K0M3D14N, on 20 February 2013 - 11:14 AM, said:
Tell me why ECM is an issue on anything but a Raven 3L or a Commando 2D. By all means, enlighten me.
Ok I will take a stab at this.
ECM is an issue because this one small inexpencive and easy to fit item impacts on nearly every aspect of game play and metagame play.
No other "feature" has as much influence exerted upon such a broad area.
ECM impacts chassis selection.
Since ECM is only available on certain chassis a player who wishes to use ECM has a very limited selection of chassis.To increase the influence of ECM on chassis selection the significant advantages granted by ECM encourage ECM use and in fact encourage stacking multiple ECM mechs on a team.This has a negative impact on variety.
ECM impacts mech loadouts.
Since ECM effectivley turns off the lock on mechanic do you risk using LRMs or Streaks? Since ECM is countered by TAG or PPCs do you load those up on the mech?ECM impacts what weapons players select.
ECM impacts module selection.
If a player wishes to mitigate ECM effects they will need to set module priority on those that feature counter ECM features above modules that would better suit their play styles.
ECM impacts how we spend our XP.
Do we use our GXP on chassis efficencies or do we unlock counter ECM modules?If you wish to counter ECM you set priority on modules over mech mastery.
ECM impacts team composition.
When selecting an 8 man team concideration must be made for ECM.Do you have enough ECM? Do you have sufficent counters for enemy ECM.There is a reason why most 8 man premades have 50% or higher ECM mechs.
ECM impacts strategic planning.
How much ECM is desired to maintain ECM dominance?How best to employ counter ECM techniques?How many and of what type of ECM mech do you use?How do you deploy these ECM mechs on a battlefield?
ECM impacts tactical choices.
How do you manuver your ECM or manuver with ECM to gain maximized effects?How do you manuver to employ counter ECM techniques.How do you fit these manuvers into team play,Clump around one ECM? Bring multiple ECM for wider formations?When selecting target priority do you set enemy ECM as high priority? Shoot the Atlas DDC or the Stalker?
Should 400k C-bills 1.5 tons 2 crits have this much power to influence our game play?
If you didn't like that explaination try this one.
Mechwarrior online as stated by it's development team is to be built upon four design pillars.
Mech warfare: Mechs shooting mechs
Role warfare: using the right mech for the job
Information warfare: Controling intel by effective recon or effective evasion/deception
Community Warfare: Players joining factions and battling for their faction's victory.
So Mech warfare with our current ECM is essentially reduced to fill 6 of 8 slots with ECM mechs and the remaining 2 with a couple of FotM DPS monsters like splatcats or 6 PPC stalkers.You need more ECM to ensure ECM domminance and any non ECM mech better be good at spike damage because ECM "cloaks" entire teams of mechs giving limited windows of opertunity to dish out damage.
Now Role warfare,This is essentially rendered down to role 1: Atlas with ECM role 2: Raven with ECM role 3: Spike damage mech with no ECM (and let's be honest there are about 4-5 variences of this theme and not much else for variety)
Information warfare has been transformed into a joke.The entirety of information warfare can be fought passivley by stacking tons of ECM.ECM does all the work for you without the need to manuver well,pay attention or even press a key.Just bring enough ECM to ensure that some of it is in play at any given time.It is pretty much impossible for your enemy to hit all 8 mechs with a TAG or PPC every 4 seconds so 8 ECM on a side invalidates TAG and PPCs and unless the enemy also has 8 ECM mechs set to counter AND all within 180m of all of your 8 ECMs...well you get the picture.Information warfare has become ECM warfare.
Community warfare will of course be a meta game of who has the ability to maximize ECM dominance or who has effective counter ECM strategies.As is currently the case the majority of competitive teams stack on average 5-6 ECM in 8 man groups.
None of the above effects on the four design pillars of the game are desireable.All ECM does is limit choices and pigeon hole strategy and tactics.
Those look like valid reasons for why ECM is an issue?