As the only interceptor module with no active time limit, Weapon System Inhibitor is unbalanced. It uses 24 en/s regardless of its Mk version. Even if it’s installed on the Grim (one of the DLC ships), it still cost 19.2 en/s. The max energy regeneration speed on Grim is 68 pts/sec, and this is under the circumstances that a Mk4 Voltage Regulator is installed on that ship.
Comparing with its afterburner energy consumption (62 en/s) and its maximum energy (294 pts). Additionally, by adding the energy consumption of Weapon System Inhibitor into the compare, the ship will run out of energy in about 15 seconds, and will definitely not last more than 20 seconds with any energy remained in its capacitor.
All interceptors are very dependent on their afterburners. That’s why the fastest interceptor class, covert OPS, has no module which sustainably consume energy. Although the recons have those modules, they don’t need to maintain it for too long. On the other hand, if a recon can maintain those modules forever, such as Parasitic Remodulator, that recon will be too overpowered.
With Weapon System Inhibitor activated for 15 secs, an ECM interceptor can hardly use any other modules. Well, I guess you may say that I can use the Energy Absorber to gain some additional energy. But that module has a 35 seconds cool down which means by the time it can be used again, the ship will still have to go through a 10~20 seconds of energy insufficient time.
Even the Guard’s Signature Masking (AoE effect) which is similar to this cost less energy. How much energy do Signature Masking cost? 16 en/s. And how much energy do a guard have? I guess I don’t need to mention.
So, this is an obvious unbalance. Either greatly reduce the energy consumption of Weapon System Inhibitor, or increase its debuff but add a limited activation time for this.
I think you are missing the point, if it has no cool down then it must have some draw backs, like its high energy requirements. Otherwise everyone will use it constantly, with no consequences, upsetting the balanced of the game.
I would also like to point out that it should be used in conjunction with the Module that steals energy so you can indeed keep after burning and stealing energy from your target.
I agree with JP. ECMs are powerful enough, and the WSI can destroy a Gunship simply by reducing his damage, it’s good that it needs energy to work. That’s why Engineers with Energy Emitter should be around all the time.
By the way, I do think ECM is OP at the time. And I got some ideas to balance the situation.
The Guard module Signature Masking should also have another sustained debuff which prevent all allied ship (including itself) within a range (e.g. 2000m) from being able to be jammed by any hostile ECMs. This will probably balance the situation that ECM is OP.
If you’re being chased by an ECM, you can then try to move to a friendly guard. Therefore, that ECM can’t jam you anymore while you’re sticking with the guard.
Yeah, but that would just make the ECM class useless and it would encourage frigballing. That kind of Signature Masking would be absurdly broken. Unless you make it active instead of passive, with high energy cost an acceptable duration and a long cooldown.
ECMs need a nerf indeed, they stun you and even with skills like Takamina you have no chance, i don’t like noskill ships in general but ECMs are just broken.
The system is okay, but there should be a way to stop them if they stun you, maybe mashing on keyboard
Yeah, but that would just make the ECM class useless and it would encourage frigballing. That kind of Signature Masking would be absurdly broken. Unless you make it active instead of passive, with high energy cost an acceptable duration and a long cooldown.
Um, yeah. How about making it onto the Missile Shield? Therefore, Missile Shield got additional buff like the following, prevent and remove all negative module jamming effect for all teammates around 3000M for some duration (like the duration of its current 12), restore all modules back to work to the progress (if those module have duration effects) instead of module cooling down, can be activated even if all other modules on the ship are offline. Additionally, this module will use up all energy upon use (800 energy pts minimum for the activation). So, that will make other modules on this ship stop and cool down, ship can’t activate other modules for a short time as well. And if you think that’s still not enough, add this effect on: totally static the ship during the activation of this module (ship can’t move but can turn\roll for 12 seconds).
No, guard is countered by ECM, not the other way around.
That’s why I choose guard. Think it as a counter measure that counters the counter. ECM jams the Guard, the Guard pay him back. It’s quite reasonable. And, by doing so, the Guard exposes himself to hostile’s firepower. Therefore, making him a vulnerable target (a target can’t move is quite vulnerable). But what do ECM lost? He can still dodge and fight. After all, a guard pilot can choose not to equip that module, thus, making the game more changeable.
Really ? We play the old crying game again ? ECM got nailed to the ground with nerfs months ago and now more nerfs ?
You do not like being stunned ? There is implant, there is computer slot module. Sacrifice some crit/range/spread and never fear the ECM.
Also, there is diminishing returns. 4 ECM bubble. one stuns you for 1.5, another 1.0, another 0.5, then you are immune for awhile.
Same as the other ECM modules.
And that is w/o module.
With the module you barely feel even the first bubble explosion.
Also Covert Ops should know their role and not just use Orion and sustain, but get jammer and use on ECM and tacklers.
Few times I made the mistake to target a LRF then was useless for 30 sec.
In competitive game as an ECM my role is to disable one gunship (Ion + energy, because of CR) and the other with beam. Also watch out for focus fire target to stun.
It requires lot’s of coordination and very fast locking system (which eats one Computer slot as well).
Really ? We play the old crying game again ? ECM got nailed to the ground with nerfs months ago and now more nerfs ?
