26 replies to this topic

[Appogee]

Evening all.

I'm confused by the description of the 'Enhanced ECM' skill...

Is this a skill I want on my ECM-equipped Mech? Or is this skill about targeting an enemy Mech which is protected by ECM?

(And what exactly does this skill do, anyway?)

Thanks for your advice.

[Kangarad]

Appogee, on 20 May 2017 - 02:16 PM, said:

Evening all.

I'm confused by the description of the 'Enhanced ECM' skill...

Is this a skill I want on my ECM-equipped Mech? Or is this skill about targeting an enemy Mech which is protected by ECM?

(And what exactly does this skill do, anyway?)

Thanks for your advice.

Equip it on mechs that use ECM

It increases the effective radius of your ecm up to 75% of before patch and should be taken on lights or mechs that stay with teammates.

however due to senor perks ecm is still less good than it was before even if it werent for the -25% range.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

ECM reduces the range at which enemies can lock on to you. I believe the equipment itself reduces this range by 30%. So if you could formerly be targeted at 800 meters with ECM you can only be targeted at 560 meters. The skill further reduces the range at which you can be detected. One node is around 20% so with ECM and one node you cut the range at which you can be locked on to by about half.

Edited by Rouken, 20 May 2017 - 02:24 PM.

[Appogee]

Kangarad, on 20 May 2017 - 02:19 PM, said:

Equip it on mechs that use ECM

It increases the effective radius of your ecm up to 75% of before patch and should be taken on lights or mechs that stay with teammates.

however due to senor perks ecm is still less good than it was before even if it werent for the -25% range.

Thanks.

So if I understand you correctly, ECM is now a much smaller bubble around my Mech. Enhanced ECM makes that bubble bigger, right?

In your opinion, if I don't take it, will my ECM-equipped Mech be sufficiently protected from LRM assaults farming remote locks on Polar Highlands? (They rarely ever have TAG.)

(I will however take Enhanced ECM for the sake of my team.)

[Kangarad]

Appogee, on 20 May 2017 - 02:24 PM, said:

Thanks.

So if I understand you correctly, ECM is now a much smaller bubble around my Mech. Enhanced ECM makes that bubble bigger, right?

In your opinion, if I don't take it, will my ECM-equipped Mech be sufficiently protected from LRM assaults farming remote locks on Polar Highlands? (They rarely ever have TAG.)

(I will however take Enhanced ECM for the sake of my team.)

your own mech? yes... however theres a larger radius inside ec where they can get a target on you without the nodes. arround 500m... with the nodes 220m still I think.

if you do not take the nodes then people have to litteraly hugg you to get ecm cover.

[Reno Blade]

I try to reword how it works (what Rouken wrote already).

No ECM on your mech:
Enemy can lock you below 800m without any sensor range skill.

ECM only (no skills) on your mech:
Enemy range for you is reduced by 30%, so he needs to get closer to below 560m before he can lock you.

ECM with both skill notes (30% base + 45% = 75% as before):
Enemy range is now reduced by the "old" 75% to be at 200m without any skills that would increase targeting range.
With targeting range, that increases to about 220m

As LRMs (IS) have 180m minimum range you will have much less problems with a single LRM carrier.

But note: BAP is coutering one ECM mech in 360m range (I think that was the range), so you should watch your ECM icon and get more range if someone with BAP is close by.

The "Bubble" for the team is still 90m and does not change.

[chucklesMuch]

Appogee, on 20 May 2017 - 02:16 PM, said:

Evening all.

I'm confused by the description of the 'Enhanced ECM' skill...

Is this a skill I want on my ECM-equipped Mech? Or is this skill about targeting an enemy Mech which is protected by ECM?

(And what exactly does this skill do, anyway?)

Thanks for your advice.

Personally I would unequipe ecm unless you plan to unlock ecm nodes. As 560 meters vs 800 meters doesn't seem worth it me.

[nehebkau]

If you are using ECM you should unlock both the nodes -- otherwise its pretty crappy.

[Andi Nagasia]

ECM used to hide you 75% of enemy Radar Range, 75% of 800m = 200M,
so at 200m the Enemy can detect you, but at 201 they cant,

now the Default for ECM is 30%(down from 75%)
but each node gives you 22.5 so having both will buff you back to 75%,

ECM with No Nodes = 560m Under this you are Exposed to Locks,
ECM with One Nodes = 380m Under this you are Exposed to Locks,
ECM with Both Nodes = 200m Under this you are Exposed to Locks,

so you can Make Due with one Node,
go Left Side Sensor Tree you can get 3Radar Deps,
go Right Side you can get 1Radar Dep and a Seismic,

[Monkey Lover]

I would say yes it's required for atleast1. Without it you're in the best range to lrm and kill you.

