ECM currently dominates the battlefield. Note, for emphasis, that I do not say that an Atlas with ECM dominates the battlefield. Any mech team with a lot of ECM is almost unfightable by a team that doesn't have ECM - which really makes pugging suck some times.
Playing with a fire support Hunchback right now, I find that it's too difficult to engage mechs in the presence of ECM, making an entire mech role nearly useless. On the other hand, if it wasn't for ECM, I'd just smoke any light mech that exposed itself to go scouting - and that's kind of the light mech's job. So now we're back to square one, with a role being drastically reduced in effectiveness.
This, then, is my suggestion:
First, reduce the effectiveness of ECM's targeting shield to 50% or so. The current reduction of opposing sensor ranges to 25% or normal is just too much. Reducing the targeting interference to a less crippling level would preserve ECM's information warfare role while still allowing opponents to fight the ECM-equipped force once they found them. Bottom line, ECM feels like it does far, FAR too much - and does it too well - for the paltry 1.5 ton combat weight.
Second, fix lag shields. I know you are, and I know that it's a semi-separate issue. But a lot of the power of ECM comes from being swarmed or scouted by light mechs that you can't shoot at effectively because of those laggy hitboxes. You'll never be able to balance the one without fixing the other. But while lag shields are a highly technical problem in the game engine, ECM is already working as intended and should (barring some technical issue of which I know nothing) be far easier to implement.
1
Ecm
Started by Void Angel, Dec 13 2012 12:29 PM
2 replies to this topic
#2
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- 2,698 posts
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- LocationStrana Mechty
Posted 13 December 2012 - 02:53 PM
Void Angel, on 13 December 2012 - 12:29 PM, said:
ECM currently dominates the battlefield. Note, for emphasis, that I do not say that an Atlas with ECM dominates the battlefield. Any mech team with a lot of ECM is almost unfightable by a team that doesn't have ECM - which really makes pugging suck some times.
Playing with a fire support Hunchback right now, I find that it's too difficult to engage mechs in the presence of ECM, making an entire mech role nearly useless. On the other hand, if it wasn't for ECM, I'd just smoke any light mech that exposed itself to go scouting - and that's kind of the light mech's job. So now we're back to square one, with a role being drastically reduced in effectiveness.
This, then, is my suggestion:
First, reduce the effectiveness of ECM's targeting shield to 50% or so. The current reduction of opposing sensor ranges to 25% or normal is just too much. Reducing the targeting interference to a less crippling level would preserve ECM's information warfare role while still allowing opponents to fight the ECM-equipped force once they found them. Bottom line, ECM feels like it does far, FAR too much - and does it too well - for the paltry 1.5 ton combat weight.
Second, fix lag shields. I know you are, and I know that it's a semi-separate issue. But a lot of the power of ECM comes from being swarmed or scouted by light mechs that you can't shoot at effectively because of those laggy hitboxes. You'll never be able to balance the one without fixing the other. But while lag shields are a highly technical problem in the game engine, ECM is already working as intended and should (barring some technical issue of which I know nothing) be far easier to implement.
Playing with a fire support Hunchback right now, I find that it's too difficult to engage mechs in the presence of ECM, making an entire mech role nearly useless. On the other hand, if it wasn't for ECM, I'd just smoke any light mech that exposed itself to go scouting - and that's kind of the light mech's job. So now we're back to square one, with a role being drastically reduced in effectiveness.
This, then, is my suggestion:
First, reduce the effectiveness of ECM's targeting shield to 50% or so. The current reduction of opposing sensor ranges to 25% or normal is just too much. Reducing the targeting interference to a less crippling level would preserve ECM's information warfare role while still allowing opponents to fight the ECM-equipped force once they found them. Bottom line, ECM feels like it does far, FAR too much - and does it too well - for the paltry 1.5 ton combat weight.
Second, fix lag shields. I know you are, and I know that it's a semi-separate issue. But a lot of the power of ECM comes from being swarmed or scouted by light mechs that you can't shoot at effectively because of those laggy hitboxes. You'll never be able to balance the one without fixing the other. But while lag shields are a highly technical problem in the game engine, ECM is already working as intended and should (barring some technical issue of which I know nothing) be far easier to implement.
You know what isn't affected by ECM?
Direct Fire Weapons
Also, Lag Shield is already being worked on, so that part of the statement is moot.
Edited by Syllogy, 13 December 2012 - 02:55 PM.
#3
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- The Marauder
- 7,129 posts
Member
- LocationParanoiaville
Posted 13 December 2012 - 03:19 PM
The part of my statement where I told them I know it was being worked on, but that it still needs to be addressed before final balance with ECM can be achieved is moot?
Speaking of lag shields, direct fire weapons are extremely difficult to use on fast mechs (unless they're doing the newbie hammer circle-strafe on someone else; then you just aim for the part of the circle where they're traveling directly toward or away from you.) But you're right, you can still visually identify and engage ECM shielded mechs with direct fire weapons. At the risk of exposing yourself to the full weight of their support mechs in addition to their long-range snipers - unless you have ecm of your own. Oh, and good luck determining whose armor is weak, where your target's armor is weak, or even if the mech that just walked out of cover is the same mech that went into cover instead of a similar model/variant.
That's the problem at the core of all the complaints about ECM. It does so much that if you don't have it, you feel helpless and crippled. That's a lot of power for a paltry 1.5 tons of combat loadout.
Speaking of lag shields, direct fire weapons are extremely difficult to use on fast mechs (unless they're doing the newbie hammer circle-strafe on someone else; then you just aim for the part of the circle where they're traveling directly toward or away from you.) But you're right, you can still visually identify and engage ECM shielded mechs with direct fire weapons. At the risk of exposing yourself to the full weight of their support mechs in addition to their long-range snipers - unless you have ecm of your own. Oh, and good luck determining whose armor is weak, where your target's armor is weak, or even if the mech that just walked out of cover is the same mech that went into cover instead of a similar model/variant.
That's the problem at the core of all the complaints about ECM. It does so much that if you don't have it, you feel helpless and crippled. That's a lot of power for a paltry 1.5 tons of combat loadout.
Edited by Void Angel, 13 December 2012 - 03:20 PM.
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