Focus vs FTL

[Kayley]

I've been searching for a bit, I can't find what I want specifically.
Focus vs FTL.

Some people swear by /assist focus being faster, others by the FTL system. If anyone has seen a thread recently discussing the pros and cons about either, share a link? :>
(or even if it is an older thread, I dont mind). All I have found has been one random person in each thread (that search has picked up) saying xx is better than xx. Yet providing no proof D:

So again, if you have the info.. halp me out a bit.

(I'll end up trying it out and doing my own research etc, but if someone else has done it.. i can think of different things to do with my time :P)

Thanks

[Maleick]

It depends if your going to focus on pvp or pve. While focus is faster I am sure, FTL is leaps better if you need to seemingly switch leaders at any point. Also leave focus open so you can focus flameshock/EM lava burst someone.

[mrtwentyfourth]

As the lazy person I am, i have a mix of Focus and FTL. I have made it so that the focus ( aka main) is switching when i go to another window and push follow. This is because i dont need the focus for something atm, and i dont have to rewrite a single macro to utilize it. I need to set up just one string ( per character) and im all set, instead of the immense job of implementing the big macros for every spell. It is also easier to create new macros to new spells.

[Zappy]

I've used both starting with the focus method. /assist focus is no faster than doing an /assist <toonname>

The only real difference is the macros. Focus is very straight forward and can be set up and running rather quickly. FTL takes a little more work to set up, but can be just as easy to configure once you understand it. One big advantage for me using the FTL is that I have two main macros on all 10 of my toons (I run both 5 shammys and 5 druids). One for following, and one for assisting. The assist macro is referenced from every command that needs to be targeted, and the advantage is that if I decide to interchange some of the toons (ie. 3 shammys, 2 druids, etc), it's a simple as logging into them, and all the macros already perform the correct assist / follow. The real challenge here is deciding how each keys will be mapped (ie. my flameshock and insect swarm fire together, starfire and chainlighting, etc).

Someone on here posted a link to SuperDuperMacro or something like that that allows huge macros, so both my assist and follow macros are using that. The cool part is that if I decide to roll up another new team, I simply add their names to both of the macros and the rest of the foundation is already set so that the team can be interchanged.

The real question you need to answer is that if you care if you can control all aspects of your toons regardless of which window happens to be in focus at the time. In pvp, this can be a life saver as your lead toon is usually easily identified and focused down rather quickly, and when this happens, you'll lose your other toons if you have no way to attack or defend.

With FTL, I find myself constantly switching leaders between arenas, BGs and WG, so when your opponents see you, they don't formulate a quick strategy to focus your leader down for a quick win, and realize that there really is no leader.

[Kayley]

MACRO 13 "Focus" Ability_Ambush
/clearfocus
/focus Char1
/stopmacro [target=focus, exists, nodead]
/focus Char2
/stopmacro [target=focus, exists, nodead]
/focus Char3
/stopmacro [target=focus, exists, nodead]
/focus Char4
/stopmacro [target=focus, exists, nodead]
END

Is how I change focus on the fly, all spells ingame have been macrod. /assist focus /cast lightning - etc.
Having the ability to make my alts take other focus targets for fear, deathcoil and more would be nice (New team, which is why i'm asking. 1priestx4warlocks heh).

I just had to be sure, I was called stupid for having mine setup the way I do. "Idiot, don't you know that the FTL system is much faster. It responds quicker ingame, picking targets up faster"
But I like the sound of setting up focus targets (that I can keep an eye on easily) to CC. Thanks. - Doing a bit of PvE and PvP

[Lax]

I just had to be sure, I was called stupid for having mine setup the way I do. "Idiot, don't you know that the FTL system is much faster. It responds quicker ingame, picking targets up faster"

Most people seem to have the wrong idea about the difference between Focus-based and FTL. There is exactly one tradeoff between the equivalent Focus-based setup, and FTL. FTL frees up Focus, at the cost of additional keyspace -- that is, your ability to have additional key-bound macros in the game. FTL limits the combinations of modifier keys you can use for a given key binding, because some will be reserved for the FTL modifiers. There is no difference -- at all -- between the amount of time it takes for the other characters to acquire a target. Either way, the main character sets his target, which is sent to the server, and then back to the other players before they can acquire the new target.

