Cloak Thread

[Jester-]

This may sound a little dramatic, but I believe cloak is a big thing killing SMR.

With that said I think an easy fix could regulate it back to sane proportions. Back in SM the jump drive was grossly stronger than any other ship/equipment alive. Why you may ask? Two reasons, both of which nerfed the JD beyond recognition. The first was making it inaccurate between inter-galactic jumps and limiting to one galaxy. The second was making it so you could not jump with mines in sector.

My suggestion is to make it so cloaks cannot recloak with enemy mines in sector. This way they can't casually sit on enemy warps 24/7 and pick off traders and newbies with hardly any threat to their own vessels. This would also make moving around traders and enemies a little more difficult. I think this could vastly change the dynamic of the DC and help bring the cloaks usefulness back to normal proportions. It's not a huge nerf, but one that is necessary. As Hugh stated to me, why can you cloak in mines, but not jump out of them?

[Kard]

This is a great idea. If the JD gets nerfed, the cloak needs nerfing. Right now, the DC is just to nasty. Its a do everything ship. Amzing TPH, 5 HP, tons of mines, extra defense and attack with CD's, plus a cloak. If you are a miner, you use a DC. If you are a hunter, use a DC. Oper, use a DC for most of the round until ports and planets get big. Ambush people with friends, use a DC. Why fly anything else lol. I use to love flying the FW. My fav ship. But now with JD sucking, and DC being a do everything ship, why bother with any other ship unless A) you are trading or B) you are busting a lvl 70 rock. Let me run my FW again, PLEASE.

Still, I would much rather improve the JD then nerf the cloak. But doing both would be even better. Not being able to cloak if Mines are IS would balance the cloak perfectly.

[N.ator]

i like it.


also


make it so after you 1.(hit a mine) or 2.(attacked, or were attacked at) , When you loose your cloak, you have to wait 15/20/30 seconds befor eyou can recloak.

this will make it so the people with cloaks would have to run and hide after being attacked if they want to re cloak and then come back to fight. It would make them use more of there turns.

[Prime Factor]

It's a good idea.

An alternative might be cloak damage? When one is decloaked, the cloak remains off ("damaged") for a predetermined number of turns?

Either way, there's no point in the decloaking code if the cloak can just be switched right back on again.

[N.ator]

yeah and or make it so it cost turns to turn cloak back on.

[Jester-]

Lets just try one change at a time. No other hardware costs turns to use (unless you're moving like a jump drive). It costs no turns to scan, use your drone scrambler or turn on your illusion. Also the time delay would be to much disability right now. We want to even the cloak out, not destroy it. One change at a time would be wise .

[Shtoopid]

I like your idea Jester but the only problem is that for the last several occasions where I have seen a vessal cloaked on a warp they have just been singling, no attempt to attack or move. Just forcing people to waste turns and time with no risk to themselves. I dont know if perhaps you did not wish to prevent that as well, but I thought it seemed to fall in line with your main complaint. Not sure how to adjust cloak rules to prevent that tho.



Edited to insert "they"

[Bonker]

i used to like the drop a mine loose green sector idea that was fun for pewpewing cloaks

[Jester-]

I like your idea Jester but the only problem is that for the last several occasions where I have seen a vessal cloaked on a warp they have just been singling, no attempt to attack or move. Just forcing people to waste turns and time with no risk to themselves. I dont know if perhaps you did not wish to prevent that as well, but I thought it seemed to fall in line with your main complaint. Not sure how to adjust cloak rules to prevent that tho.



Edited to insert "they"

The dropping singles part i don't mind. But when you have trapped in mines while they do it, they kill a low person, then re-cloak to do it again w/o ever moving in mines. This is when I have a problem.

[Siege]

I like Jesters suggestion, it's subtle but balancing, some of the suggestions following would just make the cloak useless.