You do not like being stunned ? There is implant, there is computer slot module. Sacrifice some crit/range/spread and never fear the ECM.
Also, there is diminishing returns. 4 ECM bubble. one stuns you for 1.5, another 1.0, another 0.5, then you are immune for awhile.
Same as the other ECM modules.
And that is w/o module.
With the module you barely feel even the first bubble explosion.
Also Covert Ops should know their role and not just use Orion and sustain, but get jammer and use on ECM and tacklers.
Few times I made the mistake to target a LRF then was useless for 30 sec.
In competitive game as an ECM my role is to disable one gunship (Ion + energy, because of CR) and the other with beam. Also watch out for focus fire target to stun.
It requires lot’s of coordination and very fast locking system (which eats one Computer slot as well).
That is the role of SUPPORT ECM.
Ofcourse there are killer builds. They are fun.
Maybe you can consider the two ideas I post on this topic altogether.
Change the Weapon System Inhibitor on ECM, so that they can be even more effective against a single damage dealing ships (e.g. gunships, covert ops, LRF) for a limited time. By then, the support role of ECM may become much clearer: support the team by debuffing a single target, making it vulnerable to attacks.
Guards can counter ECM’s jamming effects as guard is the weakest role against ECM for now. To be more specific, ECM at present break guard’s defences like smashing through water walls. For example, guard’s phase shield is downed if being jammed by ECM, downed means unable to change phase as well as gain no resistance buff on the chosen one. This makes the guard extremely weak for a short time, this time is enough to knock down a guard’ shield in a well cooperated team. Additionally, the Emergency Shield\Hull repairer no longer get back to work once the guard get jammed by ECM. And that’s why guard become defenceless.
Let’s compare guard and engineer when both of them get jammed by ECM. Guard, as being said above, is almost defenceless. Engineer, however, will most likely lost power for just a few seconds. After that, if an engineer survive, he will have most of his modules back online in a very short time. But guard, by that time a guard will probably already lost his shields and the worst thing is that he can’t use his Emergency repairer anymore. (Well, a question, what will you do if you see a Guard whose shield is gone? Oh yes, focus all fire on him…) So, guard needs some improvement on countering ECM. That’s what a support ship is meant to be.
They still have the +10% Shield/Hull quantity, they still have the insane Control that are unbreakable (Not for Gunship or with the R14 implant (which is stupidly expensive for Jericho ships)), they still have DPS Passiv Bonus, Effect Passiv Bonus, Mobility Passiv Bonus and Objective Capture Passiv Bonus and all the others Interceptor’s mechanics.
The Control still not have any kind of degressive Yeld leading to an immunity.
The Special Module is still allowing the Capture of beacon while being invincible (+Capture bonus)
They got a new weapon, ho Explosive weapon + AoE Dot.
They can now disable all the Modules ingame.
The Energy Drain is still a Raw Value when It should be a %
The Stasis and the Ion Diffuser are still breaking the gameplay of other ships when nothing else can do it in the game. (the Ion Warhead have more counter (Flares/AMS/Mobility ectect)
If they were really Support, they should only have 1 Weapon slot (same thing should happen to the Command huehuehue) as well as the Engineer (who lost 2 weapons slots).
Or maybe All the Support ships should have the maximal amount of Weapons slots (Huuuumm Engineer and Guards with 6 Cannons)
The Special Module is still allowing the Capture of beacon while being invincible (+Capture bonus) - well, this is the only OP and bad thing
They got a new weapon, ho Explosive weapon + AoE Dot. - that weapon got nerfed to the ground as well with huge spread, so even though it has 3km range good luck hitting even a fighter unless you stop after every shot. Either play it like gaus cannon or pray.
They can now disable all the Modules ingame. - as they should, but they still do not disable CR. Unless the energy is drain.
The Energy Drain is still a Raw Value when It should be a % - Energy drain is made so you can disable interceptors or fighters. One thing I disliked back in the days was that even if you drain engineers/guard’s energy the liquid metal and emergency shield generator still continue even on 0 energy. But that is OK, right ? As long as it benefits the guard !
If they were really Support, they should only have 1 Weapon slot (same thing should happen to the Command huehuehue) as well as the Engineer (who lost 2 weapons slots).
Or maybe All the Support ships should have the maximal amount of Weapons slots (Huuuumm Engineer and Guards with 6 Cannons)
Bottomline Rankza is ----hurt because ECM can not counter guard.
Deal with it. Guards are not meant to be invicible as they were with 50% resists to 2 types of damage and 75% to the chosen one and huge shield capacity + regen. Those times will never come back, thankfully!
People that complain that stun is to “long” should go back to LoL, as i remember correctly they use to have a policy on “anti-fun” for developing abilities.
In any single game Stun is countered by positioning and game sense. Look at the tournament, we had some “best of the best” teams participating, look how many ECM they had, most of the time 1 and i cant remember a single game of “good” teams with more than 2 ECM for some setups. If it would be so blatantly broken as you make it look like, combining all of the possible capabilities of ECM spread all over the tree, at-least you would expect more than 2 out of 9 ships to be ECMs, wouldn’t you?
(Huuuumm Engineer and Guards with 6 Cannons)