EVE General Discussion

ECM bursts should be silent and unflagged in high sec.

Just for the lols when my hulk driver gets to laugh at the WTF from the nine Catalyst pods that just tried to gank him.

Mr Epeen

Missing the nub of the issue in my opinion.

Tracking disruption can be countered with a tracking computer, or tracking enhancers that negate or exceed its effects. If this negation fails you can still fire your weapons - and with the use of overheated prop to adjust range, slingshots etc you are of course in a worse position but still have a chance to hit.

Similar with remote damps, even more so since they have been rebalanced. You have the items to negate the effects, but if you don't succeed, you still have the ability - through pilot skill and maneuvering - to get close enough to your target to lock them.

Target painters are a little different in that they don't disable your ability to react but make you more vulnerable. You can of course use drugs, afterburners, tank etc to mitigate the effect but once again, if you fail to do so, you still have the chance through player ability to alter your orbit, overheat your tank, shut off mwd etc so you can fight your fight or go down doing some damage.

Then consider ECM. Once again we have modules or skills that can mitigate the chances of being jammed, but where it differs is that if your negation fails, you are unable through player skill to do anything to counter its effect. So you die or leave. Both are acceptable, but neither are a fight.

Yes you can run away, and I agree with your d-scan comment, if you see it on scan and don't have the sensor strength don't be a martyr, just leave. But there is something amiss about the balance of ability once "e-warred", to continue fighting.

Auto targeting missiles. Bombs. You can still fight.

Are EM missiles OP because you didnt tank against EM?

EVE is rock paper scissors lizard spock.

Every fit has a counter fit.

You have a counter to ECM. Its called a Sensor Backup Array.

Fit one or two of those and you will be very hard to jam.

No need to change any game mechanics because you aren't fit against an ECM boat.

The main things that I hate about ecm in it's current state :

RNG, it either loves you or hates you, but it is random and completely different than everything else in EVE.
ECCM, the only counter for ECM is useless if no one is trying to ECM you. At least AB/MWD/Tracking comps/Sensor boosters/Etc.. are useful even if you aren't being webed/TD/sensor damped....

edited double post

You are correct. However, In the case of ECM, that is the point. Once you are jammed, you are jammed....Done. Think paper smothered your rock and it's over.

All other Ewar modules administer effects that reduce a particular module/ability of your ship. ECM as practical application has only one purpose that that is a complete jamming or your targeting system. It's an on/off switch and is working as intended.

In all honesty and seriousness, I think the current ECM mechanic is too weak. As it stands the jam is applied on a roll. So there is always a chance of ECM missing. I would personally make ECM the bane of all shipping/conflict.

If something must be done, All I would do is allow ECCM modules to be overheated with a very high (2-3 cycle) burnout rate. I think that would be fair, if not too easy-mode.

Dont forget the missiles! They also hit 100% of the time within range... and no pilot skill is going to help that either.

Aww.

Confirming that nobody likes being the force multiplier with the power to turn the tide of battle against a superior force for the benefit of their fleet. All the while improving their killboard, boosting their fleet's morale and laughing maniacally in local through their contributions. Yea....Nobody wants to be that guy.