Source
r/Planetside•
Painwalker

[PSA] So apparently laser sights reveal infiltrator cloaks.

I had no idea that this was possible, but apparently the distortion given to anything behind the cloak is given to the gun even while in front of the cloak.

I was going to post a screenshot but apparently my computer decided not to cooperate >:( and all I have is a black screen.

Basically though the cloak renders over top of the laser, and distorts it pretty clearly. Doesn't take too much to see it.

Posted Apr 12, 2014, 2:14 AM UTC

1528
sumguy720PH1L1P•

Well SOMEONE needs to post a screenshot!

14
planetslider•

All I can say is cloaking is wildly too visible. I've spotted cloakers while they sat crouched. Pair that with the sound they make to uncloak in order to fire and plenty of the time they were better off not using the cloak at all.

I would prefer cloakers looked all the time how they look in 'graphics quality' set to low.

5
OnceAgainWithFeelingMiller EU•

A CROUCHED cloaker? Really? I somehow do not believe you.

I have been hiding in front of half a dozen hostiles without them noticing me, several times, right under their nose. So I would say cloaking is just fine.

4
frizbee2[AFX] Connery -- Why cap bases if there's no purpose?•

Crouching may be fine, but the rest of them are still too visible.

3
BaconomnomI say a lot of stupid things, this may be one of them.•

Not for me. I run low graphics settings and it is considered a miracle to see my own hands while cloaked... AND SOE DOESNT GIVE A SINGLE FUCK! >:(

/rant

10
Alaroxr[TIW] Alarox - Emerald•

This. I can watch an Infiltrator cloak in knifing range of me and see absolutely nothing.

When you're playing on low settings as an infiltrator you can't even see yourself.

6
FischiPiSti•

Nothing can make your heart pound more in the game then crouching at the point, and some dude is looking at your way. If you knew you were completely invisible, that would take away the thrill.

That said i would like to see a less punishing crouched movement visibility, and moving while crouched should deplete energy slower then while sprinting. (this applies only to stalker)

2
frizbee2[AFX] Connery -- Why cap bases if there's no purpose?•

Yeah, that's what I said. Movement is still too visible.

1
CobaltPhusionGame won't run.•

If you manage to get something of yours in between you and them they're really noticeable.

Example: I couldn't find the cloaker, walked up the stairs and noticed a blur between my scatter canon and my head. It made my arm distorted.

Needless to say I introduced his head to my maxy arm punch.

2
Shaken_U[SOLx] zergfit member•

I don't think that they should be visible as they are on low, because those guys are freaking invisible.

4
planetslider•

That is the point.

Next you'll say that the medical tool shouldn't revive so quickly and to full health, or that jump jets shouldn't allow you to go so high and so on.

I love strong play styles, the way infiltrators are now make them pretty weak. What they are doing to the heavy assault shield falls under the same category, they are nerfing everything to worthlessness.

1
Shaken_U[SOLx] zergfit member•

You're thinking a more extreme version of what I'm thinking, maybe. The difference in visibility from low to medium is just insane. If everybody could see infiltrators on low as well as they could be seen on ultra, that's what you're talking about. Infiltrators, especially deep cloak stalkers are almost 100% invisible on low, while they're about 66% on ultra. I do like the current medic gun, and jump jets. What I'm not pleased about is the massive difference from low to medium

1
planetslider•

Maybe there is a misunderstanding. Are you saying you want them to be as invisible as they are on low at all settings?

To consider that a infiltrator with any cloak on sitting perfectly still isn't 100% invisible seems broken to me. Anyone who disagrees with the heavy assault shield nerf, anyone who thinks light assault should be able to accurately fire their gun while jump jetting, anyone who thinks that the cloaking sound is way too loud should all agree that the visibility for a cloaker is brutally too high when graphics quality is set to medium or above. I see a cloaker on the move almost like he wasn't cloaked at all. This game is like they are trying to make everything 'easy mode' for newbies when they should just up the training and expect them to learn how to play the game.