[Isolani]

Both of the ECM nodes are pretty much required imo. A lot of people have better sensor range now since you have to take some of those nodes if you want any radar dep or seismic. So it's a combination of ECM being bad without the ECM nodes, and also people have better sensor ranges in the new skill system to make ECM even more bad without the nodes.

Anybody that goes deep into sensors for radar dep and 200m seismic is also going to have +35% sensor range too just because you have to take it along the way.

[JadePanther]

i love the fact that you have to take 2 radar deprivation to unlock the ECM nodes which make radar derp obsolete

[Angel of Annihilation]

JadePanther, on 22 May 2017 - 06:17 PM, said:

i love the fact that you have to take 2 radar deprivation to unlock the ECM nodes which make radar derp obsolete

Yeah that is one of the quite a few problems with node placement in the skill tree.

I find another one in the way the Firepower tree is designed. If I want to take the shortest, most efficient route to improve my heat gen which one would want to do for a laser boat, I have to buy at least one Gauss Skills and One Missile skill. I also think you have to buy one or two velocity skills as well so generally I have to buy 3-4 nodes I can't use in order to maximum heat gen. You can kinda, sorta bypass these skills but then your total points needed goes up without really gaining enough to justify the extra points spent.

[Jingseng]

I mean... you don't really need ecm on a ecm mech anymore, unless it's a light =p And even then, kinda debatable.

[VanillaG]

JadePanther, on 22 May 2017 - 06:17 PM, said:

i love the fact that you have to take 2 radar deprivation to unlock the ECM nodes which make radar derp obsolete

Radar Derp works independent of ECM so while it is not really necessary you still get benefits if your ECM is countered or destroyed. For example, your mech get hits with a PPC so your ECM is disable and people lock you. You run out of LOS and Radar Derp makes you disappear quicker.

[Deathlike]

Not worth it. You are better at investing in Radar Derp than ECM.

[Xetelian]

As far as I know the answer is YES you need both nodes on a mech with ECM but neither nodes if you don't have ECM because they do nothing for you when you don't have ECM.


Personally I don't think ECM needed another nerf.

[Khobai]

Quote

Personally I don't think ECM needed another nerf.

ECM shouldnt grant stealth though. They need to remove that ability.

And give it other abilities like creating fake radar contacts. Or cutting people off from sharing sensor information with their team. Things that ECM actually does in battletech.

[Reno Blade]

Viktor Drake, on 22 May 2017 - 06:26 PM, said:

Yeah that is one of the quite a few problems with node placement in the skill tree.

I find another one in the way the Firepower tree is designed. If I want to take the shortest, most efficient route to improve my heat gen which one would want to do for a laser boat, I have to buy at least one Gauss Skills and One Missile skill.
I also think you have to buy one or two velocity skills as well so generally I have to buy 3-4 nodes I can't use in order to maximum heat gen.

You can kinda, sorta bypass these skills but then your total points needed goes up without really gaining enough to justify the extra points spent.

Working as intended then.
You need to decide if you want to use 1 useless node (e.g. Gauss) to save your total count on that tree, or if you spec 1 more node (e.g. cooldown) and actually get something useful out of the "wasted" nodes (two cooldown nodes instead of one gauss node).

[JadePanther]

VanillaG, on 22 May 2017 - 07:28 PM, said:

Radar Derp works independent of ECM so while it is not really necessary you still get benefits if your ECM is countered or destroyed. For example, your mech get hits with a PPC so your ECM is disable and people lock you. You run out of LOS and Radar Derp makes you disappear quicker.

considering 14 out of 21 ecm mechs are medium or light, getting into cover and breaking lock is a moot issue for them.. or heck they can usually just out run missiles most of the time.. These mechs dont really need any radar derp with or without thier ECM..

the only real mechs needing derp +ECM are the 4 assualts that can take it cause they be sooo slow to get to cover.. but even then they prolly have enough armor and structure buff to not even need to worry about if an LRM is shooting at them..

the benefits bestowed upon each different skill here are completely situationally dependent on ECM being disabled.. this makes them mutually exclusive for the most part, ie theres no need for derp when ECM is on because it does absolutely nothing until ECM is not there.. its like saying before we give you this rocket launcher to fight a tank you have to prove you can kill it with this butter knife because one makes the other completely useless..