34 replies to this topic

[Baulven]

Traditionally Clans were suppose to be able to mount ECM on pretty much everything. Is there any particular reason why there is next to zero availability for Clan mechs to mount ECM?

Just wondering.

[YourSaviorLegion]

Balance, if every mech could bring ECM it would be quite ridiculous. ECM Timber comes to mind

[Baulven]

True but I would like a lot more options then the, what, five that we currently have? Hell even an atlas version can mount ECM. The heaviest thing that clans have with ECM is the hellbringer. My main point is at least the lights and mediums should have access to it routinely being scout mechs by trade

[kesmai]

There is lore and there is pgi. In this game pgi is lore.
They do know way better what is good for us than we do.
So don't ask about ew pods, buy the next mechpack instead.

Edited by ARP Haruna, 28 June 2016 - 12:37 AM.

[El Bandito]

Baulven, on 27 June 2016 - 11:41 PM, said:

Traditionally Clans were suppose to be able to mount ECM on pretty much everything. Is there any particular reason why there is next to zero availability for Clan mechs to mount ECM?

Just wondering.

Of 22 Clan chassis, 5 has ECM. 3 Lights, 1 Medium and 1 Heavy. The thing is, those 5 chassis have a total of twenty variants--all of them can mount ECM through pod swap. That's something IS mechs cannot duplicate. Atlas-S for example, cannot equip ECM, only Atlas-D-DC can.

Edited by El Bandito, 28 June 2016 - 12:44 AM.

[adamts01]

Baulven, on 28 June 2016 - 12:30 AM, said:

True but I would like a lot more options then the, what, five that we currently have? Hell even an atlas version can mount ECM. The heaviest thing that clans have with ECM is the hellbringer. My main point is at least the lights and mediums should have access to it routinely being scout mechs by trade

The Clans really only have a single viable scout light, which happens to be one of the strongest lights in the game, and it has ECM. You need to find something else to complain about.

[Baulven]

El Bandito, on 28 June 2016 - 12:42 AM, said:

Of 22 Clan chassis, 5 has ECM. 3 Lights, 1 Medium and 1 Heavy. The thing is, those 5 chassis have a total of twenty variants--all of them can mount ECM through pod swap. That's something IS mechs cannot duplicate. Atlas-S for example, cannot equip ECM, only Atlas-D-DC can.

True but if you were also willing to sacrifice tonnage most battlemechs were suppose to be ECM capable to varying degrees. I just find the lack of ECM in general to be a little disheartening but it is extremely evident on the clan side.

[Wintersdark]

Baulven, on 28 June 2016 - 01:00 AM, said:

True but if you were also willing to sacrifice tonnage most battlemechs were suppose to be ECM capable to varying degrees. I just find the lack of ECM in general to be a little disheartening but it is extremely evident on the clan side.

Why? It's overall comparable to the IS side in terms of raw numbers, but Clans, unlike the IS, generally don't have to sacrifice to use it either - IS side, usually you have to use weaker variants to get ECM. Clan side, you can fiddle with omnipods to maximize everything.

As well, our ECM options are way better.

ACH? Still one of the best lights in the game. SHC? Perfectly usable pop tart these days, not a T1 mech but not terrible either. HBR? Very strong heavy all around.

The mist lynx and kit fox are junk compared to the ACH, for sure, but even then... The HBR and ACH give Clans very strong ECM options.

[Nightshade24]

El Bandito, on 28 June 2016 - 12:42 AM, said:

Of 22 Clan chassis, 5 has ECM. 3 Lights, 1 Medium and 1 Heavy. The thing is, those 5 chassis have a total of twenty variants--all of them can mount ECM through pod swap. That's something IS mechs cannot duplicate. Atlas-S for example, cannot equip ECM, only Atlas-D-DC can.

of those 5 mechs, there is 0 variants, only 1 alternate configeration (alt. condig.) stock and custom variations.

[El Bandito]

Baulven, on 28 June 2016 - 01:00 AM, said:

True but if you were also willing to sacrifice tonnage most battlemechs were suppose to be ECM capable to varying degrees. I just find the lack of ECM in general to be a little disheartening but it is extremely evident on the clan side.

