How about an addon that gives your ship's immediate environment the qualities of being in an Ion Storm? So, you can only see others within 500m, and visual there's that blue cloudy stuff all over, but other's can only see you on their radar within 500m, however your ship would appear quite blue and bright to them. Maybe something like how shields look when they are hit. Of course, radar storm extenders could be equipped to help track cloakers.

well, you already can't be seen beyond 500m anyway. sometimes less.

I think he means that the device would do this in sectors that do not have an ion storm. Thus, trading stealth on radar for being blind and glowing like a Chernobyl resident.

Absolutely.

Okay, so new angle:

A recent breakthrough led researches at Dau to the development of a new kind of Powercell. Utilizing Ion Storm technology, the device is atleast as effective as the Light Powercell variant. This alone is not an achievement to gloat over, as there are already more advanced Powercells available, however the device does display some interesting, and sometimes beneficial side effects. Similar to the effects of being in the presence of a true Ion Storm, the Powercell creates an aura that scrambles any long distance radar scans, only being penetrated at distances of 500m or less, or greater by those with the Radar Storm Extender addon. In addition, the aura creates a haze that is particularly hard for the pilot to see through, but to others the ship becomes excessively vibrant. Just what kind of pilots would be willing to make these sacrifices for a rough variant of a radar scrambler remains to be seen.

Oh.

well if you make it as bad as the light cell, then no one.

I'm pretty sure that creating a a localized ion storm cloud in an otherwise clear sector is beyond the ability of Guild Software, and probably most other MMO developers. I think the Pig-Pen effect would create some severe perfomance issues. I think the idea is cool, but the graphic aspect probably needs re-thinking.

Yes, very stealthy. I won't be able to follow the cloud at all... >_>;

I think you need help understanding the concept. Here's a hint: it only uses things which have been done before.

1: Equip the thing
2: Your ship glows
3: From your point of view, it looks like you're in an ion storm.
4: Your radar acts as if it's in an ion storm.
5: Other's can't see you on the radar unless you're within 500m, or greater, depending on the number of Radar Storm Extenders they have equipped, kind of like in an ion storm.
6: It's not as good as a Fast Charge or Heavy Battery, or maybe it is.

I don't know where you got the idea of a large ion storm cloud that would be extremely hard for any MMO developer to create. Immediate: having no intervening medium. Still, to rip on Star Wars, an Interdictor style kind of ship would be badass.

that could work.

the mechanics of the game already supports this to some degree.

there was a time we could manually type in the ion storm command in lua to toggle it on and off. it only acted on the character that did it. others didn't see the storm.

so, this basically requires flipping that ion storm for that user and somehow generate a shield-like super-mega-glow-with-mint effect on the player's ship for others to see.

Okay, comparing it with an ion storm is what was throwing me off.

So we're talking about sort of a force-field that impairs both incoming and outgoing sensor signals, limits the vision of the user somehow, and imparts a glowing aura when observed from outside.

It sounds handy for hiding in 'roid fields and catching sleepy traders/miners. Anyone who keeps a visual lookout is going to see the ship coming if it moves at all. It wouldn't be all that useful for escaping an attacker.

Anyone who keeps a visual lookout is going to see the ship coming if it moves at all.

Well, would it? I don't know, I'm not constantly looking around because I have a radar that'll tell me if someone gets close. Of course if cloaking devices were around maybe that'd change. It'd be interesting to see. Who knows, maybe cloakers are out there now? Maybe you've just never seen one. =o

As for escaping attackers, one would definately have to fly into a asteroid field or something, and in conditions that look like an ion storm, that could be alot of fun. =D The new ion fog and storm extenders are really cool to fly in/with, but it seems like there could be more excuses to use them. I chased a trader through an ion storm and that was fantastic. The whole time I imagined what it'd be like if I had this here Cloaking Device.

what happens if you enter a real Ion storm?:D

interesting, but i think there are better ways to do stealth.

if i understand this correctly:

would anyone use something that blinds them and makes them extremely visible, even if they were hidden from radar until 500m? in fact unless the storm radar extender worked with this addon, there would be little or no advantage to having it equipped. your radar is blind, their radar is blind, however you are also glowing and cannot see.

Well yeah. I was thinkin' the storm radar extender works both ways. And honestly Phaserlight, do you really use visuals for tracking at anything more than 500m anyways? I may be weird, but I use my radar for that, especially since the cone of vision in VO is so tiny.

But... just imagine a wing of about 5 or 6 ships with this device. Just think of the damage they could do if they coordinated an attack in Deneb.

Two or so hornets would need to equip radar storm extenders. They'd have 2 guns to play with, and a lighter ship to manuver with. These ships would be escorted by light fighters, lacking any radar modifications. Of course, one can see his groupmate at any range, regardless of ion storms, and so they would only have to stick by their leader to coordinate attacks. The hornets would get in range, pick targets, and attack. On their command, the group would break for the nearest asteroids, and cover their tracks. While any enemies tried to visually search for the group, the hornets, with their wingmates, could pick off loners one by one, until the pursuers suddenly lost interest, or became dead.

Or Ragnoraks equipeed as stealth bombers, or traders trying to slip the border... There'd be uses for it. If anything, it might be overpowered, but that can be controlled by lowering it's recharge rate.

Why not just limit everyone else radar range of you. Also I might have mentioned this a while back but have a device that can only be used when you are stopped(or maybe it could be used while your moving as well). It needs to be turned on and off. When on it puts a hologram of an asteroid around you. From the outside it looks like a regular asteriod. From the inside you see the asteriod around you but you can also see through it. On everyones map you appear as an asteriod. If they bump into the asteriod, they wouldn't get damaged(unless there ship hits yours), they would see through the hologram.