Heinrich Jagerblitzen
D3LTA FORC3
1348
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Posted - 2014.01.09 13:25:00 -
[1] - Quote
CCP Remnant wrote:
- The cloak field is a piece of equipment.
- When selected the cortex is raised and you press fire to activate it.
- Once activated, it goes away and your weapon is raised. You can switch to other weapons/equipment while cloaked.
- You cloak. The amount of "shimmer" is increased as you move so standing still you will be nigh invisible, but when moving you will be noticeable to an extent. When cloaked, you obviously have no chevron or health bars, but the enemy reticule will flash red if you run past it.
- Cloak can be deactivated by selecting it and pressing fire.
- Once deactivated or it runs out it will start to recharge.
- Firing a weapon while cloaked will rapidly deplete the cloak field (a single shot from a sniper rifle, for instance, will decloak you)
- You can only fit one cloak field at a time.
I am still extremely wary that "fire while cloaked" could quickly to lead to miserable gameplay. The critical question here is, what happens if the shots fired don't fully deplete the cloak? Is fully depleting the cloak necessary for the user to appear on a scan, or to have a chevron? My concern is over the ability to sneak up and headshot a victim with a scrambler pistol while only partially depleting the cloak field, allowing a user to obtain kills without ever fully decloaking.
At the end of the day "gotcha" kills can be really boring and obnoxious in a game trying to be even remotely tactical. If you listen carefully to the community, I really think the heart of the TTK frustration is linked to this very same experience. Players like to know how how they died and to have an opportunity to defend themselves, and I don't see any window of opportunity for victims to respond to a "gotcha" moment given the proposed cloak mechanics.
The cloak, to me, should be an infiltration tool and nothing more. A way to sneak near an enemy despite strong presence nearby. There is a very fine line between an infiltration tool and a combat trick - and its the evasion capability of the cloak that has the strongest value in the current combat meta, especially given the power level of scanners. I even believe a cloak could evade all scanners completely, as long as the user has to put the cloak away before they draw a weapon.
That's not to say that such a model wouldn't empower Scouts to excel as stealthy assassins, there is still immense power and fun to be had evading scanners and flanking an enemy even if you appear on their radar only seconds before you open fire. Sure, heavies have a quick turn speed these days, but I can see many ways to still get the jump on one before he can respond (especially if Scouts hunt in packs).
I strongly urge your team to consider having the operator hold the cortex in hand for the duration of the time the user is cloaked. This way players have a choice between stealth travel and normal combat, while keeping the two distinct enough that the overlap doesn't create broken situations. Its a subtle difference, that still preserves your original intent for the cloak.
Thanks again for sharing this with the community, I look forward to discussing this more in the coming weeks. |