Scout Here:

I'll be ok without cloak i might put a few level into the skill, but i may not run it at all.


But the extra Cpu/pg as well as the second equipment slot is much appreciated

I think the biggest advantage is disappearing completely when you stay still. So you activate your cloak, run behind a guy, and should he have the presence of mind to check his tail, you immediately stop and become invisible. Move forward when he turns back around. Repeat until you are close enough to shank him.

I dunno--I think the passive electronics scan/profile skills are way more valuable. I am really skeptical that this will be a game changer in any way. I look forward to finding out, one way or the other!

yeah its pretty balanced IMO. it just needs lower fitting reqs because all scouts that didn't get a PG buff (ninja) are getting screwed over. All the proto fits that i can run now will not be accessible even with a basic cloak

Unfortunately, that won't work in practice as they're more than likely to spot you before you can react and stop.

I really only see the cloak increasing my effectiveness in hectic fights as far as combat effectiveness goes. Pop in, kill a guy, duck behind cover, cloak up.... Crouch walk somewhere else...?

The shimmer discourages quick aggressive tactics while also requiring a 50% fire you're going to want to keep the last half of your cloak as an emergency reserve. The first half you'll have to manage intelligently, firing it only when you need to. I think it will reward the patient player who picks and chooses his targets more so than the run and gun player. Also, unless the sprint bug gets handled, using it in a fast paced fight will be incredibly dangerous.

I am going to terrorize the battlefield with an uber dampened Gallente scout, along with a bud of mine.

You will never see us.
Even when it will be too late, you will still not see us.
We will be ghosts.
Prepare your anus.

I really only see the cloak increasing my effectiveness in hectic fights as far as combat effectiveness goes. Pop in, kill a guy, duck behind cover, cloak up.... Crouch walk somewhere else...?

The shimmer discourages quick aggressive tactics while also requiring a 50% fire you're going to want to keep the last half of your cloak as an emergency reserve. The first half you'll have to manage intelligently, firing it only when you need to. I think it will reward the patient player who picks and chooses his targets more so than the run and gun player. Also, unless the sprint bug gets handled, using it in a fast paced fight will be incredibly dangerous.

In the equipment dev blog you can see in the frame where the scout is motionless there is still a 'refractive distortion' like the heated air above hot pavement. Depending on what's behind the scout and whoever is looking for him and the range, i'm guessing they will be reasonably spottable to the observant.

Also that blue shimmer is pretty easy to spot, again depending on the background. The biggest advantage imo is that chevrons/health bars will not display.

These are good things and will prolly go a long way towards bringing balance to the cloak.

P.S. Dreaming of that first cloakdance/knife fight with an enemy scout at a null cannon terminal, where we duel to the death for first hack while our teams start to filter into the base - glorius =)

TTK is going up, this game isn't that fast paced. Noob scouts are going to use the cloak to get into their target drop their cloak their first shot, maybe kill their target, maybe turn around and get killed. Decent scouts will use it more to get the heck out of a tight spot or while hacking or something. We're already used to using our enhanced battlefield awareness to sneak up on our target without a cloak.

aaaah the cal scout will be my perfect fit to hunt scrubs that will try to get into scouts, and its gonna be fun that prey will finally be afraid of us, fear is a strong weapon

As usual, CCP likes to take the skill out of things and just let the gear to all the work.
Scouting will go from a skill of being undetected and smart play, to just relying on a crutch; the cloak.

With the nerfs to scanners (and thank sweet baby jebuz for that!) Scouts didn't need any more help. It was harder to be a Scout, and that's why few did it. It actually took this thing called S.K.I.L.L. That's why the Scout community is close-knit and in a class all their own. Prepare to have a influx of scrubs pretending to be a Scout after 1.8

Just like we had an influx of scrubs pretending to be tankers in 1.7

Just be wary of the Gallente scout. Here are some numbers (remember that precision enhancers and profile dampeners don't receive stacking penalties).

Are you sure about that? Where did you hear that those mods dont receive stacking penalties?

Also



Are we sure on this too? I know profile rounds up, so that 11.08 is actually a 12. I do not know if precision rounds up or down or at all. But if precision rounded down, than 12.88db=12 and 11.08=12 and 12=12 so the scan would pick up the scout. Obviously I would think precision would round up as well, so it would be 13 and 12, and the scan would fail. Just dont know for sure

Are you sure about that? Where did you hear that those mods dont receive stacking penalties?

