Player Features and Ideas Discussion

My two ideas for a change to ECM revolve around the explicitly automated processes of combat in EVE such as reloading, auto-repeat, drone assist and navigation commands. The two ideas are separate and not codependent.

1. Make sensor strength a dynamic value like signature radius
Each automated process employed would have a negative impact upon your sensor strength making you easier to jam, conversely pilots are rewarded and become much harder to jam if they are not using automations. The automated processes would be subject to a hierarchy of importance: in my head I envisage processes such as having drones assisted to you and employing navigation commands as having the biggest penalty to your sensor strength whilst processes like auto-repeating high-slots would have a very negligible impact upon your sensor strength.

PS. I realise that if implemented poorly this could be a stealth nerf to active tanking which I would not support.
PPS. This could be a good way to balance drone assist.

2. Change the effect of successful ECM to make it reset all automated processes, causing disruption to pilots.
Rather than simply removing pilots from combat for 20sec as-with current mechanics, I propose that ECM instead reset all automatic functions of a pilot's ship eg. Navigation commands cancel, drones go idle, modules stop auto-reloading. In addition the selected item is cleared so that any new commands will not apply to a target without the target is first selected again. A second or two of static interference to your UI would let you know that you've been jammed.

PS. this has the benefit of being less disruptive to alert and responsive pilots than to brain-dead ones.


My hope with these ideas is to address the most common complaint about ECM which I hear: (and share) that its dice-roll mechanic is uninteresting for aggressor and victim and not in the spirit of EVE combat.
I'll elaborate upon the specifics of these ideas as we go. I look forward to discussing this with you all.

You've misunderstood, my intention is to make it so that people have a dynamic way to make it HARDER to jam them.

quit throwing around dynamic as if it changes the fact it forces people to use passive mods. you said it was a stealth nerf, and now it really sounds like one.

I'm not trolling anyone, i seriously think this is a bad move and would only break ECMs one way or the other. On one had people will use modules or what ever the heck you consider "automation" and be susceptible to a single griffon, or the opposite will happen making ECM ships worthless (with few exceptions) to ships that are "sig buffed".

No. ECCM modules and techniques for countering ECM already exist. A griffin won't do so well against large ships with decent sensor strength even without the ECCM, and there are skills to be trained for each sensor type to help defend. Likewise there are modules, amps and rigs for the jammer too. And of course the ever-possible boosts from links for both cases.

As for stopping automated processes, no. ECM breaks target locks. thats it. Anything else is just convoluted and opens a can of worms for balancing issues on both sides of the spectrum.

Q. what is wrong with the current situation that you feel changes are necessary?

As much as i like e war its okay now and don´t have to get stronger.

-1

... what? i was saying ecm is fine and that it is not over powered or insane and pointed out that the other e-wars are generaly more effective please train reading comprehension to at least level two.


ECM has a huge pay of when it lands but since the changes to t2 sensor streanght and the addition of the sensor streangh skills you are more likely to miss than hit.


this is neither under powered or over powered those against this system either don't fly ECM and as such only have it used against them or don't like needing to rely on RNG and as such should not use ECM but rather another form of E-war

I believe I answered that in my OP but I'll expand upon it for you: ECM is an uninteresting dice roll for all involved. Range is the only variable once undocked and on-grid and I'd like to see some form of my ideas implemented to make the gameplay surrounding ECM more interesting.

You're right and thank you for elaborating upon these points for those that have not used ECM. I however, have. You'll notice that my idea doesn't contain any suggestions for changes to the ECM pilot's application of their ewar, neither does it suggest a removal of the RNG... I agree with you that ECM is the most pilot-intensive form of ewar if it is to be done well. I don't think that you're addressing any concern that I have raised thus far.

IMO, #2 is more disruptive to alert pilots, and would cause frustration. Currently it's very clear that I've been jammed, and I can just go get a cup of coffee. With your #2 I'd have to pay attention, in the middle of combat, to tiny details such as whether my target is still selected at the top of the screen or whether my guns are still shooting at the bottom of the screen, or whether the drones are still attacking on the right side. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to have to roam my eyes all over the damn screen the entire fight just to detect the possibility that I've been jammed. The way it currently is, my targets disappear, it's very obvious, as if the screen went black.

Also to give you an idea what your suggestions sound like (in case you can't tell from the hostile responses), how about:

1. Change the ECM ship's sig radius (vulnerability) based on whether it has active modules or not. Make it unable to warp away, and IF it jams a ship, everybody else in the enemy fleet gets bonuses to damaging the ECM ship, because all the jamming make it a bright easily targetable beacon.

2. Make it impossible for the ECM pilot to tell whether a jam is successful or not. The modules should just cycle, and let the pilot figure out whether it was successful by watching the target ship to see if it still shoots. This will separate the alert ECM pilots from the afk ones.

Jamming in general, and ECM specifically, are counters to logi remote repairs, and in general to all-DPS fleets. The way it works right now may be annoying for the jammed ship, but is EXCELLENT at throwing a wrench into the best laid combat plans, resulting in more chaotic fights, with a chance to win for the side that is taken by surprise or outnumbered.

You want to play a mini-game within your job of stun-locking a target; it's not necessary, in fact the mini-game is played by the FC when he has to decide which enemy ship is most critical to jam, and order you to do it.

You're in a fleet with your buddies, but seem to have a solo mindset that your ECM task should provide you with extra entertainment, because who cares about the fight that's happening around you. Maybe they should make weapons have a mini-game too (maybe manually calculate trajectory to improve the gun's tracking, or jump in a turret and first-person-shoot-it). Maybe the repair guy should play a mini-game too, some sort of whack-a-mole that represents the triage he has to do to decide whom to repair. Clearly the fight is not important, we need mini-games during the fight to entertain us.