Oh, I now ‘bumping into the cloaky’ is not the only solution, there are many many better solutions.
Let’s look at the situation.
- Players that use cloak would like to be completely invisible, which includes not showing up in
local. - Corporations, Alliances, and regular everyday players would like to secure/defend their region of space, to hunt-down and kill cloaky campers.
There are legitimate covert operation reasons to stay cloaked in an adversaries system. But there should also be some consequences for staying cloaked for long periods, while remaining fair and balanced. Here are my thoughts…
Cloaked players should show up in local chat.
Being cloaked, warping, or jumping in a system will theoretically produce, some faint, yet untraceable indication there’s another ship in the system. So a cloaked player should not be completely invisible.
Once a player enters a system, there’s a moment they’re not cloaked. So that player should show up in local until they leave.
Pilot information should be redacted.
Players in a system can see the name of a cloaked pilot, but they should not be able to view the players Corporation, Alliance, or details while that player is cloaked.
This would allow for legitimate covert operations. Other sources of intel may be harder to control, although EVE could redact ESI information while a player is cloaked as well. And obviously human intel and prior interaction with a cloaked player can’t be avoided.
Add a penalty to re-cloaking
Remaining cloaked in a single system for extended periods of time should result in a re-cloaking penalty. This could be attributed to a natural phenomenon or through the use of some structure. Much like how, a player can only jump back-and-forth through a wormhole so many times.
One (1) minute penalty for every hour cloaked in a system seems reasonable. It should be cumulative, can’t uncloak once an hour to reset to zero. It could be limited to a 24 hour period. And it probably should remain persistent for the system for 24 hours too, meaning jumping out and back does not reset to zero either.
This would level the playing field. After stalking a system for many hours, a cloaky camper would be exposed by attacking a target of opportunity. Leaving them unable to re-cloak for up to 24 minutes. This could allow a Corporation, Alliance, fleet, or system players the opportunity to track down and engage a cloaky camper. The player can jump to another system, but should not be able to cloak again until the penalty expires. Although the penalty could be halved every jump away from penalty the system.
My idea allows a player to remain cloaked indefinitely. They can’t effectively be hunted down, nearly impossible to be found, until they break cloak. Allowing players in a system to observe the cloaked player for a long period of time, getting better at recognizing the faint indications their ship produces, and being able to follow those indications (the uncloaked player) the longer they are observed.
I don’t think this matters.
A lot of afk cloaky alts are in NPC corps with no history anyway, yet you still know who comes out of the cyno once they’ve dropped on someone.
I was thinking of providing some kinda advantage to the cloaky camper, to counter-balance the change I suggested. Hiding their profile data seemed a reasonable trade. What would you give them?
I didn’t mention cyno, cause a cloak penalty wouldn’t really matter once it’s dropped.
If I don’t see their data but see their name, I know all about this cloaky camper.
Zkillboard tells me which ship he’s likely using and tells me which alliance his cyno will bring in. EVE Who will tell me the rest of his hidden details, such as his corporation, alliance and the rest of the people he’s flying with.
If he’s flying solo I can definitely find the ship he likely flies on zkillboard and if I’m lucky I can find his fit too.
And after that first minute of noticing the cloaky in space, I’ll decide whether to risk it or find another solar system to be in.
Finding info about a new cloaky is more difficult, but they only stay without history for so long.
That’s why I suggested the ESI info is also redacted, while cloaked. Isn’t that the data source for zKillboard and EVE Who?
Historic data that is already stored will still be accessible so that doesn’t work.
Your item #1 is not really accurate. Cloaked players in null sec have no problem with appearing in local. In fact, they want to appear in local because if they aren’t shown then they do not get the psychological effects they are looking for vs certain resident pilots. Removing cloaked players from local has been suggested not because active cloaked players do not want to be in local, but because the resident pilots panic over a name in local.
Your suggestion would not address that issue. A name is still in local. Certain resident pilots still panic and refuse to undock.
As for installing a cloak timer, it’s yet another change that would penalize all forms of cloak play, not just AFK cloak camping. It’s an overreaction to a very limited form of PvP.
3 Likes
We are still waiting 7588 posts in this thread, plus all the threads that have come before, to hear the problem.
You can’t have a solution without a problem.
And “Afraid to undock unless alone in a system” is not a game problem.
2 Likes
It obviously is for some people
1 Like
Sure, many people blame their own shortcomings on “the computer” but that doesn’t make it real, or true.
Being only willing to play in a solo mode in an MMO and then demanding change when that doesn’t work out is lunacy.
3 Likes
Perhaps they should try HS or another game.
3 Likes
You’re right.
It is a problem when someone can be undocked and invulnerable in system 23/7 though. Especially when entire regions are camped like that with cloaky cyno alts all day that can drop on anything that is worth dropping on.
One would be crazy to risk anything bigger than a cruiser to do anything in such a system without full fleet backup. And one cannot have a full fleet waiting as backup in the off chance that the cloaky is actually at the keyboard, because they’re likely sleeping or at work.
Because people can be invulnerable cloaked in system while sleeping or at work.
That is the issue.
Luckily CCP understands this is an issue and will do something about it this year.
1 Like
No, because they can’t do anything while cloaked.
Except frighten little girls… 
You have to UNCLOAK to DO ANYTHING which uncloaked actions are off topic 
1 Like
They can still stare menacingly at the locals though. 
3 Likes
You have probably repeated this a hundred times in this thread.
Its like saying a concealed firearm is of no consequence, because the only way they can shoot someone is to take the gun out, and you will see and have a chance to respond. And even if you see a person’s gun, once they conceal it, you should just forget about it and go about what you were doing, even after they have already killed others in your family, or threatened them. Even as they run around your property as if they own it.
I think the odds are better that you are trolling than you actually believe that nonsense.
2 Likes
A gun does not kill anyone by itself.
1 Like
No one has said anything like that as an analogy.
It’s more like, you know there is a concealed gun on someone; and you’ve all got guns too and are free to shoot anyone you want. Deal with that guy.
Don’t ignore it, just don’t be scared by someone being in local. Deal with the problem rather than cry and whine to CCP for help.
1 Like
Its funny that you deal with time and change every single day but still cannot wrap your head around the fact that AFK cloakers become At The Keyboard cloakers at any instant of which only the cloaker is aware, and then they become At The Keyboard hostile ships just as fast.
How is this not painfully obvious? You just don’t know if someone is AFK cloaked and even if you surmise correctly you still don’t know if its for 5 mins, 30 mins, 5 hours or 10 hours.
This has elements of both mind reading and predicting the future, neither of which you can do, nor have ever been able to do. So why has this topic so baffled you that you post that meme in earnest? Why did it baffle the maker of that meme so much?
1 Like