Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I am for removing all cloaked from local but this could also work.

Exactly my point.

Local, if it must be used for an intel source, is also being used to lie to players.

Is a potentially hostile player present?
Local NEVER tells you this.
What it DOES tell you, is that they have an account logged in, with a character in the current system.

In the case where players can choose to interact with each other, this system faithfully maintains this data.
BUT, where the game places them effectively out of reach, they are removed, and also need to make efforts themselves to know circumstances.

No free ride.

And the interesting part?
This meets the often referred to balance need to hunt cloaked ships.

This is very true.

And I respect and praise the effort required to learn these things, all of which go beyond the simple listing of a character name which may or may not have a player paying attention to it.

By earning information in a game, you compete with your efforts and can respond with better information.
This is playing.

By having it simply handed to you, you only respond to what you are given.
This is reacting.

I would like to encourage more playing, above simply reacting.

I also consider the detail, in this context, as to whether they are actually at their keyboard or not.

Sure, the character might be renowned as a merciless warrior.... but are they actually paying attention to the game right now?

Your opinion is noted.

It is, however, in conflict with the point that duplicate threads are discouraged, if not against the posting rules entirely.

Thank you for contributing.

You are quick to judge a thread, considering you seem unfamiliar with it's details.

This is not centric to AFK cloaking, or anything so specifically limited.

It deals with how local parses intel, and relates to it being used as a data collection element above and beyond it's implied purpose as a chat channel.

It defines a trade off, so that if we do insist on local being used for intel, it at least reflects the better interests of the game for those actively playing it.

As to telling me not to post in my own thread, that is simply rude, and tells others this rather plainly.

oh, and I did not realize this thread was that old, but I support the idea.
+1... better late than never

I don't see what you are proposing as a trade-off.

You are effectively increasing the amount of data available in local. Rather than knowing the number of pilots in system, you now know the exact number of active undocked pilots. To add to that, the in game map allows you to see the number of docked pilots in a system.

Yes, you could be slightly sneakier with cloaked ships, but in every other way, you now have exact data of who is around.

Since your companion idea allows you to have a ship on grid which can see any cloaked ship which does show up, you can now achieve perfect intel.

No danger from mass mining in low sec/null sec anymore. The moment someone undocks, you know. The moment that a cloaked ship warps to your belt, you know. From someone's brief appearance and disappearance when they lose their gate cloak & activate their cloak, you even know when a cov-ops/steal bomber arrives in the system, and that it's a cloaky ship.

-1 from me.

Ahhh, allow me to point out the details you seem to be missing.

As to the game map offering intel, that's lovely. I would also tweak this to offer updates only once per 24 hour period, diminishing the intel to statistical value rather than tactical.

This idea, by concealing the presence of those parked behind POS shields, and docked, removes awareness of presence for those who would otherwise react to these numbers.

The hostile pilot who skims a quick look at local, has no idea how many reserve forces are NOT listed, as a result.

At the same time, local forces need to scan more directly to determine hostile presence, which can bounce between multiple systems in order to boost confusion regarding where they might be at any one time.
That name flickering in local... Was that them just arriving, or simply decloaking off grid... maybe they stuck the ship outside a POS shield just long enough....?

Player effort trumps all, applied properly. And isn't that what makes the game interesting?

Actually, it is a limited intel tool.

Players have 5 ways of not being listed.
Most should be aware of the first two, already in game now.

1. Don't be in the system

2. Don't be online at all

3. Be docked in an Outpost

4. Be waiting patiently, or possibly AFK, behind POS shields

5. Be waiting patiently, or possibly AFK, cloaked

Short of direct observation, it would not be possible to determine which category a pilot fit into.
The effort of direct observation would suddenly be elevated to far greater value, for intel gathering.

With this, pilots on stand-by at a POS, waiting for the cue to mobilize, would not be listed in local until they entered warp towards their destination. In turn, they would need to rely on other players to get this cue to act as well.