The difference in Macros is length of the macro. One method uses a chain of conditionals (which can be copied and pasted) to identify the Hot Character (the one currently played), and one method uses [target=focustarget] or /assist focus.

The number of macros to be made is identical, when comparing both methods with the same manual or automatic assist option -- again, they can both be Targetless and Leaderless, the difference is focus or not focus. You can use the FTL conditionals method and still use manual assist (technically dropping the "targetless" part), and be up and running in the same amount of time as with Focus and manual assist. Likewise, you can use automatic assist, and be up and running in the same amount of time with Focus.

The other difference is the number of places your character names appear. With focus, it's in your /focus macros, and nowhere else, regardless of auto or manual assist. With FTL and auto assist, it's in every macro.

Finally, an unsolicited mention: ISBoxer makes setup between FTL and Focus negligible and allows you to switch between them by simply checking a couple boxes, or effortlessly use a combination of both. ISBoxer manages the macros for you, so you don't need to do any making or editing macros in the game. Switching to a different set of characters (swapping one in for another, etc) is also simplified. You can find links to this in the Software Tools section, for anyone interested.

[wowphreak]

FTL and focus is basically an idea depending on how yeh implement it will depend on how complicated it gets.

One of the drawbacks of the focus setup is that there can be some lag when yeh switch focus to when the others char have the new focus this can be a pain if yeh switch back and forth trying to get a new target.


That being said I did my FTL setup a lil differently the only 2 keys need the ftl (ctrl,shift,alt modifiers) setup are follow and assist keys all the other ones get passed normally. That way I can use modifier on all my other keys.
Another thing that I did differently then whats on the wikki I didn't bind 2 keys to do one thing there's really no need for "hidden macro keys".

Another thing that I added was "click infused" with the ftl, basically what I did is create five buttons that have /target char_name one for each account any time I want drop out switch it up I can just add the chars name in there and that's all I have to change no need to tweak my macros for anything else.

[Kayley]

Thank you again for the information

[Ughmahedhurtz]

One of the drawbacks of the focus setup is that there can be some lag when yeh switch focus to when the others char have the new focus this can be a pain if yeh switch back and forth trying to get a new target.

I'm not sure what you mean here. My focus changes are instantaneous because you set focus directly on each toon. Unless you're talking about an arbitrary delay from some wonky automagic focus-changing feature of a multiboxing software app, which is a detail in the software, not in the setup.

Or are you talking about _target_ changes? If that's what you're referencing, then that has absoutely nothing to do with focus vs FTL. :P

[wowphreak]

One of the drawbacks of the focus setup is that there can be some lag when yeh switch focus to when the others char have the new focus this can be a pain if yeh switch back and forth trying to get a new target.

I'm not sure what you mean here. My focus changes are instantaneous because you set focus directly on each toon. Unless you're talking about an arbitrary delay from some wonky automagic focus-changing feature of a multiboxing software app, which is a detail in the software, not in the setup.

Or are you talking about _target_ changes? If that's what you're referencing, then that has absoutely nothing to do with focus vs FTL. :P

As in changing focus till all yer chars have acquired the new target. When switching focus it first has to acquire from the server the new focus then acquire the target with ftl it just gets the new target
it'll also depend on how yeh implement it, what will also affect it is how much lag yeh have if yer lag is really low yeh might not even notice a delay but with any good amount of lag say over 150 yeh start to notice it

As far as I can tell using /assist focus is about the slowest way of getting a new target
The fastest seems to be using [target=char_name-target] within the cast macro.

No idea, thats just the way it appears to me meh need more coffeee :P