f13.net

I was looking into the Covert Ops junk. Does anybody have a link to a good overview of how cloaking works? What does sensor decalibration time mean, exactly? Can enemy pilots force me to decloak? Is running a cloaking device on a non-Covert Ops ship always a bad idea, or does it have its uses?

ooo, I asked very similar questions in a diff thread, but it would make sense to answer them here. I will point to this in the other thread.

Enemy pilots can decloak you if they get within a certain range I believe, but it's a pretty close range and they'd have to have a decent idea of where you were to begin with.

I think that a covops ship running a prototype cloak is the only way to move/warp/jump while cloaked.  Try to think of times when it would be useful to be cloaked without the ability to move.  I can't think of many.

I believe the sensor decalibration stuff has to do with the length of time after decloak that you can take certain actions like targetting or firing.

I've never flown covops though, so all my info is filtered through conversations with a completely insane specialized covops pilot I know.

Yes, you can move around while cloaked. You cannot activate any other modules, target, or warp while cloaked.

The only exception is with covert ops ships with the covert ops cloaking device. These can warp while cloaked, but still cannot target or activate any modules

Covert Ops Cloaks (which can only be fitted on Covert Ops and Recon ships, but not Stealth Bombers or Force Recon) allow full speed while cloaked and warping while cloaked.  No modules can be activated while cloaked.  The lower grade cloaks limit your maximum speed (to 25% and 10%), but can be fit on anything.  Cloaks cause a *major* penalty to scan resolution (even when not active or offline) that make them almost useless for combat ships (other than Stealth Bomber and Force Recons, which don't take the penalty), as well as a targetting delay (that "sensor recalibration" period, you can't lock anything until it passes, Stealth Bombers don't take it, not sure about Force Recon).  There are some specialized circumstances where they can be useful (for example, when you're firing all FoF missles or smartbombs, and don't need a lock).  *Anything* comes within 2km, and it will break cloak, this include other ships, cargo containers, drones, or structures.

They can be very useful for picket boats (frigates with cheap cloaks that watch stations or gates) or blockade runners (industrials or transports with lots of Nano and Warp Core Stabilizers in the lows).  And Covert Ops/Recon ships are a powerful factor in just about every fleet op and raid op in 0.0.

--Dave (who just got the skills to fly a Helios)

I didn't see it mentioned here so I'll add the following

You cannot cloak while locked by someone else (you need to break the lock first)
IIRC there is a dealy between decloaking and re-cloaking

Also pretty sure the covert ops have to de-cloak to jump and can't recloak on the other side until they 'lose' the jump in cloak (so you either need to wait out the timer or start moving and then cloak really quickly

The problem with this is that, unless you are covert ops and able to move full speed it is possible for tacklers to make a bee line for your last known position and hopefully get within 2km of you to force a de-cloak because you are moving so slowly (made easier if you dont change course and the tackler managed to observe your course before you cloaked

Protip for warping away cloaked: Double click into the direction you need, then hit your F-key that activates the cloak, then proceed to warping via autopilot, insta or whatever.

is it just me or does CCP need a Prima Guide?

It'd be out of date as soon as the next patch hits. Such is the fate of all printed strategy guides for MMOs.

There is one, I own it, and it was out of date the minute the game went retail!

Total waste of money!

Yeah I bought a used copy when I started playing EVE. The guide sucks giant King Kong balls. It has a few ships, and a ton of systems listed where there might be pirates. Wheeee.

back to cloaks.

So, If I had a "fast ship" with a cloak I could smuggle stuff?  Hmm.  Take that SWG.

Now, if there was only a way to figure out of region prices I'd be set.  How do people do it?  N+1 accounts for 5 alts?

Speaking of smuggling, I have a couple of units of Plutonium received as tribute from some agents in the middle of high sec space.  Any reasonably safe way to get that stuff into low sec?

For regional prices, there are a bunch of places you can put an alt where they can cover 3 regions in 3-5 jumps.

From there it is just dedication to spreadsheets I think.

I've got an alt with the blackmarket skill (-10% chance per level of getting nabbed by customs, apparently the base chance is 90%!)

The problem with customs I've heard is that they dont play fair, getting scanned or not is a flat % chance so presumably even if you had a cloak, in the split seccond you de-cloak from jumping and engage your cloak (or de-cloak from warping to jump assuming you are covert ops - otherwise come out of warp and cloak then de-cloak to jump) customs could scan you.

If you just want to get from A to B with contraband alive (and dont care about fines or standing hits) just create a set of insta jump bookmarks, because apparently, the time you get to pay up and hand the goods over the swag (despite being ocassionally bugged and therefore very small) is long enough to jump if using instas!

I've also read a rumor that customs cant scan within a secure container so that _might_ be another way to move contraband, I havent tested this though so dont take my word for it!!!!!

Possibilities (**totally untested, attempt at your own risk!!**))

I've heard that your chance of being scanned is affected by your standing with the faction; i.e., higher your faction, less chance of scanning.  This could easily just be a bunch of message board BS though, and I'm not going to try it myself.

Courier packages:  Is a courier package scan-able by customs?  I should hope not, or it would be a hell of a griefing tool (well, more so than courier missions are already anyway).  Anyway, if it's scan-proof, you could escrow your smuggling :)

IIRC you can't put contraband on escrow