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Tabletop ECM rules: ‘A Gaurdian (ECM) system nullifies the effect of any enemy Beagle active probe, Artemis FCS, NARC missile beacon, or C3 computer, when that system is within 6 hexes of a Guardian (ECM) equipped unit. (NOTE: TAG does not exist.) - FASA 1640 BT Compendium
Why is ECM broken?
ECM is broken because it PREVENTS you from firing (locking on) with LRM’s, and from targeting an enemy unit you can SEE. In tabletop, you can still - using your gunnery skill - fire your weapons at enemies without penalty against ECM equipped units. You just didn’t get the BONUS for Artemis, NARC, etc…
ECM also prevents the labeling of targets, this is too much.
PROPOSAL:
To fix ECM, I propose that all ECM does is counteract the other electronics packages out there. (BAP, Artemis, NARC, C3)
It was never meant to act like it does right now in the game. It wasn’t meant to cripple the other mechwarriors, just to counteract their special systems.
Also, the targeted ECM ability, to use and target a particular enemy mech and knock out their targeting, I can see that. However, it should be a different piece of gear, similar to TAG or a NARC beacon, that scouts can use to blind/jam an enemy mech’s sensors. Call it a Jammer Pod.
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The following is a revised personal statement and plan for the reworking of ECM. I added it here because it is the culmination of all of the thoughts that this thread brought to the table. I want to honor everyone who posted here and talked about ECM with me, because over time it educated me to both how tabletop and MWO were different, and how they can still be the same. Granted, the following includes additional equipment, but ECM itself would remain rather 'pure' tabletop. This post was put into the consolidated ECM thread where our final thoughts were banked, but I put a lot of effort into this and should anyone read this 'zombie thread' again, they might find it nice to know that if nothing else, it proved an excellent intellectual exercise. I also don't like to leave things hanging, the way PGI has left us for months now on this issue - which is very important to the balance, fun and longevity of our beloved game. I wish I could put up a new poll with this as the new proposal, but it will never be. Anyway, enough preamble:
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The number one problem with ECM is that it breaks down communication and planning in a team, frustrates and angers the players who are looking to have a good time. ECM does WAY TOO MUCH.
The Guardian ECM suite should do what it does in tabletop and no more. It should negate the effects of Artemis, BAP, NARCs and C3 computers in its area of influence. That is ENOUGH for a 1.5 ton piece of equipment. It would act like, or be on par with the previously mentioned equipment, which all takes up slots, tonnage in its own way.
On streaks: Streaks should not be affected by the GUARDIAN ECM suite. However, streaks are too powerful either way. In CBT, you still had to roll to hit with streaks. The difference between streaks and standard SRM's is that with SRM's you rolled to hit, THEN you rolled to see HOW MANY missles hit. The trade-off with streaks is that sometimes they didn't launch AT ALL because they failed to lock on. This was a random chance in CBT, but is a certainty in MWO.
ECM vs. Streaks: If streaks were fixed, then ECM wouldn't have to block them, and streak-cats wouldn't be super-duper. People wouldn't feel the NEED to block streaks. When you think about it, a splatcat with 6 SRM 6's should be much more fearsome than a streak cat with the equivelent of 2 streak SRM6's. Come on, 24 points of potential damage to 72 potential points? IN CBT, a 6 SRM 2 streakapult would be ridiculous. Fix Streaks, and ECM won't need to block them anymore to balance them out, and many people think ECM is that powerful BECAUSE of streaks.
ECM vs. LRM's. ECM should knock out the bonus Artemis and NARC gives LRM and SRM's to hit, making them act 'normally.' I feel that the current form of Artemis is so powerful because LRM's hardly get a lock, and so when they do, they have to be devistating. Well, if ECM worked like tabletop, it would just lessen the number of missles that hit, rather than completely block all shots by LRM's. LRM's worked well before ECM, but are now wonky and I think they are buffed to super-high values BECAUSE of ECM. Well, if ECM worked like tabletop, then LRM boats could still do their fire support job. It just might take a few more volleys - and so what? LRM's are very, very unreliable and unpredictable in tabletop. Boating them, and raining many volleys of them makes up for that unpredictability, keeps the enemies moving and jinking around, and is overall a good time. Right now, Artemis seems to be turning LRM's in into Streak LRM's, when the problem wasn't with LRM's to begin with: it was ECM.