What sacrifice? Clan ECM costs mere 1 ton and 1 slot. That's basically nothing, except on 20 tonners. If we allow that to all Clan chassis, then say bye bye to balance and LRM family.

[Baulven]

El Bandito, on 28 June 2016 - 02:29 AM, said:

What sacrifice? Clan ECM costs mere 1 ton and 1 slot. That's basically nothing, except on 20 tonners. If we allow that to all Clan chassis, then say bye bye to balance and LRM family.

I am not asking for it on everything I just want it on more options then currently available. Hell give it only to the battlemechs that are clan for all I care.

[Baulven]

Examples the ECM could help make the KDK5 a lot more viable, then the IIc variants could each have an ECM configuration. It would do a lot to make them more viable for play in general.

[Random Carnage]

A kodiak with ecm? I can hear the vitriol starting to build from here already...

[-Vompo-]

Baulven, on 28 June 2016 - 02:59 AM, said:

Examples the ECM could help make the KDK5 a lot more viable, then the IIc variants could each have an ECM configuration. It would do a lot to make them more viable for play in general.

There is a kodiak variant that is not even viable? The standards are high these days.

[Carl Vickers]

No Way, no crutchcm on all clan mechs.

This game doesnt need all mechs to have ECM.

[Wintersdark]

ECM doesn't matter nearly as much as it once did. I would like to see a clam assault with ECM, just to round out the list, but otherwise there's plenty. If you want ECM, theres several very strong, T1 chassis to choose from, and you don't have to sacrifice much of anything to get it.

It's not like Hellbringers and Arctic Cheetos are terrible choices, and if not as strong, there's little in the game as awesomely fun to pilot as a Shadowcat. Thing's practically a LAM.

But I do NOT want to see ECM everywhere. It'd just poop all over already poor weapon systems that are difficult enough to get moderate performance out of to start with. Every IIC mech sporting ECM would be way over the top.

And Kodiak's really don't need ECM.

[Yellonet]

adamts01, on 28 June 2016 - 12:44 AM, said:

The Clans really only have a single viable scout light, which happens to be one of the strongest lights in the game, and it has ECM. You need to find something else to complain about.

THE strongest light. By far.

[Mystere]

YourSaviorLegion, on 27 June 2016 - 11:59 PM, said:

Balance, if every mech could bring ECM it would be quite ridiculous. ECM Timber comes to mind

Considering ECM has been nerfed to 90m, I'm open to reconsidering those limitations, especially for the non-performing Clan Mechs.

[Moldur]

ECM isn't really a big deal anymore. It used to be. Sometimes in PUG, depending on matchmaking, it could be a match where nobody got targets until half the team was dead. 2+ mechs could cover a consolidated deathblob with their ecm.

Yellonet, on 28 June 2016 - 08:21 AM, said:

THE strongest light. By far.

I don't understand why people feel this way. I feel far more threatened by the other popular lights. The Arctic Cheetah is made of sticks, spit, and glue ever since the speed tweak nerf. Underwhelming hitbox, underwhelming speed. The arms come right off as if they are designed to, and considering most of their weaponry is in their arms, most matches when I see an ACH, I see one where half of their armaments are already destroyed. I suppose they can core fat people's rear armor like most other lights, but I fail to see what makes them great.

[Escef]

According to lore mechs don't even use hardpoints. You could mount 4xAC20 on a 100 ton mech if you wanted to... You'd have a top speed rivaled by a sloth with a twisted ankle and be armored with fiberglass body panels, but you could do it. You could put jump jets on a Storm Crow. Etc.

For sake of game balance, mechs with ECM are uncommon in MWO. ECM uses a hardpoint in MWO. PGI tends to make conscious decisions on which omnimech configurations to allow in game, because the nature of mix and match hardpoints combined with ECM can cause balance issues. (They also tend to be very careful with hardpoints and engine caps on ECM capable non-omni mechs.)The Hellbringer isn't so bad because the lack of advanced structural options gives it a balancing handicap, the Arctic Cheetah has caused issues because it is a fairly min-maxed ECM capable mech. As someone said earlier, the idea of an ECM Timber Wolf (or Storm Crow with ECM and jets, heavens forbid it) should demonstrate just how problematic the idea of ECM for everyone is.