Also



Are we sure on this too? I know profile rounds up, so that 11.08 is actually a 12. I do not know if precision rounds up or down or at all. But if precision rounded down, than 12.88db=12 and 11.08=12 and 12=12 so the scan would pick up the scout. Obviously I would think precision would round up as well, so it would be 13 and 12, and the scan would fail. Just dont know for sure

I think the biggest advantage is disappearing completely when you stay still. So you activate your cloak, run behind a guy, and should he have the presence of mind to check his tail, you immediately stop and become invisible. Move forward when he turns back around. Repeat until you are close enough to shank him.

Just be wary of the Gallente scout. Here are some numbers (remember that precision enhancers and profile dampeners don't receive stacking penalties).

Gallente Scout info
Scan profile numbers: Base of 35db
* .75 (25% bonus from skilling to 5) = 26.25db
* .75 (25% bonus from 1 complex damp) = 19.69db
* .75 (25% bonus from 2 complex damps) = 14.77db
* .75 (25% bonus from 3 complex damps = 11.08db
* .75 (25% bonus from 4 complex damps) = 8.31

Scan precision numbers: Base of 40db
* .8 (20% bonus from 1 complex profile enhancer) = 32db
* .8 (second complex profile enhancer) = 25.6db.


Caldari Scout info
Scan profile numbers: Base of 35db
* .75 (25% bonus from 1 complex damp) = 26.25db
* .75 (second complex damp) = 19.69db

Scan precision numbers: Base of 40db
* .75 (25% bonus from skilling to 5) = 30db
* .8 (20% bonus from 1 complex enhancer) = 24db
* .8 (20% bonus from 2 complex enhancers) = 19.2db
* .8 (20% bonus from 3 complex enhancers) = 15.36
* .8 (20% bonus from 4 complex enhancers) = 12.88db.

Assuming level 5 skills, with just one complex damp, the Gallente suit is hidden from the best active scanner (scan precision 20db, unless used by a Gallente logi, then it's 15db, and can be trumped with an extra complex damp).

Again, assuming level 5 skills, the Caldari suit's passive scan bonus isn't enough to pickup a Gallente scout if it has 3 complex damps fitted. So, 3 complex damps = complete radar invisibility for the Gallente suit, since a scan profile of 11.08db < a scan precision of 12.88db (the max possible scan precision in the game).

If a Caldari scout fits two complex damps, it's invisible to the best passive detection a Gallente scout can offer, but it might be susceptible to the Duvolle Focused AS (the one with 20db precision; I say might because the stats in the dev charts might be rounded).

What it's looking like to me is that a correctly fitted Gallente scout has radar invisibility to everything and will only really have trouble passively scanning out Caldari scouts with 2 complex damps fitted, while a correctly fit Caldari scout can easily scan out other Caldari scouts and somewhat/sometimes fly under the radar of a Gallente scout.

Considering the extra equipment slot, Caldari scouts will be able to obtain the Gallente's radar omni-invisibility through the use of a cloak (19.69db * .75 (25% scan profile reduction while cloaked) = 14.77, ie, a Gallente with 2 complex damps ), and the Gallente scout will likely be able to scan out uncloaked Caldari scouts with Duvolle Focused AS, and still be able to carry uplinks, etc. Sorta levels the playing field, I suppose.

But, I'm really skeptical about the cloak--I'm betting it's going to be pretty lame (semi/sometimes invisibility, long cool down, huge CPU/PG requirements, even with bonus, obvious cloaking animation, etc.). And since it's required for Caldari scout to acquire radar invisibility, I'm sticking with Gallente. It seems to me that the Caldari scout will become a living, breathing, always-on active scanner (just bolting around the map cloaked with max skills and equipment, it'll pickup everything except those damned Gallente scouts), while the Gallente scout will retain its role as covert room clearer/objective lock-down.

Top teir scouts like Mr. Musturd and Cody Sietz and a host of others whose names are escaping me atm are going to terrorize the battlefield. It just isn't going to be fair. Second and third tier guys like me are going to be spared a couple deaths a match. I think that those that think the cloak will make the scout role "easy" though are going to be rudely surprised. Its only 80 sec at proto level. And in general the cloak is only viable to truly dedicated scouts.

Overall, good job with the cloak at least CCP.