Player Features and Ideas Discussion

[EWAR] Overhaul
Statement: I do not think the current ECM modules work well and that they should not be chance based. There should be a little more certainty involved both in success and in prevention.
ECM does not currently have an effective large (blob) fleet application but conversely in small engagements they can be the sole deciding factor to the fight. Both the user and target should have more certainty.
Statement: I recognise that being perma-jammed is a problem as it is a denial of all reaction. There must be a very effective counter to perma-jamming and some limitation on fitting ECM.
So my proposal for alteration and overhaul of this is as follows:
1. ECM will successfully impose a jam cycle on a ship if the total stacked ECM strength (racial specific) is greater than the racial specific Sensor Strength of the target ship
2. ECM modules would get a very short optimal and a very long falloff (perhaps 15km base optimal and 50-70km falloff (larger falloff for racials over mutlispec)
3. Strength of the ECM modules would be increased a little – currently Tech II racial has 3.6/1.2 and the Multispec has 2.4 – this proposal would change these to around 4.5/1.2 and 3.5.
4. The strength of the ECM module would uniformly degrade over the falloff range from 100% at optimal down to 50% at maximum falloff. Falling to zero immediately beyond falloff.
5. Signal Distortion Amplifiers remain the same, as does skills.
6. Fitted online ECM modules offline all fitted warp disruptor/warp scrambler modules
• If a Falcon / Rook jams a tackler it cannot also scram it and kill it without any opportunity for the tackler to react or escape
• The Kitsune cannot become the ultimate tackler
• A 1vs1 frig fight with one ship fitting ECM will not be able to jam and point.
• The module becomes either defensive or is aggressive only in support of a teammate.
7. ECCM modules and Sensor Backup Arrays may need to have their strength boosted?
8. There may be a need for a high slot ECCM module?
This would result in a typical racial tech II ECM jammer (Phase Inverter II for example) showing the following strength and ranges on a Falcon with Max skills
Falcon (Max skills) remembering this is a bonus’s ship and 3 Signal Distortion Amplifiers (which is unrealistic) gives a multiplier of 3.949 to the strength:
Range Opitmal = 15km Range Falloff = 85km (including optimal)
Phase Inverter II - ECM strength at optimal = 17.770 ECM strength at max fall off = 8.885
Multispec II – ECM strength at optimal = 13.822 ECM strength at max fall off = 6.911
Ships that involve range and falloff bonus’s would need to have them looked at. In particular, the Scorpion would need to continue to be effective at long range which would require some changes.
Examples of base Ship Sensor Strength (Max skills)
Frigs: Merlin – 13.2 Tristan – 10.8 Rifter - 9.6 Punisher – 10.8
Interceptors: Crow – 14.4 Taranis – 10.8 Crusader – 10.8 Claw – 9.6
Logi: Guardian – 22.8 Basilisk – 26.4 Oneiros – 24 Scimi – 20.4
Cruiser: Rupture - 18 Moa – 20.4 Thorax - 18 Maller – 19.2
BC: Brutix - 21.6 Proph – 20.4 Cyclone – 20.4 Ferox – 22.8
BS: Abbadon – 26.4 Rokh – 28.8 Hyper – 27.6 Mael – 25.2
Carrier: Chimera – 96 Archon – 86.4 Thantos – 91.2 Nidh – 81.6
For low sensor strength ships a pilot would be confident to jam a ship at optimal with one module and would be confident to jam a low sensor strength target with two modules at max falloff. Two modules used on a higher sensor strength ship would likely cause a jam cycle (BS down) at optimal but a use of more would be required at long range.
However, I believe the Sensor Strength values for all ships would need to be evaluated again and there should be specific ships that have a higher resistance to ECM jamming (particularly if they are weak to Sensor Dampeners).
Interceptors, I believe should have much higher sensor strength (why should it be high scan resolution = low sensor strength?) as it should take two racial jammers to jam a dedicated, designed for tackling ship.
Scenario
Eg: Guardian fitted with ECCM II has sensor = 44.7 with max skills. This would require 3 full racial jammers to achieve jam.
Scalability
As ECM jam strength against a target would become stackable then this would have a serious implication on scalability to large fleets.
ECM Drones currently have Jam strengths as follows:
Light – 1 Medium – 1.5 Heavy – 2
In a medium fleet of 10 with all of them bringing a flight of Vespa EC-600’s you would have a combined jamming strength of 75. This could definitely jam 2-3 large targets (BS on current Sensor strengths) but this is with 10 ships worth of drones.
What is to stop a fleet of 100 coming in 100 Scorps and then there is no counter?
The counter to all of this will come from a new module as follows:
9. A new module:
• Proposed Name – “Ancilliary Sensor Backup Array” or “ECCM Burst”
• Low Slot
• Low fitting requirement – should fit on an interceptor easily at a loss of a speed mod
• Active module that uses Cap Charge 50
• Requires no capacitor for activation but does require the charge
• Can fit either one or two charges (perhaps 3 navy charges)
• Activation gives a 200% (perhaps 250%) boost to Sensor Strength for the cycle
• Duration cycle is 60 seconds (maybe 45s or possibly have two sizes with a longer duration on the mod that fits on larger ships and larger cap charges required).
• Breaks an active jam cycle if the new sensor strength is greater than the stacked jamming strength
• Reload time should be roughly more than standard reload but less than other ancilliary modules (I am thinking c.20s)

Finally, all the ECM specific hulls need looking at anyway with regards to mobility, speed and survivability (tank).

Dons flame retardant clothing.