2 replies to this topic

[SiorAlpin Wolf]

Okay there has been alot of discussion about the ecm system and the streak short range missile otherwise known as the SSRM, okay, now, since the introduction of the electrical counter measures the ssrm weapon requires a very good skill at maintaining a range greater than 180m and less than 270m in order to maintain optimal firing range and outside the ecm bubble also be able to keep the target within a 270m radius and out of his friendly ecm bubble.

But anyway this isnt another post about the effect of the ecm on streak cats but more of a resolve of which i think may satisfy everyone or at least the majority, as far as my recollection of the ecm system is used in the mechanics of the game is that it disrupts communication signals, signals that contain ordered data stream and not white noise (Black n white dots on the old analogue t.v screens). If that is the case then surely the ecm system will disrupt the communication signal from the warhead of the missile to the targeting system used by the mech unless or up untill either the mech carrying the ecm is destroyed or the unit itself is destroyed or it is countered by another ecm system.

So there are 2 feasible ways in which to make the ecm effective and not too over powered:-

1. The communication between the warhead and the mech firing the streak short range missiles is disrupted in such away they are no-longer electronically guided and fire in a straight line in a manner similar if not the same as a the standard short range missile, making the streak cat able to fire but be no-where near as effective outside of the influence of ecm

2. A complicated piece of coding would be needed but at the ecm's maximum range the signal strength would be minimal so the lock on signal from the streak srm weapon module would only require a 1.5x lock on time penalty, so the closer the ecm module is to the lrm or ssrm weapon type is the less effective the weapon type or the locking equipment becomes.
Although i do see that this may have problems with the lrm weapon type, but is should work in the same way given that an electronical signal sent to an area that is under the influence of an ecm, regardless of how far away from the target the signal is being sent from it is still going to be disrupted, so in this manner the mech carrying the ecm module can either be in close proximity to team m8's to give them protection from target locking equipment or they can run among the enemy mech's and disrupt that way, which is very similar to how the ecm module works now other than the signal proximity strength.

Solution 1 provides a less complicated coding to implement into the programme thus far and yet solution 2 provides a more realistic solution, maybe there could be a pilots skill that could also be implemented to increase the strength of the ecm module, but this type of discussion will only get as technical as peoples understanding of the equipment being discussed.

Like i said 2 possible solutions but if you think of anything else that could solve this issue then please feel free to add constructive comments taking into account that this is a topic about 3 pieces of military equipment used during combat within the confines of the game Mechwarrior-online (the lrm and ssrm weapon systems and the ecm module) this is in no way a discussion about a pilot or his / her skills at piloting whatever mech.

[Smeghead87]

2 things: Firstly, you have to be withing 200m to even detect an ECM target not 270m away, so theres only a 20m window you can use streaks against an ECM mech.

Secondly, streaks are designed in such a way that they simply will not fire unless a lock is achieved, and PGI have carried this feature over from the TT to their game so that trumps your first suggestion unless they deviate from the canon again.

As for fixing steaks, what is there to fix? They aren't broken, they just have a counter now on 4 of the mech variants. This is intended, not broken.

If you want to reliably engage an ECM mech, try normal srm, they don't require a lock on.

[Azuanite]

nope, ssrm should not be changed unless ecm is nerfed to oblivion.