Cloaking In 1.04h

AutumnTwilight · January 2003

This post was a duplicate of the other one I made concerning cloaking in 1.04h. My browser hiccuped, and sent my button click twice. I can't delete this duplicate, but I have edited it as you see to explain the mistake.

Twilight

Comprox · January 2003

Lol, I saw 2 and deleted the older of the 2 without reading... sorry <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='sad.gif'>

AutumnTwilight · January 2003

<sigh> Ah well, so much for my eloquent post. Instead, here's the crummier version, aka as much as I can remember.

Basically, I was just wondering if anyone could give me 1st hand experience on how difficult cloaking is to detect on a 1.04h server. Screenshots would be even better, of course. I wonder because while I feel that cloaking already a very viable and useful first or second chamber, I welcome Flayra's attempts to make it even more viable. However, I have serious reservations about not being able to completely cloak, as only total invisibility gives assurance that you will not fall victim to gamma or brightness adjustment. I am trying to reserve judgement until I can see it in action, but I would ask that serious consideration be given to keeping complete cloaking in some form in the game.

Some of my most fun moments have been while cloaking, and isn't that what this game is about, after all? The brutal efficiency of cloaking is just an added bonus, in my mind.

I know that Coil, in another thread posted an excellent suggestion that

1 chamber allows slow cloaking up to partial invisibility

2 chambers allow fast cloaking up to partial invisibility

3 chambers allow fast cloaking up to full invisibility

or something along those lines. (I apologize if I misrepresented your idea, Coil, as I don't have the thread open right now...)

Anyway, does anyone else desperately want to keep full cloaking in the game?

Twilight

Fooshie · January 2003

I think his idea was that : 1 sensory chamber is slow cloaking to %100 invisibility, 2 is medium speed to %100, and 3 is fast speed to %100. its just as usefull as the original cloaking. to make sensory chambers a viable choice for first pick would mean to add a new feature to what sensory chambers do (besides parasiting a marine who is dumb enough to run into one)

Kitsune · January 2003

I too would greatly value screenshots. I've heard people complaining about it, but until I see this 90% cloak with my own eyes, I can't form an opinion. And getting a setup in a public game to let me view a cloaked alien without being shot or eaten is something of a trick. I find it ironic that people on betatest servers rarely cooperate for testing things, and wish very much that the NS team would let everyone download test server patches. It'd make my life ten times easier for getting my roomie to help me test out changes in a controlled manner.

Silver_Fox · January 2003

I seriously dont get why everyone has a problem with this ...

I actually got to see sensory for like .. the first time in a month ..

the cloaking is so close to being invisible, you could be almost anywhere and not have anyone see you.

The only place you cant is extreamly bright areas with observant marines ...

people are making too big a deal out of this.

rebo · January 2003

Silver fox the problem is alot of players turn the gamma up so there are no dark areas in NS.

Kitsune · January 2003

I trust the opinion of the avatar of [Rawr], and have faith in Flayra's judgement. If Silver sez it's fine, that's good enough for me. And I don't crank up my gamma, because it looks like crap. Why would I want to play a game if I have to look at a nasty, washed-out screen that hurts my eyes?

Kinslayer · January 2003

... I honestly cannot tell if you are being sarcastic or not. Scary.

Unit · January 2003

You guys...are really worrying over nothing.

I managed to convince my team to try cloaking first in one of the games a few days ago. And once I saw an alien under lv.1 cloak, I was totally satisfied and happy. The 90% cloak is ALMOST PERFECT. I ran into my teammates in vents and corridors ALL THE TIME without noticing they're there, I had to turn my hivesight on to realize that there was another skulk blocking the vent in front of me.

As a cloaked skulk, I have seen paranoid marines look DIRECTLY AT ME and moving on. Wanting to test the full potential of the new cloak, I have tried sitting directly in the middle of a corridor (Hera, the corridor from Reception to Holo) and see a group of marines running at me, getting stuck on me and THEN realizing I was there.

For those of you who still do not believe me, I have played the marine-side as well, the ONLY WAY I could see a perched skulk is if he looked left and right rapidly, THEN I would see a strange hue over the area he's covering.

Don't worry about it guys. A nerfed % doesn't mean a useless cloak.

AutumnTwilight · January 2003

Ok, this is what I was looking for: first hand experience with it.

It sounds like it really is *almost* complete, and extremely difficult to detect. From the sounds of some people, it was only like 1.03's level 2 cloaking, which while nice, didn't quite cut it for me.

After hearing from some of you (Thanks especially, .Unit), I feel better about things. Of course, I'll have to try it out myself before I can say for certain, but this helps.

It was not my idea to panic blindly about this, but I did have some misgivings about it, and was looking for some reassurance from those that play more than I (Working full-time and doing school full-time at the same time is kinda rough... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='sad.gif'> ). Thanks for the opinions...

