There's probably a significant amount of QQ on both sides about ECM, What I want to do with feedback here is identify what I saw and what I didn't see and let everyone work out what it means on their own.
"Please attempt to respond to the following questions in your responses:
The weapon or 'Mech affected under ECM.
The behaviour that weapon or 'Mech affected under ECM..
A suggested change (increase/decrease) to the ECM stats to improve balance."
Played several matches last night with ECM in effect, both in and out of ECM equipped mechs. Generally I was running 1 of 4 mechs: ECM Equipped Striker D-DC, LRM Boat Cat, LRM Boat Atlas and SRM 6 Cat.
LRM Boats:
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I can't help but feel that the entire "support" method of play has been dramatically neutered...or changed significantly at least. If it was the attempt to make mechs more mobile on the field and to reduce "Post up and Rain Fire" you've done a tremendous job. A static mech is a dead mech in this game.
I can't help, however, feel that this has nullified the entire "support" method of play. Strikers (will get into some of that later) and Scout play hasn't changed a whole lot, but support play...which has ALWAYS been find a place on the battlefield to cover the most area and lend fire to problematic targets has taken a hit with ECM.
My first game playing an LRM fire support cat, I posted up, as I always do, and within 2 minutes was taken down by 2 commandos and a streak cat which I never saw coming. I wasn't covered by ECM since my main force had moved up to engage. I saw the exact same problem with the rest of the games also...even when trying to stay "up with" the rest of my team.
In essence there is no such thing as long range support at this point, thoughclose range fire support is still possible (though LRMs are a bad platform for that). The only option is either to split your force by providing "guard mechs" who have to stand back and do nothing to protect the fire support mechs (more on this in a sec) or eliminate LRMs from your arsenal completely...my groups last night decided to mothball our LRMs in favor of strikers and fast mechs since the bang for the buck of an LRM build is no longer positive on the risk vs. reward scale.
This may be an intended change, if so you've accomplished it. If not, I believe you should counter ECM's benefit (or maybe most of ECM's benefit) with Beagle...or you need to WIDELY and UBIQUITOUSLY expand what models can run ECM.
In essence, fire support now only functions either if you are up in the face of the enemy (in which case you're mostly just more strikers) with the ECM equipped mechs, or if you post up ECM based guard mechs who aren't contributing to the overall battle. Note, you've discouraged this tactic as well by decreasing CBILL rewards for non-active team members...unless you are actively destroying components and hunting mechs you're making less money...which is what "guard" mechs would be forced to encounter.
Streak Boats
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As far as I can tell, streak boats are largely unaffected. If the entry of ECM was an intent to help nurf the somewhat overpoweredness of streaks, the change didn't work. ECM does, indeed, nullify streak cats in SOME situations, but by and large they're JUST as effective as they always have been...and were as ubiquitous on the battlefield last night as ever. The fact is that in the chaos of battle you cannot be 100% covered by ECM and the moment you aren't streak cats eat you alive just like they always have. They have to be slightly smarter about who they are targeting, but it doesn't seem to have stopped streaks much.
It should say something that the new most popular build out there is a commando with ECM and 3 streaks on it.
If ECM was intended to reduce the effectiveness of Streak, it's failed...misserably.
General GamePlay
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As someone put it last night:
In a game where voice coms are everything but which doesn't implement in game voice coms, you've now removed the ability to even see where your teammates are? How is anyone not a pre-made group supposed to play together or even communicate with each other?
While I appreciate "hidden strikes" as a tactic for this game, ECM is a bit much. There's no possible way a 25 ton mech should be able to sneak up on you, even without radar. Note that in a tabletop game, a mech equipped with ECM on it is still visible on the tabletop. That's not the case here in MWO. Satalite doesn't show the position, radar doesn't show the position and there's no sound cascading from miles off coming at you...meaning that something, literally, can slip into your 6 and the first time you'll know about it is when you're getting hit from behind.
This part of ECM is getting pretty ridiculous...ECM is starting to = Hide in Shadows unless you make it a point to look around a lot...you cannot maintain situational awareness AND missile lock at the same time...another strike against anyone playing "support".
Conclusions
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I appreciate the necessity of ECM in the game. LRM boating was definitely overpowered in the last couple patches. I just think there needs to be a harder counter to ECM than "MORE ECM!"
I believe something like beagle active probe (something more broadly available and PERSONAL) should nullify much of ECM's benefits...at least in the department of radar identification of mechs. I appreciate missile lock being slower...or even non-existant under ECM...but hiding the mech and all of it's buddies completely in the way this game lays out is not working in my opinion.
From a changes department I"d recommend the following:
* BAP doubles the range for ECM Covered Mech detection...instead of 200m with ECM it becomes 400m. Personally I'd like this extended to something like 500m (outside of anything but mid/long range weaponry so that those with shorter range weapons...like streaks...have to show themselves before being able to attack).
* ECM Maintains it's Lock Reduction and information identification benefits (100% slower?) but once a mech has been locked for a certain time (or remains within visible/target range for a certain time) the effects of ECM are removed, allowing missile lock...this allows LRMs to eventually lock and fire on targets without allowing streaks an easier play.
In essence I'd like to see a piece of equipment (and I think BAP is appropriate) I can personally put on my own mech that REDUCES the effectiveness of ECM.
I completely agree that ECM should make it harder for LRM boats, but it shouldn't be an I win button...and at this point I feel LRM effectiveness in a fire support role has been so greatly reduced as to be of very limited use.
I appreciate the comments by those frustrated by the last 2 patches of LRM dominance. LRMs shouldn't rule the battlefield as the only way to play. ECM belongs in the game, there's no question about it.
That said, in table top, if a light mech runs out alone into the middle of the field it gets stomped. If a light mech goes one on one with an atlas, it gets stomped. That too just isn't happening right now. That too doesn't meet with the "mechwarrior feel." Right now, ultrafast lights are dominating the battlefield...it's no wonder that on 3 of the matches I played last night there were upwards of 6 ravens and commandos on the field in a group of 8...and they won. That isn't the way Mechwarrior is played either. At least when you could lock an ultrafast light you could protect yourself...sort of the scissors to the paper so to speak. That's gone now.
Probably missing several things here, but these are just some initial ideas...half baked though they are.
What I do know is that I am a fire support player. I'm not a twitch gamer and am only "semi" competent in a brawler position. It felt good to stay out of the heat of combat and provide fire support to my group...I could play tactically and maintain awareness of the battle and it's progress...command, so to speak.
That ability, at least I feel, has been taken away in large part by ECM. No single piece of equipment should be able to ELIMINATE an entire style of play from the game...and at this point, this is what's happened...at least *I* am far less effective than I have EVER been in this game.
Edited by Illydth, 05 December 2012 - 04:40 PM.