16 replies to this topic

[Commander Homer]

Hello,

I'm a casual player of MWO - I play a few times a month when I get a chance. It's a fun game and definitely a worthy successor to previous MW titles. Yesterday I played in a 12-man organized drop against an ECM-heavy team. Everyone has an opinion about ECM, but I would just like to make a few suggestions based on what I observed from playing this ECM-heavy team that might help move it more into balanced gameplay.

1) Remove the "umbrella" protection of ECM. One annoying thing I've noticed is that shooting a PPC at a mech under the umbrella of an ECM-carrying mech does not put that mech on radar - you need to shoot the ECM-carrying mech. This seems a little unbalanced, as ECM mechs could stay behind cover, providing ECM protection to mechs regardless of whether they are PPC'd.

2) Make ECM jamming and countering effective to only a targeted mech, provided that mech is within some range of the ECM. Jamming is definitely cool, functionally and visually, but the omnidirectional jamming and stacking capability seems a little unbalanced, given some teams run with very ECM heavy setups.

3) Reduce the radar range of ECM-carrying mechs. I'm not sure whether this is as practical as the other suggestions, but I think light mechs with ECM are definitely preferred scouts. By reducing radar range, other light mechs might be more favored for scouting.

Thanks for reading!

[Chaon]

Point 1: The PPC disrupts the ECM module for a bit which is why shootng the ECM mech will give a benefit and not the sheltered mechs.

Point 2: The ECM umbrella is a sphere centered on the ECM mech which is why it will shelter surrounding mechs. Maybe just make it so that the ECM doesn't stack. It is all just a single power no matter how many you have in your team.

Point 3: That is a good idea. If a mech is running an ECM then reduce it's radar range by 25% due to having to work through the ECM umbrella and support it.

[Bront]

Point 3 is the only one worth while, though I think that would prevent most ECM users from actually using it. Maybe a reduction in telemetry range and increase in lock speed would work out ok. Say, anti-beagle (so carrying a Beagle would counter it).

Edited by Bront, 13 August 2013 - 11:30 AM.

[MrZakalwe]

I think they should rework ECM from the group up, to be honest.

[Commander Homer]

Thanks for your feedback. Chaon, I agree with your point regarding what physically happens with a PPC. I was thinking that maybe the PPC could knock out whatever radar system "allows" the ECM protection, putting the PPC'd mech on the radar. (It might be a stretch, I dunno.) In general, I think there is a huge upside and very little downside to using ECM - if your mech can support ECM, it should definitely have it equipped. In MW4, the disadvantage of using ECM was increased missile lock-on time like you mentioned, Bront. Right now, I think BAP and AMS are somewhat optional components to take, whereas ECM is always a must. Those points above were what I thought might swing it back to making using ECM a more strategic decision.

Thanks!

[Gerfand]

I think that, instead of getting a low-signal, atleast when you are facing the target or using the 360 scan, you get a lock on mechs covered by ECM, even the carrier because of the passive sensors that the 'mech have.

[Adamski]

Just remove the ability for ECM to block targeting and that would go a LONG way to bringing it into balance.

[Livewyr]

I thought they did a damn fine job in Battletech with Guardian ECM.. would transfer pretty easily here too..

Seems to be something wrong with the bridge.

[Malleus011]

The more I play, the more I'm of the opinion that they should just turn ECM off for the time being. It's probably the single largest fun destroyer in the entire game.

It needs to be reworked from the ground up to match something more like it's intended role in the lore.

[Rasc4l]

Yep, ECM needs some changes (suggestion).


EDIT: Fixed old link

Edited by Rasc4l, 30 May 2014 - 04:04 PM.

[OznerpaG]

TAG is a hard counter to ECM - any target you TAG up to 750m away is immediately targetable

losing 1 ton to completely counter 1.5 tons is perfectly reasonable

[Adamski]

TAG requires spotting and steady aim, ECM requires equipping the module.

TAG require giving up an energy hardpoint, ECM has its own hardpoint.

TAG is not a reasonable counter for the current OP of ECM. If ECM was better balanced, then TAG would be a reasonable counter.

[OznerpaG]

Adamski, on 28 May 2014 - 08:54 AM, said:

TAG requires spotting and steady aim, ECM requires equipping the module.

TAG require giving up an energy hardpoint, ECM has its own hardpoint.

TAG is not a reasonable counter for the current OP of ECM. If ECM was better balanced, then TAG would be a reasonable counter.

spotting - you need to look at your target to fire at it, right? if your weapons and TAG fire down the same crosshair i don't see what the big difference is

steady hand - really? that answer makes it very obvious you'v never even used TAG so you'r not in the position to bash something you don't know

let me simplify: you point TAG anywhere on a target (can be an arm, leg, CT - wherever you feel like pointing it at) that has ECM or is under the ECM umbrella, and it is immediately targetable and thereby nullifying ECM's effects on that target

there's a hard solution to the ''ECM problem'' - the hardpoint cost is nothing if it solves the problem

[Cichol Balor]

just make it so ecm doesn't block NARCs and their is no real issue. a few good lights and enemy ECM is useless not to mention the only thing ecm really does is hamper streaks and to some degree lrms and atms but a tag solves that.

[Renzor the Red]

ECM is great as is. If anything, it's a little under-powered with how you can still be targeted within a substantial range. If you don't like ECM mechs, learn how to counter it. I run active probes in many of my mechs, and that's just one way.

[Tesunie]

Just going to throw this out there:
Thread Start year, 2013.
Necrod once in 2018.

A lot of this mechanic has changed in the 6 years since the original post, and ECM is not nearly as powerful as it once was. The mentioned suggestions in the OP are now fairly obsolete, so please just let this thread rest in peace...

[Renzor the Red]

We need more action in these forums. This thread was pretty high up the list.