Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Not entirely true.

Let us consider your point, from the viewpoint of both sides you mentioned.

Cloaking should be effectively a contest of skills. The detection abilities of the target versus the cloaking abilities of the hunter.

From the potential targets of these cloaked vessels: Now, if they only trained the bare minimum in their sensor related skills, they would be half blind already. A properly skilled cloaking pilot could easily get on grid with them regardless of whether they active scanned or not, simply because they made too little effort preparing these skills.
On the other hand, if they trained their sensory skills to the max, and the cloaking pilot only had theirs up to basic required levels, then the target would be aware of them long before they got near the target's grid.
Should the skills be relatively equal, then the ships and module's effects would determine the results. A sensor booster on a ship with good sensors can give you that edge if your skills are even. But the target pilot needs to plan ahead and make the effort and sacrifices required to have this gear.

The hunting ship, cloaked in this case: Your target can never see you using passive sensors alone. They need to take an action in order to have a chance spotting you. They need to active sensor scan.
If you have your skills at best possible levels, then the best they can do is match you on skills, and then it all comes down to hardware comparisons between the two ships.
If they do NOT have best possible skills, and you do, you have them cold. Pop your cyno, line up the bomber for the run, whatever it is you begin your attack with. You made more effort than they did, and here is the payoff.
If you went off joyriding in a ship you barely had the skills to fly, anyone active scanning has a good chance spotting you. You are an amateur in this case, and the results will follow.

That is the basic concept. I do agree all data would have to be up linked to a 'Command Sensor Type Ship' Although This method would never allow for exact Pinpointing of Enemy(s) ships. IT how ever would get you close enough to drop probes and scan them down in 1~3 sweeps of probes.

IE
Command sensor ship (Cloaky?!? maybe.)
Scout ships x4 with active Sensors + Uplinks
Covert ops Scan Frig

Would get you with in 1~2 AU of your target if your scouts are good and know what they are doing.
Scan ship drops Probes and scans down target for warp in point.


Slow Method
Command Sensor Ship (Cloaky)
10 Stealth bombers with Passive Sensors + Uplink
1 Covert Ops Scan frig

Bomber pack Warps to Celestial at random ranges, and waits for enemy to start Actively Scanning..
Bombers that cannot "See active Scan pings" move into range at different bodies and different ranges (Think of them as probes need to triangulate)
All information is sent to Command Sensor ship
Bombers move around tell they get best available data.
This can be slow, cause it depends how active the target ship is active on its pings.
Command ship can get within 3-8 AU Depending on number of 'Passive' Scouts it has.
Drop probes have fun.

Whoa... I sense a role for Black Ops ships here...

Intel and front line combat have never been aspects that mixed well, and it is a given the BLOPS is not a front line ship.

Add this intel coordinator function to it, and you just created the full package!

BLOPS bridges over it's intel fleet, and sets up surveillance. Quietly they map out locations for the regular fleet, and set up watching posts.

Total spy novel feel to it!

Bumping for Overview enhancing potential

My best guess, local was never meant to be used for this.

It just happened, and by the time they realized it was being used more for intel than anything else it was too late to change it without causing issues.
A lot of players hate any change, even if it makes sense and is eventually seen by most as a good thing.

Sounds cool. +1

Sounds to me like a nerf to cloaking. The rest of the idea is alright as long as it leaves cloaking alone.

Maxxed out skill points and fitted ships will always take a backseat to actual pilot skills.

The cloaking ship will know who is looking for it. At that point, it becomes a choice as to whether they try to engage. A ship specifically fitted to hunt cloaked vessels is most practical to be avoided, and will be active scanning persistently.

Broadcasting active sensor scans lights up your ship, which is exactly why cloaked vessels would rely on passive or probes. The invisible object holding a searchlight is not covert so much as confused.

A predatory cloaked ship doesn't necessarily hunt the most difficult target, either. There are plenty of targets less challenging who are not going to active scan for fear of attracting attention.

Yeah, ok, you make some fair points. Because you can't actually find a cloaked vessel, only tell it's there, it's basically an equivalent, albeit not as powerful, intel tool to Local.

It would change wormholes though. I can see some people would say it would "ruin" wormholes but I wouldn't agree with that. It would mean you couldn't go into a WH in a cov ops cloaked tengu and be basically immune from detection. You couldn't be hunted down but someone could potentially know you're there.

For a Pilot to find a Cloaked Pilot with these methods, they Would have to be using ACTIVE scanners, with fleet support, (So many damn ships) Trying to find the cloaky.

This means ALLL those ships gives away position trying to find the cloakly pilot, And the Cloaky pilot would be able to see them like the blazing sun with all the ACTIVE pings being through out there. So there fore they would be able to gtfo before even being found.

Cloakies still win as long as they are not afk.