Main AFK cloaky thread

[Neo_Bladedrifter]

@Salt_Foambreaker

The fact that they are afraid to undock

they should be in jita. just manufacture things inside the trade hub.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

Wouldn’t putting a timer on a cloaking device fix it or balance it out so if a player is afk when the timer run out he become uncloaked and can be killed.

[Mkikaden_Tiragen]

Unfortunately, there are times where it is functionally impossible for a player to safely log out and their only option is to stay in space cloaked up while waiting for a chance to escape or log off. This primarily happens in wormholes, and there are no complaints about being able to remain cloaked and walk away from the keyboard in a wormhole - but adding a timer to cloaks, or an AFK log off timer, or any other ‘remove ability for a cloaked player to remain cloaked indefinitely’ change would impact those players - even though they are often not the same players as are being complained about in this thread.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

maybe have the cloaking device work differently in WH, HS, LS, NS like no timer in WH’s or HS and 30 min Timer in LS and 1 hour timer in NS.

[Mkikaden_Tiragen]

I said mostly occurs in J-space - not exclusively. Cloaking for enemy evasion can happen anywhere - and is a valid way to hide out while waiting for a chance to escape from enemy sov null just as much as in a WH. Even more so, in fact, since in null anyone can see that your ship is still there and keep rotating hunters through space, while in a WH it is possible to lose track of a ship and be uncertain about whether they are still in the hole to hunt.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

so how much time should be needed to escape a system, i mean going to a safe spot and cloaking up and don’t be still if your timer runs out you should be ok just start a new timer without fear of being popped.

[Mkikaden_Tiragen]

It can literally take hours to have a window to escape successfully, depending on the dedication of the hunters. CCP considers AFK cloaking to be a valid action, both as a means of escape and a means to disrupt income activities.

CCP’s previously considered ideas for dealing with player dissatisfaction around AFK cloaking have focused on either disrupting intel (local) to neutralize the psychological warfare aspect of AFK cloaking (see Blackout), or putting the onus on Sov holders to deploy and maintain defensive structures that may be able to interfere with or locate cloaked ships (see the entirely WIP concept of Observatory Arrays from 2015). In none of their published concepts has CCP considered changing the behavior of cloaking itself - everything has focused on how to address the Sov-holder’s ability to manage their space.

[Neo_Bladedrifter]

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

Wouldn’t putting a timer on a cloaking device fix it

this will sabotage covert ops. the drone aggression change may help fight cloacky campers but ccp backout on it.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

The observatory Arrays was a good idea and i hope they revisit it. But the unbalanced play of cloaky camping makes for bad gameplay for the ones being camped cause its one sided as of right now.

What i mean is the cloaky camper decides when he will strike, and with what. you and your friends have to either wait for him to drop something by trying to bait them which he might not drop for days. so if you get bored of trying to bait them and go about mining and ratting then pop.

so in the end your friends start to leave and play other games, and you get smaller and smaller in numbers because there is no way to play with cloaky campers and work the area.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

@Neo_Bladedrifter

the drone aggression change may help fight cloacky campers

how? i don’t see this applying

[Neo_Bladedrifter]

it will automatically agress players who agress you while your in a middle of ratting.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

hmm maybe but if they drop a panther and your ratting is a gila or ishtar being scrammed by a arazu that isn’t going to help you.

[Neo_Bladedrifter]

It’s null after all, you can just minimized the threat. But yeah it will be fun if ccp will make a module that can decloak cloakers.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

ya its null i get that, but how many players quit playing because of it. that’s what i’m talking about i know 6 that have in the last month in my alliance. of course the other nerfs probably help them decide that too. I would think player retention and players as whole having fun would be the goal of any game.

[Neo_Bladedrifter]

wormhole will be interesting too if ship have anti cloaking modules. Many players there just want to make fun with other players because you can’t see them coming.

[Dravick_Afterthought]

@Neo_Bladedrifter

wormhole will be interesting too if ship have anti cloaking modules. Many players there just want to make fun with other players because you can’t see them coming.

Speaks someone who doesn’t live in a wormhole - go defecate on your own carpet…

[Derath_Ellecon]

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

hmm maybe but if they drop a panther and your ratting is a gila or ishtar being scrammed by a arazu that isn’t going to help you.

Then you are doing it wrong. There are plenty of ways to counter a cloaker. They are quite effective (not perfect).

The bottom line is a cloaker will camp you system if it is effective. If it keeps you from undocking or if you are easy kills. Stop being either of those and likely they will move on to easier hunting.

