Warfare & Tactics

Players in low and nullsec space will certainly understand the frustration that comes along with having a gank all lined up only to have it ruined by a hauler having a Tech 1 Cloak and a microwarpdrive. I haven't seen any posts regarding this issue other than multiple forum posts encouraging players to use it. As the ganking party, it is one of the most aggrivating events that can occur when you have an instalocking ship, specifically designed to catch ships on a gate, and you have to simply watch your should be victim flying away.

The question I ask is this. Is this combination considered to be an exploit of game mechanics? If so is there a plan to modify game mechanics to remedy it? Or is this quasi-legal method being allowed in the interest of furthering the industrial needs of New Eden?

My opinion on the matter is this, and do feel free to disagree or rip me a new one, but if you have the ability to avoid targeting by another ship, and can instantly warp away after your cloak comes down you should be using a Covert Ops cloak. While the main ability of a Covert ops cloak compared to the rest is the ability to warp WHILE cloaked, only black ops battleships are capable of attaining the speed required to warp while cloaked without a covert ops cloak. That being said, any prop mods should shut off at the time the cloak is activated, not be allowed to run their full cycle while the cloak is on. If you can't activate an afterburner or microwarp drive while cloaked, even with a covert ops cloak, then how does the module continue to function after a cloaking device is activated? This combination has been a mainstay of EVE players for many years due to the clever manipulation of game mechanics, yet I feel those mechanics may need to be revisited.

Food for thought, and the start of what I hope will be a productive discussion folks

The reason I applied the reasoning to haulers in my initial post is the fact that the VAST majority of ships employing this tactic are haulers. Yes there are other ships which are capable of doing this trick, I understand. Yet for instance if a gang is hunting a Blockade Runner in lowsec as an example, they put an instalocking HIC on the gate for its infinite point they know the Blockade Runner will use. This is using tactics to set up a gank by negating your enemies strengths. That blockade runner still has a few choices.

1. The simplest. Use a scout. Derp central.

2. Perhaps the camp fleet doesnt have a ship with a scrambler, which is what CCP made it possible to fit a Medium Micro Jump Drive to Blockade runners for.

3. Use that recently buffed tank to survive the flight back to the gate.

4. (My preferred option) Die in a horrible ball of fire dropping many iskies to the ganking parties.

Pirates are people too. Just mean.... uncaring people with cold hearts and empty wallets.

Gate Campers have tools for making camping possible, Haulers have tools to make avoiding a gate camp possible. Those people prepared enough to use the tools available to them deserve to avoid your camp. People who don't use those tools deserve to die to your camp.

No this shouldn't change, maybe you need to adapt your camp to give you the best possible chance of getting a de cloak on the target while they align out.

Actually every post I found, yes including those in favor of this mechanic call it a trick. =)

Well this was supposed to be a discussion about whether or not this SHOULD be a legitimate game machanic, not if it IS. Obviously that point was completely missed.

Consider this thread closed unless you want to continue having nonsense arguments about something this post was not intended to address, like whether or not I am "wasting time" on the forums. If this post is wasting your time then dont comment on it and waste more, just move on.

Welcome to EVE-O Forums!

If you really want a serious answer, here it is:

1) I suspect that mods (such as, but not limited to, MWD) not shutting off immediately after acitivating cloak is probably more of a technical programming issue than an actual gameplay choice by CCP. Yes, it would also make sense that mods shut-off immediately, thus making things such as mwd+cloak impossible. I'm frankly neutral on this.

2) In any case, you have to consider the meta-game - as always. No MWD+cloak would mean MUCH less non-cloaky haulers in lowsec, so your l33t pvp gatecamping would still produce very few hauler killmails (for lack of haulers to have surprise buttsex with).

So, you are frustrated when an unarmed ship gets the better of your well thought out gate camp?

Firstly, deal with it. The cloaks MWD is a great trick/exploit/game mechanic that stops Elite pvp'r said such as yourself having their own way on a gate!

Still frustrated? I suggest you get some popcorn , sit down and start watching my little pony vids. Failing that world of Warcraft is yearning for someone of your standards.

Look forward to more "they got away" tears.....

It should be a legitimate tactic. The haulers need some defense. Without it, haulers wouldn't haul in lowsec and then the pirates wouldn't have a chance at killing loot pinatas. Having this mechanic ads to the game.

Interceptor needs a chance to decloak them before they can warp and point them.

therefore T1 haulers should be only to fit EITHER warpstabs or a cloak.

Want to haul your **** safely ? Train T2 Haulers.

I think it is an exploit because it simply unbalances T1 and T2 industrial hulls.

CCP accidentally once messed up that trick on some expansion and they fixed it back as soon as possible so i think it is working as intended.