Player Features and Ideas Discussion

I don't have an issue with the POS or station mechanic, I'm not sure how you read that into anything I wrote. My point is they can also use local in the same regard. As well as those in space, not sitting still, without a cloak.

Actually all the things you list are PvP, combat is merely a subset of PvP activities in Eve. But I digress.

I'm not in favour of this idea, simply because it's a bad one and done for all the wrong reasons. Please don't attempt to label me as one that only wants change if it benefits my game play, far from it. I'm as much against ideas that screw the game in the opposite direction, in other words my direction. One look through my posting history will testify to that. I have and always will have, my grounding in balance.

I told you why it will not work, as there are still ways to use local even after this change. I was hoping you would consider that and come up with just how this is possible, but alas you keep ignoring it.

This idea gives you yet more intel, without addressing the mechanic being used when AFKing. It affects active play as much, if not more than those AFK. But as we now know the whole AFK argument was a red herring, so then we ask why is intel gathering such a problem for you? If intel gathering is such an issue, then what about local?
You seem to understand there are other ways to combat this, yet still clamour for change.
Your new position that claims bias from my direction is laughable at best. Like I said, my posting history will attest to that.

Address the mechanic being used first, remove it's potency. In other words, remove the intel aspect from local. Do this first, then look at a simply way to look for cloaked ships that takes a bit of skill to accomplish. You, just as others before you, have approached this from the wrong side. This is part of the lack of understanding I mention.

Cause and effect. Start with the cause, then the effect will not be an issue for you. But be aware that CCP have looked to change this mechanic for years, but have so far failed to come up with a solution.

It does not become reasonable to hunt cloaked vessels, when the awareness of their presence is handed out for free.

On Being docked: To a lesser degree, it makes no sense to be aware of pilot presence when they are not technically even in a ship.
For them to be able to see all pilots in system, yet strangely unable to know who is on grid with the station itself, sounds backwards.

Inside a POS: You can target nothing, and cannot be shot in turn. Despite the ship being denied interaction on these levels, they can still see local and be seen as such.

Should it change so that effort is needed to become aware of cloaked ships, then the ability to detect them should match the needs and requirements for them to be undetected.
Then, a logical opposed contest of efforts can determine IF they are detected, and from what range.

To me these points are self evident. I would rather see no changes take place than bad changes, as stalemate / balance is better than balanced in favor of one side.

This is the problem. Not what you are describing, but HOW you are describing it.

The reason so-called AFK Cloaking exists, is to catch their desired targets. This would be ratting and mining craft which supports an enemies economy.
(We can attack industrials and freighters moving the items, attacking the source is equally valid)

But why AFK Cloak?
The PvE craft have a near perfect defense, in that local notifies players of new arrivals before the new arrivals actually load the system. This grace period is usually more than enough to warp to safety, and with a little preparation it ALWAYS is more than enough time.

What is the result of this?
A prepared PvE pilot is effectively immune to hostile threat, especially from newly arrived hostiles, since local tells you before they load system, and displays their presence so long as they remain.

AFK Cloaking is the persistent presence, that local pilots stop believing represents a live threat. At this point, local's intel has been discarded as not relevant, and the target's can begin to operate once more.

Besides pilot error, it is the only realistic tactic to promote successful kills. And pilot error is simply not common enough to sustain activity and a plausible level of threat.

Here is an idea... limit the cloak so that it has an active cycle time of about 1-2 hours. That way it can be deactivated/reactivated just like a strip miner or ice mining module, with little to no penalty apart from the current reactivation timer. This way, it prevents people from going afk for an extended period but allows players to use the module how its intended to be used.. for epic ganking and stealthy operations.

Here is an idea... limit the docking so that it has an active dock time of about 1-2 hours and then eject that person. That way it (the ship) can be docked again if they (the person) are active, with little to no penalty apart from the current redock request. This way, it prevents people from going afk for an extended period.

To me it seems that you don't get the OP's points at all.

Players who are in a system with a cloaked player / ship in it can't find out if he's actually active or afk with his cloaky ship. The moment he finds out that 'OH he's actually active' it's gonna be the moment the cloaked ship sits uncloaked on top of your ass with a cyno ready to jump in tons of ships. Witch means that it doesn't matter for those players who are disrupted by the cloaker if they are active or not, because they will decide to dock up because of that threat.

So the question is, how is anyone supposed to know if a cloaky player are active or afk?

If he's active, then sure, he can do whatever he like, but if he's actually are afk, then you should NOT still be able to disrupt others on what they are doing. The second you undock from a station, you are not supposed to be safe in ANY ways. It's that simple.

I'm also a 2004 player who have been playing all the years, so i know every damn mechanics, tactics and tricks in this game. So yes, i support the OP's idea. His ideas might not be 100% like he want it to be if it ends up in EVE, but the fact that no one should be safe while in space, i will support to get afk cloakers more vulnerable while they are in space.

And lastly, those who think afk cloaking is fine must be blind or stupid, because it's pretty clear that there is alot of problems with afk cloaking when you see how many topics that have been made about this from earlier.


How are we supposed to know if this cloaker is active or not?

That's the problem here. And because of that problem, it will disrupt the other players in that system no matter if the cloaker is active or afk. And this will make those other players there to dock up no matter what. See the problem here?

I'd like to get free isk every couple of hours. Can I have that if you get your free intel?

Right, you can't rat with several buddies in corp/alliance in PvP ships now can you. Something like that? Why that is just crazy talk!

Why do i have to rat with several buddies just to be sure i can survive this unknown afk cloaker in local who might aswell sit and masturbate to a porn movie.

So the question is, why should we be threatened to a cloaked afk guy who sits and masturbate to a porn movie (to take an example) ?

If there had been any ways to actually see if the cloaker is active or afk, it would be something else then.

Yup, if you are afk, you should in NO WAY be able to threaten anyone. That's the problem.

Oh also, i live in empire now. Just look at the alliance and corp i'm in. But that's not the point, the point is that i have been doing this cloaky stuffs my self and i know how much it affects those who are in local. I have both been afk and active while spying on others. So i know how this works.

You said this: The cause of your fear of the so called "AFK Cloaker" is 1) Your inability to be prepared 2) Your inability to be willing to deal with that cloaker should he land on you 3) Local

To that i will say that you have to be prepeared all the time if you know there is a cloaker or neutral in your system, even if the cloaker is afk. But the point is that even if you are prepeared, it wont help you because the second you are ready to react to that threat is the second the cloaker will uncloak and activate his cyno, witch means it's to late and it means there is nothing the prepeared player can do to stop it and to stop him from dying.

That's why it's an unfair advantage. The only little risk you have is the first seconds when you uncloaks and activates the cyno. But once you have jumped in your fleet, there is absolutely no risks at all for that cyno pilot as he will get remote reps or even survive as the others who jumped in managed to kill the target so fast.

See the problem?

The affected players here have either to be prepeared all the time no matter what, change system / region or simply just die. So why shouldn't they have a way to find you when you can find them so easily?

There is no risks at all for the afk cloakers while having HUUUUUUGE rewards in the longer run. You know this and you do everything to defend this as you use this tactic actively. That's why it needs to be a way to actually try and find those afk cloakers so they can get rid of that threat. Again, if the cloaker is active, it's all fine and he wont be found. But if he actually are afk while being in space, you should be able to find him and get him out of your systems.


Read my text over in the same post here.