Cloaking and nebulae
 

I don't know if anybody has noticed this before (don't remember to have read it in this forum at least) and for me it was new:
Cloaked ships (maximum cloaking level) in a nebula system can't be detected even with the highest level of tachyon sensors. In an isolated opaque sector storm however you still see the cloaked ships at least if the ship with the sensor is outside the storm.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

That's new to me, too.
You may want to email MM with that.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

I think it on the level of sight obscuration of the nebulae. Some obscure to level 3 and some to level 4.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

I thought that natural storms were all level 1.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

Maybe storms are but in the Systems Type files it lists nebulaes as having different obscuration levels, from 3-5 actually, so some would prevent any sort of sighting.
That is where you should build your Pirate base SJ. No one would ever find you!

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

I think that's not a bug.
I think that the nebula was designed to opaque all the scanners, then, if the ships have or not the cloak device, is not important: inside a nebula, all the ships are hidden.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nitram Draw:
Maybe storms are but in the Systems Type files it lists nebulaes as having different obscuration levels, from 3-5 actually, so some would prevent any sort of sighting.
That is where you should build your Pirate base SJ. No one would ever find you!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think you are right. There is one nebula system with sight obscuration level 5, which means that no detectors will work. The description should however then be changed (and I did this now) from "this storm is opaque to most scanners" to "This storm is opaque to all scanners". It really good to know because as you say ships are absolutely safe in this system!

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

All right! It sounds like there's no way to tell how good the nebula is unless you change the description.

Of course, it dosen't really matter once you get to mid-to-end game, since the pirates absolutely must prevent any stellar manip ships from entering the system & ruining the whole thing http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif in that case, there wouldn't ever be any ships going through to use sensors on you.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

Actually, In the game I am currently playing, I had a scout in a nebula system and I saw an uncloaked colony ship go through the system. I had the highest scanner on the ship but i have no idea what the level of the nebula was.

Regards

------------------
Admiral Grover
-------------------
"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarrely inexeplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
- Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

Speaking of nebulae, has anyone tested whether the 'shield canceling' effect works in nebulas? I've never seen it work in a Black Hole system, every combat I've had in a black hole has been with full shields. I think that's because the SECTOR level ability 'Sector - Shield Disruption' is still being used in the SystemTypes.txt -- there is no SYSTEM level ability yet. I tried changing it to "System - Shield Disruption" and the program gave an error message. I guess the shield draining would work on the central sector or something? This seems to be another one of those 'loose ends' like the combat to hit plus/minus oversight.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 31 March 2001).]

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

I've personnally had no troubles with the shield disrupting effect of nebulae. In fact that is one of my best late game strategies....have all warp points open into the same sector in the nebula system, build 3-4 starbases over the warppoints(all armor, no shields) and any fleets sent through basically get destroyed.

Regards

------------------
Admiral Grover
-------------------
"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarrely inexeplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
- Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Q:
I think you are right. There is one nebula system with sight obscuration level 5, which means that no detectors will work. The description should however then be changed (and I did this now) from "this storm is opaque to most scanners" to "This storm is opaque to all scanners". It really good to know because as you say ships are absolutely safe in this system! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Have made some observations about that: It seems to be always the RED colored (system-wide) nebulae which cloakes everything in it to level 5.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

Further observations proved:

Level 5 nebulaes are always red
Level 4: green
Level 3: orange/brown
Level 2: cyan
Level 1: violett

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

The cyan and violett nebulaes also obscure to level 3, so unless you don't have a level 4 sensor (below that you won't see anything in nebulaes) you can't detect things in violett, cyan and orange nebulaes. Even with level 4 sensor you will be blind like a mole in red and green nebulaes.

Summary:

Obscuration to level 3 (need level 4 sensor):
violett, cyan and orange nebulaes

Obscuration to level 4 (obscures everything):
green

Obscuration to level 5 (obscures everything):
red

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

The description of the cloaking devices is not correct:
With level IV sensors you will see ships with level IV cloaking or in a nebulae with level IV obscuration. Otherwise you would have cloaking that can't be beaten, which is not the case. However the natural occuring nebulae with level V obscuration and the mines with level V cloaking can't be seen with any sensors.

Re: Cloaking and nebulae
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Q:
The description of the cloaking devices is not correct:
With level IV sensors you will see ships with level IV cloaking or in a nebulae with level IV obscuration. ...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You are right. My test game settings have messed up something (see: Possible cloaking bug ?- Thread) which obscured everything to my high level sensors (obviously even cloaking level 1)...