452 replies to this topic

[SpiralRazor]

311 People as of right now hate the ECM mechanic.


That beats every other category by a HEALTHY margin.

[Oshay]

It isn't that the people who don't like ECM aren't vocal, it's that it's been almost half a dozen patches since it's been introduced, and PGI hasn't taken any substantive steps to fix it. You can only scream bloody murder for so long before you realize you're being ignored and just stop posting about it.

If you go back each patch, and search for ECM anger in the patch feedback forums, you'll see the further back you go, the more people who dislike it can be counted. With each patch, the thread gets reset, and you have to start over.

[DocBach]

Didn't you get the memo? Those votes were actually just alternate email accounts by the 11 people who are anti-ECM.

[SpiralRazor]

except that they arent?

[DocBach]

Abivard, on 21 February 2013 - 05:29 PM, said:

this page, 11 posters, 19 posts,
8 posters posted once each, of those 1 was anti ecm, 3 where trolls with no clear statement either way, 3 proECM, one I don't care
that leaves 3 posters with 11 posts between them, all anti-ecm.

lets total, 4 anti ecm, 3 troll, 3 pro 1 doesn't care.

Unhappy campers are very vocal in their discontent, happy campers are having to much fun to bother coming to complain when they could be playing. Trolls are Trolls.

Proofs right here, obviously people had tons of extra accounts sitting around to completely skew the results of this poll.

[Oshay]

Clearly I must know all eleven of those people, then, and be part of the conspiracy.

EDIT: Spelling.

Edited by Oshay, 21 February 2013 - 06:52 PM.

[Chromoid]

I'm gonna refer everyone to this thread. It makes a lot more sense and would significantly reduce the effect of ECM, while at the same time actuallygiving the players more control over how the system works.

Edited by Chromoid, 21 February 2013 - 09:20 PM.

[DocBach]

If you like that, your gonna love this....

http://mwomercs.com/...mation-warfare/

http://mwomercs.com/...m-with-modules/

[Teralitha]

Abivard, on 21 February 2013 - 05:29 PM, said:

this page, 11 posters, 19 posts,
8 posters posted once each, of those 1 was anti ecm, 3 where trolls with no clear statement either way, 3 proECM, one I don't care
that leaves 3 posters with 11 posts between them, all anti-ecm.

lets total, 4 anti ecm, 3 troll, 3 pro 1 doesn't care.

Unhappy campers are very vocal in their discontent, happy campers are having to much fun to bother coming to complain when they could be playing. Trolls are Trolls.

Unhappy campers left town already. Happy campers.... there are no happy campers.. This poll is proof.

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=M5QGkOGZubQ

Edited by Teralitha, 22 February 2013 - 04:47 AM.

[The Original Prankster]

I'm getting sick and tired of ECM. A single mech with a 1,5 ton, 2 slot piece of hardware can make approximately 10-30% of an opposing teams firepower useless unless they have even more ECM, and I don't think the solution for the ECM problem should be more ECM. Otherwise you might as well let every mech equip it to get it balanced.

The PPC patch is of little help because 4 seconds isn't enough to target, get a missile lock and get your missiles all the way there, and besides it only works against Atlases even if you manage to land more than one in a row. There's no way to keep hitting fast lights running at close range consistantly with PPCs, so there's no way to use the light mech bane streaks on them. There have been countless of matches where one or two ECM lights alone run among 3-6 heavies and unless you get a lucky shot, it will usually take forever to bring them down. Even an Atlas with all it's armor would go down easily in half the time or less.

So the only feasible counter to ECM lights seems to be your own (ECM) lights, and in a small group you don't necessarily have players who have them, or want to play them. In a solo pug game it's even worse, and there's no good way to call unknown players to come to your help quickly.

Now, I'm sure there are players out there that can hit a dime at 5km while dancing on top of a needle, and the light killing part might get better for me with european servers, but nevertheless the situation as it stands is ruining the game for me and many others. Please find another solution for the ECM, and take it out while you're considering what it would be. This is no fun anymore.
.

Edited by HollowPoint, 22 February 2013 - 05:05 PM.

[Teralitha]

I bet now is a good time to get more votes.

[Garfuncle]

Quote

To be competitive you need a Raven 3L and an Atlas DD-C, thats all.
You can level those variants using your free 4 mech bays.

You can't see the problem with some variants being better than others due to an extremely powerful and low cost mechanic that inhibits creative builds, ECM-less mechs in general, and diversity of play overall, as something that is undesirable in a well-made game? I shoudn't be forced to use any mech, hell, any chasis over another if I'm a good pilot OR my group has good composition. ECM, as you clearly know, kills diversity. It gives too many direct buffs to you and your team and even debuffs to the enemy team for far too little weight and cost.

