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A plan to give balance to cloaking (Images)

Author
Endeavour Starfleet
#121 - 2011-10-21 18:35:55 UTC
Yet you are still here.

And do you want my opinion based on what my corp has indicated? They will whine and scream in corp chat when it comes to AFK cloakers but are too lazy to actually care when someone steps up to offer a solution.

Maybe you are right. Maybe these lazy good for little small potatoes alliances need to be AFKed to hell and back before they realize the issue is not going away on it's own and that it gives the big alliances huge power over the little ones. Maybe JUST maybe then they will actually care to discuss solutions instead of just expecting CCP to bring out the nerf bat one day.

Thing is. In reality my main has never been seriously harmed by AFK cloaking. And I have the RL financial resources to run a small power use computer to AFK cloak if I wanted to. Yet I don't because I think it is wrong and I KNOW it is giving the huge alliances unbalanced power.

With my main I can get into the big alliances that can put up the big fleets to prevent free hotdrops and have cyno jammers on without issue.

Yet I will continue to push this issue and these ideas for solutions.
Robert Caldera
Caldera Trading and Investment
#122 - 2011-10-21 18:57:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Robert Caldera
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:

Thing is. In reality my main has never been seriously harmed by AFK cloaking. And I have the RL financial resources to run a small power use computer to AFK cloak if I wanted to. Yet I don't because I think it is wrong and I KNOW it is giving the huge alliances unbalanced power.

actually, its exactly the other way around. Big alliances dont need afk cloakers, they shoot your stuff to shreds and install their own TCU, if they wanted to. But they cant remove people from NPC space, they cant remove afk cloakers/cloakers, they cant blob the **** everyone they dont like from the space. Those small entities sit in NPC space and do their guerilla warfare, which is only possible due to cloak.


Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
With my main I can get into the big alliances that can put up the big fleets to prevent free hotdrops and have cyno jammers on without issue.


no. you can do a **** against covert hotdrops, regardless how big your alliance is, somewhere is always an unoccupied system for a mid cyno to move the fleet. And even if there is none, you wont stop a fleet moving by a covert cyno/BO.

Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
Yet I will continue to push this issue and these ideas for solutions.

there is no issue, p*ssy
Mag's
Azn Empire
#123 - 2011-10-21 19:35:07 UTC
Endeavour Starfleet you seem to have missed my questions to you.

    1. You're breaking cloaks, but still want full, 100%, risk free, instant intel from local? Are you saying that is a balanced approach?

    2. What mechanic are they using to interact with you, whilst they are AFK?

Destination SkillQueue:- It's like assuming the Lions will ignore you in the Savannah, if you're small, fat and look helpless.

Gizznitt Malikite
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
#124 - 2011-10-21 20:25:14 UTC

Cloaks are fine..... There are only two issues that need work:

1.) Intel -- The intel tools in this game pretty much consist of metagaming, local, and dscan. Metagaming is about big fights, sov battles, and alliance level warfare. Dscan is great for active intel, good for getting approximate locations and ship types. Local is our passive intel tool.... providing instant knowledge of who's in local. The balance between active and passive intel has much room for improvement, although its not Broken.
... IMO the only change that really should be made is a 10-15s delay between people entering local and appearing in local. This gives the hunter a boon, but doesn't make the hunted hopelessly vulnerable.

2.) Jump Portals -- Jump portals (Titan and BO) provide an interesting mechanic to transport groups of ships directly onto the field of combat. This mechanic is awesome... but it puts the people being hotdropped at a severe disadvantage. Truth be told, they should be at a severe disadvantage. The problem is, the counters to this are destroy the cyno or have a counter hotdrop. Counter hotdrops are only applicable under specific conditions, and there is typically too little time to destroy the cyno before grid fills up with enemies.
... IMO the only change that is needed here is a 15-45s delay between a cyno being lit and enemy ships appearing on grid. The exact timing probably should depend on ship type lighting the cyno, the type of cyno, and testing. Lets assume 30s for as standard BO cyno... If you can't destroy the cyno ship, nor escape the tackle within that time period, you deserve death.

These changes would solve most afk cloaking issues. Hunting for targets, system by system, is no longer so overwhelmingly futile, as you can load grid and start scanning for targets before they initiate warp to a POS. Fighting off the hotdrop from an AFK cloaker would only require a prop mod or a buddy to help kill the cyno before his backup can arrive.

Methods to decloak the afk cloaker are really unnecessary, and over the top.
Marie Hartinez
Aries Munitions and Defense
#125 - 2011-10-21 20:40:45 UTC
Ingvar Angst wrote:
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
I don't wan't AFK cloakers in WH not to be affected. At best give them 3-4 minutes on grid before a cloak probe scan can even register that a random point exists. Otherwise if you AFK in a "hole" as apparently y'all like to call it. You ought to be able to be found and destroyed. WH hisec, lull and null


OK, now you're babbling incoherently.

There are no afk cloakers in wormholes.

