I have found using the mobile observation very cluncky and was thinking if there was actual interest in making the proposition of a structure rig for higher end structures that would work the same( with balancing changes). Not to try to get rid of cloaking but to try and make it more feasible to deal with them.
If theirs is positive feedback I’ll get specs and possible stats for them made up and proposed but if not then ig I’ll just have to get use to the mobile observation modules.
Balances would be along the lines of
Upwell or Fortazard based so main system stuff not to protect your solo ratter in the middle of nowhere)
Long warm up and cool-down could be used for the 3 days of PI mining but not for a 4 hour ratting sesh
Not fuel efficient the higher the cost of running the better
Made known to everyone in system when running so cloaked aren’t taken by surprise
What do you find clunky about the mobile observatories?
As a deployable they’re easily deployed in response to a cloaky camper entering a system if you suspect the cloaky camper is not paying attention.
And as a deployable it’s easily killed by the cloaky players if they are paying attention, which makes nice stationary bait that you can use to catch them in action.
A single bomber can kill the mobile observatory in about 6 torpedo volleys, so if you put your bomber-catching cloaky ship right next to it you may get an easy kill if your suspected AFK cloaky target happens not to be AFK.
The mobile observatory makes interaction with AFK cloaky players possible and even encourages interaction with cloaky players that are paying attention (without forcing them), which makes this a great tool against AFK cloaky camping as it doesn’t interfere with regular non-AFK cloaky gameplay.
A structure would be a much bigger investment and would likely be active in a system 24/7 rather than ‘in response to a ship that may be AFK’, which would have the unwanted downside of interfering with regular non-AFK cloaky camping. And a few cloaky ships cannot take down your structure, so you lose the ability to bait them with this change.
An easily placed and removed deployable makes much more sense as a tool against AFK cloaky campers than a structure, if you ask me.