ECM needs to be gutted into different parts. Basic ECM should disrupt missile locks and nothing else. No radar cloak, no disrupting enemy mechs radar and sensors...those should be eventually introduced as different equipments. NOT all in the same, cheap (in both ways of the word) item.

Edited by Garfuncle, 22 February 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[DocBach]

Garfuncle, on 22 February 2013 - 06:14 PM, said:

You can't see the problem with some variants being better than others due to an extremely powerful and low cost mechanic that inhibits creative builds, ECM-less mechs in general, and diversity of play overall, as something that is undesirable in a well-made game? I shoudn't be forced to use any mech, hell, any chasis over another if I'm a good pilot OR my group has good composition. ECM, as you clearly know, kills diversity. It gives too many direct buffs to you and your team and even debuffs to the enemy team for far too little weight and cost.

ECM needs to be gutted into different parts. Basic ECM should disrupt missile locks and nothing else. No radar cloak, no disrupting enemy mechs radar and sensors...those should be eventually introduced as different equipments. NOT all in the same, cheap (in both ways of the word) item.

First and foremost, when ECM gets looked at, PGI needs to look at missiles, too. If the bandaid for a broken mechanic isn't fixed, pulling off the bandaid is just going to reopen the infection of LRM boats everywhere.

I think ECM needs to be separated into more functions, I'd give it a third setting -- Classic Battletech had third mode called Ghost Target mode, in which it confused sensors by flooding them with false signatures. Ghost Target mode chould add time to target locks, and put a bunch of fake targets on your radar you'd have to sift through to decide what to move on to engage. It'd be a whole lot more interactive than "install ECM, profit."

[Doc Holliday]

This poll is pretty telling. Over 50% of the people still on the forums dislike ECM, and there's no telling how many have quit completely because of it. Even of the people that are left and haven't yet given up on PGI, only 30% actually like it.

Pretty pathetic.

[MischiefSC]

A 1,000 person sample is pretty huge. More than what most political samplings are taken from. The problem is the lack of a control group or participant control. It's self-selected. how many are premades or pugs, relative experience level of participants, etc. Given however the shockingly one-sided nature of the poll though it seems pretty clear regardless of complaints on sample composition.

I've repeatedly stated what I'd like to see with ECM but I feel like it doesn't matter. PGI has made it pretty clear that they've invested a lot into bringing ECM to the table and people just need to grit their teeth and take it.....

or leave. It's not going to improve. In fact it's going to get worse with more 'not only are we not going to fix it but we're going to add goofy, fiddly little tweaks like PPC and a few meters difference in detection range just to point out the fact that it's going to remain, indefinitely, exactly what you hate and directly reduces your enjoyment of the game'.

I love Elo. It's improved a lot of the game experience for me. If ECM was balanced along with missiles in an enjoyable way and not so as to jam a raised middle finger in my face any time I play something other than my D-DC Atlas I'd pour money on it like water.

Currently though even with the contest and the Trebuchet and Alpine I'm struggling to find enjoyment in playing. The game doesn't reward diversity or experimentation or customization. It rewards competitive team play, stacking ECM and boating missiles and TAG and it rewards them strongly directly at the cost of the PUG experience.

ECM is broken. Please fix it. Please.

[Sharg]

Its horrendous and doesn't add to the game at all. Sure, experienced players love it because its asymmetrical, but it ruins the experience for new players. And that's all that I think matters. It needs to be something that just negates NARC and Artemis, not screws up IFF, eliminates locks, or whatever. And it needs to be available for more 'mechs.

[Doc Holliday]

Sharg, on 22 February 2013 - 09:54 PM, said:

Its horrendous and doesn't add to the game at all. Sure, experienced players love it because its asymmetrical, but it ruins the experience for new players. And that's all that I think matters. It needs to be something that just negates NARC and Artemis, not screws up IFF, eliminates locks, or whatever. And it needs to be available for more 'mechs.

I like to think I'm a reasonably experienced player (I have over 1,500 matches) and I certainly don't love it.

[Teralitha]

IronEagle, on 22 February 2013 - 05:35 PM, said:

Why so much hate ? ECM saves you a lot of money and makes the game definetely not pay to win.

To be competitive you need a Raven 3L and an Atlas DD-C, thats all.
You can level those variants using your free 4 mech bays.

With the Raven 3L you have a fast scout with a nice mix of lasers and missiles.
The Atlas DDC is your brawler or long range support and equipable with all kind of weapons.

On top of that you show respect to your team protecting them with the ECM shield.

Uh yea, dont you think ALL mechs and varients should be able to be competitive? That would make it the best game possible.

[The Original Prankster]

Teralitha, on 23 February 2013 - 12:54 AM, said:

Uh yea, dont you think ALL mechs and varients should be able to be competitive? That would make it the best game possible.

I thought he was trolling when I first read it.

[Teralitha]

Bumping for more votes. Im wondering when devs are going to act on this information.