EVE University Forum

[edit - January 8, 2012] Title change [/edit]

Seamus Donohue's Random Tip of the Day: Know your cloaking devices!

Cloaking devices are high-slot modules that, when activated, make your ship invisible. You don't appear on the overview, you don't appear on the Directional Scanner, and you don't appear on probe scans. However, not all cloaking devices are the same, so it's important to know the differences.

Not counting variations, there are only three kinds of cloaking devices:
Prototype Cloaking Device I
Improved Cloaking Device II
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

The Prototype and Improved versions, when active, both cripple your sublight velocity: the Prototype by 90%, and the Improved by 75%. So, the moment you turn on that cloaking device, you are essentially webifying yourself to 1/10 or 1/4 speed. Additionally, you cannot warp while cloaked, so if you want to go to warp, you have to drop the cloak. Also, the Prototype and Improved cloaking devices reduce your scan resolution just from being fit to your ship. So, if you have a cloaking device attached to your ship, you will targetlock things more slowly.

The Covert Ops Cloaking Device II (also known as a "covops cloak") doesn't have the velocity or scan resolution disadvantages, and you can warp while cloaked. However, it requires 10,000 teraflops to fit to your ship. There's a problem: no ship actually has 10,000 teraflops of CPU, so only ships whose descriptions say "reduced need for cloaking device" can use a covops cloak: Covert Ops frigates (both the probe scan variety and the stealth bomber variety), Recon Ships (the Force Recon variety only, NOT the Combat Recon variety), Transport Ships (the Blockade Runner variety only, NOT the Deep Space Transport variety), and Strategic Cruisers (but ONLY if they have an "Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration" subsystem fit).

Generally speaking, if you are flying a ship that can use a covops cloak, then it is extremely important that you do use a covops cloak. To do otherwise defeats the purpose of the ship that you are flying. Do not mistake the Prototype or Improved cloaking devices for the Covert Ops Cloaking Device II, as the Prototype and Improved will not let you warp while cloaked.

Seamus Donohue wrote:
You don't appear on the overview, you don't appear on the Directional Scanner, and you don't appear on probe scans.

It should also be included, when attempting to provide a general understanding of the device's capabilities and limitations, that you will still appear in local chat while cloaked (other than in wormholes of course).

I think a major point that was overlooked is IF YOU END UP 2,000M OR LESS FROM ANY OBJECT WHILE CLOAKED, YOU WILL BE DECLOAKED AND PROBABLY DIE!

Important points, certainly, but I didn't want to cover too much in one tip. I was thinking back to a time when I was scouting for a wormhole class, and one of the students was flying a Buzzard with an Improved Cloaking Device II. He kept appearing whenever arriving from warp or heading out into warp.

Seamus Donohue wrote:However, it requires 10,000 teraflops to fit to your ship. There's a problem: no ship actually has 10,000 teraflops of CPU

Raise your hand if you've opened up EFT and tried to get enough CPU onto a Titan to fit a covops cloak!

/me raises hand

/raises hand
I tried, don't remember if it was actually possible tho...

Jack Snipe wrote:/raises hand
I tried, don't remember if it was actually possible tho...

I couldn't help myself after reading this...
Avatar gets closest with 8 Estamels CPUS, +6% implant and using the storyline covops cloak that may or may not actually exist, but its about 700 cpu short.

/me raises hand

Just to emphasize, some people think "I'll just offline the cloak, then target!" but Seamus really means it when he says having the module fit will hit you with the scan res penalty, even if offlined. (never checked what would happen if burned out though)

Another fun fact: Each cloak gives a "Sensor Recalibration Time" penalty, or 10, 20, or 30 seconds base time where you simply aren't allowed to target anything. When you fly a covops cloak with Cloaking IV, this will be 6 seconds. There are rigs to reduce the time, but only be a very small amount. However, the Stealth Bomber does not have this delay, which makes it a viable vessel for grabbing hero tackle on otherwise very agile ships.

I'll add one more thing to this.

The scan res issue is tough but the more expensive cloaks can allow a pilot to bypass the issue using a single Sensor Booster II with a scan res script. The 'guise', all the faction and officer cloaks exceed the loss with a single Sebo fit to the ship. Annoying, yes but not crippling if you spend the ISK.

