Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Maybe good, maybe bad. Feel free to troll. It's an idea, hatched but minutes ago.

Ships with bonuses to ECM see an improvement to X, or Y (increase of X, reduction of Y):

C = Module Cycle time, Default 10 seconds
X = JAM time, Default 1 second
Y = Scan Res BONUS time, Default 3 seconds
Z = Empty Cycle Time

X = defined value
Y = (C - X - Modifier) / 2
Z = C - X - Y

For a blackbird (lets say it gets X+.8 for every cruiser level to a max of 5):

X = 5
Y = (C - X) / 2 = 3
Z = C - X - Y = 2

X = 5, Y = 3, Z = 2 (see explanation below for what this actually does)

Or a Falcon, let say they get X+0.8 (max 5) for cruiser level and Y-0.5 for recon level
X = 5
Y = (10- 5 - 2.5) / 2 = 1 (rounded to nearest)
Z = 4 (rounded to nearest)


1) Module cycle time C is 10 seconds
a) For the first X seconds, the target is jammed, jamming being the same as it is now
b) For the next Y seconds, the target gets a 75% resolution BONUS
c) "Cool down" for Z seconds (do nothing)

2) Significant stacking bonus (ie more than 1 jammer on a ship is pretty much pointless)

3) Scripted multispectral ECM modules, freeing up mid slots for tank and utility

4) ECCM scripts reduces X by a percentage

5) Get rid of the RNGesus. You use it, it lands. Special snowflakes flying Super-Caps can have their own modifiers to ECM, or even an outright immunity to them (which really makes sense).



I realize that right now ECM's an excellent way to harvest tears. When it works it works great, when it doesn't, it fails horribly.

In my proposition, it will be more reliable, less impactful, and allow ECM boats to actually fit some tank, so that more fleets will take them.

As it stands, RSD does everything ECM does, with 100% efficiency. In a kiting fleet, the only difference between RSD and ECM is that ECM only works sometimes and RSD always works.

In concept you are correct, there is a technical difference. Your use-cases are all 100% accurate. However realistically:
1) A grapple/web and tracking bonuses can kill a tackle cepter just as easily, with the advantage of killing it, not just letting you bug out. Bring a Caracal with RLMLs for anti-tackle for a fraction of the cost (or a cerb, if you really wanted). Lots of other anti-tackle ships out there already.
2) To negate drones, you'd have to carry as many as 5 jams. Using 5 jams to take drones off the field leaves you with no answer to the actual ship. I would suggest that jamming out 5 drones is "doing it wrong". Fighters however, there is absolutely a use-case for. Assuming the jams land. Of course, at that point, I'd just use sniper fits to kill the fighters.

3) Yes, absolutely, multiple RSDs are needed to really make a difference. An arazu with 3 scripted heated RSD however can drop a drake down to 9km of locking range. That may as well be ECM, even if it's HAM fit. It can drop a rattlesnake down to 10km. Also 100% the same as ECM for that ship. I would argue that at least 2 ECM racial modules are needed to reliably jam out either of those ships. So I'll give you that on a 1v1 basis, a favourably fitted ECM boat (ie non-rainbow racials) will beat RSD depending on who locks first (assuming you always land a jam). Since Eve is a multiplayer game however, the fleet will still fly RSD.


If ECM's use-case is brawling range, then it needs to have a higher reliability than RSD, not a worse reliability; brawling is higher damage with the obvious cost of needing to close the distance. If ECM is going to have higher effectiveness in order to meet that brawling archetype, then it can't miss. Since not missing is way too OP, something else needs to happen to it.

If they went the way of the Griffin Navy, and turned ECM into a brawling mechanic, I could get behind that. Say, a 100% increase in ECM strength with an optimal of 5km. Then it has a niche. Then it has reliability. Then that brawling rook has a reason to actually fit ECM and not just go for a typical pvp dps fit. I realize that perma-jamming at brawling range is basically an i-win button for any ECM brawler, and I'm not advocating for perma-jams. I'm just saying that if it has a use-case in brawling, it needs to be something you can trust.

all this change would do would solidify damps even further as the better option