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A Fed Faction Ship Scanner

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited March 2010 in PvP Gameplay
Through the TV shows and movies the Fed have been able to detect the emissions from a cloak yet they could never pinpoint the cloaked ships exact location. Which got me thinking last night why can all Fed ships have a unique scanner?

Hopefully I can clearly explain what I am suggesting. The Klingon faction has its own unique ship ability – the cloak. The Federation faction has nothing in their ships that sets them apart.

Every Science officer has the ability of a sensor scan. You could take the Science officer scan ability and make it standard on all Fed ships with a max range of 15km without any of the extra debuffs attached to the ability – pure cloak detection for only for 20 seconds with a recharge time of 50 seconds and would only reveal cloaked enemies to the ship who used the scanner.

Science officers and ships (for all factions) would get 2 new scanning abilities “Neo Sensor Scanner” would have all the abilities that the old sensor scanner had – it would be limited to a 10km range and reveal all cloaked ships to all the players on the same side for 15 seconds with a recharge time of 2 minutes.

The second scanning ability would be limited to the science ship class. The ship would be able to launch 6 sensor probes (fore, aft, left, right, up, down) out to a range of 20km from the ship. The probes would ‘plant’ themselves in space and broadcast the cloaked ships on the map/mini-map for the duration of the match. The probes would only locate not reveal ships on the map up to a 10km range from the probe itself. The 2 main drawbacks would be the probes could be targeted so they could be destroyed and the recharge time for the skill would be 10 minutes.

My goal with the Fed sensor is not to nerf the cloak just give the Fed some sort of early detection of it which I think would help in PVP, but I'm not too sure if this post belongs here. Still, I Hope we can constructively discuss the potential flaws of my idea or expand on the Idea itself.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Keep in mind that the BoP for example has less shields/hull than same tear federation escort and thats the price it pays for being able to combat cloak and other Klink ships can stealth only out of combat. So my question to you is what are Fed players willing to give up for this new "scanner" ability to see stealthed ships?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    15k is way too much range for the scan, with your listed cooldown a two fed science ships can keep 15k space around them 40/50 seconds clear of the cloaked ship. In a sense you are suggesting the complete nerf of the cloak.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    My biggest issue is that it appears people think klink ships can cloak on demand. MOST klink ships can only cloak out of combat. hence, a klink ship in cloak is doing what?

    The situation is to what; try to stop the ambush?

    every star trek show i have ever seen. feds were suprised by "Bird of Prey decloaking off starboard bow"

    lets see, should we resort to the distortion of the stars to detect klinks?


    Also (and i just learned this), for the most part I use to run with max weapons. I now nerf my weapon dmg and apply more power to aux. i can see a lot more cloaked klinks. Most klinks run with max power to weapons even making it easier to detect them. Nothing better than to torp a cloaked klink.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Watching some mines following a cloaked BOP last night made me think: what about a "seeker probe"?

    You launch it. If there is any cloaked ship within 25km, this seeker will head for it at a moderate speed (say, similar to a cruiser at 25 engine power and full throttle -- easy to outrun but not too shabby). If there's no cloaker within range, it will not launch or consume a timer.

    Once you've launched it and seen which way it's headed you can jet in front of it and try to catch the cloaker, but it's no sure thing.

    It will, however, make it really tough to just cloak and go AFK. They'll find you eventually.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Bostish wrote:
    The situation is to what; try to stop the ambush?

    Yes, to anticipate the point of attack maybe even work as a team to avoid/minimize the initial attack or work together to scan down the Klingons before they even have a chance to attack. That is the point of the 15km range.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    The_Stig wrote: »
    15k is way too much range for the scan, with your listed cooldown a two fed science ships can keep 15k space around them 40/50 seconds clear of the cloaked ship. In a sense you are suggesting the complete nerf of the cloak.

    Let me clarify the 15km range would only apply to escorts and cruisers – these captain would only see what their ship scanner show them; they would have to relay that information to the rest of the team.
    Really, two ships couldn’t keep 15km of separation and offer real support to each other – the range of heals (some limited to 5km) and weapons is limited to 10km from a teammate or a target.

