Warfare & Tactics

An idea i've thought would be fantastic for a long time...

Make ECM have UI related effects.
The severity of the following effects is based on jam strength vs your sensor strength.

The efects below are listed in no particular order of severity :D

effect of targeted ECM on ships would cause:-

-Target ship/drone brackets display to flicker/ switch off
-Tactical overlay interference (like white noise) or flickering/ switching off
-Shield armor hull readouts to flicker/ switch off (both enemy and your own)
-Overview colum updates stop/ switch off/ slow down etc (you might not see that cyno go up in local *ohnoes*)
ewar effect icons (on your HUD) switch off/flicker/malfunction
-Causes overload status on modules/weapons to lock in the ON state (or stop) *this could allow you to strategically burn out peoples mods/ racks*
-Ability to see if targets are yellow boxing/red boxing
-local count updates stall/ switch off etc
any one or more of these effects can be happening all at once depending on the chance based equations we already have... for perhaps 10 seconds at a time

now... ECM pulses... this is our new missile defense ewar, as oposed to screwing with TD.
Firstly, rename it to ecm field, then
Having it act like a normal active defense mod, basically all it does is have a chance to effect incomming guided missiles. a chance (based on strength and number of mods) to cause missile/s to swerve wildly of target *would look cool btw*.

There are loads of easily do-able ideas along these lines.
the main thing for me is that none of this would force pilots to spectate fights while under the effect of ECM... these effects would simply ask more of the individual pilots SKILL... wich is something we KNOW will generate some hero stories, not to mention look pretty cool in fraps vids etc.

cheers
-unbless

Can the jammed pilots avatar also cry real tears as well? Saves them having to type random insults in local.

I still think my idea of ECM not breaking locks but preventing new locks is a better way to fix ECM.

It isn't broken.

(Good ideas though)

I agree on ECM being completely binary and chance based, is a bad design choice considering all the other EWAR types. However I don't like the idea of client-side effects as generally such effects can be countered by 3rd party tools.

One possible idea is to make ECM similar to TD but only effective on missiles. This might sound a fair bit of nerf and reduced usage for ECM however considering other EWAR tools like Sensor Dampeners, Target Painters or even Tracking Disruptors, ECM is far too general and far too effective in almost all types of combat situations.

EWAR tools are almost always situational except ECM, which is the main problem with it.

I can't say ECM is broken, but I can say that ECM just doesn't fit well with EVE combat.

ECM has to change, it's that simple. I have been bitching about it ever since my first engagement against an ECM thrasher that apparently only exist in FW plexes.

An annoying and wily beast, the best will only show his ECM hand if he's in scram range or wishes to run back to the herd.

I like the UI messing stuff, switching off the OV for a time and only being able to target by shift-clicking in space would be pretty cool.

No... it doesn't. A single ECM module has about the same chance of effecting a fight as a single web or single neut. ECM drones, on the other hand need looked at

I think the fix to ecm everyone is looking for is the new fangled thingy called 'eccm'.

I'm not sure I understand the problem with ecm. The only issue I see is that many unbonused ships (such as a thrasher) can get a huge advantage out of it when they really shouldn't. But I don't think anyone can really complain about an ecm bonused ship such as the Griffin jamming you. It's what they are designed to do.

Should we nerf warp disruptors on interceptors because they can point you from very far away and stop you warping off when you want too?

It is odd that you have sensor dampeners, which reduce lock range and increase lock time (with scripts too) and then you have ECM. ECM just prevents locks and is chance based. The former is an ECM module with clearly understood behaviour that degrades your combat ability but allows pilot skill to counter it, the other is an overpowered joke with random numbers that turns you from a combatant into a punching bag.

SD's have been accused of being too OP by certain cretinous and ill-informed people. However, the functionality of SD's is basically what ECM should be, period. You get the choice to reduce the target's scan res or targeting range, and either it takes them forever to lock and thus knackers dps, or totally impossible to lock at range, which totally nixes DPS. Deployed in a small gang situation with skill, damps can be horribly effective. Deployed randomly by unskilled numpties, it is worse than useless.

Yes, the latter is a terrible situation to be in if you aren't fast enough to close with the kitey, dampy bastich, but as it stands currently and after Retribution, this isn't overpowered - especially for cruiser and up. Single damps on condors which kite is a pain solo, but if you are a good enough pilot, judicious overheat while aligned to a celestial should get you out of dissy range and away. It will be interesting to see how many kitey dampy Maulus' get around and how horrible they are, but again, you will need skill to prevail...or just take a Griffin and you can orbit at 500m in utter safety.

Contrast it to ECM where all you need to do is lock your opponent and wait, and it is clear that ECM should be removed entirely, and dampeners should be the primary type of ECM. Lock-breaking ECM is fine, and would work synergistically with damps (break lock, res damp, enemy takes 50s to re-lock, you break lock, repeat) but would not allow a single Falcon to permajam a half dozen people and turn a good fight into a frustrating, brain-melting waste of effort and ISK.

Actually Web or Neut doesn't have the chance to effect the fight as they are not chance based. However ECM is completely chance based. A small neut in a frigate can not do much against a Battle Cruiser. However an ECM module in a frigate with some luck can shutdown a Battle Cruiser for an extended period of time. That much random chance just does not fit with EVE combat.