus said. In the past few months, I've come to regard people seeking to "nerf blobs" with cool disdain. You don't have to fight the blob. Every imaginable scale of PvP is out there if you put in a modicum of effort to find it. There's still no way to defeat the 1000 Goons who form up to reinforce regions when Mittney gets on the radio, but at least here on FHC, no one worries about that.

This is one of your worse ideas.

[OrangeAfroMan]

The problem is very simple. Add a stacking penalty for damage dealt to target based on how many ships are shooting it. For example, 1 to 15 ships shooting a target do full damage, but every ship past 15 gets their damage nerfed.

That is, if you feel the need to nerf blobs.

[whispous]

The problem is very simple. Add a stacking penalty for damage dealt to target based on how many ships are shooting it. For example, 1 to 15 ships shooting a target do full damage, but every ship past 15 gets their damage nerfed.

That is, if you feel the need to nerf blobs.

But that screws over fleet fights and UM I DUNNO LOL SHOOTING SUPERS

[OrangeAfroMan]

Make supers exempt

[Varcaus]

Yeah thats pretty retarded. Sorry man

[Cue1*]

This is one of your worse ideas.

He's had good ones?

There's no 'fix' for blobs. Stop trying.

[Sponk]

2/10 would not implement

[Alundil]

The problem is very simple. Add a stacking penalty for damage dealt to target based on how many ships are shooting it. For example, 1 to 15 ships shooting a target do full damage, but every ship past 15 gets their damage nerfed.

That is, if you feel the need to nerf blobs.

But that screws over fleet fights and UM I DUNNO LOL SHOOTING SUPERS

Also pos shooting suffers. And that's already bad.

Sent via highly charged bolt of electricity.

[OrangeAfroMan]

POSes are ships now?

[Alundil]

POSes are ships now?

No of course not. but its yet another conditional rule that must be applied to a particular module or class of items. I don't think its a good fix. That was all.

Sent via highly charged bolt of electricity.

[Shin_getter]

The principle behind the idea isn't the mechanic itself, but instead of nerfing focus fire, make spreading fire around uniquely useful in some cases. Simply reducing effectiveness of focus lock/fire with some universal mechanic will likely have many secondary effects that would totally mess up the game, like alpha become even MORE important, logi becoming uber, carriers become invulnerable, friendly lock tricks and all the rest of that I can not predict, and many, many special rules and rebalancing would have to take place for it to remotely work.

My suggestion can be implemented without too much effect on other part of the game by carefully controlling the strength. It is also not a binary "op or useless module" as it works like a nonstacking penalized damage mod with some ewar effects that may be used even against single targets in some fittings, and definitely in PvE with overly damage stacked ships. It also isn't a "shoot random target is better" type of mechanic, and locking proper targets to make best use of it is also important.

It is just another line of thinking to be explored if one wants to try changing focusing fire.
-----
Now, one could argue there is nothing wrong with focus fire, current blobfleets and such. I think that is another discussion, and I think it is one that can only be determined by asking the player base. It doesn't matter how reasonable or unreasonable you think it is, the question is whether most of the player base, and potential future players, think of the matter.

[Joshua Foiritain]

The problem is very simple. Add a stacking penalty for damage dealt to target based on how many ships are shooting it. For example, 1 to 15 ships shooting a target do full damage, but every ship past 15 gets their damage nerfed.

That is, if you feel the need to nerf blobs.

This is the best solution but the implementation is pretty hard. The major risk is people shooting each other with 1 gun thats out of range to count as one of the 15 enemies to nerf the incoming dps from actual enemies.

During a fleet fight the server would have to compile a list of all people shooting you, sort them by actual output damage per second (not theoretical max dps as high damage ships that are well out of range of actually doing damage need to be filtered out) and then nerf the dps of the everyone except the 15 most damaging.

The server is already stressed as it is, adding a fuckton of sorting and damage over time tracking will probably rape server performance.

[Varcaus]

The problem is very simple. Add a stacking penalty for damage dealt to target based on how many ships are shooting it. For example, 1 to 15 ships shooting a target do full damage, but every ship past 15 gets their damage nerfed.

That is, if you feel the need to nerf blobs.

This is the best solution but the implementation is pretty hard. The major risk is people shooting each other with 1 gun thats out of range to count as one of the 15 enemies to nerf the incoming dps from actual enemies.

During a fleet fight the server would have to compile a list of all people shooting you, sort them by actual output damage per second (not theoretical max dps as high damage ships that are well out of range of actually doing damage need to be filtered out) and then nerf the dps of the everyone except the 15 most damaging.

The server is already stressed as it is, adding a fuckton of sorting and damage over time tracking will probably rape server performance.

No it's a terrible idea that doesn't even begin to make sense other than why cant my gang kill a 10x bigger one.