Cloaking: The cans and cant's

Post by **fabyak** » November 9th, 2005, 14:08

As I know a few of you are training for cloaking devices and covert ops ships, I thought it would be a good thing to pass on what i've learnt so far from my Stealthing (that they dont make obvious)

you can:
Cloak while targetting things
Fit a none covert ops cloak to pretty much anything
Only fit a covert ops cloak to a stealth ship once you have Lvl 3 Covert Ships (and this is the only device which allows you to warp cloaked)

you can't:
Cloak while being targetted
Target things while cloaked
fire while cloaked (that im aware of)
Use AB's or MWD's while cloaked
Dock or make gate jumps while cloaked (although you can get within range, decloak and then do your thing)
Uncloak and then recloak instantly (the thing needs several seconds to recalibrate)
Activate your cloak within 2000m of anything! (station, ship, probe, asteroid...)
[edit]Cloak immediately after jumping through a gate (when you are automatically cloaked), you have to move first, but as soon as your speed goes above 0.0m/s, then you can do it and you will only flash into view for a fraction of a second, not enough for someone to lock you
[edit]Lock someone the instant you decloak (unless you're in a covert ops ship with covert cloak) and even then its a few seconds before you can

Also your cloak will deactivate if you pass within (I think its 2km but it may be more) of anything

Hope this helps! (if I think of any more ill add them)

Post by **Grimmie** » November 9th, 2005, 14:25

Cloaking will also not save you from bumming.

Hehulk · Post by **Hehulk** » November 9th, 2005, 15:24

Also, when RMR (red moon rising) get here it's going to remove all the timers on cloaking devices, so you can target instantly and stuff.

Post by **FatherJack** » November 10th, 2005, 12:58

I would like to get in a Spec Ops one day, although I'm at least 2 months away just on the training front, never mind the money.

How do cloaked ships appear to others? The same as you see on your ship when the autocloak is active, or completely invisible? Can people target you by clicking on you when like this, even if you don't show on the "objects" list?

Post by **fabyak** » November 10th, 2005, 13:56

You dont show up at all.
I know this for a fact as I just used my covert ops to save my arse in the 0.0 system. I warped into a belt and there was someone there, cue instant cloak (as soon as my warp engine switched off). I then sat there for a few minutes and saw him and another guy come through the belt a couple of times clearly looking for me.

add this to the list of Cans:

SAVE YOUR ARSE (as long as you react fast enough)

If you have a Microsoft mouse I recommend getting Intelipoint version 4 (its actually buried in the Intelipoint 5 CD) which allows you to program the mouse clicks to perform various functions. I have my right shoulder button programed to be F4, which is where I always put my cloaking. I recommend this as its saved me many many times.

Post by **FatherJack** » April 25th, 2006, 18:19

/fires Thread Ressurrect Missile

Almost there, I've trained up to be able to fly Covert Ops, trained Cruise Missiles and Cloaking. I've bought a Hound (and probably rather prematurely, insured it)

As you say, I need to get the Covert Ops skill up to 3, but then what should I fit? There doesn't seem to be much on the market, saw Improved Cloak for about 9m and a Tech II Cloak for around 22m. Is the Tech II one what you mean when you say "Covert Ops cloak"?

I grabbed the BattleCruisers skill in the meantime (about 2 hours to train) to perhaps knock about in and earn a bit more cash in lower sec to fund my rather expensive ambitions.

Still, I'm getting there steadily - even being where I am now I'd thought impossible back in November - and I'm strangely proud of having done it the hard way. Also I am using the correct name at last.

Wiggy · Post by **Wiggy** » April 25th, 2006, 20:18

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II is the one you're after. And if you know where to get them for 22mil I would VERY much like to know.

Hehulk · Post by **Hehulk** » April 25th, 2006, 20:30

That's because the hard way is very very satisfying, Just ask friz.