There may or may not be ships in the hole cloaked... that's a simple fact of life you learn to accept and deal with. Hell, I've had the crap startled out of me by a stealth bomber uncloaking while I was running my PI. Fortunately, I keep my haulers prepared for that contingency, survived the first torpedo hit and warped off while the second set was in flight. It's simply the way it is.

The problem with your idea is you break cloaking, which is working (at least in wormholes) quite fine as is. The problem you're failing to address is that cloaking isn't working well enough in empire space... people can still see you in local when cloaked.



You weren't in a Badger by chance?

I was in a WH quite a while ago in a SB looking for a few kills. The hole I was in had a drake at the POS, hulking minig in a belt, and a maelstorm standing watch over it.

Then I scanned down an indy that looked like it was just sitting there, begging to be shot at. I declocked, and after my first or second salvo, away it went.

Surrender is still your slightly less painful option.

Ingvar Angst
Nasty Pope Holding Corp
#126 - 2011-10-21 21:29:40 UTC
Marie Hartinez wrote:
Ingvar Angst wrote:
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
I don't wan't AFK cloakers in WH not to be affected. At best give them 3-4 minutes on grid before a cloak probe scan can even register that a random point exists. Otherwise if you AFK in a "hole" as apparently y'all like to call it. You ought to be able to be found and destroyed. WH hisec, lull and null


OK, now you're babbling incoherently.

There are no afk cloakers in wormholes.

There may or may not be ships in the hole cloaked... that's a simple fact of life you learn to accept and deal with. Hell, I've had the crap startled out of me by a stealth bomber uncloaking while I was running my PI. Fortunately, I keep my haulers prepared for that contingency, survived the first torpedo hit and warped off while the second set was in flight. It's simply the way it is.

The problem with your idea is you break cloaking, which is working (at least in wormholes) quite fine as is. The problem you're failing to address is that cloaking isn't working well enough in empire space... people can still see you in local when cloaked.



You weren't in a Badger by chance?

I was in a WH quite a while ago in a SB looking for a few kills. The hole I was in had a drake at the POS, hulking minig in a belt, and a maelstorm standing watch over it.

Then I scanned down an indy that looked like it was just sitting there, begging to be shot at. I declocked, and after my first or second salvo, away it went.


You know... my alt has a badger, but he's only been shot at once (caught the bomber pilot's name)... but he's also the drake pilot, so odds are that wasn't us. That one time I was already in warp doing PI runs before he got the shot off too.

Got the ol' heart pumping though, I'll tell you that!

Six months in the hole... it changes a man.

Sebastian N Cain
Aliastra
Gallente Federation
#127 - 2011-10-21 22:16:25 UTC
People really are running instantly for the next dock and refuse to come out because somewhere in the system a ship is sitting around doing effectively nothing?
Shocked
And are complaining about this?
ShockedShocked
For real?
ShockedShockedShocked
Seriously, i think there is something wrong with you.

I got lost in thought... it was unfamiliar territory.

Gilentajsa
Matari Combat Research and Manufacture Inc.
#128 - 2011-10-22 14:05:55 UTC
Sebastian N Cain wrote:
People really are running instantly for the next dock and refuse to come out because somewhere in the system a ship is sitting around doing effectively nothing?
Shocked
And are complaining about this?
ShockedShocked
For real?
ShockedShockedShocked
Seriously, i think there is something wrong with you.


I fully agree with this guy, you know, stop being terrified of any neutral in system, stop shooting everyone you see and maybe you'll stop pissing people off and making them want to do things like jump a cap in your face and pillage all your stuffz.

It's simple, you're living in NULL SECURITY space, grow some balls or learn to cloak.

s

Azrael Dinn
Imperial Mechanics
#129 - 2011-10-22 14:11:59 UTC
No offence to the guys who want to cloak and stuff BUT if almost everyone is thinking ideas how to counter afk cloaking doesn't that mean there is a problem in the game mechanics?

After centuries of debating and justifying... Break Cloaks tm

Mag's
Azn Empire
#130 - 2011-10-22 16:48:13 UTC
Azrael Dinn wrote:
No offence to the guys who want to cloak and stuff BUT if almost everyone is thinking ideas how to counter afk cloaking doesn't that mean there is a problem in the game mechanics?
Yes, but not when they focus on the wrong mechanic. Which this idea thread and many like it do.

Destination SkillQueue:- It's like assuming the Lions will ignore you in the Savannah, if you're small, fat and look helpless.

Feligast
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#131 - 2011-10-22 16:51:58 UTC
Azrael Dinn wrote:
No offence to the guys who want to cloak and stuff BUT if almost everyone is thinking ideas how to counter afk cloaking doesn't that mean there is a problem in the game mechanics?


So ~50 = "almost everyone" now? While a comparable number are vehemently arguing against changing things?
Endeavour Starfleet
#132 - 2011-10-23 13:19:53 UTC
Azrael Dinn wrote:
No offence to the guys who want to cloak and stuff BUT if almost everyone is thinking ideas how to counter afk cloaking doesn't that mean there is a problem in the game mechanics?



