Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Concept: Stacking nerf ECM jam strengths on targets that already have jammers applied on them.

Justification: This is actually how every other kind of EWAR works in EVE, so there's no reason jamming shouldn't work this way either.

Disclaimer: I'm not opposed to ECM, I don't think it is a 'fun' mechanic but it has a needed role in EVE. This change is designed to emphasize its strengths while making it a bit more bearable in small gangs.

How does this work in practice? First jammer applied to target (whether it suceeds or fails) has 100% of normal jam strength. Second jammer applied to the same target has the standard .87 stacking nerf applied to its jam strength. (which since all the math is multiplicative can be viewed as .87 of its original chance to jam.). Third jammer applied to target has .67 of its typical jam strength, 4th has .28, and so on in line with the typical stacking nerf.

Example: Jammer of jam strength 8 is applied to target of sensor strength 16. First has 50% chance to jam, second has 50*.87 or 43.5%, third has 50%*.67, or 33.5%, and so on. Stacking nerf is calculated by number of jammers currently cycling on target at the moment the jammer is applied, as with other EWAR.

Results? There is an incentive to spread jammers out over multiple targets to maximize jam strength. Hordes of ECM drones no longer perma-jam single targets, but spreading them out across multiple targets remains effective. Boost to soloers and small gangs, since if you're fitting to resist ECM you only have to worry about the first five jammers having a reasonable chance to jam, so the second two falcons that uncloak after the first when your ~elite pvp~ 1v1 get dishonoured don't matter as much.

As for fleets, since jammers should be spreading jams anyway, there's little decrease in ECM effectiveness.

I'd imaging proper ECM piloting would go something like this post-nerf ideally: Pick target you want to jam, apply one jammer. If it fails, apply a second - if that fails too you'd have to consider whether you really need *that* target jammed enough to waste a .67 strength jam on it or just apply a 100% strength jam to something else. Little bit of risk-reward going on there.

Overall summary? Jamming effectiveness versus single targets/small gangs is reduced, jamming effectiveness in fleets is untouched, slightly more thought required on the part of ECM pilots.

ECM drones might also need a slight rebalance, but as it is a little nerf to their effectiveness won't hurt much.

The whole point of the suggestion is that they should, and that this penalty should exist for game balance reasons.

EDIT: And, if you want to get pendantic, since jamming is a binary state whether I apply a second jammer is entirely dependent on the outcome of the first jam. If the first jam lands, there is no need to apply a second. So they're pretty linked.

Because it decreases the frustration factor of jamming when solo or in small gangs? Obviously no one applies all jammers to one target at the same time, this just adds an additional incentive to spread out jammers and indirectly buffs the solo pilot who has ECCM fitted.

Isn't decreasing ECM effectiveness at locking down solo pilots while not hurting its effectiveness in fleets a valid reason for a mechanic change?