Okay so slightly confused about what area the passive scan actually covers. Is it the viewing angle you describe, or is it actually the full radius around you?

Thanks for the info, Bojo. But I have a question.

Have you tested to see how much material (walls, crates, CRUs, barricades, etc.) the passive scan can see through before losing its effectiveness to see an enemy merc on the other side (both with and without LOS)?

I ask this because I have an alt training up to go into complex range amplifiers in the Gallente Scout dropsuit and on several occassions I have been able to see through thick walls on where the enemy is at without even looking at them directly. But it wouuld be nice if I had a second person confirm it for me.

This is all very interesting but kind of hard to visualize in my head. But really good work.

I also got to see the aim assist adhesion affect during our tests but Bojo kept jumping and it would lose track of him. It's not very sticky which is a good thing.

I have sinned. Forgive me.

Remembered one test: active scanners do not make you appear on the enemy TACNET. I think this was intended at one point. Not sure if it was ever in game.

Great info. Would like to see an addendum with active scanning as well :)

First of all, there's an additional twist to the LOS stuff.
Some things may not just show up on your radar, even in your LOS view... UNLESS you specifically run your crosshairs over them.
Technically, its (crosshairs, plus a width approximately the size of an SMG or sniper ADS targetting reticule.

Also.... there may be some very special weapons, that may light it up on your radar, out to 100m. Sniper rifle might be one. but maybe not.

Also... this effect is in effect, even for those weapons that dont have particularly noticable crosshairs. Such as knives. Or hip-carried sniper rifles.

Also... If something is out of rader range, but you happen to run your crosshairs over it.. it may light up, not on your rader screen, but on your REGULAR SCREEN. ie: chevron lightup, or even more details if you are close enough.
Range is somewhat weapon dependant, i THINK. It's usually corresponding to your weapon's efffective range.
Exception being turrets and tanks; they light up at long distance for almost any weapon, if I recall.
I did a long post about this stuff a few weeks back.

This is why you may randomly get a brief light-up of a chevron, for an enemy that doesnt even seem to be there. You just happen to have run your crosshairs across their exact position on your screen while running somewhere, etc. Even if you dont have enough precision to see them normally on your passive scan.
If you stood still, and they stood still... they would continue to be lit up on your screen, even though they're too far for radar.
(IMO, this should really really be taken away)
Unlike the passive-scan "height doesnt matter" feature.. vertical position matters. your crosshairs really need to be ON the target, for this to happen.

Lastly..
There may be a similar crosshair effect, for EXACTLY BEHIND YOU. This is rather difficult to test :) but I seem to have occasionally observed this sort of behaviour. that is to say, a red chrvron in the "behind" position.. but them NOT being on my passive-scan radar, because they were too far away.
This makes absolutely no sense, though. So it may be a +-sign bug in the code, rather than a deliberate feature.
I would suggest not relying on it. But do pay attention if you get those wierd red-chevrons at the botom of your screen that indicate enemies behind you :-}

i

Speaking of which.. turns out that enemy uplink detection is now also a good test of passive scanning. They seem to disappear outside of passive scan range now.

(Unless of course you get them in your crosshairs :-/ )

More useful, concisely worded gifts of knowledge?

Freaks.

One thing I forgot to ask. If you, or anyone you know, have trained up passive scan range skills to the max can you check to see if stacking penalties apply?

I did some Math-Fu of my own. Assuming you have trained up Gallente Scout Dropsuit to Level 5 and Range Amplification to level 5 and have a Scout GK.0 fitted with four complex range amplifiers, you should be able to see up to 99 meters with the passive scan. But if there is a stacking penalty then the range would about 60 meters. Can you check that for me?

Its pretty quick but that 10 to 15 meters is also very short. Minmatar light with range enhancement 5 will only be 15 meters. My guess is you are probably misjudging the range and they are engaging just outside the passive range and closing quickly. Even a fat suit could move in at 5 m/s and the time-to-kill of a light is about 1 second.

Great posts people, props to bojo and Haerr for providing nice in depth math, I have saved these calculations for future reference.

I am most interested in characteristics of passive scanning as I am a heavy and dodging profile scans would eat up to valuable of real estate.

It works but modules are vastly underpowered compared to active scanners and nobody but CCP knows how passive scanning actually works.

Base range on all Light and Scout suits change from 10 -> 16

Gallente Scout
Base: 16 m
+Suit L5: 24 m
+Range L5: 36 m
+1Complex: 52.2 m
+2Complex: 72.62 m
+3Complex: 91.26 m
+4Complex: 102.88 m
Google Docs - documents is updated as well.

I am a blip.

Alright, I've brought this up two or three times but I have re-done my testing videos to provide a more clear demonstration of what I'm getting at. I'd like to bring this up for discussion and see what the rest of you think about this, whether it should be changed or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNmx53VMazo

- Targets at 0m will appear on minimap, regardless of profile/precision.
- Targets on screen will appear on minimap, regardless of profile/precision, up to 75m
- Aiming down the sights of your weapon increases the brightness of their chevron/icon on the minimap, even if they are not on screen.
- Bringing the crosshair over a target will reveal their icon/chevron regardless of profile/precision (a tactic used by snipers to reveal location even if they cannot visibly see them).

Think there needs to be changes to this?

Edit: Grit_Breather on IRC explains it pretty well: "ADS increases forward scan cone range but doesn't reduce angle accordingly"