Sadly the thing is it is not almost everyone. Many while and complain in corp chat but are too damn lazy to get out and discuss in the topics discussing the issue of AFK cloaking.

Hell the people who are doing AFK cloaking are atleast putting the time in to defend their unbalanced activity.
Mag's
Azn Empire
#133 - 2011-10-23 16:48:36 UTC
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
Azrael Dinn wrote:
No offence to the guys who want to cloak and stuff BUT if almost everyone is thinking ideas how to counter afk cloaking doesn't that mean there is a problem in the game mechanics?



Sadly the thing is it is not almost everyone. Many while and complain in corp chat but are too damn lazy to get out and discuss in the topics discussing the issue of AFK cloaking.

Hell the people who are doing AFK cloaking are atleast putting the time in to defend their unbalanced activity.
Where as you don't put in the time, to answer pertinent questions regarding your unbalanced approach. Blink

Destination SkillQueue:- It's like assuming the Lions will ignore you in the Savannah, if you're small, fat and look helpless.

Jack Carrigan
Order of the Shadow
#134 - 2011-10-23 17:00:18 UTC
The only thing necessary to "balance" or "fix" cloaking is to remove the pilot of the cloaked ship from Local.

Other than that, cloaking is probably one of the most balanced mechanics in the game. Just because people are as afraid of AFK cloakies as they are of their own shadow doesn't mean it should be nerfed.

GTFO here with that weak ****.

I am the One who exists in Shadow. I am the Devil your parents warned you about.

||CEO: Order of the Shadow||Executor: The Revenant Order||Creator: Bowhead||

Endeavour Starfleet
#135 - 2011-10-24 10:17:41 UTC
Jack Carrigan wrote:
The only thing necessary to "balance" or "fix" cloaking is to remove the pilot of the cloaked ship from Local.

Other than that, cloaking is probably one of the most balanced mechanics in the game. Just because people are as afraid of AFK cloakies as they are of their own shadow doesn't mean it should be nerfed.

GTFO here with that weak ****.


So your solution for AFK cloaking giving advantage after advantage is to give them MORE advantages. Ya I think my idea is better.

Also http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Forum_rules Know them.
cBOLTSON
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#136 - 2011-10-24 10:45:40 UTC
The object of cloaking is to be undetectatble. The PROBLEM is that local displays you regardless of if you are cloaked or not.
Think about any sci-fi movie or programme. The ship that has the cloak is allways totally undectable to the others in the area.

So there really is no need to do anything with cloaking.

Also think of the black ops.... there ability is kinda mute as the second you jump / bridge into a system the whole world knows about it as you show up as a fleet in local. There is nothing black-ops about that.


FIX LOCAL CLOAKING!

The good old days of Unreal Tournament, fragging and sniping on Facing Worlds, listening to Foregone Destruction.......

Endeavour Starfleet
#137 - 2011-11-11 21:21:19 UTC
I am bumping this because it was revealed today that CCP is taking the first steps against AFK cloaking by preventing cloaked camps of cosmic anomalies to prevent their despawn and respawn.

I would like to again propose my idea to further that effort and remove most incentives to cloak while AFK.
Miss CEO
Universal Excavation Services
#138 - 2011-11-11 23:45:20 UTC  |  Edited by: Miss CEO
Cloaking it self is fine.

Fixing anomalies etc. so that they ignore cloaked ships on grid is a good thing too.

Completely destroying cloaking with some kind of probe is the very definition of unbalanced. Only reason these ideas keep coming to surface is the real problem with the whole information gathering business. It is the one single greatest thing that messes up a simple attempt to do anything undetected. It is the local chat.

Fix that and no one will care who's cloaked while making food for kids or changing diapers, or seeing why your kid is suddenly crying, etc...
Endeavour Starfleet
#139 - 2011-11-14 13:05:55 UTC
The solution to AFK Cloaking is not to remove local. That will just boost huge alliances and make it more prevalent.

My probe idea is fair. Because if you cant be bothered to get off grid in the silly long time it takes to scan this random point then you are not just temp AFK you are away from the area or away from the idea of EVE.

Don't remove or delay local. Remove the incentive to go AFK while cloaked.
Ingvar Angst
Nasty Pope Holding Corp
#140 - 2011-11-14 13:09:24 UTC
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
The solution to AFK Cloaking is not to remove local. That will just boost huge alliances and make it more prevalent.

My probe idea is fair. Because if you cant be bothered to get off grid in the silly long time it takes to scan this random point then you are not just temp AFK you are away from the area or away from the idea of EVE.

Don't remove or delay local. Remove the incentive to go AFK while cloaked.


Holy crap, you bumped this cloak-breaking piece of crap suggestion?

The majority agrees... cloaks are fine. Probing out cloaked vessels breaks the entire concept of cloaking and only feeds the botters wallets even more by making null space even safer for them to operate in.

The problem isn't cloaks... it's the fact that you can tell a cloaked ship is there in the first place.

Six months in the hole... it changes a man.