1
Wobberjockey[VULT] Emerald's worst BR100•

i'll agree.

there is something weird going on with cloak.

i have had suppressive fire directed at me the moment i crested a ridge, cloaked, crouching, and at night.

i'm not sure if i'm not actually cloaked, if people are using an ESP hack, or if i'm affected by the model and helmet cloak bug, or what.

but i know from experience that at about 100m, you are pretty darn invisible, even if sprinting. i shouldn't be getting counter sniper fire when i'm crouched and cloaked cresting a ridge 150+ m to target

1
Aunvilgod Smed is a Liar•

No! They were already buffed!

It should not be buffed any further because if you DON'T see the infiltrator you are pretty much helpless against a SMG in your back. Its do or die, see him or not see him. And if its too hard to see him those infiltrators become just too powerful.

0
HonestSophistEmerald•

Remember that, like in Team Fortress 2 with spies, you have a huge sample bias against infiltrators. For every successful ambush, you don't see how many ignominious deaths occurred with it.

3
Aunvilgod Smed is a Liar•

yeah thats just gimmicky. In TF2 thats cool but Planetside is not TF2.

0
HonestSophistEmerald•

Yeah, for one thing, it takes far, far longer for the infiltrator to respawn and get into position, and the TTK is far lower. Not sure how that helps your argument.

3
planetslider•

No! They were already buffed! It should not be buffed any further because if you DON'T see the infiltrator you are pretty much helpless against a SMG in your back. Its do or die, see him or not see him. And if its too hard to see him those infiltrators become just too powerful.

That is the point, to be invisible. There are several things in the game that make the class close to worthless. Obviously, they are easier to kill on the idea that they have weaker shields. They cannot fire while using their ability, in other words, they cannot fire while cloaked. Their cloaking makes an incredibly loud noise that makes them painfully easy to find and track. I often find them -because- of the noise they make. And lastly, as covered, they are so incredibly easy to spot within 50 meters while moving that the class was barely worth it at all.

In planetside 1, cloakers could fire while cloaked, they were hard to spot, they could even carry the equivelent of C4/mines. They never needed to uncloak. They were fun to hunt and were very powerful. The infiltrator in planetside 2 is incredibly nerfed and dumbed down to what it was in planetside 1 in many respects.

Struggle with cloakers? There is a simple solution, get a darklight flashlight. In planetside 1, darklight was an implant, an ability that took energy and had a limited use over time. This made finding a cloaker even harder. The darklight flashlight can be used indefinitely. If your entire squad equipped darklight flashlights, finding cloakers, even if they looked how they look on low settings, would be easy as pie.

If they could fire while cloaked, or their cloak didn't make a massive sound, I could be fine with their visibility.

Just to drive my reasoning home. I generally enjoy a diverse battle field. Infiltrators often feel like easy pickings to me excluding snipers. I would be surprised if you feel positively about the upcoming heavy assault shield nerf as well. The only thing that I've ever really felt was too powerful in planetside 2 was the liberator. As for the rest of the game, I'd double everyones health and buff plenty of things.

2
RoyAwesome•

Z-order issue in the shader. It's an odd effect but basically the infiltrator is rendering on top of the laser sight. Anyone who does graphics programming can understand how much of a bitch getting transparencies overlapping is.

2
ReddingtonTR[TxR] Connery•

Yeah, I've noticed this myself. The laser sight refracts when passing through an Infiltrator that was trying to "sneak up" on me...from the front.

2
lairosen•

Nope, it Clearly doesn't work, nothing to see here, move along, forget about this.

1
Sephuku•

It does work, but mostly with running infiltrators. It isn't very useful though. I think it also has to do with Z-fighting, because the effect occurs even if your laser isn't exactly touching the infiltrator. This can also be seen in ADS when you shoot at water, the splash distortion will actually distort whatever sight you are using (the effect is pretty noticeable with x1 reflex on VS).

2
a3udiCobalt [CHI]•

But then where is the 'reveal'? Running infiltrators are very easy to spot.

1
Sephuku•

That's the point. Looking for infiltrators normally is easier than using your laser sight. The only time I've ever used that was to check for an infiltrator that was running pretty far away and it was by accident. It's a neat thing, but not useful at all.

1
clone12TMclone12TM | Vanu | Emerald•

I'm having a hard time envisioning what you're describing. I most definitely need a screenshot as I don't believe in using laser sights.

1
[deleted]•

I can confirm. I have noticed this too when chasing infiltrators, but never got the chance to reenact it.

1