Cloak Detection

posted on June 8th, 2007, 1:09 pm

Has anyone noticed that cloaking devices quickly become useless during gameplay (particularly in the unmodified Armada 2 but not limited to it) because the enemy simply "researches cloak detection"? We've all wondered what it would be like to infiltrate the enemy's base with cloaked warbirds, but this is rarely possible.  I realise that this would also remove some of the strategy which FO aims to restore, however what I am proposing is a two- or three-tier cloak and anti-cloak research system which allows both sides to technologically compete with each other, making the situation last longer and allowing for some strategy.

To illustrate, the Romulans have the basic cloak by default. The federation then research anti-cloak technnology level one. The romulans then research enhanced cloak, which affects all Romulan ships. The federation may then research (at a high price) a more sophisticated anti-cloak system. The Romulans may then research an advanced cloak, which may only affect selected vessels, but is undetectable. I think it would be reasonable to stop there but there are many different ways this could be done. For example, the Borg may have the ability to detect all cloaks from the very start. Any thoughts on this little idea would be appreciated.  ::)

posted on June 8th, 2007, 3:04 pm

i've said this before but here goes again: a cloaked vessel on green alert will not be detected by the detection grid, however that tachyon pulse (from FO) WILL force you to uncloak should you be caught in it.

posted on June 8th, 2007, 5:50 pm

Whether or not you can escape detection by being on green alert or not was not precisely my point, and doesn't negate the possibility of a tier system. I was proposing that new technologies could make things a bit more interesting. I particularly despise your "I've said this before and I'll say it again" tone; you're typical of people who only half read a post and then go into "I'm in charge" mode. This was my first genuine post on fleetops.net and my second in total, but you've been less than welcoming. Congratulations; you're a bastard. I won't be posting here again.

posted on June 8th, 2007, 6:05 pm

Well.. welcome to the forums by the way.
Somehow you're right: the resarch of the tachyon-detection-grid may be expensive but it may be also done quickly and cloaking is pretty useless after that. That every simple sensor array can detect cloaked vessels after that is not much better speaking from the view of a Klingon, Romulan or Breen.
What would be nice - instead of every sensor array being capable of detecting your cloaked fleets - was a refit for a single ship class which could do this. As the Nebula costs credits I would suggest her to be the one for the Federation. That would prevent players from spamming with cloak-detecting vessels.
I don't know if any other races worked with detection-grids in the series. Did they? If they did, it should not be a big problem to find a solution for them, too.
And you're right with the Borg. As they sooner or later always adapted to any cloaking technology in the series, they should not need to research anything in that way. Maybe the ability to detect cloaked vessels should simply come with some kind of enhanced sensors you can research.. or whatever you can improve concernig detection.
The fact that ships on green alert are not detected should not stop us from thinking about new options.

posted on June 11th, 2007, 8:46 am

Whether or not you can escape detection by being on green alert or not was not precisely my point, and doesn't negate the possibility of a tier system. I was proposing that new technologies could make things a bit more interesting. I particularly despise your "I've said this before and I'll say it again" tone; you're typical of people who only half read a post and then go into "I'm in charge" mode.

just read your avatar text and calm your beard. you just read what you thought you were reading: At no time did i Dismiss your idea of a cloak tier, i simply responded to your petty complaint of the "cloak being pretty useless after that". its not useless if you know how to use it to its fullest extent.

I dont know if any other races worked with detection-grids in the series

Apparently the Dominion did during the War.

This was my first genuine post on fleetops.net and my second in total, but you've been less than welcoming. Congratulations; you're a bastard. I won't be posting here again.

Well i am sorry i didnt roll out the red carpet, but calling someone a bastard over my reply aint gonna give you no browny points, nothing i wrote was offensive, and if you dont post again i cant say im gonna go into a corner a cry about it, maybe you should just grow a backbone.

posted on July 10th, 2007, 11:36 pm

I just "discovered" this old thread FleetOps people. Is it common for new members to be treated like this? Should I be worried? 

posted on July 11th, 2007, 5:41 am

Nope
But sometimes we are rely busy with developing and miss a topic we feel sorry for every missed one cause they are usually good ideas

posted on July 13th, 2007, 9:26 am

I just "discovered" this old thread FleetOps people. Is it common for new members to be treated like this? Should I be worried? 

dude, treated like what? nothing i said was offensive in any way the only person who started being offensive was the new dude ( i even have a few very offensive pms from him revealing what kind of person he was).

posted on July 15th, 2007, 3:11 pm

Aah I see. No one's excusing the offensive pm's, since sin is sin afterall. However, it's not surprising if he flipped out, since he said it was his first post. I was a bit worried because I'm a new guy myself, and most new guys get a welcoming "welcome to the forums" style thing, whereas you turned the pie back onto his face so to speak. I suggest we let it go, and hope he comes back. We're all friends here 

And, nice to meet you CptRyan. You will be assimilated by the Doctor's knowledge soon enough 

posted on July 16th, 2007, 12:00 am

lol, this is no "old thread", Lazarus (may I call you "Laz"?), but anywho,

What we have here is somebody overreacting.  Yes, maybe Ryan was a bit harsh, and it sounds as if he expected our guest to have read our other oodles of very similar cloak topics, but our dear guest Sunbeam took what he said WAY too hard, and calling Ryan a bastard was WAY out of line. 

He hasn't know him long enough to call him that yet.
(note, that was a joke)

And Laz, never in my memory has a guest ever been chased off the forums.  Granted, it might have happened, but I've been around long enough to know that that's just not the way things work around here.

And our dear Captain Sunbeam, I apologize (even though it's not my place) for Ryan coming down a bit to hard on you, and you are welcome to come back.  Just don't jump to the conclusion that everybody hates you, because we most surely don't.

posted on July 16th, 2007, 12:26 am

Indeed you may call me "Laz". The Doctor has no objections 

posted on July 16th, 2007, 2:41 am

Indeed you may call me "Laz". The Doctor has no objections 

Awesome.

dude, treated like what? nothing i said was offensive in any way the only person who started being offensive was the new dude ( i even have a few very offensive pms from him revealing what kind of person he was).

Wait, since when can guests use the pm system?! 

posted on July 16th, 2007, 6:13 am

dude, treated like what? nothing i said was offensive in any way the only person who started being offensive was the new dude ( i even have a few very offensive pms from him revealing what kind of person he was).

Wait, since when can guests use the pm system?! 

Sunbeam wasn't a guest back then. Seems like he signed off after that.

posted on July 16th, 2007, 9:02 am

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the multiple levels of cloak impossible?
Unless we get the source code and are able to make our own classlabels.
Then again the FO team has done way more with this game than I ever thought possible, so who knows.

posted on July 16th, 2007, 2:49 pm

You're right, if anyone could do it, the FO team could.

All things are possible. Moreover, the Doctor shall work them out, one by one, until mankind is one with the universe