Marcus Gideon
Gallente
Excessive Force
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Posted - 2009.01.27 17:08:00 -
[1]
Point being... most of these replies have little backing as to why Cloaks should be left totally immune.
Posts simply state "Yeah, well... you must suck at life. L2P Noob" or similar statements.
And while attacking your opponent, rather than the topic at hand, works for political debates... I think it's a wee bit immature.
Cloaks, by themselves, are not "overpowered". Only a select few ships can perform in any regard while cloaked. And while any ship could fit a Cloak, they will be hindered in their performance significantly for doing so.
Spies, by themselves, are a legitimate tactical advantage. They are sent behind enemy lines, to relay information back to higher headquarters.
AFK players, by themselves, are wasting game resources. There is not a single function in the game that requires your character's presence, but not the player's interaction. Almost every other MMO has seen fit to limit how long a player can "exist" without actually playing the game. Eve has not come to this realization yet.
Most, and I say most, of the "Anti-Cloak" ideas that abound are not meant to "nerf cloaks". They are simply meant to provide further challenge and adventure to the game. While some may cry "I want a POS module that negates all cloaks in my system!!1!" they're (hopefully) in the minority.
I personally would like to see a means of "hunting" for cloaks. Not to say that I know precisely where you are at all times. Only that I be given the chance to find you. If you're AFK, then you're screwed. If you're alert, then it'll be an interesting game of Cat and Mouse.
"Fixing" cloaks could be achieved relatively simply, in the eyes of those who care. And none of the fixes would have any impact on the operation or usage of a Cloak itself.
1) Change Local into a "Recent Speakers" channel. Then you need never know there's an unfamiliar face in your system. This would nullify the paranoia that Pirates seem to suffer from whenever a cloaked CovOps is hiding in a distant corner of their system.
2) Implement an AFK Timer. If you have been completely unresponsive for a length of time, then you are disconnected from the server. This time is negotiable, though I think anything more than 1-3 hours is pushing it. And so long as you are chatting, using the Market, interacting with Contracts... basically anything that show you are not "Away From Keyboard", then you're fine. If you're cloaked, spying on the gathering fleet, and occasionally relaying info in Corp chat, you're good. If you parked somewhere deep and dark, and left your PC on all day while you're at work... you're booted.
3) Create a fitted module that allows for a "sonar ping" style of searching for Cloaks. It would only cover your current grid, so you can't search the entire system. And it would only display distance, meaning you have to move and rescan until you get close enough to bump them. And... if the pilot is alert, they can easily move about to avoid capture. AFKs on the other hand...
4) In wondering how to locate someone NOT on grid... it becomes controversial. Cloaks use a lot of Grav tech in their construction and usage. If a Grav probe could get you onto their grid, then you could use the module (#3) to find them. However, most will argue that Cloaks are the counter to Probes, and allowing Probes to find them is self-defeating. As I said, controversial.
HereÆs just a couple if ideas, none of which have anything to do with ôMake the Cloak weaker byàö No overheating, no resetting, and no guaranteed "iWin" buttons.
All theyÆd add is new tactics, new strategies, and new tricks for old dogs. |