cloak generator and sensor array blocks

[cy414]

would it be possible to get cloak generator blocks with sensor array blocks as a counter?

not sure what the maths would be, but cloak generator blocks would provide a toggle cloak ability to give small-ish ships better hit& run ability against larger targets.

 

and sensor blocks would give a passive boost to 'highlight' range on sensors, revealing cloaked objects that get too close.

[Ohm is Futile]

Sounds good and fun in theory, how do you balance it in practice?

 

You already have to spend significant amounts of volume on generators, engines, thrusters, shields, etc. How do you balance cloak blocks so that they are both practical, but not overpowered in terms of volume/efficiency?

 

As for the little tidbit on sensors providing a boost to scan/map radar range, I think that's already planned.

[cy414]

You already have to spend significant amounts of volume on generators, engines, thrusters, shields, etc. How do you balance cloak blocks so that they are both practical, but not overpowered in terms of volume/efficiency?

my initial thought was to have them work similarly to the ifg blocks,

with the viable cloaking field(based on cumulative values) getting bigger with block size on diminishing returns, but he power drain being exponential by some number.

the field itself would be a gradient, strongest in the middle.

 

that way you dont get cloaked behemoths but smaller ships can play around with the strength of their cloak field(s) depending on the goal.

 

i guess it would also work better if detection ranges of objects was modified by the mass/volume of the object.

 

adjustments could be made to the diminishing returns of the field and exponential growth curves to balance them against each other.

 

hard to say though, because there will always be outlying/specialist ships to push the mechanics.

[Ohm is Futile]

My concern is actually that there isn't going to be a benefit to it unless it's quite volume/efficient, in which case it becomes hard to balance in the sense that "why wouldn't I install a cloak on my ship?"

 

If it's not very volume-efficient, then is it going to be viable? For fighting, what's stopping me from pointing my turrets at where the shots are coming from and wrecking you because you don't have as much shield/armor because you spent X amount of volume on cloaking. Even if I don't see you, I could shoot you, so what's the point anyway?

 

I can't figure out a whole lot of other reasons why you'd wanna cloak and how it would make the game more interesting. Perhaps with a high alpha/range weapon setup and a highly mobile ship you could uncloak, volley a ship, cloak and move to a new position to fire again and thus avoid return fire against ships with low range/sensor power. It's about the only possibility I see.

[cy414]

but then you need them to be firing constantly to do that.

also, my idea isnt that this would be an 'always on' system.

 

there is also the issue that people design big ships with almost all their guns pointing one direction. with a cloaked ship, it would be a lot easier to get into these blind spots to fire a few salvos.

 

though to be clear, this isnt to let small ships dominate big ships in 1v1, just to give the smaller ship tactical options to avoid being completely stomped.

 

and like you say about the systems volume efficiency, the interplay between the deminishing returns on field strength vs exponential power increase is the system to make it so, since a smaller ship would already find the system very efficient(depending on base stats) but much less so for extremely small or very large ships.

 

you might be able to squeeze a cloak into a small ≤3 slot naonite mining ship just to keep it hidden at distance, or you might be able to cloak a 6or7 slot destroyer/cruiser wing just long enough to get an ambush set up.

 

whatever way it'd go, it would be another option for players and npc's to use.

could even have a rare faction trait where one faction is very cloak heavy in ship deployment providing veriety of opponants.