Player Features and Ideas Discussion

WARNING: Incoming dissertation.

For starters, I am not against cloaking. I actively employ it in w-space. Further, I don't want to ruin the lives of people in ships designed around covert ops cloaks (the only ones that, in my likely biased opinion, really matter). That being said, I do feel that with very few exceptions there is almost no risk to cloaking (short of stupidity, which is enough to capitalize on).

In trying to compare a covert ship to a submarine (modern equivalent at sea, which is where many ship classes are pulled from) or a covert agent (what people probably consider themselves in these things, I am no exception ) I feel that there is a inherent disconnect as the sub/spy can actually get caught if they are not just as cautious as their prey. While a covert ship can be caught, it's more likely that it's their lack of attention as opposed to anybody else's attentiveness.

First and foremost, I don't want to change cloaking. At all. I'm not going to suggest that they suddenly have stupid fuel requirements or need to be manually controlled. You stuck a module into a high-slot. You've already reduced your threat capabilities enough and are mostly pigeon-holed into an intelligence role, which while vastly important can still be very dull, borderline tiresome, and doesn't even come with a dry martini unless your corp is badass (and please let me know so I can drop an app).

What I would like is for the ability for ships that can just as well pigeon-hole themselves into finding those would-be covert agents that get off on lurking around without so much as the decency to request their martini be shaken, not stirred. Why do I want this? Partly because I think it would make for a much more interesting time to hunt those that lurk in the shadows. Partly because I think it would be awesome that when I'm the one doing the lurking I'm actively having to wonder whether or not my quarry is going to be able to find me or not. And partly because I think that it's about time someone did something that actually looked heart-felt when it came to anti-cloaking mechanics. Lets begin with a module:

Spatial Reconfiguration Burst I
This odd piece of technology sends a ripple through the space immediately surrounding it, temporarily altering the properties of the space for a brief moment. It was originally scrapped as a failed experiment in trying to manually stimulate the conditions to produce wormholes. Although it failed in its intended purpose it gained recognition when it did manage to accidentally disrupt the cloaking capabilities of another ship conducting tests. However, the large amount of spatial energy generated by the ship leaves it unable to engage its warp drive for the remainder of its cycle.
Note: This module cannot be fitted with a Cloaking Device as the potential dissonance between the two devices could be catastrophic.

This device has the fitting requirements typical to a specialized piece of equipment for a small (frigate/destroyer) vessel, requires the use of a high slot, removes the ability to cloak, leaves it vulnerable when used, and would likely require its own skill to operate. So what does it actually do for the pilot? For 1 second it creates a large mass in space. This mass is capable of being passed through (like space gas or being in a force field) and does not otherwise interfere with ships. However, cloaked ships that are in close proximity to this mass are obviously uncloaked due to how cloaks operate. The size of said mass, training time needed to learn the skill to operate it, time between cycles, etc. will be something I will leave to brighter minds, but the idea is that this is used to counter-cloak people that are on-grid and not meant to scan them down with d-scan or anything similar. It is basically an active sonar ping: it is very good at finding things but leaves the user in a vulnerable state for doing so. It's only used when you need to be safe and are willing to pay the price for being able to know what's around you.

On the topic of sonar pings, that brings me to the next part of my suggestion. People have suggested that the new destroyers have T2 versions good at hunting cloakers. I agree, though not just because they're shiny and new and don't have T2 variants. I agree because in naval history the destroyer (originally the torpedo-boat destroyer) was made in reaction to the prevalence of torpedo-boats which were small, agile ships that were made to carry torpedoes. I think it would be fitting that new destroyers are made to counteract the threat of, among other things, stealth bombers. With their myriad high-slots, frigate-like maneuverability, and own individual ways of conducting their business in the effort to fight against cloaking ships, the new T2 destroyers would have their own variant of the above module.

Spatial Reconfiguration Matrix I
A specialized version of its predecessor, this device creates a large bubble that constantly reconfigures the space around it on a very small scale. Although equally as much a failure in producing wormholes, it does provide a more persistent threat to those that rely on cloaking devices within its reach.
Note: This module cannot be fitted with a Cloaking Device as the potential dissonance between the two devices could be catastrophic.

It would basically be the Interdiction Sphere Launcher, minus the interdiction aspect and on a dramatically larger scale (and hopefully much less graphics intensive to spare those who don't want to be bombarded by such a large bubble of cloaking hatred attacking their retina). In addition to its ability to maintain an ongoing bubble it doesn't come with the drawback of being unable to warp since the T2 would have specialized systems for... well... not needing to hate the reason it exists.

