11 replies to this topic

[Training Instructor]

Fair enough, the competent pilot in his light narcer has convinced 3 of his mouthbreathing friends at the local trailer park to run lrm boats. They get to fire away at hard targets. Good for them, they get to feel good for a bit before their next shift at the carwash.

What gets annoying though is to pack a BAP or CAP, see mechs running around in the open with no cares in the world, with no ability to lock on to them, even though you're running the counter to ecm...

As a former Army Intelligence specialist, let me explain something to you PGI...jamming is stronger closer to the source, and weaker further from it. Simply put, that ECM magic jesus box shouldn't be stopping a lock-on from a mech that has both LOS and LRMs. Not allowing the random IS light trash hop up and down on a ridge to rain down death on an enemy team is one thing, but not allowing a mech with a sophisticated sensor to rain down their own LRMs on idiots waltzing around in the open is pretty lame.

It would take an incredibly powerful jammer to blanket jam all communications, except 3rd party VOIP amirite?, to the point where an object you could see was totally unlockable. Those heavies and lights frolicking about in ECM cover? Yeah, they should be missile bait if I have a BAP/CAP and direct LOS on them.

[His Holiness Pope Buster]

I play mostly non-ECM mechs and have no issue with the way ECM is now. If you nerf ECM you will get a proliferation of LRM boating which leads to static game play. ECM is fine the way it is. Let's get away from all of the nerfing. A challenge can be fun.

[Gremlich Johns]

Training Instructor, on 08 October 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

Fair enough, the competent pilot in his light narcer has convinced 3 of his mouthbreathing friends at the local trailer park to run lrm boats. They get to fire away at hard targets. Good for them, they get to feel good for a bit before their next shift at the carwash.

What gets annoying though is to pack a BAP or CAP, see mechs running around in the open with no cares in the world, with no ability to lock on to them, even though you're running the counter to ecm...

As a former Army Intelligence specialist, let me explain something to you PGI...jamming is stronger closer to the source, and weaker further from it. Simply put, that ECM magic jesus box shouldn't be stopping a lock-on from a mech that has both LOS and LRMs. Not allowing the random IS light trash hop up and down on a ridge to rain down death on an enemy team is one thing, but not allowing a mech with a sophisticated sensor to rain down their own LRMs on idiots waltzing around in the open is pretty lame.

It would take an incredibly powerful jammer to blanket jam all communications, except 3rd party VOIP amirite?, to the point where an object you could see was totally unlockable. Those heavies and lights frolicking about in ECM cover? Yeah, they should be missile bait if I have a BAP/CAP and direct LOS on them.

I have a similar background to you and my same/similar arguments since closed beta were all ignored.

[VanillaG]

Training Instructor, on 08 October 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

Fair enough, the competent pilot in his light narcer has convinced 3 of his mouthbreathing friends at the local trailer park to run lrm boats. They get to fire away at hard targets. Good for them, they get to feel good for a bit before their next shift at the carwash.

What gets annoying though is to pack a BAP or CAP, see mechs running around in the open with no cares in the world, with no ability to lock on to them, even though you're running the counter to ecm...

As a former Army Intelligence specialist, let me explain something to you PGI...jamming is stronger closer to the source, and weaker further from it. Simply put, that ECM magic jesus box shouldn't be stopping a lock-on from a mech that has both LOS and LRMs. Not allowing the random IS light trash hop up and down on a ridge to rain down death on an enemy team is one thing, but not allowing a mech with a sophisticated sensor to rain down their own LRMs on idiots waltzing around in the open is pretty lame.

It would take an incredibly powerful jammer to blanket jam all communications, except 3rd party VOIP amirite?, to the point where an object you could see was totally unlockable. Those heavies and lights frolicking about in ECM cover? Yeah, they should be missile bait if I have a BAP/CAP and direct LOS on them.

Bring a TAG and you can target and rain on any mech you want under ECM.

[Livewyr]

VanillaG, on 08 October 2014 - 11:33 AM, said:

Bring a TAG and you can target and rain on any mech you want under ECM.

As long as you stare at them, and they are at 750m or less...

What exactly are they doing to require you to do that?


LoS stealth is soooo stupid.

[Xtrekker]

Training Instructor, on 08 October 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

Fair enough, the competent pilot in his light narcer has convinced 3 of his mouthbreathing friends at the local trailer park to run lrm boats. They get to fire away at hard targets. Good for them, they get to feel good for a bit before their next shift at the carwash.

What gets annoying though is to pack a BAP or CAP, see mechs running around in the open with no cares in the world, with no ability to lock on to them, even though you're running the counter to ecm...