Only 2 classes of ships in the game can drop cloak and immediately begin to target: Stealthbombers and Black Ops battleships.

All others gain a "recalibration" timer before they can target anything. This timer varies depending on the cloaking device fitted - from 30 seconds for a prototype, down to 10 seconds with a covert ops cloak. (ok, 9 seconds if you look at that 'smokescreen' but those are REALLY expensive for a trivial gain of half a second max. with cloaking at 5)

Each skill level of cloaking reduces the delay before a target can be locked by 10% of that delay - max, 50% at level 5.

So, with Cloaking at 5, a 10 second delay on a recon ship will drop to 5 second delay. Adding in a quick lock time and you have roughly 7 seconds to lock another cruiser class ship before they get away. That's enough time to nail most of ships you would do this with but T3's and the like can be tough. Cloaking 4 and it's 8 seconds. A good tengu can get away before the recon can lock it.

This gets more extreme with the other models of cloaks. At cloaking 5, a ship fitting the prototype cloak will not be able to BEGIN targeting a ship for 15 seconds.

So, when you couple the penalty of the lowered scan res with the delay to lock, it gets a bit tricky planning those stealthy 'hot drops' with anything but the covert cloak enabled ships. They just take too long to lock a target and no lock = no point so no stopping them from warping away.

---------
To put this in perspective a bit more:

You could use an expensive cloak on something like a HIC at a lowsec gate camp to watch the gate for 'big' targets - battleships and/or deep space transports.

These ships align slowly so it's possible that a HIC, using the scripted infinipoint effect, could tackle even a "scout point" guarded ship but it would probably not be the wisest choice compared to just having something small on-grid, with your crew just off-grid to warp-in and tackle the target instead of playing "cloaking games" based on lock timers.

In general, non-covert cloaks are used to hide. They aren't used offensively due to the drawbacks and other ways of accomplishing the same task. As I describe above, some can be used offensively but generally aren't and you CAN get around that lost scan res issue if you spend a bit more for a better class of cloak.

The reason for the more expensive cloaks is so you can hide when needed -AND- compensate for lost scan res when you don't want to hide.

A few questions about Sensor Recalibration Time:

--If you are uncloaked by a ship getting within 2km of you does it still apply? (I assume it does)
--Can you use use Smart Bombs as soon as you uncloak since you don't have to target?
--Does it affect the amount of time it would take a HIC to activate it's bubble?

Derek Jalarr wrote:A few questions about Sensor Recalibration Time:

--If you are uncloaked by a ship getting within 2km of you does it still apply? (I assume it does)
--Can you use use Smart Bombs as soon as you uncloak since you don't have to target?
--Does it affect the amount of time it would take a HIC to activate it's bubble?

In order:

--Yes
--I assume so, since they don't need targetlocks. Untested.
--I would think not, but I don't fly heavy interdictors. I always thought the bubble went up the instant you turned it on. Being an area of effect device, it shouldn't need a targetlock.

James Arget wrote:(never checked what would happen if burned out though)

If you've got a covops cloak fit and you're overheating something you're likely doing it wrong.

Also ENCYCLOPEDIA DONAHUE! Nice thread. Looking forward to more tips like this in the future.

Shin'alor wrote:

James Arget wrote:(never checked what would happen if burned out though)

If you've got a covops cloak fit and you're overheating something you're likely doing it wrong.

Also ENCYCLOPEDIA DONAHUE! Nice thread. Looking forward to more tips like this in the future.

Tell that to all the cloki lokis out there. Also, you don't seem to realize that James Arget does his initial point with a covops! Dangit, no eve-kill online right now...

In any case, (for some reason I pressed submit right here, and have no idea what I was going to say. Just pretend it was something very thought provoking)

James Arget wrote:

Shin'alor wrote:

James Arget wrote:(never checked what would happen if burned out though)

If you've got a covops cloak fit and you're overheating something you're likely doing it wrong.

Also ENCYCLOPEDIA DONAHUE! Nice thread. Looking forward to more tips like this in the future.

Tell that to all the cloki lokis out there.

Point made.

EDIT: STICKY!

Seamus Donohue wrote:Seamus Donohue's Random Tip of the Day: Know your cloaking devices!

Thank you, very helpful!