Q - Cloaking and Scanner Jammers.

Echo Mirage · #1 December 21st, 2002, 12:52 AM

It's me again, I have reviewed the Posts and FAQ's I can find and still am not really convinced of the effectiveness of cloaking.

I use it against the AI with a decent record of success, though I tend to equip my ships with scanner jammers as well.

Is cloaking a powerful enough technology that it can stand alone? Or should I support my cloaked ships with scanner jammers as I have been doing?

TerranC · #2 December 21st, 2002, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Echo Mirage:
Is cloaking a powerful enough technology that it can stand alone? Or should I support my cloaked ships with scanner jammers as I have been doing?

The Scanner jammer in SE4 isn't really a scanner jammer; it only jams the Long Range Scanner component. It is does not make your ship impervious to sensors which can detect cloak.

And Cloaking is powerful enough for it to stand alone. But don't think that a cloaked ship can go everywhere; Mines can hit cloaked ships, and by the time you have cloaking generators, others have scanners which can beat that cloak.

It's better to have Scattering armor, which works like a scanner jammer, but with armor capability and 15% ship defense bonus (at it's highest level), and Stealth Armor, which provides level 1 cloak, armor, and 15% ship defense bonus (at it's highest level).

Ragnarok · #3 December 21st, 2002, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Echo Mirage:
It's me again, I have reviewed the Posts and FAQ's I can find and still am not really convinced of the effectiveness of cloaking.

I use it against the AI with a decent record of success, though I tend to equip my ships with scanner jammers as well.

Is cloaking a powerful enough technology that it can stand alone? Or should I support my cloaked ships with scanner jammers as I have been doing?

Cloaking is very effective until your enemy develops the technology to scan your ships. You can whoop some butt if your enemy does not have the scanners to detect you.

Scanner Jammers I don't use. Due to the fact that if you put them on your war ships your enemy will see your designs in the 'enemy ship' screen. But of course you are playing the AI so yeah... But they are a waste even against the AI if you ask me. I may be mistaken but thats the way I feel about it.

Edit: TerranC beat me to it.

[ December 20, 2002, 23:05: Message edited by: Ragnarok ]

TerranC · #4 December 21st, 2002, 01:08 AM

the power of a second.

PvK · #5 December 21st, 2002, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ragnarok:
...
Scanner Jammers I don't use. Due to the fact that if you put them on your war ships your enemy will see your designs in the 'enemy ship' screen. But of course you are playing the AI so yeah... But they are a waste even against the AI if you ask me. I may be mistaken but thats the way I feel about it.
[/QB]

I don't think Scanner Jammers affect the AI in any way.

Against humans they are good to prevent them seeing what your designs are (particularly in peacetime), and to prevent them seeing your damage, supply levels, and cargo contents even in wartime. However as noted, Scatt. Armor does the same thing, and gives protection, but costs more and uses more space. So they have different uses on different designs.

PvK

Andr�s · #6 December 21st, 2002, 04:54 AM

Scattering armor has the scanner jammer ability + extra ECM + armor so why bother with standard jammer.

Cheeze · #7 December 21st, 2002, 07:55 AM

The best use I have ever found for the scanner jammer is to place on any ships that carry some sort of cargo...be it population, troops, fighters, satellites or mines. In addition, it could be useful on base space yards. Scattering armor may be too big, expensive or unwieldy in some of these designs. Using 10kt of space to deny an enemy with scanners the knowledge of your troopships cargo, the number and designs of fighters on your carriers, or spy ships knowledge of what your space yards are building could prove invaluable.

In some games I have had to choose one target or another and knowing which transport carried the most population, or which base space yard was closest to completing a warship, was critical to my strikes being most successful and damaging.

True, in most scenarios, if you can get a scanner ship that close to your enemies you probably have a fleet which can destroy them, and it may make little difference if an enemy can see what you have before you start seizing/glassing planets.

I would think the scanner jammer ought to provide a defense bonus like Scattering Armor 3 (with the inability to put both on one design). That would make this component much more useful and used.

Fyron · #8 December 21st, 2002, 08:51 AM

Quote:

... or spy ships knowledge of what your space yards are building could prove invaluable.

They can not see what your SY is building under any circumstances, jammer or no. Long Range Scanners only show you what the design is, how much damage it has, and what cargo it is carrying.

PvK · #9 December 21st, 2002, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:

quote:
... or spy ships knowledge of what your space yards are building could prove invaluable.

They can not see what your SY is building under any circumstances, jammer or no. Long Range Scanners only show you what the design is, how much damage it has, and what cargo it is carrying.

That's what you think. Muahaha...