Woo for having a hound, amazing little support ships in frig gangs, I love em, even if I can't fly the things.

friznit · Post by **friznit** » April 25th, 2006, 20:44

I do everything the hard way.

*bums HARD*

oh and woo! Another stealth boat. You dark horse, you.

Post by **fabyak** » April 26th, 2006, 7:27

blimey! I'd forgotten about this post!
Like Wiggy says, if you've found Covert Ops Cloak II's for 22m, TELL ME TOO!

Congrats on making it (nearly), keep going, they are all of teh coolest toy in teh world!

Post by **FatherJack** » April 26th, 2006, 9:40

It was just tech II, not Covert Ops, they're around 40m

Post by **fabyak** » April 26th, 2006, 12:45

arse, ill get back to my saving then!

Post by **FatherJack** » May 22nd, 2006, 3:12

I have enough for a Prototype Cloak I (10m), but the Cov Ops cloaks seem to have shot up to 50m.

My Hound is kicking more arse than I ever imagined, as I can hit the rats with cruises at 50k and stay safe. However I'd like to put *something* in the other three slots, but is the cloak I can afford really worth it?

Post by **fabyak** » May 22nd, 2006, 9:21

To be honest, the none-covert ops cloaks are not really worth it unless you're going to be using it a lot when coming out of warp/ after gate jumps etc as you can't activate it when something has a lock on you so you cant vanish when you're getting low on shield/ armour/ hull/ cap...
*has tried and died attempting this!*

bomberesque · Post by **bomberesque** » May 22nd, 2006, 15:07

I have a cloak fitted hauler, but narf I have's activated the cloak in months, except as a precaution at safe spots. The problem with using them at warp in points is anyone warping in behind you will likely land <2km away and your cloak will drop. Cue pwnage

Also, iirc, I paid 3M for my cloak 1 so 10M I assume means a major increase in use / demand since I got mine.

Post by **FatherJack** » May 22nd, 2006, 15:47

fabyak wrote:To be honest, the none-covert ops cloaks are not really worth it unless you're going to be using it a lot when coming out of warp/ after gate jumps etc as you can't activate it when something has a lock on you so you cant vanish when you're getting low on shield/ armour/ hull/ cap...
*has tried and died attempting this!*

Can you do that with the Covert Ops one? I know it's the only one that lets you warp cloaked, but didn't know what else it had.

I'll save up some more I guess and try to resist the temptation to buy a BC at 20m - since the ship's designed to fit that cloak, it only makes sense to get it.

Post by **fabyak** » May 22nd, 2006, 16:37

FatherJack wrote:
fabyak wrote:To be honest, the none-covert ops cloaks are not really worth it unless you're going to be using it a lot when coming out of warp/ after gate jumps etc as you can't activate it when something has a lock on you so you cant vanish when you're getting low on shield/ armour/ hull/ cap...
*has tried and died attempting this!*
Can you do that with the Covert Ops one? I know it's the only one that lets you warp cloaked, but didn't know what else it had.

Nope, but the warping cloaked is worth the isk alone if scouting

centerededgedesign · Post by **centerededgedesign** » April 18th, 2008, 10:42

Can anyone tell me if there have been nerfs to cloaking since this post was last resurrected? Found cloaking among my skills last night, and thinking of training it up so I can scout POS spots w/out worrying about dying!

friznit · Post by **friznit** » April 18th, 2008, 17:08

The essentials of cloaking havn't changed, although there have been some refinements.

You can't warp while cloaked unless you have a covert ops cloak on a covert ops frigate or a horse recon cruiser (not the combat recon cruisers though).

Normal cloaks (includes both T1 and T2 improved cloaks) nerf your locking speed considerably and impose a delay on locking anything after decloacking. Fitting a cloak on a combat ship is therefore bad.

You can move whilst cloaked, but very very slowly.

Major change is that battlefield debris (cans, wrecks and frozen corpses) no longer decloak you, so you don't need to be quite so paranoid. Anything else within 2000m will decloak you however.