68 replies to this topic

[Dishevel]

I would give up AMS, and .5 tons of Armor and a HS or a ton of Ammo for ECM every single time.

[Ophidian]

Why not just turn it into MW4 style ECM? That is, more common (though not every mech can take it) as a hardpoint, slows missile locks and makes it difficult to target you and ONLY you.

I know my Dragon misses it.

I know it shouldn't be able to jam someone from being able to see his own teammates at the very least. No one equipment should destroy an entire team's ability to coordinate.

.....Oh, and AMS needs buffing too.

Edited by Ophidian, 25 January 2013 - 08:55 AM.

[MischiefSC]

Another example of something that changes balance between TT and MWO. In TT it's nice but not critical. In MWO it changes the game and tilts things very heavily towards whoever has it. You make it available to everyone may as well just remove targeting and LRMs from the game.

I'd say just have it block missile locks, not all radar detection all together. That's keeping in context of what canon had it do, keeps it very useful for its 1.5 tons of space but not overpowered. Then have it available to one mech in every weight class. Have ECM jamming work the same but increase the range to around 300, so you have to get to within ML range to jam someones ECM.

This means missile boats can still do their thing but someone on their team needs to get to brawling range to use it.

Oh, and remove the stacking effect. 1 jammer jams coverage to everyone in range, same way that 1 ECM protects everyone in range.

[Rokuzachi]

Ophidian, on 25 January 2013 - 08:55 AM, said:

Why not just turn it into MW4 style ECM? That is, more common (though not every mech can take it) as a hardpoint, slows missile locks and makes it difficult to target you and ONLY you. I know my Dragon misses it. I know it shouldn't be able to jam someone from being able to see his own teammates at the very least. No one equipment should destroy an entire team's ability to coordinate. .....Oh, and AMS needs buffing too.

I really like the sound of that.

Slower locks could be a massive boon, gives you more time to get into cover from seeking weapons, and you're also not shafting an entire team potentially with a single piece of equipment on a single mech.

There's plenty of ways to do ECM 'better' I think. I just hope they pick one, lol.

Edited by Rokuzachi, 25 January 2013 - 09:04 AM.

[JediPanther]

I'll quit the game the day every mech has ecm. I can stand a few mech on both teams having it and trying to disrupt/counter but all mechs? No. It would kill my playstyle not to mention any chance of pgi's beloved "role warfare" when it completly nuillifies the lrm indirect fire support role. As for someone going "duh, just use srms." I've done the a1,c4 with both lrms and srms.

[Koningswulf]

Sigh Always this crying of OP weapons and equipment, this time for the ECM.
No ECM is not OP, its very good but far from being OP.
ECM doesnt make you win battles per it self nor does it kill the enemy.
ECM does take up tonage and slots.
No doubt about a Pilot using ECM to the best of its ability is a good tactical equipment,
but that being said it is the pilot and his skill of the mech and weapons he use that will make the big difference.
I dont know how many times I have heard latetly "ohh no we gonna lose we dont have any ECM", and despite this we have won the battle. In the end it is the build and skill together with the cooperation of your current battle pilots that determine who wins not the ECM. Adapt and learn makes you win, or you can die crying like a baby, like so many of you do now. Pathetic....

I just cant wait to the clan mechs and equipment comes to hear the hundreds of cry babies that will take tone then!
Pathetic ....
You dont deserve calling yourself mech warriors!!!

Edited by Koningswulf, 25 January 2013 - 09:26 AM.

[Xorak]

The bottom line for me is, ECM is kinda cool, but has not made the game more fun. I really do not want everyone to have it, because it will just be an irritation at that point. At the same time, I also do not like how the mechs that get it are in a different class than the mechs that do not.

At the very least, I feel strongly that ECM should not have been released before in game voice chat. Actual communication is the real counter to ECM and that is what makes it interesting to play with on the battlefield. Lack of communication and inevitable PUG stomping is what makes it feel so frustrating to me.

Oh, and I voted for "All the time." and "None."

Edited by Xorak, 25 January 2013 - 09:36 AM.