ECM, C3 and invisibility: C3 computers networks share targetting data making it easier for a networked mech to shoot at an opponent who is being targetted by the other. These come in the form of bonuses to hit. Some people think that the current networking of shared targetting data is C3, but it is not. In CBT, everyone could see every target, unless the game was being run double-blind. Even then, when one mech on a team spotted a bad guy, then all mechs (via the player or players) could be reacted to, moved upon, shot at, whatever. ECM goes too far, it takes away that battlefield awareness by becoming a complete sensor cloaking device. C3 also acts as a built-in TAG, can be used to call ARROW IV Arty and takes up a ton of space and a crit slot. The master computer takes 5 tons and 5 slots. If what we have really is C3 built in automatically, then I can see ECM doing the following. 1. Preventing one networked (team) mech from spotting for another mech for the sharing of targetting information for the purposes of calling in artillery, guiding LRM's and messing up the 'TAG' function of C3. However, ECM shouldn't affect any mechs INDIVIDUAL targetting information no matter what the range, and whether any mech player or opponent is under the effect of the ECM bubble.
ECM and TAG: This isn't covered in my battletech experience, but this is how I would play it out: TAG works for the individual player (self-tagging), and for spotters (scout-tagging) UNLESS ECM is affecting any of the mechs in the network, in which case TAG only works for the firing mech (self-spotting).
ECM and NARC: IF NARC is going to break through ECM, then it should only allow for NORMAL targetting of missiles. So, if an ECM equipped (or bubbled) mech has a NARC on it, LRM's work and target it as normal. If not, then NARC provides bonuses to the number of missles that hit the enemy mech, like TAG or Artemis.
ECCM (ECM countering other ECM): ECM should have one mode to keep things simple. One ECM in range of another ECM causes them both to cancel each other out - or not affect the other ECM at all. ECM should be used to help mechs survive advanced electronics and/or scout. This ECM vs. ECM warfare stuff is crap. Yes, it exists in classic battletech, but if anything is going to actually JAM another's mech's sensors it should be another piece of equipment, rather than just more and more and more ECM.
ECM and who can have it? All mechs should be able to equip ECM. If not all mechs, then ONLY scout mechs. The above version of ECM as I've explained it is not so powerful to make ANY mech overpowered. It is just a piece of equipment that defends against/negates bonuses created through the use of other, similar equipment.
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New stuff:
Jammer Pods: Instead of having ECM wars, add Jammer Pods. These could be in one or two forms of equipment. They would be the exclusive purview of scout mechs.
TIGHT BEAM ELECTRONIC DISRUPTOR (TBED): This would be aimed and used similar to TAG. A scout could use a tight-beam jammer transmission and aim it at another mech to completely knock out it's electronic sensors. The opposing mech would not know it was being jammed, unless it realized it was looking at a mech and couldn't target it. This would provide an element of Scout vs. Scout warfare, or allow a scout mech to disrupt a fire support/sniper mech, but would require the scout to be really sneaky about it. You know, be a scout. (Role warfare pillar! Information Warfare Pillar! - but it would require TALENT!)
ECCM Jammer Pod: This is fired similar to a NARC missle beacon. Once it hits, it creates a massive, multi-spectrum jamming cone that affects it and everything within ____ meters. It lasts for a number of seconds after it attaches itself to the mech.
Angel ECM: This doesn't and shouldn't exist yet. HOWEVER, some of what it does could be incorporated into modules.
ECCM suite: This creates a bubble of electronic static that works just like the ECM suite we have today, only it affects friendlies as well as enemies, including the sensors of the bearer of the system. (It blinds EVERYONE within 180 meters, and affects the enemy looking at anything in the cone - like it does today, only the jamming jams ALL sensors, friend and foe.) It can be turned on and off. When off, a mech's sensors work completely as normal.
Stealth Armor (Null signature system): This should work exactly like it does in Classic Battletech should it be introduced, and if it IS introduced, should only be viable for light/scout mechs (I count the Cicada as a scout for argument's sake).
(A note on the above equipment. All of this equipment works best with teams/using teamwork.)
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Information Warfare Modules:
Modules that affect electronic warfare should enhance or counter the abilities of existing equipment, rather than BE more equipment. So, enhanced sensor range but not be sensors themselves.
These should be minor tweeks, and shouldn't include anything that would otherwise take MASS, like coolant pods. Artillery and Airstrikes should be TEAM assets, not individual ones, though they can be consumable, but they would take a Command Console to call them in (role warfare). Perhaps TAG or scouts could target for them, but they must be called in by a command mech.
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Conclusion: ECM does too much. Make it work like tabletop (as outlined in detail above). Fix streaks or remove them. Make LRM's work as before ECM, because the new (old CBT) ECM won't stop them from locking anymore (and maybe, because ECM is no longer blocking lock, reduce their damage). If you want to have more information and role (scout) warfare, consider the equipment I added to the list. Make it equipment, don't go this goofy module and/or consumable route - please!
Edited by Peiper, 26 March 2013 - 02:39 PM.
