Since we’re on the subject on using modules for this, perhaps make a titan module to spot cloakies in system.
The way it could work is you fit this module to a titan, and can only be fitted to a titan. Once the module is activated, it decloaks ALL cloaked ships in system. The titan is then unable to warp, jump, cloak, move anywhere for the next, I dunno, 30, 45, maybe 60 seconds (numbers could change). This could give the hunter the chance, if he’s not actually AFK, to find the titan, probe it, warp to, and tackle it. But if the hunter is actually AFK, he sits there in his safe, decloaked by a titan, giving the owners of the system the ability to probe him down.
It’s puts a lot of risk on the line for the titan pilot, but if an alliance knows what’s it’s doing, it will have backup for the titan waiting 1 jump out or 1 cyno jump out. Something like this would definitely favor the smaller guy though, as smaller corps are usually the ones camping, or individual/solo pilots. There’s still a lot of issues, even with this idea though.
Before a solution to the AFK cloaky camping is introduced, citadels, and null sec local need to be seriously fixed first far before a change to this can even be considered.
From CCP Fozzie this last weekend (notes by Chance Ravinne):
Someone asked when cloaky camping would get nerfed. Fozzie said that cloaking as a whole would not get nerfed unless local as a whole also got reworked. He said the systems are too intertwined to touch one without the other.
I like this idea, but it needs some refining. The potential damage to cloaking ships and cloaked hunting is extreme, so the price of using the module should be extreme. The module should emit an AoE decloaking pulse within a ~50km area, but at the cost of instantly destroying your ship and pod. Each ship in the 50km radius would have a {cost of destroyed ship/cost of cloaked ship}% chance to decloak. So, it’s not something you can just leave on auto repeat and have complete immunity to cloaked ships, but it does allow you a chance to jump on the cloaked grenade for your friends and identify the threat.
A nice side effect of this idea is that it produces interesting risk vs. reward gameplay and drives the economy, as both cloaked hunters and their targets have an incentive to invest as much ISK as possible into their ships. Undecided on whether you should put 5B in officer mods onto your cloaked T3? Go for it! It’s fun, and it will improve your chances of staying cloaked long enough to get into position for the kill. Meanwhile anti-cloak players might prefer to simplify their logistics, and use T1 frigates with cargo holds full of PLEX to activate the anti-cloak module.
ok, so i guess i’ll just mold the input of the constructive replies this thread has too right here.
people seem to prefer the function of the EM blast in only how it pertains to the decloak aspect, but it seems like this function should only be reserved to null security players.
After some thought i mostly would vouch for the sensor ping, for the idea that again, it doesn’t point out what the cloaked ship is, more that it’s there. you could be trolled by a black ops frigate just as easily as avoid death by stratios, but also the module can’t be perma-ran or spammed, requiring you to be lucky in implementation as well as allowing a failed detection to lead to your demise.
and finally:
I can offer what I have to say for that, but send me an evemail, i’m not arguing off topic on this thread.
The only cloak hunting method I’d consider would be one using a pair of destroyers to triangulate a location with scanning somehow. Even then it should only work if the cloaked ship is moving or scanning (can’t do anything else anyway), and would be the hardest possible sig to scan down.
Other than that what is the point of a cloak when someone can just ping to find you? Local already shows you are there in system, so a ping just showing this is pointless (except in WH’s, but we don’t whine about cloakies typically). This would leave any ping only able to locate a cloaked ship, no feasible cost attached to this is to high for some groups so an ISK barrier on usage is a non-starter.
Overall I’d say cloaking is just fine as is, leave it be.
Cloak fatigue, cloak fuel, special tech two scanning probes.
CCP hates passive afk gameplay, that’s all cloak camping is. You wanna cloak and be sneaky fine. Do it knowing your still vulnerable like the rest of us to a shark with t2 probes or actively where you have to manage your fuel and fatigue. No passive gameplay then. Hurray.
Except fuel or cloak fatigue punish those of us in WH who pr0actively live in our cloaks whilst actively hunting/scanning/hauling.
This always comes back to the same thing, a cloaky camper is doing nothing, they are earning no ISK, affecting no game objects. The only thing they effect is a player’s psyche, those who are willing to take the measures that already exist don’t care about cloaky camping. Those unwilling to take measures complain. Someone else invariably chips in with complaints about local. And so the cycle continues…
As long as the decloak/detection range was limited to 30km, i see no problem with this. However the module should not be able to be activated within 100km of a structure, gate or wormhole.
i guess i forgot to clarify in the “in summary” follow up was using this ping module so that it’s AOE is somewhere between 30-100km on grid, wasn’t supposed to be used to find someone in their cloaky safespot. perhaps they can make a few of these modules in thier t2 faction variants to cover that grid spectrum.
Nope it was clear, I just don’t like that idea. If we’re going to allow the equivalent of hunting a WWII sub when it’s running silent the why not use a hunting mechanic similar to destroyers then. Any hunting mechanism would have to be active (like scanning), and catch anyone anywhere, but only if they are active.
the reason i didn’t say you could permarun the mod is because you’ll hear plenty of people say that’s unbalanced. the mod if implemented the way i said here runs at the significant disadvantage due to it needing for it to cooldown and and manually restart it, but if it permaruns you’ll hear complaints that you’d only be able to surpise attack noobs who aren’t familiar with the mod. make the mod wormhole space only and again, noone likes it because giving a certain playerbase a special mod invites more complaints.
Except it has been, a hundred times. Read pretty much any cloaking thread and it will tell you that knowing whether a cloaker is there or not is not going to work. Affords too much knowledge to the ratter.
The only way it’s going to work is if there is doubt (risk) to the presence of enemies, which any bull ■■■■ ‘ping’ or fuel idea removes.
As you speak for all of us, you will be delighted to find out you have been chosen as our representative. You have also been selected to donate him a nice lump of money for his efforts.
The amount is of your choosing, though we must insist you that post it here, in this thread.
