Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Currently ECM is widely regarded as overpowered -- ECM drones completely disable a ship; ECM ships, in particular Falcons, can singlehandedly decide a battle between a velator and a battlecruiser in favour of the velator. Unlike all the other forms of EW which leave the target still able to fight back in a limited way ECM is absolute to the point that nobody bothers with the other forms of EW anymore.

Therefore I propose that:

ECM renders the jammed ship untargetable as well as unable to target

ECM ships would continue to fulfill the proper role of jamming enemy logi in fleets -- same as now -- however in small scale engagements they would no longer singlehandedly determine the victor. ECM would remain a valid tactic to disengage from battle -- ie using ecm drones to break enemy locks and warp away -- but not longer will they have the unbalanced use of completely disabling an enemy vessel which continues to be pounded upon without any means of retribution..

It would also remain a valid tactic to reduce incoming DPS in large fleet engagements. However no longer would solo pilots lose an otherwise fair fight by the unpredictable and uncounterable surprise falcon.

Pilots wishing to mitigate incoming DPS without giving the other ship a free warp-away card could utilize other, subtler, forms of EW: target damping ships that are distant, disrupting tracking of ships being kited, neuting ships that use cap-based weapons or remote repairs.

It can easily fit into the game lore as the multiple noise sources that jam the enemy ship's sensors also render it unable to be locked by other ships.

I believe this simple change would make the game more enjoyable by everyone, specially the solo and small-gang pilots, with the exception of those that rely on a single broken mechanic as their only means to win fights. All in all, a victory for those that have a deep understanding of the game mechanics and a loss for those that use a gimmick. This IMHO is the mark of what makes a good game.

ECM is fine, all other forms of EW is just too crappy.

Did noone else notice the gaping exploit this offered?

An example: two of these infamous falcons travel together, in a fleet. They target each other. They launch drones and have their respective drones jam each other.

Noone can target them now.

Sure, you can try to attack their drones, but by the time you make progress they can simply leave. Outside of a bubble, nothing can interfere with them, and they can AB pretty quick.

Super Escort: A falcon with the best tank it can manage, jams a freighter. Heck, lets make it clever, a scimitar is backing the falcon to make it harder to kill.
Noone can target the freighter. They can bounce and bump it, but by the time it becomes vulnerable an entire fleet can be cyno'd in by that falcon.

Right, not even themselves, so your brilliant plan fails to get off the ground.



"Falcon with best tank" is kind of an oxymoron. They'll get popped by an arty cane in a volley or 2. Anyways, juicy falcon t2 salvage. Or juicy scimi t2 salvage followed by falcon t2 salvage.

Sir, it is you that is in need of repeated reading as the falcons being jammed by ecm drones would make them untargetable by those drones, therefore breaking the jams, and nothing would happen. No invulnerable falcons.



It doesn't make it easier to pop. All it does is add some 300M worth of ships that will pop in a couple volleys from an arty cane or tornado. So it probably wouldn't make sense for a cost-effective escort as the delay introduced would be of maybe 20s before the freighter got targeted and the gank proceeded as normal, only now having had more kills and the leftover t2 salvage paying for the extra gank ships if a suicide gank.

If anything it would be a huge flashing "this cargo is valuable" sign drawing more attention from gankers.

another nerf ecm thread? *facepalm

dude. there are many, many, many counters to ecm.

ecm ships are one trick ponies (ponies ftw)

Saying ecm ships are OP is like saying guns are OP, only with guns, you are completely dead after.

Ever though about how... if you use your analogy... lots of other t2 cruisers can swing a velator-battlecruiser battle in favor of the velator? ex: a deimos or (if its amarr or gallente... a curse)

ECM is balanced. It used to be OP. But just like missiles, its gotten nerfed again and again and again.

1 eccm mid, sensor backup array low.

Use common sense. in 0.0, see 2 reds in local 1 on gate the safe bet is to assume the unseen one is cloaked up at least till you get off the gate and can get d-scans going. take the bait andwell you get to see who the mystery guest is. . TBH there are worse options than falcon for this. half the reason I x-trained winmatar was the recon of choice for bubble camps was rapiers last stint in 0.0 way back. Died to well run camps with them and said looks like a good ship. decent damage, tp bonus so anyone in his fleet gets the huge sig assists. Mix with bubble so you have to mwd out for the really big sig radius. Easy hits, moar damage and boom. But you have to like your rapiers for this.

As many have said in this and all the other threads....ecm is working as intended. Why ccp gimped the other e-wars is the real question of the day. I'd sign off on any idea to get them fixed. Auto hit td's with new and improved bigger balls....+1. Hell I'd run them on a falcon as a catch all for the guy who isn't jammed lol.

And as always...instaperma jam falcons are hard to obtain. All those electronics skill non-caldari pilots don't need or avoid are ther pita skills a dedicated falcon pilot takes to 4 or 5. this is months in the electronics branch of training. Skills for the most part utterly useless except in an ecm boat (might help you running TP for pve ships like golem...about it really). Old boy is full strength max range, he didn't get there with just recon 5. that is just one of many pita 5's you learn to fly falcon well.

I rest my case

...and now I watch the bad pvp'ers that know no better tactic than to exploit an op mechanic gather around and whine so that their i win button is not nerfed.

You said as much yourself. ECM is broke. Anything they do to nerf it make it useless. It's a light switch mechanic. The only thing they could do to "nerf" it is reduce the range to webifier range. Anything done to the mechanic renders it useless.

All the ewar in EVE is broke. It uses zerg to make it effective and add that to a blob based game it makes all Ewar gross overkill. Get 20 guys with scripted tracking disruptors on you, you will see what I mean.

A genuine suggestion, not meant to trash your thread but solo and small fleet in armor fleets. Put ECCM in the medium slots. I've tested them and 2 ECCM II's on armor fits and a Full falcon couldn't break my lock. I had loads of time to pop his paper tank.