Dhuras wrote:Not really, a single falcon can cripple entire mid size gangs, no other EWAR ship can do that, it is incredibly unbalanced. (Don't think im just bitching because I am on the losing side of ECM, I a a falcon pilot myself.
but that's the thing.
ECM is, like all ewar, a force multiplier. A force multiplier that actually has a hard ceiling on effectiveness.
the issue here however is that, in that concept, it works fine, it's balanced, and any more changes you give to ECM itself it will upset the balance, most likely into total uselessness. Issue here is the very concept of ECM, together with eve's own pvp dynamics, being unbalanced.
ECM should've been a tool for smaller, more balanced gangs to be able to go toe to toe against bigger, unidimensional gangs, and in that, it works.
It also works excellently as a tie-breaker between equally-numbered and equally outfitted forces.
However, when you apply said force multiplier mechanics to a bigger, also balanced gang, it blows stuff out of the water, while applying a mechanic that is simply "fun denial". And here lies the crux of the problem, since the jamming probability is based in an RNG vs sensor str mechanic.
nerfing/boosting said sensor str variable directly would either make jamming too useless, or inconsequential. Boosting ship's sensor str indirectly (boosting ECCM) could also nerf ECM too harshly if overdone, or won't do anything at all, if just a slight nudge.
which means that you either nerf ECM indirectly (by providing a valuable counter to it), or you do a complete overhaul to the ECM system.
Then again, said options aren't good either, because the only worthwhile counter-module you can come up with for this job is damps, that are in a bit of a sorry state atm, but can become overpowered again due to their lack of RNG mechanics inside their optimals in addition to over-dampening effect that occurred back before they were nerfed (put enough dampeners on anything, including capital ships, and it works as good as a 100% effective jammer), and said overhaul can be too time-consuming for little to no practical changes in gameplay.
in sum, ECM can't be balanced further without breaking it or throwing considerable devpower at it, more than it can be useful.