Cloak Starship

[unseen4ce]

I recently bought the new expansion and am playing this game after a long time away.

I use to use a scout starship to cloak my transports, this starship no longer has this effect and was seemingly replaced by the cloak starship.

...Only problem is, I can't find the cloak starship anywhere, I have activated cloaking ships, but I still don't see it (with cloak starship, speed has to be greater than zero, meaning that if a ship becomes stationery it is no longer cloaked?)...

[Diazo]

If you mean where to build it, it is found next to the Scout Starship in the build constructor. (Or is it two icons away?)

Regardless, it is built from the Starship Constructor like other starships.

I believe it is a base ship so all games, regardless of which expansion packs are installed, should have it available to build.

You said you activated cloaking ships, so you have checked that 'Cloak' ships are available from the Ships tab during game setup, there is nothing else I can think of that would prevent you from building them.

D.

[Hearteater]

Actually, I don't think Cloaking Starships are base.  I believe they are from the Zenith expansion.

[unseen4ce]

Ok, I only had the base game checked, I thought I had them all checked, but once I checked the expansions I got the Neinzul starship and the cloaker starship.
Sorry guys.
The cloaking effect has been refined, very nice. Seems you can remain stationery and maintain the effect.
It will take a long time to master this game, to get up to speed and use the champions. But man is this game worth it.

[keith.lamothe]

I use to use a scout starship to cloak my transports, this starship no longer has this effect and was seemingly replaced by the cloak starship.

Did scout starships ever provide cloaking to other units?  I've been working on AIW since January 2010 and I don't remember it ever doing that   There were a lot of changes before that time, though.

[eRe4s3r]

scout starships definitely never cloaked others. Although to this day I have no idea what they are good for.. never use them. (reason being that 9 out of 10 times in my recent games I guessed correctly where on the map the homeworlds are.. that's scary, actually.. ) ;P So I dunno what else to use them for.. and since I play against black hole gens most of the time.. they are even less useful.

[Hearteater]

They are anti-sniper cover for me a lot of the time.  So not even scouting really.  But I do sometimes use them to get scouts passed a tricky blockade.  Basically they keep me from unlocking Scout III sometimes.

[Diazo]

Mk IV Scout Starship is also perma-cloaked in the same fashion the Scout IV is and also provides anti-missile coverage.

It does not require capturing the advanced constructor either, although the Mk IV does cost knowledge.

I've unlocked it a couple times when the AI was missile heavy on its bonus ships and the tachyon immunity is nice.

Still, very situational. I either unlock none and just use the Mk I's for anti-sniper or I go all the way to Mk. IV. There's no reason to unlock just Mk. II or III really (not that I've thought of anyway.)

Maybe against whichever AI puts counter-spies everywhere? The Scout Starships are immune to insta-kill

D.

[eRe4s3r]

I never unlocked Scout Starship MK2 or MK3 nor mKIV heh .. so I had no idea! anti-missile coverage sounds like a neat feature but not worth it imo for THAT knowledge price..... mhh, maybe worth to try them out though.

[Diazo]

Well, the counter-missile renders both the missile frigate and the zenith starship useless.

Add in a bonus ship or two using missiles, such as Etherjets, it can be very worth it.

Depending on that game's layout, your playstyle, etc, etc.

D.

[Winge]

Mk IV Scout Starship is also perma-cloaked in the same fashion the Scout IV is and also provides anti-missile coverage.

It does not require capturing the advanced constructor either, although the Mk IV does cost knowledge.

I've unlocked it a couple times when the AI was missile heavy on its bonus ships and the tachyon immunity is nice.

Still, very situational. I either unlock none and just use the Mk I's for anti-sniper or I go all the way to Mk. IV. There's no reason to unlock just Mk. II or III really (not that I've thought of anyway.)

Maybe against whichever AI puts counter-spies everywhere? The Scout Starships are immune to insta-kill

D.

Beat me to it.  Nine times out of ten, I use Scout Starships for Anti-sniper coverage.  Their Tachyon range isn't bad either (although if you really want range, you will unlock the Decloaker).

[Bognor]

Anti-sniper coverage includes the brutal Teuthida guard post, and also Sentinel Frigates.

Mark II only costs 250 Knowledge so I've unlocked them more than once, just for anti-sniping.  As a bonus, it becomes easier to find hidden cloaked ships.