While I may get flamed, I hope everyone at least appreciates the effort put into this idea. Cheers, fellow capsuleers.

TL; DR;...

Another bad anti-cloak idea...

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The longer TL; DR; 2 ideas:

1.) An easy-to-fit highslot module that you activate to decloak all ships with some unspecified distance of you. It comes with two drawbacks: a.) It prevents your ship from using a cloak & b.) You can't warp once you activate it until it finishes its unspecified cycle.
--- In short... It's a tool to allow gate campers to catch cloaky ships.

2.) A cloak disrupt probe (think dictor probe) that disables all cloaks within its radius. It comes with one drawback: You can't use a cloak... and he wants it to produce a "BIG BUBBLE".
-- In short... It's a tool to allow gate campers to catch cloaky ships.

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Now... to the OP... had you bothered to read any of the other billion threads on this topic, you'd realize that your idea does nothing to address the main issue that people have with cloakers, and in fact destroys the most fundamental and legitimate use of the covert cloak, thereby single-handedly nerfing covert ops, stealth bombers, force recons, transport ships, and covert T3's in the most biased, asinine method possible.

Here's the TL; DR; of my post:
**** NO

Well, I have participated in a single WH camp that led to us uncloaking another ship by bumping him (again, stupidity abound being the leading cause of death in cloak-capable ships). Other than that, I didn't have any intention of this being used as a gate-camping tool whatsoever. I wouldn't even mind if it couldn't be used on-grid with a gate. It's more or less to prevent cloaking from being an infalliable get-out-of-jail-free button and a defense that ships could use (especially in w-space, which I am native to) to make sure nobody is sitting 2,501m away from you while having a lengthy chat with their fleet knowing that there is no way anybody else could possibly know they're there short of bumping into them.

This forum is for the discussion and evaluation of potential game improvements.... we don't care for rhetoric masturbation... and that's why we want TL;DR;'s

Cloaking, in general, is very well balanced. It hides your location and makes you untargetable in exchange for severely limiting what you can do....

Using a cloak to travel safely around is the fundamental role of the covert cloak... and these tools you suggested essentially destroy that ability.

Can you please explain what's wrong with people cloaking up to get safe? You've already discovered you can uncloak a ship by flying near them... you can prevent a ship from cloaking by targetting them... and its not like they can attack you while cloaked... So, please tell me what problem, or issue, or imbalance you are trying to solve with this suggestion?

So I was writing this response on my I-phone and it was like "bleep, bleep, bleep" and everything was gone, and I was like "ehh", it devoured my post, then i had to write it again really fast and it wasn't as good.

Yet again nerf cloak thread,

Yet again you fail to realize the true problem, what you are trying to do is nerf a counter to a perfect intel tool. Cloaking was design around escaping local chat so if you want to come up with ideas on you first are going to have to come up with ideas on how to remove local in a sensible manner. Before you can counter a counter, you must first eliminate what the counter was design to counter. (try saying that five times fast, I dare you.)

Just because you live in a WH doesn't mean there is not a problem with local mate, saying it like that is saying.

"I fly use to fly a titan way back when and never got killed by the AoE doomsday....So I don't see why everyone else was so hype up about it."

Ok so you want this to counter cloaks in worm holes, but the ripples will stretch out all the way to empire space destroying cloaking there. Right now as has been said dozens upon dozens of times the only counter to local is cloaking, to make a module that counters cloaking.

@Omnathious Deninard
I don't see how being able to counteract something destroys it. Are tank fits destroyed by the existence of guns, and if so why have tanked fits not gone away? Have target jammers destroyed the existence of non-drone combat, and if so why aren't Gallente Ships the sole form of combat? Again, this is a high slot module (i.e. takes away from your ability to shoot dudes) that knocks a target out of cloak (does not stop them from recloaking as soon as their module allows it) and costs them their warp drive (meaning the user is in a more vulnerable state than the cloaked ship is more often than not).

@Banana1x
I honestly wouldn't mind that. Local is and has been little more than a drain on resources. If people want to chat openly with other pilots in the system then by all means they should be able to, but to force everyone's identity to be openly available information just for being in the same system is kinda annoying. It is a great security blanket for many, though. And I can attest to how annoying it can be to spam d-scan, the only notable alternative. Although it would teach newer players about d-scan really quickly...

A.) Why do you want to stop people from "lurking over their prey"?? Why is hit-n-run an issue? Hit-n-run tactics are one of the few means of assymetric warfare available in this game, and I really so no reason to inhibit it!!!

B.) If you create a tool to decloak ships on grid with you... People will employ it at a gate to decloak people trying to travel through it... This is a very obvious use of the mechanic, and you have to be blind not to see it.