    The current cool down on a sensor scan is 90 seconds – 50 seconds maybe too extreme for some, but maybe 70 seconds would be better.

    Science ship would have the reveal all within the 10km area and the debuff with the 2 minute cool down.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Radom101 wrote: »
    Keep in mind that the BoP for example has less shields/hull than same tear federation escort and thats the price it pays for being able to combat cloak and other Klink ships can stealth only out of combat. So my question to you is what are Fed players willing to give up for this new "scanner" ability to see stealthed ships?

    When you have nothing unique or special it’s hard to give up anything. Base shield, scanners, engines, and weapon are essentially the same for everyone on both sides – personal skills, bo skills, power levels, and consoles augment them. But if you feel the Fed should give up something it would have to range from losing a weapons slot, a console slot(s), turn rate reduction, a hull reduction or an overall power reduction. I can predict now none of the five things I listed would go over too well on the Fed side.

    Everyone has to remember that both scanners and the cloak become null when the battle starts unless you’re in a BoP with a combat cloak, a Fed Science vessel with the scanner debuff or until the field of battle is cleared of one side then everyone can cloak and start scanning again.

    I am just proposing an idea to help level the playing field between the two factions – better early warning system for the Federation to combat the first strike of the Klingons. Maybe even turn the Feds into the hunters rather than the other way around.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Slamz wrote:
    Watching some mines following a cloaked BOP last night made me think: what about a "seeker probe"?

    You launch it. If there is any cloaked ship within 25km, this seeker will head for it at a moderate speed (say, similar to a cruiser at 25 engine power and full throttle -- easy to outrun but not too shabby). If there's no cloaker within range, it will not launch or consume a timer.

    Once you've launched it and seen which way it's headed you can jet in front of it and try to catch the cloaker, but it's no sure thing.

    It will, however, make it really tough to just cloak and go AFK. They'll find you eventually.

    It’s an interesting idea – it’s actually been done in the “Undiscovered Country,” but is voids the whole idea of cloaking in the first place. I would like to hear you ideas on the Fed scanner first and if you believe your cloak seeking probe is a good idea feel free start your own tread about it could be worth further discussion.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I suggested using probes a few weeks back on Tribble and did not get much feedback on it.

    The probe could just be an extension of the science scan or stand on its own.

    I have no problem with the feds having some ability to find us from time to time.

    I this would really make for an interesting cat and mouse game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Mike111 wrote:
    I suggested using probes a few weeks back on Tribble and did not get much feedback on it.

    The probe could just be an extension of the science scan or stand on its own.

    I have no problem with the feds having some ability to find us from time to time.

    I this would really make for an interesting cat and mouse game.
    I like this idea, but only if the cloaked faction cannot see the probe. Otherwise, it's a simple matter of seeing the slow probe coming, then Full Impulse away.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I think it would be better if it was moving faster than a high yield plasma shot, but slower than a photon torpedo. I also think they should be able to see it, and possibly get a warning (audio or otherwise) that it was incoming, but could do something to hide from it.

    For example, this probe thing sees bits of radiation or whatever are leaking out of the cloak, so maybe if the cloaked ship stopped, or dropped to a very low speed and allocated power to aux it would lower it's energy signature and send more power to the cloak to the point where the probe thingy would lose it completely.

    Personally I have no problem with the way the cloak works now. The only changes I'd make is I'd make it harder for a ship with lots of hull damage to cloak. When fighting a few ships with cloak it's annoying when you hammer the ship, and then an almost dead BoP just cloaks and runs off for a bit. I'd also kill (or darken quite a bit) the lights on the nacelles, and the impulse trails on Fed ships that have masked their energy signature.

    If anything I'd weaken science ships' ability to see through the cloak, and make it something any group of X many ships can do when together, regardless of class or tier. So more like a sensor net/triangulation thing, instead of a "science ships have better sensors" thing.
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