As hard as CCP works to make it so folks can't benefit from paying EVE away from the keyboard, [...]

As hard as CCP works to make it so folks can't benefit from paying EVE away from the keyboard, I would like to suggest (and yes, I am sure it's been suggested before) the decloaking pulse.

This module could be ship or POS based and would force the cloaked pilot to tap a button to remain cloaked. If they're AFK, it would expose their ship and prevent the AFK nature of their encampment. If a cloak pilot has to tap a button every few minutes or so to remain cloaked, it would force them to focus on that activity rather than just log an account in and change screens for the rest of the day.

Another idea might be an "AWACS" ship specialized for scanning/decloaking/intel.

Is CCP planning on addressing the AFK nature of camped cloaked ships?


-- Zen

The annoyance I've seen from people stems not from the fact they have a cloaked ship in system, but by the fact the player is playing tennis 30 km away, THAT level of AFK seems to annoy them.

I'm AFK a lot, but I'm in the room, or in the bathroom. I once had to really go pee while I was warp scrammed in mission, and while I did look around for convenient containers, I just went to the damn bathroom.

... if you put something in place that requires player "interaction" to stay cloaked, wont people just use some automated program to cause some "input noise" anyway?

As hard as CCP works to make it so folks can't benefit from paying EVE away from the keyboard, I would like to suggest (and yes, I am sure it's been suggested before) the decloaking pulse.

This module could be ship or POS based and would force the cloaked pilot to tap a button to remain cloaked. If they're AFK, it would expose their ship and prevent the AFK nature of their encampment. If a cloak pilot has to tap a button every few minutes or so to remain cloaked, it would force them to focus on that activity rather than just log an account in and change screens for the rest of the day.

Another idea might be an "AWACS" ship specialized for scanning/decloaking/intel.

Is CCP planning on addressing the AFK nature of camped cloaked ships?


-- Zen

Remove local, then AFK cloaking becomes pointless, one might as well log out at that point.

AFK cloaking "defeated" - problem solved.

Is CCP planning on addressing the AFK nature of camped cloaked ships?

• Local Chat is a flawed intel asset. It only states the names of the people currently in the system.
• AFK Cloaking is a psychological tool used to force people to dock or log off.

1) Solutions have included removing them from the Local Chat list, which actually makes cloak ganking become a much more viable tactic.
2) Cloaking requiring a pilot to interact with the game to maintain their cloak, which leads to some sort of macro system being used violating the EULA.
3) Making cloaked ships able to be scanned down, which defeats the purpose of the cloaking module, or does it?

Making cloaked ships able to be scanned down (with considerable consideration to the difficulty that should be imposed upon this new ability) seems like the best solution in my estimation.

• Local Chat is a flawed intel asset. It only states the names of the people currently in the system.
• AFK Cloaking is a psychological tool used to force people to dock or log off.

1) Solutions have included removing them from the Local Chat list, which actually makes cloak ganking become a much more viable tactic.
2) Cloaking requiring a pilot to interact with the game to maintain their cloak, which leads to some sort of macro system being used violating the EULA.
3) Making cloaked ships able to be scanned down, which defeats the purpose of the cloaking module, or does it?

Making cloaked ships able to be scanned down (with considerable consideration to the difficulty that should be imposed upon this new ability) seems like the best solution in my estimation.

I would imagine that when the cloaker is cloak and remove from local, they also cannot see local. To get the Intel they want / need it will take lots of warping around and looking.

AFK Cloaking is a psychological tool used to force people to dock or log off.

1. why shouldnt cloaked ganking be a viable tactic?

I would like to put this out there in this discussion that I have arrived at the conclusion that there is no such thing in relative terms as an AFK cloaker. There is no way of knowing if anyone is behind the controls of a cloaked vessel or not so we must assume that the player is there and attentive at all times.

Now that we have removed the AFK aspect from the equation the only problem here is how do we cope with a cloaked vessel in a system?

The whole point of having a cloak on a vessel is to avoid detection so as to provide the pilot with the ability to gather intel in a hostile environment. Another option for that pilot having gathered intel is the ability to open a covert cynosural field to allow more hostile's into the system.

The only counter if you can call it that is constant vigilance from the residents of that system. You can't even use a Cynosural system Jammer as they are ineffective against Covert cynosural fields.

My solution here is to add a Covert Cynosural system Jammer that can be run instead of the Cynosural system Jammer from a POS and uses the same fuel to run. Normal cyno's can still be used.

Now at the cost of the Fuel from the jammer the residents can remove the cloaker's ability to covertly bring fleet members into the system. They can still be brought into the system via a normal cyno. This still leaves the cloakers purpose intact whilst giving at a cost to the residents the ability if vigilant to see any attack coming.

The only valid change to "AFK cloaking" must involve the reason it exists

The reason it exists is because it's a tactic with 0 risk to the cloaked person and a very real-ázero risk to the industrial inhabitants of that system.

The reason it exists is because it's a tactic with 0 risk to the cloaked person and a very real risk to the industrial inhabitants of that system.

The risk being a Covert cynosural field opening and a hostile fleet entering the system with no possible means of a warning.