38 replies to this topic

[Gamgee]

I would also like a link to this post that says the ECM is getting nerfed.

[JohnnyC]

Mancu, on 18 January 2013 - 07:57 PM, said:

Sorry to break it too you but your no-skill ECM win button is getting nerfed. Garth posted this week that PGI considers it too powerful and they just have to decide how to nerf it. So abuse the win button while you can...

Do you happen to know which thread he posted that in? I'd like to see what he said exactly.

[StalaggtIKE]

Demoned, on 18 January 2013 - 09:01 PM, said:

i do own a 2D commando but i hardly ever play him
does this count?

but I've not had to much trouble with ECM since it came about
why because i never run a SSRM/LRM build

News flash, ECM does a lot more than stop LRM/SSRM...

JohnnyC, on 19 January 2013 - 09:01 AM, said:

Do you happen to know which thread he posted that in? I'd like to see what he said exactly.

Here

Edited by StalaggtIKE, 19 January 2013 - 09:14 AM.

[Gamgee]

I can stop ECM mechs in my one Jenner with 4 medium lasers and 2 SRM 4. It can still be anywhere from a moderate fight to a deadly duel where I only prevail through luck or because I got the firs thit in. If there is more of them? Good luck. Even then beating them takes a top of the line machine and more skill than you could possibly imagine. I can only wonder what they are like for people without one let alone both.

[Redmond Spiderhammer]

honestly I dont think ECM is the problem. Its the ECM/Streak boating variants that are uncool. I never worry if I see an ECM cicada. Not saying I dont get killed by them sometimes, but at least its a fair kill. ECM ravens and commandos.... well I can't help but judge the character of the players who use them.

[JohnnyC]

StalaggtIKE, on 19 January 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

Here

Thanks man. And no... you're not the only one who refuses to use ECM due to how it unbalances the game... I don't either.

[Gremlich Johns]

JohnnyC, on 19 January 2013 - 09:22 AM, said:

Thanks man. And no... you're not the only one who refuses to use ECM due to how it unbalances the game... I don't either.

ditto

[Gamgee]

Redmond Spiderhammer, on 19 January 2013 - 09:19 AM, said:

honestly I dont think ECM is the problem. Its the ECM/Streak boating variants that are uncool. I never worry if I see an ECM cicada. Not saying I dont get killed by them sometimes, but at least its a fair kill. ECM ravens and commandos.... well I can't help but judge the character of the players who use them.

True. I can usually take one ECM/SSRM mech out but its usually a high cost. That's with my almost perfect accuracy and killing them as fast as possible before they get me. Sometimes I can take down two, but it gets really risky by then since ammo is a premium here.

[PoLaR]

Actually, I have noticed ECM matches less and less lately.

It's kinda... nice.

[ArmandTulsen]

Garth Erlam said:

This'll be my last post on the subject, as Paul mentioned what we're doing in regards to speaking to the changes.

ECM being used on all ECM-able Mechs does show that it is overly powerful. The reason no changes have been made is it takes time to figure out what, exactly, is making that the reason. Is it the lock prevention? The 'cloak'? The range it works at? The weight? Crit space? Variants that use it? That it makes LRMs incapable of lock? SSRMs?

So while total numbers used isn't an indicator it's fine, it does mean people won't just go to ECM because it makes you instantly win. In fact, many builds aren't affected by ECM at all (my Cicada, in particular, does not discriminate.)

So we use that, suggestions, feedback, numbers gathered, watching 8v8's, etc, and eventually we come up with ideas. Then we test them. Tweak them. Test them. Tweak them. etc.

So while I'd love to tell you what changes we've made, none are in stone and until I have something to tell you that won't be wrong as of 9am the next day, I will.

I hope you all understand, we don't do this to be cruel, we do it because there is, quite literally, nothing of use to tell you yet, beyond that we've gathered our data, your suggestions, and are going through testing them now.

Why do you need data to tell you that GECM needs to be changed? You had it's original functionality changed. The data is not going to tell you that it's broken. I'll tell you why it's broken - it's very simple really:

-Prevents targeting. GECM wasn't intended to block radar functionality. Now, we have a dead radar in the game when GECM is around other mechs. A team full of GECM mechs means radar is completely useless. Targeting inside the bubble just to get a read on the mech's loadout and status is a poor consolation.

-Prevents lock-on instead of slowing the lock-on rate (interference). SSRM + LRM bandaid. Self explanatory.

