So it seems that the direction of cloaking in this game is headed towards having a Cloaky Combat Scout.

The current proposed cloaking mechanics state that cloaks are a piece of equipment, and that light weapons can be equipped on a suit with a cloak, and be fired while cloaked.

Also, no scout has more than 1 equipment slot, thus the utility of performing scans or dropping links or mines behind enemy lines is an immediate impossibility.

This forces the scout into a combat role.

A combat role with access to rail rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns, that can barely be detected before collecting their free kill.

I donGÇÖt think that is a good addition to the game, and will be supremely frustrating and nearly un-counterable on the battlefield. Think of a ThaleGÇÖs sniper with a cloak in the redline, sniping while cloaked, and then hiding behind structures when his cloak is in cooldown.

I think this is a pretty bad gameplay mistake.

However, I do think that cloaking has a place in this game, not as a combat scout, but as a cloaky engineer/saboteur.

In my mind, the cloaky scout role should be focused on scurrying behind enemy lines and dropping uplinks while hunting enemy uplinks. He should be able to lay minefields, he should be able run scans and report enemy movements, he should be able to sneak to an objective and hack. He should also occasionally be able to assassinate people, but not with great ease.

So in addition to CCP RemnantGÇÖs list, here are my proposed changes:

1) The cloak recharges while sitting still, thus enabling longer deployments behind enemy lines.
2) The cloak should disable the equpping of light weapons.
3) The cloak should reduce the damage of sidearms by 20%
4) Scout suits should get additional equipment slots (to fit a cloak AND something useful)

These changes will guide the cloaky scout out of the combat role, and into an infiltrator role.

Now thereGÇÖs different ways to solve the light weapon/equipment slot problem. One is to make the cloak a Light Weapon, thus freeing up the equipment slot. The other is to increase equipment slots for all scouts.

Another possible solution is to restrict cloaks to a new class of GÇ£blackopsGÇ¥ dropsuits, which will have no light weapon slot to begin with, have less HP/fitting, but have 2-3 equipment slots. I know itGÇÖs more Dev time, but I think limiting the use of a cloak to a single suit is an easier balance problem to solve than messing with the existing scout class.

But thereGÇÖs many ways to skin that cat.

TL;DR Cloaky Ganky Combat Scouts will ruin the game, Cloaky Sneaky Saboteurs will add to the game

So it seems that the direction of cloaking in this game is headed towards having a Cloaky Combat Scout.

The current proposed cloaking mechanics state that cloaks are a piece of equipment, and that light weapons can be equipped on a suit with a cloak, and be fired while cloaked.

Also, no scout has more than 1 equipment slot, thus the utility of performing scans or dropping links or mines behind enemy lines is an immediate impossibility.

This forces the scout into a combat role.

A combat role with access to rail rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns, that can barely be detected before collecting their free kill.

I donGÇÖt think that is a good addition to the game, and will be supremely frustrating and nearly un-counterable on the battlefield. Think of a ThaleGÇÖs sniper with a cloak in the redline, sniping while cloaked, and then hiding behind structures when his cloak is in cooldown.

I think this is a pretty bad gameplay mistake.

However, I do think that cloaking has a place in this game, not as a combat scout, but as a cloaky engineer/saboteur.

In my mind, the cloaky scout role should be focused on scurrying behind enemy lines and dropping uplinks while hunting enemy uplinks. He should be able to lay minefields, he should be able run scans and report enemy movements, he should be able to sneak to an objective and hack. He should also occasionally be able to assassinate people, but not with great ease.

So in addition to CCP RemnantGÇÖs list, here are my proposed changes:

1) The cloak recharges while sitting still, thus enabling longer deployments behind enemy lines.
2) The cloak should disable the equpping of light weapons.
3) The cloak should reduce the damage of sidearms by 20%
4) Scout suits should get additional equipment slots (to fit a cloak AND something useful)

These changes will guide the cloaky scout out of the combat role, and into an infiltrator role.

Now thereGÇÖs different ways to solve the light weapon/equipment slot problem. One is to make the cloak a Light Weapon, thus freeing up the equipment slot. The other is to increase equipment slots for all scouts.

Another possible solution is to restrict cloaks to a new class of GÇ£blackopsGÇ¥ dropsuits, which will have no light weapon slot to begin with, have less HP/fitting, but have 2-3 equipment slots. I know itGÇÖs more Dev time, but I think limiting the use of a cloak to a single suit is an easier balance problem to solve than messing with the existing scout class.

But thereGÇÖs many ways to skin that cat.

TL;DR Cloaky Ganky Combat Scouts will ruin the game, Cloaky Sneaky Saboteurs will add to the game

So it seems that the direction of cloaking in this game is headed towards having a Cloaky Combat Scout.

The current proposed cloaking mechanics state that cloaks are a piece of equipment, and that light weapons can be equipped on a suit with a cloak, and be fired while cloaked.

Also, no scout has more than 1 equipment slot, thus the utility of performing scans or dropping links or mines behind enemy lines is an immediate impossibility.

This forces the scout into a combat role.

A combat role with access to rail rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns, that can barely be detected before collecting their free kill.

I donGÇÖt think that is a good addition to the game, and will be supremely frustrating and nearly un-counterable on the battlefield. Think of a ThaleGÇÖs sniper with a cloak in the redline, sniping while cloaked, and then hiding behind structures when his cloak is in cooldown.

I think this is a pretty bad gameplay mistake.

However, I do think that cloaking has a place in this game, not as a combat scout, but as a cloaky engineer/saboteur.

In my mind, the cloaky scout role should be focused on scurrying behind enemy lines and dropping uplinks while hunting enemy uplinks. He should be able to lay minefields, he should be able run scans and report enemy movements, he should be able to sneak to an objective and hack. He should also occasionally be able to assassinate people, but not with great ease.

So in addition to CCP RemnantGÇÖs list, here are my proposed changes:

1) The cloak recharges while sitting still, thus enabling longer deployments behind enemy lines.
2) The cloak should disable the equpping of light weapons.
3) The cloak should reduce the damage of sidearms by 20%
4) Scout suits should get additional equipment slots (to fit a cloak AND something useful)
5) Make the cloak a Light Weapon
6) Restrict cloaks to a new class of GÇ£blackopsGÇ¥ dropsuits.

TL;DR Cloaky Ganky Combat Scouts will ruin the game, Cloaky Sneaky Saboteurs will add to the game