15 replies to this topic

[ShadowThunder77]

if an enemy mech is being targeted by a TAG lazer but the enemy has ECM can the missles be disrupted in mid flight by ECM??

[ShadowThunder77]

anyone?

[Gryphdog]

IMHO I believe the answer is no - once the missile is locked and fired, it will track its target. I've also switched ECM to counter mode to target a raven, then someone locked on me so I switched ECM back to jamming, and the missiles still hit.

[ShadowThunder77]

thank you

[Yigyam]

As long as you keep the tag laser on them the missiles will be guided in. If the tag slips off and you lose lock missiles go to the last known location of the target. If you get the tag back on the same target and re-establish a lock, the missiles will be guided on the mech again.

I'm not sure if tagging an ECM mech to get a lock will block artemis. Now that you've got me thinking I'll have to try that.

[Red squirrel]

Just dont bother with LRMs these days.
Even if you hit your Artemis bonus is gone.


@Stravos:
You are right once you lose lock the missiles go into nirvana mode
And yes no Artemis bonus (its all over the forums/patch notes no need to try it out)

Edited by Red squirrel, 03 January 2013 - 01:53 AM.

[Apoc1138]

Red squirrel, on 03 January 2013 - 01:52 AM, said:

Just dont bother with LRMs these days.
Even if you hit your Artemis bonus is gone.

I don't use artemis, I do use LRM's with TAG and get a bare minimum of about 600 damage per round, often 800 and sometimes even 1000+
and often because ECM atlases and their friends all crowd together no really thinking about cover thinking they are immune to LRM's, so when you get a good firing line on them with the TAG you can pound on them while taking very little return fire

[ShadowThunder77]

so ECM only disrupts the inital lockon and Missles that are aided by TAG can hit their target despite ECM as long as the TAG beam stays on the target in question??

[ShadowThunder77]

well??

[Apoc1138]

the TAG allows the mech to be locked, the targetting mech needs to keep the targetted mech locked for the duration of the flight to guarentee a hit, so the firing mech needs to maintain lock on the target and the TAG needs to be on the target for that to happen

if you lose lock, you can get it back again and the missiles in flight will re-lock on as well, so if you lose the TAG lock, you can still get it back and the missiles will then continue to home in

Edited by Apoc1138, 03 January 2013 - 02:43 AM.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

ShadowThunder77, on 03 January 2013 - 01:10 AM, said:

if an enemy mech is being targeted by a TAG lazer but the enemy has ECM can the missles be disrupted in mid flight by ECM??

The Tag disables ECM and allows lock, meaning they will track, but only while the lock is active. If you stop the channel of the Tag on the enemy while the missiles are in the air, then ECM will turn back on, and the lock will drop. This can cause your missiles to hit the ground. So the answer is yes and no, depending on whether you keep the lock up or not. My suggestion for using Tag currently is to assign it to a separate key then somehow keep that key pressed down.(ie sit an object on that key) This is because there's no reason to not always have it going and you'll get tired of holding it down yourself.(They should just make it a toggle if they're going to make it like this)

[Joseph Mallan]

To be more accurate TAG overrides ECM. It does not disable it.

[Konril]

Just to make this clear, Long Range Missiles aren't self-guided in any way. They are remote-controlled by the attacker's targeting computer. If the launching mech loses it's targeting lock for any reason, even one as simple as turning to face away from the target or switching to a different target, LRMs become "dumb" and simply fly toward the last known position of the target. That means they are likely to miss unless the target is standing still. However, if the attacker can re-establish a lock in time, the missile path can be corrected to hit the target.

TAG allows a mech to be targeted through ECM. The tagging mech can then share this data automatically with teammates through the conventional spotting system. Now if the TAG unit enters a hostile ECM field, the spotting data can't be shared and teammates lose their lock unless they have an alternative spotter (or can self-spot). LRMs can be directly jammed not by disrupting the missile, but by disrupting the launching unit. Get an ECM unit close enough to a hostile missile boat and it shuts down the enemy's missile lock completely.

Keep in mind also that unguided LRMs are still hot. They will still do damage to any mech that happens to be where they land. So it is still important for the target to get out of the way.

[Codejack]

No, ECM affects the enemy mech, not the missiles. Don't ask how.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

Something needs to be done. That much is sure. A lot of us post great ideas, but they'll likely never even see any of it. At this point I'd be happy to see ANY kind of balance attempt though. They could let a spiny wheel determine the next patch for all I care; it's not like it could wreck the game anymore than they already have.

[Barnaby Jones]

Bluten, on 03 January 2013 - 03:38 AM, said:

The Tag disables ECM and allows lock, meaning they will track, but only while the lock is active. If you stop the channel of the Tag on the enemy while the missiles are in the air, then ECM will turn back on, and the lock will drop. This can cause your missiles to hit the ground. So the answer is yes and no, depending on whether you keep the lock up or not. My suggestion for using Tag currently is to assign it to a separate key then somehow keep that key pressed down.(ie sit an object on that key) This is because there's no reason to not always have it going and you'll get tired of holding it down yourself.(They should just make it a toggle if they're going to make it like this)

Joseph Mallan, on 03 January 2013 - 04:52 AM, said:

To be more accurate TAG overrides ECM. It does not disable it.

I know its semantics here, but accuracy in describing it is important.

Tag does not override ecm or disable ecm.

Tag negates the inability to acquire locks. Tag allows you to lock onto the mech. It doesnt disable it. It doesnt override it as the extra time required to attain the lock is still in effect. The only thing tag does is allow you to acquire a lock on an ecmed target.