A fix to the passive radar folks and a buff to ECM

[(TLL)Siilk]

 For the sake of balance. No mech weapons or equipment in CBT rules weights less than half a ton and takes less than one critical slot, electronics and optics included. It didn't makes much sense sometimes, but it helps balance everything that could be mounted on a mech with the same simple rules(weight, space, heat).

[xInVicTuSx]

Ipod Mp3 player, .5ton 1 crit.
*Me* "shiiit"

[[SF]JT Kirk]

Why does an ECM weigh a whole ton?
That is insane....
A small car is a ton!

LOL, the C3 master unit is 5 tons, with slave units a ton each, but the trade off is worth it

i can post the description of how it works for those without a technical manual.

in short a well placed unit can have the effect of reducing a weapons long range to short, its only available to IS units/mechs

[(TLL)Siilk]

Ipod Mp3 player, .5ton 1 crit.
*Me* "shiiit"

Don't forget, that it would require a heatsink or two.

[Flyingdebris]

if it helps any in terms of believability, the weight  would probably also factor in the housings, the mountings, supports, the craptons of wiring, the ammo feeds, the coolant tubes, the insulation, the shock absorbers, all the redundancies, etc etc for any given piece of equipment.

[xInVicTuSx]

And the colony of little elves and gnomes with tin foil hats to make the system work with all the required cookies and milk as food and armaments to defend vs clan gremlins.
I have not had luck with ECM or radar at all, cant count the times I've passived then pinged one time with a GuardianECM at +700 meters behind a hill on the flank of a long tom only to find it turned to face right at me by the time I've crested over the hill to shoot it. Makes trying to flank enemies really annoying since you might be the only one ( as friendlies are holding the front) and you have no idea of their numbers until you ping then have to remember where they are all are. Where as they all know instantly you're there when your little dot shows up for a sec. Kinda makes me wish there was a way to not have you show up at all if you go active for only a split second or so. But maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[HAARP]

A fix to this would be allowing C3 to be received while passive

[4204ME]

^^^^ what he said. Recieving C3 data should not stop because your stoped sending on your radar. BUt I would love to see ppc temporarily stop a C3 equiped mech from sending

[Friedrich Psitalon]

Wisdom in the two posts above.

[~SJ~MausGMR]

Problem then is your gonna get passive LT's getting all the targetting data they need. Personally I think c3 is fine, and its easy to gain info through if you ping your radar whilst the c3 mech keeps his up mostly constantly.

[Askis]

I have not had luck with ECM or radar at all, cant count the times I've passived then pinged one time with a GuardianECM at +700 meters behind a hill on the flank of a long tom only to find it turned to face right at me by the time I've crested over the hill to shoot it.

Two things:
1. If you have GECM, going passive is pointless, they both give you the same bonus, reducing the range you can be detected by 500m, and do not stack
2. LTs have BAP, which increases their detection range by 250m

Ergo, an LT can detect 'Mechs that are running passive or have GECM out at 750m.

Yes, I agree that LTs should not have BAP.

[CalenLoki]

What about that system:
There are two way to spot enemy: direct (with line of sight) and indirect (without LOS)

• Direct: Doesn't matter if enemy is active, passive, shut down or have ECM, always spot him at 1250m (normal), 1500m (BAP), 1750m (BHP), but you need line of sight. Direct spotting range can be reduced by fog/night/ect.
• Indirect: range depend on enemy radar mode, your and enemy electronics. Doesn't require LOS, but spotter must be active:
• spotter: normal radar + enemy: active radar = 1000m
• spotter: BAP + enemy: active radar = 1250m
• spotter: BHP + enemy: active radar = 1500m
• spotter: normal radar + enemy: passive radar = 150m
• spotter: BAP + enemy: passive radar = 250m
• spotter: BHP + enemy: passive radar = 350m
• If target is passive under ECM effect (have GECM or is near friendly AECM), spotter instead of seeing exact enemy position on radar only receive signal (icon near radar, or maybe some sound?) "enemy ECM in range"
• C3 computer send and receive data with passive radar, but increase your radar signature (enemy spotter radar range) by 40% (210m normal, 350m BAP, 490m BHP). You can turn c3 off.

Example: team A have to pass through some urban area (or other place with a lot of cover/hiding place). While they come closer, their scout (with BHP or BAP) receive signal "enemy EMC in range". Now team A know that enemy set ambush, but they don't know where exactly enemy are hiding. If team A didn't have mech with BHP, they would fall in ambush. If team B didn't have ECM, team A could bombard their hiding place with LT or something.

Some additional options:

• instead of increasing lock-on time, ECM could turn off missiles guidance system: missiles fly further aimed at place where target was before entering ECM area of effect (150m for GECM, 25m for AECM). So well placed ECM mech between two armies could screw missile-artillery. It would mainly only help moving targets. Missiles could regain lock, if they are supported by TAG or NARC
• in ECM AOF enemy mechs are forced to turn their radar and c3 and BAP/BHP off
• spotting (both direct and indirect) could be based on target size (tonnage) and percent of coverage (only direct spotting). So BA and light mechs could come closer without being spotted
• c3 computer allow you to look from camera mounted on other c3 unit

Don't know if cryengine can handle this, but maybe it'll give you some inspiration...
What do you think?