| Author |
Older suggestion being revisited by me RE: visible ECM/ECCM rings and new scout-only |
MrSparkle
Marshal
Joined: August 13, 2001
Posts: 1912
From: mrsparkle
|  Posted: 2003-06-04 15:43
This is one main reason why flying scout ships to scout doesn't work. A scout needs to use ECM to get close to an enemy ship or fleet. But when ECM is activated, it emits a visible 'pulse' that lets everyone know there's a scout there.
They activate their ECCM, scout goes boom.
Now, if those pulses weren't visible, the scout would have a greater chance of doing his job. If you can't SEE the ship cuz it's too small and your sensors aren't detecting it cuz of ECM, then it's just cheap to detect it from a visible pulse.
But here's what I'm really suggesting: two new scout-only devices, one like ECM, one like ECCM. They don't emit a visual pulse so that eliminates that odd way of detecting enemy scouts. The new ECM doesn't lower the signature of every ship in the area, only the scout. The new ECCM won't raise any ship's signatures (itself or enemy), but allows the scout to detect enemy ships with low signatures (nearing and going below zero). Running both types will be a big drain on energy, moreso than current ECM/ECCM, and thus that scout can only move slowly if he wants the effects of both.
Ideally, the new scout bays that support these devices should allow interchange between traditional ECM/ECCM and the new ones. The new ones don't benefit a fleet and a scout may want ECM to help hide his fleet. It would have to be a new SPECIAL slot, scout only, that allows them all. Maybe SCOUT SPECIAL slot?
I'm aware that flux scouts and other mods might be a bit too powerful with this change. Maybe these devices prevent any weapons to be charged and ready when active? And activating them immediately de-charges all weapons? (you have to turn them off and let the weapons recharge again). These devices are meant to help the scout SCOUT afterall, not sneak up close to unleash flux hell 
Scout's current biggest problem is their inability to scout. This is just an idea to help that.
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