Twilight

moto43 · January 2003

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (.Unit @ Jan 21 2003, 04:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><Insert an actual account of one's experience with cloaking instead of "stop worrying" here.></td></tr></table>
Thankyou.

LaserApa · January 2003

But but... if its almost as good as 100% cloak... why not go for 100% cloak?

Sensory chamber could use a bump and the 1.1 changes are probably a few months off. In the meantime, cant we have fun with some improved SC's instead of having SC that just work differently?

Their mod, i know... just an opinion.

AutumnTwilight · January 2003

[QUOTE=LaserApa,Jan 21 2003, 10:22 PM]But but... if its almost as good as 100% cloak... why not go for 100% cloak?QUOTE]

Actually, you make a valid point... Hmmm...

I'm still looking forward to what 1.1 may bring us...

Twilight

Frogg2 · January 2003

so does anyone have a ss?

Morose · January 2003

I will try my best to get a SS of this in action tonight. If possible... two of them... one in dark places, and another in light ones.

Talesin · January 2003

Actually, it's a bit less than advertised. All levels are approximately the same as level 2 cloaking in 1.03... just level 1 makes you cloak a LOT more slowly, level 2 makes you cloak more slowly, and level 3 brings it up to approximately the 1.03 level of cloak-speed. I've played as Aliens, and been shot numerous times just hanging out just behind a corner. I've played as Marines, and saw the ghost-skulk sitting there trying to act nonchalant, and blasted it to pieces.

For the moment, the lack of full cloaking only cements Sensory at last-place in my build order.

Unit · January 2003

This is my first time posting pictures on these forums...please excuse me if I screw up

Unit · January 2003

Here he is 1 second later with Umbra up:

Unit · January 2003

There's a skulk there...don't believe me? Scroll down

Unit · January 2003

Ta-da!! See there he is

redeemed_darkness · January 2003

In a discussion about cloaking in 1.04 and those two pictures has what to do with the topic?!?!

*Edit* ok I jumped in there bit late of your multiple posts <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='confused.gif'> *edit/*

Silver_Fox · January 2003

...

um ...

it shows the level of 1.04 cloaking ..

exactly what people have been asking for the entire thread

not to mention, it shows how effective the cloaking is and how damn paraniod everyone is getting over it before they even try it

Talesin · January 2003

Just had a bit of a discussion with a few people who have taken a closer look at the 1.04 cloaking. The problem is, it's optimized for 16-bit color mode. 5 bits/channel (16 bit) versus 8 bits/channel (32 bit). It seems that the 1.04 cloaking just leaves the fifth bit. Which is why it's such a tiny visual thing for some, but for those of us enjoying NS in wonderful 'high' color, the cloaking sticks out like a sore thumb that's been smashed a few times with a sledgehammer.

Clan_Hunter · January 2003

In the first set I saw the lerk, plain as day but in the second set I cannot see the skulk no matter how hard I try.

Unit · January 2003

I will get some screenshots in 32-bit color for your reference.

Talesin · January 2003

I'll nab some as well. What are your vid card specs? I'm on a Radeon 9000 Pro.

edit: Also, are you running it in OpenGL like a sane person, or D3D?

OWA · January 2003

Personally I Coudln't be happier about this change. The levels seen in those screenshots are more than acceptable, especially when you consider how cloaking is supposed to be achieved in the game. Having near instantanious cloaking to mean is a great asset, especially as a lerk as I want to dissapear as soon as I land.

Talesin · January 2003

As noted, you don't. You cloak in 1.04, with level 3, at approximately the same speed as you do with any level in 1.03. Just level 1 and 2 cloak you slower. And anyone looking at you in 32-bit mode can see you just fine. It looks almost like Hivesight, but without the glow.

Unit · January 2003

I'm running on a GeForce2mx, in OpenGL, I'm working right now so the 32-bit cloaking shots probably won't come until tomorrow. If u can't wait, go bug Talesin.

Talesin · January 2003

Have grabbed some screenies, each at about a meg apiece (switching them over to JPG, of course, degrades them. In this case, taking away a LOT of what needs to be seen). Can post if people want them (and it won't kill the forums), and am working on an AVI of a demo as the effect is markedly more pronounced when moving around. In the meantime, I'll post a couple of cropped versions to try and keep filesizes down.

(Apparently it won't allow BMPs to be posted.. zipped up a couple of them. snip0 is of a Skulk outside the Engine Room hive, and snip1 is a Fade just outside the Marine spawn, both on Bast. The hallway/skulk is approximately the same degree of exposure as a Skulk would have, standing in a hallway on Eclipse)

Cloaking In 1.04h

Comments