1 reply to this topic

[Gevurah]

http://www.sarna.net...rdian_ECM_Suite

It seems like someone at PGI misread this line:

"The Capellan Confederation expanded the utility of the Guardian even more with the introduction of Stealth Armor.^[3]"

And then they bundled it as part of the basic guardian ECM, which has an extremely low weight/crit slot penalty. So... simply put - do as many others have suggested before. Remove the stealth armor portion/null signature portion and add it as a separate component. This would balance it out by removing critical spaces and forcing people who pick this as an option to be far more judicious (thus removing armament/tools) in the application of their chosen mech build(s).

http://www.sarna.net...i/Stealth_Armor

"BattleMech Stealth Armor provides as much protection as standard armor. It takes up two critical slots in each arm, leg, and side torso. To work, it also requires the 'Mech to carry a Guardian ECM Suite.
The system can be activated or deactivated in the End Phase of any turn. When active the system builds up 10 heat points, and is affected as if it is in range of an enemy ECM Suite. Any unit attacking a BattleMech with active Stealth Armor gets a +1 hit penalty at medium range and a +2 hit penalty at long range. The Stealth Armored BattleMech cannot be a secondary target while the system is active."


So in game terms it would function as an upgrade only available on ECM equipped mechs.

It would build up heat when turned on.

It would take up 2 critical slots in each arm, leg, and side torso. This would significantly limit most of the mechs which can carry it.

WHY REINVENT THE WHEEL?

Edited by Gevurah, 26 February 2013 - 11:02 AM.

[Lykaon]

Honestly ECM is just over featured.The current implimentation of ECM is over bloated with far reaching game effects beyond what many casual observers can notice.

Guardian ECM on the table top did the following.

Jammed Artemis
Jammed BAP
Jammed C3 networks
Prevented spotters from assisting in LRM indirect fire


It did not (under level 2 rules)

Jam sensor range or prevent detection
Prevent LRM lock on
Prevent Streak lock on
Jam IFF signals

In fact ECM specificly did not Jam Clan targeting computers.One could infer from this that the basis of this technology (inner sphere targeting systems) were also not heavily impacted by ECM.

The problem with ECM as we have it now is we do not have Guardian ECM we have Angel ECM that also magicaly grants the effects of stealth armor to every friendly within 180m of it.

The problem with having Guardian ECM only do what it was suppose to do according to TT rule sets is PGI failed to fully develope the support electronics ECM was suppose to counter.

No one cared if the enemy recon had BAP because it was not performing well enough as a recon tool to merit concern or a counter measure.

No one used NARC because it was a total waste of space.Why build a counter measure for something no one used?

Artemis? TAG? well both of these support electronics are used and ironicly TAG because of ECM.


I feel PGI dropped the ball on creating an engaging and complex interaction between support electronics that enhanced information warfare.

What we got was a giant sledgehammer of ECM that bullrushes information warfare into a simple matter of bring more ECM always.