As a former Army Intelligence specialist, let me explain something to you PGI...jamming is stronger closer to the source, and weaker further from it. Simply put, that ECM magic jesus box shouldn't be stopping a lock-on from a mech that has both LOS and LRMs. Not allowing the random IS light trash hop up and down on a ridge to rain down death on an enemy team is one thing, but not allowing a mech with a sophisticated sensor to rain down their own LRMs on idiots waltzing around in the open is pretty lame.

It would take an incredibly powerful jammer to blanket jam all communications, except 3rd party VOIP amirite?, to the point where an object you could see was totally unlockable. Those heavies and lights frolicking about in ECM cover? Yeah, they should be missile bait if I have a BAP/CAP and direct LOS on them.

Dadgum! I didn't know we had us a carwash!

Edited by Xtrekker, 08 October 2014 - 12:04 PM.

[Training Instructor]

VanillaG, on 08 October 2014 - 11:33 AM, said:

Bring a TAG and you can target and rain on any mech you want under ECM.

On a stalker, battlemaster, awesome, timberwolf, warhawk, this requires no concessions.

Piloting a mech with limited hardpoints though...it's either not possible or you have to rip off an omnipod to outfit an energy hardpoint.

Oh, and that TAG gives you away from 750M+, making any kind of tactical flanking maneuver pointless, since you're just going to be giving away your position anyways.

Perhaps people don't understand what I'm arguing. I'm arguing for LRM capable mechs who bother to equip a BAP/CAP to be able to shoot at targets they can see, which means that people with gauss rifles, erppcs, erlarge, etc, can definitely shoot back. At extreme ranges people can still move into cover. If I catch an SRM brawler at 800m, he'll suffer like one volley before he can run out of range. If I catch him much closer than that, he can run at me or run to cover.

Maybe I shouldn't be able to lock on to that ecm mech from 750m, but I should be able to shoot his friends. No more magic shield that allows people to run in the open. If I'm willing to expose myself to fire on them, even if it's a delayed lock, I should be able to fire on them.

[Mcgral18]

One of the largest issues concerning the Magic Jesus Box.

[Emery Radick]

Training Instructor, on 08 October 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

As a former Army Intelligence specialist, let me explain something to you PGI...jamming is stronger closer to the source, and weaker further from it.

Please keep your realism away from my MechWarrior.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Am I the only one that doesn't have an issue with ECM? Honestly in my opinion it adds a huge amount of tactical flexibility due to the fact it can screen against not only indirect targeting but also any sort of direct targeting. First, it isn't like you can't acquire targets visually and fire at them when they are under ECM coverage however it does make it harder to see those mechs which is why I say it adds to the tactical flexibility. I mean with ECM as it is currently, it can be very hard to actually track the enemy on the minimap and entire lances can totally flank the entire map without being spotted. Also you have to actually rely on scouts to visually identify the enemy which is exactly how ECM should be working in my opinion. To me this adds tons of depth that wouldn't exist otherwise. Hell I even think there should be an ECM expendable that only the mech using it 15 seconds of ECM.

On the converse, I do think that there should be some active counters to ECM aside from using ECM in disrupt mode. Active Probes for example should allow only the mech equipped with the probe to lock and target mechs under ECM coverage out to about 250m. This would give LRM boats at least some ability to engage without rendering ECM obsolete in the process. Also it makes the active probe a very valuable piece of equipment to consider spending the tonnage on and any mech could use it if they wanted. The key would be to keep the detection range limited to no more than 250m so that while it offers an advantage it isn't overwhelming.

In any case, I really hope they don't chanage ECM that much becasue the game would be just that much more dull without it. Also many mechs would lose their entire purpose and role with it gone.

[Clit Beastwood]

Livewyr, on 08 October 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

As long as you stare at them, and they are at 750m or less...

What exactly are they doing to require you to do that?


LoS stealth is soooo stupid.

you can shoot anything you can see. you just don't have missiles that will aim for you.
l2p

anyone carrying a weapon system with no sort of backup deserves to be eaten by ecm lights.

Edited by Fierostetz, 08 October 2014 - 01:35 PM.

[Training Instructor]

Fierostetz, on 08 October 2014 - 01:35 PM, said:

you can shoot anything you can see. you just don't have missiles that will aim for you.
l2p

anyone carrying a weapon system with no sort of backup deserves to be eaten by ecm lights.

yes, because the summoner missile variant has so many hardpoints to mount backup weapons to...

I said to heck with it last night and just put 4xSSRM6 on it and trashed some IS lights for the lolz.