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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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ECM, again.

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Tuatha'De Danann
Reverse.Polarity
#1 - 2017-04-06 08:23:56 UTC
I know ECM has been beaten to death. I do not believe ECM to be overpowered. Just risk averse and boring. So here is the counter idea. Please read the whole thing before tearing it to shreds. I think it provides a balanced approach that helps ECM be more tactical and less annoying.

Keep the random jam per cycle based on sensor strength; however, instead of breaking locks on a successful jam the jam simply prevents the jammed pilot from activating or deactivating modules on his ship for the 20s. Bear with me.

Situation One:

You have locked, tackled, and are shooting a target on a gate. He decloaks his falcon alt to jam you. He does! You tackle and guns continue to run normally but... This guy is clever and has also got a nuet on you that caps you out before the jam ends. Since you cant activate your cap booster (jammed!) the target escapes. Or maybe you cant activate that repper. Or maybe even have to watch your overheated auto-repeat reps burn out on you! Much more tactical! Also countered by clever piloting and careful activation of mods!
Current System... the falcon jams you and your target warps while you curse falcon alts again. No content for anyone.


Situation Two: You are squaring up with a dual rep myrm. This time you bring the jams. Hitting him wont stop him shooting you (unless you time it just right so his guns are not cycling!) but you have an idea. You wait until he hits 35% armor and and has both reps on full tilt and then lay on the jams. On a successful jam you'll force him to over rep until the jam ends, burning up precious cap.
Current system... Myrm is jammed but continues to tank like a beast. A good fight maybe but not interesting.

Okay. Other thoughts...
Pilots who are willing to turn auto-repeat off and micro their reps/cap boosters and plan for jams and play around them. ECM piloting also becomes more skill focused. Who your jams effect most depends on their fit. Maybe ship scanners on ECM boats become a thing!
ECM as a counter to logi still works. it wont prevent them locking their next broadcast or break the cap chain immediate. But it will prevent them from providing reps to a new primary.
Merin Ryskin
Peregrine Industries
#2 - 2017-04-06 08:32:00 UTC
IOW, nerf ECM into borderline uselessness and make it the clear worst ewar type. No thanks.
Tuatha'De Danann
Reverse.Polarity
#3 - 2017-04-06 08:44:40 UTC
Merin Ryskin wrote:
IOW, nerf ECM into borderline uselessness and make it the clear worst ewar type. No thanks.


Mind elaborating? It would work very much the same as ecm today if the jammed person had to switch targets (fleet fights, or the one he is shooting dies). As long as he is jammed he couldn't do anything new. But it would also add MORE by effecting tank and such.
I know it is easy to think it would be a huge nerf but I honestly dont think it would be.
Rovinia
Exotic Dancers Union
Hatakani Trade Winds Combine
#4 - 2017-04-06 10:51:15 UTC  |  Edited by: Rovinia
I think ECM is in a pretty good state at the moment. With the merge of Sensor Boosters and ECCM, you have a valid counter to two E-War methods (ECM and Damps) and a significant boost to your Lock speed in one module. All you need to do is to fit it.

Jams are extremly overpowered in small scale engagements as you described them in your examples. But hey, in these situations, every E-War ship (or Logi) add would have ended in the same result: You die. And in large fleet battles, ECM plays only a very limited role.

But i actually like the mechanic of messing with the enemys modules. Could perhaps be a nice secondary PvP use for Hacking modules. Hmm, this Drake has me pointed, let's try to activate his Microjumpdrive.... ;)
Max Deveron
Deveron Shipyards and Technology
Citizen's Star Republic
#5 - 2017-04-06 14:16:22 UTC
I think some sort of hacking module would be more appropriate for this, Jamming works right now as everyone thinks about jamming.....sensors jammed, hence you cant lock up anything or keep it locked.
Old Pervert
Perkone
Caldari State
#6 - 2017-04-06 15:32:52 UTC  |  Edited by: Old Pervert
ECM is already by far the weakest of the ewar abilities. I'm not saying it's underpowered, but that RNG is cold.

In any significant fight (meaning not T1 frigs/destroyers), you will never have a 100% chance to jam anything. Not even with a Falcon. Which would be fine, save for the fact that ewar ships rely on their ewar as a substantial part of their tank.

Compare that to the other forms of ewar:
- cap warfare affects 100% of the time, weakness being buffer ships with low cap requirements
- weapon disruption works 100% of the time, weakness being you need to fit two of them to be very effective, and since both tracking and guidance disruptors exist, you'd have to sacrifice 4 mids to get a broad spectrum
- Remote Sensor Damp works 100% of the time, and in fact is by and large the strongest of the ewar skills due to having the exact same impact as ECM with a 100% uptime and generally the lowest count of mid slots needed.

I'll ignore webbing and TP because neither of them feel like ewar.

There you have it. ECM isn't really that big of a deal, you just notice it more because it shuts you down harder (when it works).

Nerf RSD :D (kidding, I enjoy my Lachesis)
Danika Princip
GoonWaffe
Goonswarm Federation
#7 - 2017-04-06 17:49:31 UTC
Why does small gang logistics need such a giant buff?

Why should survival options and strategies be removed from industrial type ships? Hell, why should they be removed from all kinds of ships? If the battleship jams your tackle, why should he not be able to get away?
Merin Ryskin
Peregrine Industries
#8 - 2017-04-06 20:41:09 UTC
Tuatha'De Danann wrote:
Mind elaborating?


Your proposed ECM would continue to be chance-based, but now on top of needing the RNG to work you have to correctly time it (based on vague hints like guessing that they'll turn on a second rep at 33% armor HP) or you accomplish nothing. Contrast this with other ewar types, which simply cripple a target with no RNG or guessing required. Take away the "it just works, once the RNG hits" factor with ECM and there's no reason to ever take it.
Ajem Hinken
WarFear Gaming
#9 - 2017-04-06 22:24:20 UTC
Old Pervert wrote:
ECM is already by far the weakest of the ewar abilities. I'm not saying it's underpowered, but that RNG is cold.

In any significant fight (meaning not T1 frigs/destroyers), you will never have a 100% chance to jam anything. Not even with a Falcon. Which would be fine, save for the fact that ewar ships rely on their ewar as a substantial part of their tank.

Compare that to the other forms of ewar:
- cap warfare affects 100% of the time, weakness being buffer ships with low cap requirements
- weapon disruption works 100% of the time, weakness being you need to fit two of them to be very effective, and since both tracking and guidance disruptors exist, you'd have to sacrifice 4 mids to get a broad spectrum
- Remote Sensor Damp works 100% of the time, and in fact is by and large the strongest of the ewar skills due to having the exact same impact as ECM with a 100% uptime and generally the lowest count of mid slots needed.

I'll ignore webbing and TP because neither of them feel like ewar.

There you have it. ECM isn't really that big of a deal, you just notice it more because it shuts you down harder (when it works).

Nerf RSD :D (kidding, I enjoy my Lachesis)

I put a passive shield tank plus an ecm on a cormorant. It was hilarious to run around with and harass suspectflagged people and or pirates.

https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=6875494#post6875494 - Ship mounted explosives. Because explosions and Jita chaos.