Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I've been putting some thought into ECM, and the 4 racial ewar types. We've all seen the falcon hate threads, and I can understand the angst as they can be quite powerful. Here's the thing though;

None of the other race's ewar boats prevent firing back at the attacker:

* Tracking disruptors don't stop missiles or drones, or targeting in general, even if they do cripple turrets.
* Sensor damps might slow and even prevent targeting, but it's still possible if you get closer (yes I know they're too nerfed atm)
* Target painters are cute and fluffy, shining pretty red lights at things! Yes, helpful for torpedoes and the like, but hardly crippling.

So ECM, when it works, completely jams the target for 20 seconds. And if it doesn't work, you've got to wait 20 seconds to get another chance and you could be dead in that time. The exception to this is the falcon, which rarely fails to permajam 1 target, so much so that having a falcon alt is becoming more and more popular these days.

Game mechanics that either work awesomely or don't do anything angry up my blood!

Down to business. I propose that ECM have its duration reduced to 10 seconds, coupled with a 50% cap reduction; this way, if it works (or doesn't) you have less time to wait before you can do something about it.

Caldari ECM boats are pretty decent overall, except for the Falcon and Rook which are a little insane when it comes to ECM bonuses. I propose a reduction of the ECM target jammer strength bonus from 30% to 20% per level for these ships (the same as the kitsune gets. Don't mention the Widow, it needs all the help it can get). The 10% bonus to cap use should be changed to a 5% shield resistance bonus per level. This will reel them in a bit, reducing their ability to jam but with added resilience when the jam fails so they're not so fragile. The extra cap use on jammers will reduce the time they can jam as well, should they be fitted with all ECM.

Sensor damps are apparently getting a buff soon, and I'd like to see target painters get an increase in the sig bonus from 25% to 35% baseline, and 40% for tech 2, as I think the current bonus is a bit small to make them worthwhile to put on a Rapier or Huginn. Alternatively, bumping up the TP bonus on these ships would work as well, but it'd have to be 15% per level to really help.

And tracking disruptors would be far more useful if they'd affect missiles as well, though perhaps having their overall bonus reduced a little so they're not overpowered. Missiles fired from the target would simply fly off course if affected. That's my 2 cents

two things that everyone seems to forget when they compare ECM to Sensor Dampers and Tracking disrupter and that it both of the other two work every time you activate the module, unlike ECM that has a percentage chance to fail.

There are defences against the Rook and Falcon and they are ECCM which yes needs looking at, drones and FoF missiles.

The other thing everyone of these basically Nerf ECM threads forget is that if the rook or falcon do not get a successful jam then they are dead meat being one of the weakest recon ships in the game.

So to counter ECM is easy you see a falcon or rook the first you do if you have them is launch drones as soon as the ship locks and jams you your drones will attack it regardless of if you are jammed or not, or change or set up and fit ECCM - i know you can't do that cause it means you ship of doom is not so powerful. Oh what a shame. Live with it, or of course if you can't do these simple things and you do not want to loose your ship of doom run away as soon as you see a caldari recon ship.

As many of the player base have said before in these whines about ECM 'Adapt or Die' it's that simple.

Leave ECM alone as an ECM pilot i know that ECM is not as powerful as everyone on the receiving end of think it is. It can take 2 or 3 attempts before you get a successful jam and even then you in the main have no modules to hold the target so they can warp off.

I like the Falcon, it's the ship that forces people to step away from eve mom or the fitting tool and look at more than DPS and EHT.

Please create few more of these ships. Maybe one that is particular effective against blobs.

Fighting Ewar and especialy ECM should learn you to come up with something else than make a fleet out of 10 copies of the same ship.

Personly I like to fly with a shadow wing, when ever attacked by a falcon or anything else by the way, the are two or three steath bomers following.

On offence you pick out yout target and let the bombers come in when it's clear who's who.

on defence-> ever seen what happens to a falcon when it's bombed :)

aside from that there are many ways to couter a EMC, it only forces you to think about it, and maybe sacrifice a ship to the defence, in fact not so very different from fitting your ship, you can fill your slots with damage modules and nobody thinks it's strange you get shot and killed because you don't have a tank.

The entire comunity is screaming that they shouldn't dump down this game, well reducing it to I shoot you and you shoot me and we don't allow other stuff is exactly that.

I'm not going to turn this into a falcon whine thread despite your bitter rant. Falcons are very good, just a tad overpowered. ECM in general is fine, though it'd be better with the changes I described which I guess you didn't read (falcon would gain shield resistance in exchange for a little less jam strength, ecm in general would benefit from reduced cycle time).

I got a little carried away, though the base is, please leave EMC alone, rather make the others stronger and force people to step out side there comfort zone and think of new tactics and fittings.

The EMC drones might need a look, on the other hand if you don't give a good chance your attack will work people will leave them entirely and that will make the range of ships used even smaler.

The only difference with EMC is and Sensor Damping is the lack of keeping people from warping, it's quite possible to keep people from locking though they'll jump away and with EMC you can come close and scramnble them, so it's actualy the scamble that makes the EMC more powerfull.

that said tracking disrupters shouldn't be able to disrupt missiles, wouldn't make sence, making defender missiles more intresting would be an option, maybe something like a patriot lancher only for defenders that doesn't cost a launcher hardpoint and is cheap on cpu and grid,

Target painters might not be crippling they are the most used of them all, they are quite usefull for some drones, though I would not mind for them getting a boost, but it's the only module that directly influences the amount of damage done.

If you would want to do something about EMC, nerf warp disruption (starts running from the pirates and gate campers) or make warp stabilisers that actualy give as much warp strenght as a scambler takes, or do something about EMC in combination with warp disruption.

Still if it was up to me I'd put in some other ways to do something about DPS EHT combinations.