Cloak and Sensor levels - can they be increased?

[Fyron]

Yes you can increase them. Simply add new levels to each component field. Copy the Cloaking Device III to a new component and adjust its abilities and cost appropriately. Make sure to increase the max tech levels so that the new items will be available. Then do the same for Tachyon Sensors, Hyper Optics, Psychic Receptors, Temporal Sensors and Gravitic Sensors.

Be careful to keep the same relation between ability value and level listed in the description of the components.

[TurinTurambar]

Along that note, and not horribly off-topic:

What are the ability differences between active and passive scanning? You research tachyon sensors to 3 and get level n active scanning, and hyperoptics to whatever and get level n passive scanning. I always assumed hyperoptics to be superior given the cost difference...

But what does it mean man... what does it mean...

[Fyron]

There is effectively no difference between active EM, passive EM, psychic, gravitic and temporal scanning abilities (as with the corresponding cloaking abilities). They all function in identical manners, just against different cloaking abilities. 5 separate scanning and 5 cloaking abilities are provided to allow modders to set up more complex cloaking systems. Each cloaking ability prevents a certain range of levels of scanning components with the corresponding ability to detect the vessel (when the cloak is active). Active EM cloaking blocks Active EM scanning in the same exact manner that Temporal cloaking blocks Temporal scanning.

Basically, if you have just one scanning ability present in the system that is of sufficient level to detect the corresponding level of cloaking ability that the cloaked vessel has, you can detect it. For example, your cloaked ship has level 100 cloaking in all areas except Gravitic, in which it has level 2. A level 99 active EM scanner would not be able to detect it. However, a level 3 gravitic scanner would be able to, in spite of the comparatively high levels of other cloaking abilities.

Note that all ships have built in level 1 active and passive EM scanners, which is why cloaking devices start with ability value 2.

[Captain Kwok]

Note you can use the different cloak abilities in a mod to create the need for different sensors etc. It's just not set up that way in the stock game.