Posted 15 December 2012 - 06:18 PM
How ECM should work.
When it comes to ECM, jamming and disruption there are typically three designations.
Electronic Warfare
Electronic Attack
Electronic Protection
Right now, ECM is far outside the reasonable abilities of any ECM equipment.
The ECM in game is fulfilling 3 of the categories listed above. Even within reason and science that is highly unlikely and impossible.
Right now it functions as a Radar jammer, a Radar disruption, and Protection for the Mech equiped with it.
When a Mech gets within Range of my Mech, I should still be able to lock on, unless he is performing an Electronic Warfare Attack on me.
This means he is using a Directed Energy Weapon, designed to disrupt the function of my Mechs Radar Abilities. This would keep my mech from being able to Lock, target, and pickup other Enemy Targets on Radar. In order to overcome my Radars ability to lock, He would have to have equal power output directed at my mech to keep me from locking.
As it stands ECM (Electronic Counter Measures), should be designed to provide electronic protection for the Mech equiped with it. This means that unless I am directing my Radar at him, I should not be able to see him, lock onto him, ot target him. However, if my Radar is pointed Directly at him, and within a specific range, I will still be able to target him and lock on, UNLESS, he is performing an Electronic Warfare attack on me, in which case, all of my mechs sensors, lock on abilities and targeting abilities are then nullified.
For the most part, ECM in this game should do 2 things,
Provide stealth for mechs moving from 180 - inf range of enemy mechs. Unless someone gets within 180m of this mech, he will not show up on Radar, nor will you be able to lock.
The mech equiped with ECM, will have to target a mech specifically, and engage a Directed Energy attack on his mech to disable his weapons capabilities, IE: locking, tracking targetting whatever.
I have a bit of homework left to do to cover the basis of this but I would assume that is it for the most part.
For clarification, Electronic Warfare and Electronic Attack are similar but with some differences.
This is all info that can be optained from wikipedia, it is also accompained by my RL experiences in the USMC MAGTF, I was a systems admin for 5 years stationed with a Radar Unit. everything about ECM in this game screams, NOT POSSIBLE! At least within electro magnetic theory.