Cloak

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[edit] Overview

Sensor Profile

[edit] Effects

If cloak is turned on, it reduces the ship's sensor image by 50 points. This makes the ship harder to be scanned.
If cloak is turned on, it burns fuel according the hull specific fuel burn value (ranging from 2 to 120 kt per turn). The value can be seen as "Cloak Fuel Burn" in the Ship Command - Data screen under "Hull Specs" or as "Fuel used to cloak" in Raceview.
A cloaked ship is protected from the Fuel Robber, Money Tap, and Hull Plan Napper unless it has 20% or more System Damage.
A cloaked ship cannot be targetted by a Gun Zero or Stellar Matter Launcher unless its sensor profile somehow goes above 400 or a Laser Minefield is detonated at the location of the ship.
A cloaked ship cannot blockade a ground base.
A cloaked ship can break an enemy blockade of a ground base.

[edit] Full Cloak

Using the device on ships with a stealth rating of 50 lowers their sensor image to 0 and makes them fully cloaked. Be aware that some actions can increase the sensor image above 0 and remove the full cloak (see the section below).

A fully cloaked ship cannot be seen at all by enemy sensors.
A fully cloaked ship cannot be intercepted if it has been scanned before, using the old data as intercept target.
A fully cloaked ship can decide, if it wants to fight. By setting the Aggressive switch in Ship Command - Attack to off, fully cloaked ships will not initiate a combat and will not join a combat initiated by other objects.

[edit] In Space Combat

Cloaking ships with a hull stealth rating of 60 or less do gain an advantage in Space Combat, they get a chance to fire first - they don't have to be fully cloaked (0 sensor image).

This is done by giving them a surge of power from the ships' Power Bank on tick 25.
It only works if there is a ship in range when the surge of power happens.
Super Weapons don't get this benefit.

[edit] Recommended settings to remain (fully) cloaked

Minesweeper OFF

Scanners OFF

Make sure your ship as a sensor profile of 0.
When you do a Ship Transfer to an object you do not own, like bases, pods or ships it will give you +25 Sensor Profile and you will not be cloaked.
Ships need enough fuel to cloak (cloak consume extra fuel).
Be careful if you share ship data with others players, as a sharing-chain can expose all your ships to many players.

[edit] Ship Command - Mines

In the Ship Command - Mines screen turn off Sweep Enemy Mines (unless you are the Birdmen, as they can sweep without increasing the ship's sensor profile)

[edit] Ship Command - Mission

In the Ship Command - Mission screen turn OFF all your scanners.

[edit] Ship Command - Devices

Be careful some ship devices will increase your sensor profile. Most will show their effect in the Ship Command - Overview screen, when you look at the Sensor Profile, if it is above 0, you are not cloaked. Some ship devices will not show their increase! (in the ship overview screen).

The Mind Crusher on the Bird Darkwing or Darkwing G produces 25 units of sensor image noise when used.
The Nanovirus Bomb on the Bird Darkwing G makes 15 units of sensor image noise.
Mine Sweeper Array when ON will increase Sensor Profile of all races except the Birdmen.

[edit] How to counter cloaked ships

Using the Tachyon Emitter ship device.
25% control system damage will prevent a cloaking device from lowering the sensor profile by 50.
You can board fully cloaked ships, if you have a full (current or old) contact with the ship (just having the ID # will not work - This is largely a limitation of the client in that you can't set an object you don't have a full scan of as a valid transfer target).

[edit] Minefields

All type of minefields will make it hard for cloakers to move in your space.
When they hit any type of minefields, their Sensor Profile increases.
Travelling in enemy Laser Minefields and Web Minefields will increase the Sensor Profile.
Exploding Laser Minefields will decloak every ship inside including the Resolute and Darkwing of the Birdmen (exploding minefields of other types do not increase Sensor Profile of ships and therefore don't decloak ships)

[edit] Notes

Alien Hulls make extra noise, +100 Sensor Profile increasing your chance to be scanned by enemy. So you can't fully Cloak with alien hulls, the game client may show 0 Sensor Profile, but you have at least 100.
IIRC the Birdmen don't get the +100 extra sensor noise. So alien cloaker maybe fully cloaked if owned by Birdmen. JoSch 23:35, 24 April 2008 (CEST)
There is no special abilities like in vga planets 3 called "Cloaked Intercept Attack"