-Bubble intended to be actual area of effect of GECM (180m maximum), not 180m to shield your allies. Allies should receive absolutely no benefit from GECM. Currently, GECM has unlimited range where it should have a max range of 180m. The bubble is supposed to be 180m and affect only the mech carrying the GECM.

-Current implementation of GECM has it doing the job of two additional pieces of equipment: Angel ECM (shielding your allies from a whole host of other equipment + SSRMs and not LRMs) and Null Signature System (no radar blip at all). This alone makes it ridiculously OP.

To balance GECM simply restore it's true functionality as it should be. Make it affect only the mech carrying it, give it a maximum range of 180m, have it so that the only things it blocks are Artemis FCS, NARC (ironically used as a counter to GECM currently) and C3 master and slave (yet to be introduced), and slow the lock-on rate of missiles.

That's it. That is how you fix GECM.

Edited by ArmandTulsen, 19 January 2013 - 02:04 PM.

[Dudeman3k]

PoLaR, on 19 January 2013 - 09:36 AM, said:

Actually, I have noticed ECM matches less and less lately.

It's kinda... nice.

Yeah, it becuase people are leveling up the other variants to make the L3 more speedy.... ECM will resurface once the variant is master'ed, i assure you.

[Garagano]

agree on many things in this thread.

The current ECM is like a BUILD-IN-aimbot-radar-hack for MWO. (ecm+streak)
A single ECM player in a PUG team is far from overpowered.
But the real threat/problem is where ECM premades come into play. A competent 4 man premade with 2 ECM against a normal PUG team is unbeatable, and worse, they take the fun out of the game!

My suggestion to fix this, is to make ECM like one of those flashlight tingies like it is in one of the other egoshoters -> battery style -> ECM power is used up over a limited time and it need time to recharge to be available again.

There are many other good suggestions to nerf the darn thing. PLEASE PGI, do some thing against it, ASAP!

Now, ECM is like an aimbot, to chase other players away from this game. And i will use it like U PGI want it to be, and continue to beat the **** out of other players.

Edited by Garagano, 19 January 2013 - 03:18 PM.

[R0adK1ll]

JohnnyC, on 19 January 2013 - 09:22 AM, said:

Thanks man. And no... you're not the only one who refuses to use ECM due to how it unbalances the game... I don't either.

my 3L has been sitting in the garage for a while now. It just isn't much fun to play with.

[The Cheese]

Mancu, on 18 January 2013 - 07:57 PM, said:

Sorry to break it too you but your no-skill ECM win button is getting nerfed. Garth posted this week that PGI considers it too powerful and they just have to decide how to nerf it. So abuse the win button while you can...

link please?

Edit: Never mind, someone already posted it.

Edited by The Cheese, 19 January 2013 - 03:35 PM.

[Galland]

Maybe ECM should have a duration timer instead of the Narc Beacon. If you can only run your ECM for maybe 180 seconds, then it won't be as overpowered as it is now. After that, take the Narc Beacon's duration timer off to make it more effective.

[Kinney]

darkfall13, on 18 January 2013 - 08:26 PM, said:

I love my heavies too much.

[Secundus]

The way they've implemented ECM is mentally handicapped. Weighs next to nothing, generates no heat, can protect a whole team, is limited to specific variants of mechs, if a teammate manages to target it lock still takes several seconds, and is it's own counter with nothing terribly effective against it otherwise. You can't target anyone within ECM until you get close, then they just switch it to counter mode and then you can't lock on anything at all near or far. It should protect no more than 90m around it, in jamming mode it should generate a good amount of heat, it should weigh twice as much and take up more slots. Either that or it keeps it's range and instead of making people invisible on radar it should just lengthen lock time.

How long is this stupidity going to continue PGI? I've kept my mouth shut about this so far, but I'm getting tired of this one stupid thing making or breaking matches. I have an Atlas DDC and it feels like I'm cheating using it.

EDIT: Apparently PGI has FINALLY figured out there's a problem and commented that changes are needed. Thank God.

Edited by Secundus, 19 January 2013 - 03:54 PM.

[Ghostly Enigma]

Secundus I wouldn't put all that much hope in to them doing more then cutting the range by 10 or 20 m and calling it good. Sorry but I've lost any and all faith or trust for the PGI Dev team until they can prove to me that they acualy know what they are doing as far as I can see or tell they are as much BT fans any more then a rabit Bronco fan is a fan of another team. No I have not been playing the game as its gone from fun in CB to well any thing BUT fun of late *sighs* and I use to love running my 4SP Hunch oh well.