Thanks for the information guys.
Personally (as a long time Battlemech (though not in a few years) and Mechwarrior(the pen and paper RPG version of Battlemech) player and someone who loved the old Microsoft Mechwarrior games since MW2) when it comes to ECM (and I have never piloted a ECM Mech in MWO)
I think that it has always been a part of Computer Battlemech and it works fine and as it should (except for radar not being radar in MWO - see below). Pen and paper works more like MWO and required spotters etc.
ECM was never supposed to be "balanced" in the sense that it weighs as much as a medium laser and a light laser and so it affects in the game cannot be quantified as such.
ECM is just a part of the way the Battlemech game concept works, At least in it's computer Fist or 3rd person shooter model.
The concept that every player should have a "balanced" role, a "balanced chance" in a one on one combat is just not Battlemech. In Battlemech a 100 ton Mech is going to kill a 50 ton Mech (maybe not in the novels but 99 times in 100 in game play). Ideally every team should be balanced and work together to support the strengths and weaknesses of the team. With good voice communication this would be more possible. So i'm glad to hear that is on the cards for the future.
On ECM and why it seems so over powered....
Personally I don't like the so called Radar as it is very un-Battlemech like and allows someone to follow you around at 10 or 20 meters and remain unseen. But it is part of the game system that allows for tactics and role play within the game, so I accept it. but don't like it, that's just me and my opinion...
ECM should really counter the 1000m radar system that picks everything up unless it has ECM - so I do agree that with the current Radar system (or lack there of) ECM blocking a line of sight radar lock seems over the top.
But that is because we don't really have radar in the game - we have a Line Of Sight target telemetry relay system that allows for a lock on what you can see and passes that lock on to your team. If we had real radar and only ECM Mechs didn't appear in it - ECM would seem less over powered.
Also - Battlemech as a game never really brings into balance the idea of maneuverability - a fast Mech can move a lot of hexes in a round and therefore get out of range of many weapons if it moves first etc.
But the idea that a Mech can out circle ,out turn another Mech doesn't exist. As such, again personally, I'd like to see changes in Armour to compensate for the Fist Person Shooter nature of MWO.
At the moment (to the best of my knowledge) all the Armour points are double the Armour points from a Battlemech game... this works better as in the FPS MWO we have 3 second rounds not 10 second rounds.
Which means that technically -- Armour should be 3.3 times Standard Battlemech rules - Heat should be as the Battlemech game (you fire 3 times more often and build up 3 times more heat) - Heat sinks should be 3.3 times more effective (so they can counter the fire 3 times more often affect) and Damage should be as the Battlemech game - but as you fire 3 times more often you actually do 3 times more damage in 10 seconds than pen and paper Battlemech. Thus converting a a 10 second pen and paper game round into a 3.3 second First Person Shooter game round.
Any way - I'd prefer a change in Armour - Lights and Mediums should stay as is at 2 x Battlemech standard. Heavies should go to 2.5 times and Assaults should got to 3 times Battlemech standard... Thus keeping with the concept that the heavier the Mech the more combat stick-ability they have and slightly countering the First Person Shooter maneuverability issue where a 30 ton Mech can follow an Atlas and out circle it and kill it with 3-4 shots in the back. Not saying that could not still happen - but it would 50% more difficult.
The counter to this would be that Heavy and Assault Mechs should be more expensive to repair if destroyed than they are but the same if they are only Damaged... meaning they are hard to make money if you actually get destroyed and forcing an overall need in team work for make it possible to play the Huge and Rare Assault Mechs... Remembering that in the Battletech universe the ability to make brand new Mechs is very rare and most Mechs are a lost technology and very expensive to repair or replace...
I, by the way, play Catapults and Cataphracts so I guess in my perfect game I'd get 25% more armour
My point is that we all have things that are not to our liking in games and thing we would tweak if we could. but foremost this is a Battlemech game and as such it's going to work mostly as a Battlemech game... ECM seems more broken than it is when considering the intention of electronic warfare in a Battlemech game.
Edited by Sunstar, 02 January 2013 - 03:20 PM.
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