[Northwind Highlander]

In pre-made I would say 'a few' is absolutely sufficient. But only if conditions are equal for both teams. Would require little more tactical thinking.

[Livebait]

If AMS shot down SSRM's & SRM's within 20M, it would be a contender for use. ECM as is has way way too much going for it not to bring it. The dev's have said they will be tweaking it. Let's hope they get it right.

Edited by Livebait, 25 January 2013 - 09:34 AM.

[MischiefSC]

So if ECM isn't a big deal, why not just don't use it? Just use BAP instead, or AMS. Why? Because you'll find tactics in the game shift considerably when ECM isn't a blanket cloak against targeting and missiles and having it on one side or another can absolutely make or break a number of tactics - like missile support, or streaks, or sniping. It's harder to be a sniper if you are not immune to radar detection at range.

ECM as a blanket cloak for detection and missile lock for everyone around isn't overpowered in the context of game-breaking, it is however overpowered in terms of 1.5 tons of gear.

[Yankee77]

All of them, all of the mechs.

Of course, at that point the system becomes pointless and ludicrous, and means any numerical superiority in a given locaiton instantly grants ECM superiority.

But the responses are a good indication of how messed up ECM is, and how irritating it is to be disrupted by ECM (how a system that actively irritates players could make it in a game these days is beyond me).

Never mind that it's practically required to use LRMs effectively now (making DDCs even more useful: it's the only truly effective LRM user right now, since it can at least counter the ECM lights who are using their 1.5 ton box to completely shut down a whole array of weapon systems).

.

[Attalward]

This answers the qeustion about ECm beacuase it i could use it in my faovrite mechs i would always use it

[Yankee77]

Xorak, on 25 January 2013 - 09:26 AM, said:

The bottom line for me is, ECM is kinda cool, but has not made the game more fun. I really do not want everyone to have it, because it will just be an irritation at that point. At the same time, I also do not like how the mechs that get it are in a different class than the mechs that do not.

Agreed, completely.

As a whole, I would say ECM has the potential to make the game better, but in its current incarnation makes the game less enjoyable as a whole.

The sensor cloak promotes good tactics and makes scouting even more important, and it does make lights more important as spotters for LRMs, and those are valuable things we should retain IMO.

But the disrupt effect (the one that you get when stepping within 180m of an enemy ECM) is an irritant whose primary effect is the make the game experience less enjoyable for the affected, not to mention it completely shuts down a whole class of weapons system. And something like that shouldn't exist in modern games, IMO. It's comparable to long Crowd Control abilities in older MMOs (like 1-minute mezzes or stuns).

These days, you just don't make systems whose primary effect is to make the game experience suck, and that's what the disrupt effect does. The game is less fun because of it. Why it was decided to implement such a system and effect is beyond me.

Thank you,

[jay35]

The only right answer is "All the time" because whether we like it or not, not running it puts you at a distinct disadvantage compared with running it.

Edited by jay35, 25 January 2013 - 10:18 AM.

[Phlyk]

I wold run it all the time, on every mech and I would expect my teammates to do the same. Having said that, that is mostly because I know that my opponents will have ECM on every mech. It would be a vicious cycle!

[PANZERBUNNY]

I don't even use ECM or their variants now, but if it was forced on us I would HAVE to use it so I could complete.

Just yank ECM until you can think of a better way to do it. Something less like a hammer to the face of the community that pays your bills.

[Thorqemada]

All my Mechs have AMS and i would simply switch AMS out for ECM in the moment i can do so.

Edited by Thorqemada, 25 January 2013 - 12:23 PM.

[Kylere]

New Poll: Do you just want all the mechs and great stats without playing?

Because I read too many people this thread as just wanting to have a win button.

[Viper69]

If I could take it on my mechs I would. As it stands now I dont have a mech that can use it so I dont know what I am missing.

[zhajin]

I would replace ams on every mech with ecm. on some builds i may run ams as well, but given the option ecm trumps ams, and i run ams on everything that does not have ecm, and some that do.