@OP:
Your list only scratches the surface of ECM.
The ECM's ability to screw guided missile boating is not the real problem.
This feature alone is kinda ok to deal with, though i would like a dumb-fire ability for SSRMS.
But what about those other features ECM provides?
- It makes the carrying mech and all nearby teammates untargetable
- It disrupts the enemy radar inside the bubble
These two features are WAY more powerful than the missile-counter. But it is not as obvious why you are losing to them, therefore most players don't recognize them as the problem.
Being untargetable forces the opposing PUG-team to use text chat which is a HUGE disadvantage because you can't control your mech while typing. Even premades have to spam their channel with spotting information instead of tactics.
And it forces everyone to use heat-vision most of the time to be even able to reliably spot ECM-hidden mechs.
Now to the radar-disruption:
It seeds total chaos in the opposing team once they are inside the bubble. You suddently don't know where your mates are, where they are heading, if they need help or what they do in general. You don't know where the enemies are, not even from those which are not ECM-covered, because you won't receive spotting data from your mates.
This way it's a childs play for a raven to isolate a singe mech even WHEN he is near his group. All it takes is a visual obstruction like a hill or building, and no one will see his distress unless he stops defending himself to type a SOS message in text chat. And now imagine a wolf-pack of ravens doing this...
And you have no reliable counter for those features which each mech can wield.
- Tag won't help because ECM counters it inside the bubble. And it lightens up only one mech at distance. The rest of the stealthed team is still unkown to your team.
And equipping TAG without having LRMs just to have a weapon against ECM often puts you at a disadvantage because you loose 1 ton and an energy hardpoint. Isnt' it strange that a 1.5 ton equipment gives you so much advantage that it requires other mechs to sacrifice 1.0 ton AND an energy slot just to have a VERY light counter against it? Sorry, this do not feel right from any angle i view it.
- PPCs are hard to use against fast ECM mechs which are usually causing this chaos. It only reliably helps against the D-DDC. And by far not every mech can carry them and even if they could, the solution can't be that every mech should carry PPCs just because of ECM.
- And the Death-Counter you mentioned? Seriously, this is by far no 'counter'. Each OP item can be countered by destroying it. It's the same as if you would say: "It's no problem to win ANY match. Simply destroy each enemy mech before they destroy you."
Imagine PGI would include a 100t mech which is fast a medium and has better weapons and Armor as other assaults. Sure you could say: "Just destroy it", but it does not make it less OP and dangerous for the time it is alive.
Don't get me wrong. Each of those ECM-features can add an interesting layer to the game, but ONLY WHEN they are separate systems with a noticeable drawback each.
But currently all those really powerful effects are combined into one device with nearly no drawbacks. You don't have to sacrifice anything for it. Heck, ECM is even available only on the most powerful chassis variants instead of the less-used ones like the Raven-4X or the Spider 5K.
You could even take out the ability to screw guided missiles and ECM would still be too powerful for it's drawbacks.
It would still always be picked before BAP, TAG and NARC and even most weapons when you have to chose between those systems (EDIT: At least when the player knows about the power of stealth and radar disruption).
So please include those hidden side-effects of ECM into your Data compilation and then we can start discussing on a constructively base about ECMs power.
Edited by Daggett, 23 February 2013 - 04:48 AM.