Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Why not just make some sov upgrade allowing to install on pos system wide de cloaking pulse.

Sov cost for this upgrade 10- 20b per month, or better 10x - 20x median price of a plex in previous month.
Cost of activation of this pulse : some planetary materials and 20min spin up timer and 20 min cold down.
Can be only onlined outside pos shields, will consume all CPU on caldari large tower , and on lining will take 4hours, so not so easy to unchanor and hide inside of the shields.

Situation solved - player will have the possibility to get rid of true afk cloackers while isk cost threshold will block the abuse of this system.

I might of missed the answer to this but how does the fact I show up in local while under gate cloak work. Even when someone activates a cloaking device I would of still known they are in system and react accordingly (dock up and watch my own cloaked ships on the gates to see when they leave, also add them to watch list to make it so that if they log in system I will also know)

This is thread #319742 on "CCP please remove the scary AFK cloaky ship from my system because I can't mine" thread.

I will admit that the OP came up with a plan to remove said scary AFK cloaky ship so it's not the usual rant because the poster got killed...

I don't live in nullsec so none of this will affect me but AFK cloaking can be annoying... How about simply just have a timer after certain amount of time the player doesn't click any buttons or do anything the game logs off. Most MMO's do this just to reduce load on the server.

I represent the 'scary' cloaking guy, as well as the miner / PvE player here.

I do NOT want CCP to remove the cloaked ship.

I want the cloaked ship to have a good reason to visit hostile space, and hunt down targets for a straight up fight.
I want the mining / ratting / whatever player to want this encounter just as much, so the monotony of ISK farming has a nice combat interlude.

I feel games work best, especially MMOs, when we play together.
Not avoid each other because everyone fears an overwhelming force from the opponent.

I feel it is possible to arrange such encounters, the same way avoiding them has been arranged.
I think this is a good idea, because I do not think avoiding encounters in a game was ever truly intended.

That's my point, the AFK ship is no threat and can therefore safely also be under no threat. Hunting mods would give players the option to at least have a reasonable guess at someone being AFK whilst monitoring for activity that would suggest otherwise. I also like the idea that this would probably cause more paranoia about whether a player is truly AFK or just sat cold in that sig you reeeeeally want to run through...

This underlined part.

This OP exists specifically under the condition that it be balanced, by means not specified in this thread.
It is pointed out that the OP is not balanced on it's own, as currently someone can simply see the pilot's name in local, and know to scan them down.

The cloaked pilot is trading their invulnerability, in exchange for a chance that they may encounter players who are not making the effort needed to be warned about them.

Noone get's a free ride, and the cloaked pilot is definitely gambling.
On the defensive side, the PvE pilots are most likely betting their efforts to scan or otherwise detect hostile ships doesn't leave any gaps, assuming they are making the effort to protect themselves.

In both cases, whichever players make the best efforts, would have the advantage.

I feel this need for efforts on both sides is missing, in the context that a game is played and resolved using them.

All i see is you killing the reason cloaked vessels exist in the first place.

Vague.

Cloaked vessels exist as a path for PvP, involving more subtlety than brute force.
Done right, it opens up many options for play, and these opportunities are capable of enriching the experience for everyone.

Done wrong, it either kills resolution with stalemates, or shifts balance so one side becomes an absolute success or failure whenever contested.

Cloaking does not exist for any single type of play, any more than spaceships exist for such a specific end.

Ok, allow me to try and clarify here.

Circumstance A:
If you are in non sovereign space, then you are like everyone else. You are either avoiding contact to a degree, or preparing a defense against it, on the chance you may need it.

If you have a cloak active, under my system, you are unlikely to be hunted without motivation. Even with the hunting module I described, when cloaked you are a less convenient target than the guy with the shield extenders.

Circumstance B:
If you are in hostile sov null space, the balance point would be that in exchange for additional possible risk, you would have little interest in any AFK activities because you would be able to interfere more actively with targets.
They don't know you are there at all, until one side or the other takes an action to expose you.

The idea in circumstance B, is that whoever makes the better effort, gets the better result. And it can be determined inside a more practical time-frame than is associated with typical AFK tactics.

What is the expected cost?
Circumstance A, nothing significant. Gate camps won't have more chances against those passing through with this, either.

For the Circumstance B players in sov null space:
The cloaked hostile: AFK play drops from the table, as PvE players interested in clearing threats are now capable of doing so against unmanned targets.

The PvE player: Not knowing if you are alone, as one moment after your last sensor check something could have entered. Only your own vigilance protects you, but you can also coordinate with others, and create a network far more secure as a group. Security is more than simply the sum of individual efforts, when properly organized.

What is the return on effort?
Circumstance A, cloaking often lacks significance, unless the hostile is known to the target. With friends and alts, this is often bypassed already, so no real change.

Circumstance B: While in some ways more challenging, the opportunity to catch targets at all in many cases has greatly improved odds.
The total impact associated with AFK cloaking does not vanish, but is transformed by more effort.
Rather than terrorize a single system for 24 hours, you could lock down 12 systems for 2 hours.
Jumping around each system, the defenders unclear which system you can be found in at any single moment, you could avoid all contact while having the locals in hysterics over your uncertain location.

I only read the first page but i am a fan of the destroyer "Space Sonar" module, perhaps it could even go to a second specialized destroyer class ( sort of how most other ship classes except battlecruisers have multiple T2 variants ).

Also death to local chat if you dont talk in null sec would certainly make things that much more entertaining and break some of the stagnation off.