Ships & Modules

Well it seems with the hybrid buff, the playerbase has moved onto the chance based mechanic of target jamming ECM.

This topic is a discussion as to what the players would feel the best solution would be. I'll update this post periodically with the various ideas that are put forth.

I'll start us off with one:

+10-15% (this increases time) to the cycle time of all highslot modules. Dedicated ECM ships would be able to boost this amount upwards of perhaps 30-40%.

This percent boost would always apply, and be stacking penalized as the other forms of ECM. This would also make EC-xxx drones not ridiculously imbalanced in 1 v 1 fights.

It would hinder logistics, neut ships, and lower incoming DPS, without being chance based, and ensure that a dedicated ECM ship is still viable to bring to a fight.

Other contributed ideas:
-Make ECM a lock breaker module, keep 20 second duration.
(this could perhaps be added with the removal of racial jamming modules, and a buff to multispecs, allowing less mid slot utilization on already fragile ships)

-Diminishing returns, 10 second jam time initially, reducing each time.

You dont understand that a ECM module would change from a chance based removal of all targets, to a blanket DPS/Logistics/Neuting whatever highslot module reduction in effectivenes?

Unless your suggesting that ecm should 'dampen' highslots..? In which case this would surely be better used as a fix to sensor dampeners..

Sorry I think I figured out what you were suggesting.

ECM seems fine to me, ecm drones are widely suggested to be overpowered.

I see plenty of falcon lossmails on the killboard though.

Thats very subjective.

Working as intended etc. etc.

Why do you people keep insisting on fixing things that aren't broken? Just accept the fact that you got owned by someone who spends more time learning to play than complaining.

seen this come up every few months. My latest veiws are mostly the same.

The effect is too strong for too long and does not scale or stack any penelties, a jam from a griffin is as good from a widow as long as the cycle works - welcome to 20 seconds of being 100% useless.

ECM imo should jam properly like now for 10 seconds and then 10 seconds cool down, or a 5 sec jam and 5 second damp effect etc etc.

20 seconds full on no targetting WAY to strong and always has been, its the fun sucking vampire in any fights ESP small gang.

I've always liked two rather different solutions:

One is to remove the jamming time — make it work like an ECM burst that doesn't affect your ability to lock targets; it just kills all your current target locks (and you're free to relock immediately).

The other is that ECM reduces the number of available target locks — this one is mechanically trickier because you have to decide how many lost targets a given jamming strength corresponds to and how to make the bonuses work without making the whole thing silly.

ECM has killed small gang, first one to bring it usually wins.

However, maybe the answer is a blanket increase in ship signal strength and a buff to ECCM modules. Then reduce the ECM cycle to 10 so a lucky jam doesn't mean auto-death.

1. Reverse Target Painter. If you're ECM'd, your target's sig size is reduced, which reduces the effectiveness of your guns and missiles. However, you're still able to fight, and smaller guns can still hit big targets.

2. Make Scan Resolution (lock time) a factor in weapon accuracy. ECM would make your scan resolution worse, thus reducing the damage you do and makes lock times longer.

tl;dr - Turn ECM into a damage debuff, instead of the current 'stun' mechanic it is today.