The Cosmopolite
   |
Posted - 2006.03.08 14:02:00 -
[1]
A specific suggestion, further improve the ECM Burst and consider its role as an 'offensive' anti-jamming module.
What I mean is this:
If you're jammed/damped by someone but manage to close the distance then activating a burst has a decent chance of breaking their lock and allowing you to take further steps, perhaps including using an RSD or ECM to cut-down their relock or jam them out.
The problem with the burst is that it is still probably too expensive in activation terms. The main limiting factor is the duration anyway which in effect is a reactivation delay because a burst only breaks a lock, it does not jam someone out for the 30s.
I would suggest issuing new lesser strength bursts (perhaps only 1 point of str better than multispecs rather than the current 2 points better) that have a lower activation cap cost - 'Limited ECM Burst' or some such name. I'd keep their range the same as existing ECM Burst and perhaps increase the range of the existing high str, high cap cost ones by 1 km.
You then have a range of bursts that are potentially viable on certain frigs and cruisers, leaving the higher str, higher cost bursts for use on BCs/BS.
It's good that Bursts are now affected by the EW skills but they are still fundamentally limited in application even though they could be useful both as straightforward ECM and as an offensive anti-EW supplement. The concept of an area-effect lock breaker, which does not actually jam, need not be limited to ships that can afford the cap cost of the high strength bursts we currently have.
You'd then have people making a choice as to what kind of electronic backup module to use: purely defensive ECCM that boosts strength; your concept of the active ECCM that breaks through jamming to focus on one target; or an offensive EW response that requires no targetting.
In general, I very much support the probability-based system of ECM but there could well be room for tweaking relative strengths of both ships and jammers. I'd also support the notion that EW specialised ships have role bonuses reducing any reactivation cooldown duration on given EW modules, if that idea is implemented. This would particularly aid the EW specialised frigates but should also apply to the bigger classes of EW boat as an incentive to use them over other ships for EW work.
I'm attracted also by the idea of target limiting jammers. I think absolute target jamming should stay in the game with the appropriate countering options. However the idea of modules that reduce the targetting capability of ships to fewer simultaneous targets is a good one. These 'target limiters' should be more likely to succeed than absolute jammers and ideally give feedback on how far they are limiting the targetted ship. This would have particular application in gang and fleet warfare and combined with damping and disrupting effects offers yet more choices.
One point, how would ECM drones be affected in any such change? At the moment, ECM drones are in effect flying, weak-strength multispectral ECM jammers. Would a reactivation cooldown, if implemented for ECM modules, be coded into their ECM behaviour? Would the EW drone skill reduce this?
I also note that the devs are committed to some level of rebalancing in the true meaning of the word rather than a simple 'nerf', as they mention ECM enhancing modules for lows, etc, if ECM mods have some limiting factors placed on them. (Which is good, as it's more fitting choices.) I don't blindly oppose change but please do make this a rebalance rather than a 'nerf'.
Cosmo
Jericho Fraction |