Chaff vs ECM - anyone able to clear them up
- Thread starter NeilF
- Start date
ECM-Missiles torpedos
Chaff-gimballed weapons
Chaff-gimballed weapons
So chaff could prevent a ship locking on you to fire a missile? But if a missile is heading in, chaff won't break the lock?
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Damn, forgot about point defense!!! They shoot any missile, mine and cargo breacher? So why bother with ECM then?
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Damn, forgot about point defense!!! They shoot any missile, mine and cargo breacher? So why bother with ECM then?
InMemoriamSirocco
Banned
I always use point defense, because unless ECM and chaff, I don't need to fire them manually. They defend me on their own. And they do a mighty fine job, too. I have only two fire groups, and I need those for my lasers and missiles. Switching fire groups in the middle of combat is a pain on my Controller, so point defense is my only solution.
Chaff is far from useless. Its getting a nerf in 1.1 because its too effective.
You need more than one point defence to cover attacks from different directions, but one ECM will do the job, so it's more efficient in terms of hard point usage. I'd rather have the point defence though for dumb fire protection.
So you need to flick through fire groups to your one with the ECM, fire it, then flick back?
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Don't point defense units even shoot your own missiles (stupidly)?
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I assume a chaff prevent a missile being locked and therefore fired? Will it break a missile lock if the missile is on its way?
I have it as a VA command so dont even have to press a button. I have continuous chaff in any fight. Why wouldn't you. Its cheap as chips and has a massive magazine that never seems to run out. Most NPC big ships use gimbaled or turreted weapons so you barely get hit.
That's why it's getting nerfed.
What is happening to it?
Ammo count reduced & reload cost increased.
Why decrease the ammo? I can always install more. If anything make the reload time longer?
ECM doesn't use ammunition - but you need to trigger it yourself when a missile is closing in. Point defense is automatic - but requires you to fill up on ammo if it runs out
I have no sufficient experience which one is more effective though.
Edit: Damn it - I should've hit refresh before replying, as I had this thread opened earlier and didn't realize how late I am with replying this :S My bad.
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PDT is most versatile against explosive weapons. It shoots down heat seeking missile, dumbfire missiles and proximity mines. As said before, however, it behaves like an turret and can only shoot things in its arc range...a missile coming from the other side will bypass the PDT.
Haven't tried the ECM...im guessing it will cause a missile (seeking or dumbfire) to explode before it hits your hull.
Installing more requires you to sacrifice a slot though. But yeah, the reload time should be increased. Chaff should be used as an evasive maneuver when you have put yourself in a poor position and your enemy is just laying into you, not a persistent cloak of chaff.
Haven't tried the ECM...im guessing it will cause a missile (seeking or dumbfire) to explode before it hits your hull.
Installing more requires you to sacrifice a slot though. But yeah, the reload time should be increased. Chaff should be used as an evasive maneuver when you have put yourself in a poor position and your enemy is just laying into you, not a persistent cloak of chaff.
That's why it's getting nerfed.
Which is really a bogus reason to nerf something that is working EXACTLY as it is intended to work. I mean why even introduce the device in the first place if you don't like it?
And every modern day combat aircraft has chaff/flares just about. It's part of the relatively inexpensive countermeasures that can be employed to increase survival.
there is a bindable control for chaff, - just sayin...