[DirectorTsaarx]

I have another interesting idea to add to all this; it may have been mentioned before, but I'm too lazy to search for it.

(EDIT: the below speculations would require hard-code changes, not just modding /EDIT)

Instead of the absolute system of "sensor X defeats cloak Y", make it a percentage chance. For consistency & believability, higher-level sensors should have a 99% or 100% chance of defeating lower-level cloaks/stealth. But (as seen in many Star Trek episodes, both old & new), sometimes an experienced captain (or his experienced science officer) can find ways to detect cloaked ships. Which brings up the other part of the plan: ship experience (and maybe fleet experience) provide bonuses on the cloak/sensor percentages. So an experienced ship/fleet can use their stealth better, and an experienced ship/fleet can detect cloaked ships better.

That's the qualitative view; the quantitative view requires a bit of work for balancing, but maybe something like:

Sensor I: 100% chance to detect Level 2 cloak
50% chance to detect Level 3 cloak
25% chance to detect Level 4 cloak
0% chance to detect Level 5 cloak

Sensor II: 120% chance to detect Level 2 cloak
100% chance to detect Level 3 cloak
50% chance to detect Level 4 cloak
0% chance to detect Level 5 cloak

Sensor III: 140% chance to detect Level 2 cloak
120% chance to detect Level 3 cloak
100% chance to detect Level 4 cloak
50% chance to detect Level 5 cloak

If the sensor ship has experience, that counts as a direct bonus (e.g., 20% experience and Sensor II gives a 70% chance to detect a Level 4 cloak).

If the cloaked ship has experience, that counts as a direct penalty against the sensor (so that same 20% experience ship with Level 4 cloaking has a 70% chance of sneaking by a satellite with Sensors II).

Finally, the different types of cloaking have bonuses/penalties against different types of sensors. (The chart above is for when the sensor type matches the cloak type, e.g. Temporal vs. Temporal). So a Psychic Sensor would have a 20% penalty vs. Temporal Cloak, but maybe a 10% bonus against standard cloaking.

We could even get really tricky and apply bonuses or penalties for actions by the cloaked ship; like a bonus if the ship doesn't move, and a penalty if it moves more than 5 spaces in a single game turn. Even add bonuses & penalties according to size, just like the to-hit bonus/penalties.

As Geo points out, this would give the AI fits, especially if it has to research multiple cloaking and sensor techs and build ships/satellites with all of the various components (or at least fleet together a set of ships, each with a different type of sensor). But it would be interesting...

[ 12 December 2001: Message edited by: DirectorTsaarx ]