[Skriven_Penshar]

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

The observatory Arrays was a good idea and i hope they revisit it. But the unbalanced play of cloaky camping makes for bad gameplay for the ones being camped cause its one sided as of right now.

I’d have no problem with the observatory arrays if they gave a chance to possibly decloak a player, or caused all cloaks to shut off randomly. This would give Sov holders a balanced counter to cloaky campers without harming cloaks unnecessarily. This is how it should be. If someone wants to claim a chunk of space as their own they should be able to defend it.

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

What i mean is the cloaky camper decides when he will strike, and with what. you and your friends have to either wait for him to drop something by trying to bait them which he might not drop for days. so if you get bored of trying to bait them and go about mining and ratting then pop.

Then don’t be a target. It goes back to the first point. If you can’t defend your piece of space that is your problem. A cloaky camper can disrupt you only if they are able to. There are plenty of counters available. Alliance intel, Local, having your own cloaky cyno-dropper on grid with you ready to bring in the cavalry, rat in a big enough pack.

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

so in the end your friends start to leave and play other games, and you get smaller and smaller in numbers because there is no EASY way to play with cloaky campers and work the area.

FTFY

@Neo_Bladedrifter

the drone aggression change may help fight cloacky campers but ccp backout on it.

I think he meant that requiring ratters to hit “F” occasionally otherwise their drones won’t attack NPCs would help cut down on AFK botters, which are some of the most vocal opponents & biggest targets of AFK camping. But apparently they have backtracked on that.

@Derath_Ellecon

The bottom line is a cloaker will camp you system if it is effective. If it keeps you from undocking or if you are easy kills. Stop being either of those and likely they will move on to easier hunting.

+100

@Scipio_Artelius

Issue
The power of local, allows a cloaked player to project a presence in system, even if the player is not really present and is AFK. This has a psychological affects on others in local.

Changes:

1. remove local from sov null
2. allow sov holders to deploy observatory arrays that bring back local for them (and others they set it for)

Observatory array:

• Has an operating range of radius of 14.5 AU (or the same as the max d-scan range)
• Multiple arrays can be deployed per system
• Any uncloaked ship in range of the observatory array appears in local for those with access to the array.
• The observatory array periodically pulses an ECM signal that shuts off cloaking devices, so that any cloaked ship in range becomes uncloaked.

I like this idea. The last point needs to be fleshed out a bit. Maybe the ECM signal is a burst, like a charge which must be loaded and manually fired. I don’t like it if it is something which just automatically happens all the time. But if an unkown pilot shows in Local, because thye are within range of the array then the ECM signal can be activated. Maybe this signal would last for 30-60 seconds at which time no cloaks could be activated. This would give the Sov holders a chance to locate the player with combat probes or d-scan.
This could combat cloaky camping without unduly hurting cloaks, and it would take an active role from both campers and campees

@Pith_Hurdaa

But in both cases, the yield they get, comes mostly from a client logged with near to 0 human interaction.

In the case of the ratter the yield is ISK which can bear much more on the economy than the cloaker who is making nothing. And if they are keeping an AFK ratter from making ISK then more power to them.

[Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken]

@Skriven_Penshar

Then don’t be a target. It goes back to the first point. If you can’t defend your piece of space that is your problem. A cloaky camper can disrupt you only if they are able to. There are plenty of counters available. Alliance intel, Local, having your own cloaky cyno-dropper on grid with you ready to bring in the cavalry, rat in a big enough pack.

that’s sounds easy but isn’t, we have intel for not just our alliance but for the region. the guy that currently camping is camping with 30 accounts one in almost every system in the region. and he’s been here for over a month.

seems he’s not going to leave until he gets what he wants. and he doesnt talk so i really don’t know what he wants.

my guess he’s trying to keep everyone from ratting so ccp changes the nerfs. but that is my guess.

[Skriven_Penshar]

Has anyone in any of those systems been ratting? Have they been jumped? If so, what is the response from your alliance? From your corporation?

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

that’s sounds easy but isn’t,

I never said it was easy. Show me where it says it’s supposed to be easy. You choose to play in null, so you play by null rules. It’s not the place of CCP to make it easy. They already have. It’s called hi-sec.

@Abigail_Rocker_Ronuken

my guess he’s trying to keep everyone from ratting so ccp changes the nerfs. but that is my guess.

What nerfs exactly?
Sounds like he’s trying to keep your alliance from ratting and making ISK, and from the sounds of it he is. Maybe get a group of people together and rat together. Strength in numbers and all that. Make it so it’s not worth his time.

And if he doesn’t talk how do you know it’s one guy with 30 accounts?