I don't understand infiltrator.

Forks · 2012-05-05, 06:31 PM

I used to play PS1 a long time ago and never fully got into it. The other day I thought I'd re-sub and give it another go.

I wanted to try something new, so I went Infiltrator/hacker thinking I could support my team and do some fun stealthy stuff.

Here's my problem...EVERYONE SEES ME IMMEDIATELY. I'll be crouched (cloaked of course) in the middle of nowhere and I'll get picked off by a mosquito from 50 yards out. Forget about getting in bases, I can't even get anywhere near one without someone looking directly at me and crushing me instantly. I crouch walk, I hide in corners not moving so I should be 100% invisible, but people light me up like a Christmas tree anyway.

Today when I finally gave up I was in the middle of the woods not anywhere near my team and someone dropped a plasma grenade right on top of me. I wasn't moving, I was crouched, and he knew right where to throw it.

I know there are motion sensors placed around that can tip people off, but I can't even get close enough to a base to set one off. I also know there's the darklight implant(By the way, is there a way to tell if someone has this and can see you?) that can let people close by see me, but it's impossible that every single person has it, let alone being able to pinpoint me out of an aircraft.

I play TF2 Spy a lot and I'm pretty decent at it so I know how to watch my surroundings and when to move, when to stay where I am. I spend more time in respawn than anything else.

I'm not well-versed in the gameplay so I know I'm probably doing something wrong, but I've watched some videos of infiltrators, and I've read a few guides, and none of them say anything about why this is happening. In the videos I've seen the guy will just sneak right up behind people, plant a mine or whatever and leave without them even noticing. I don't mind dying every once in awhile if I mess up or something but this is just not fun for me.

TL;DR I don't know how people are seeing me while cloaked. Please help me have fun.

p0intman · 2012-05-05, 08:07 PM

be clever. learn where to hide, pick up sensor shield and silent run implants, optional third is darklight. crouch walking helps a lot, you should absolutely have max hacking skills, a mossie, a fond love for the cr4-5 EMP and preferably a med app with no refills available, optional boomer brick for laughs. You should also learn about the art of misdirection - that is, making people think you're in one area of the base, when infact you are in another and then using that to your advantage.

If you like to screw with people, I always had a fond love for jacking people's vehicles as they pull out of the vbay and then deconstructing them. Theres also the option of jacking gals when they're on the ground picking people up, same with mossies and reavers when they've stopped over an airpad.

theres also counter-ceing the vbay of a semi-active back line base.

It takes practice, but you'll do fine, im sure. it isn't that hard to pick that kind of skillset up.

Udnknome · 2012-05-12, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by p0intman

be clever. learn where to hide, pick up sensor shield and silent run implants, optional third is darklight.

Don't take advice from this guy, he obviously hasn't played the game in some time.. there is no "silent run" implant

duomaxwl · 2012-05-12, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Udnknome

Don't take advice from this guy, he obviously hasn't played the game in some time.. there is no "silent run" implant

He made a simple mistake, that's no reason to discredit his advice. I'm pretty sure he mean't sensor shield, surge, darklight.

As long as you're crouching and taking small, short steps when you are around enemies, you really shouldn't have any issues being detected unless somebody is cheating (also, don't move at all when they're looking at you.) If you are running full speed in an enemy base with enemies around, you're going to die. Cloakers light up like Christmas trees on my screen when they do that crap. Slow and steady.

IMMentat · 2012-05-06, 11:21 PM

If its connected to an interlink and you don't have sensor shield active, you are just another dot on the radar. An especially squishy dot.

EVILPIG · 2012-05-07, 02:32 PM

Reveal Enemies = free kills.

IronMole · 2012-05-07, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by Forks

TL;DR I don't know how people are seeing me while cloaked. Please help me have fun.

Cheats or graphic settings...

Mastachief · 2012-05-07, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by IronMole

Cheats or graphic settings...

This and reveal enemies as already mentioned.

Effective · 2012-05-08, 02:49 AM

The afore mentioned cheats, graphic settings, interlink, reveal enemies, lack of sensor shield, being predictable.

Also doing anything with a weapon/item/implant makes sound, some people use headsets and can tell where these sounds come from. I've killed more cloakers then I bothered to count from them turning off sensor shield in my vicinity, or deciding to pull/put away a item.

igster · 2012-05-08, 02:37 PM

Three things that give away your position too

1) Opening doors in bases - ppl notice the doors open and when noone comes thru that is suspicious
2) Throwing Grenades / Jammers - also reveals that there is a cloaker and probably indicates where you are
3) Laying CE within visual range of other players tends to light up your position like a beacon

Actually got tells the other day from a cloaker accusing us of hacking after they had performed all three of these cockups within the space of 10 seconds trying to jam a magrider/lay ce under a magrider and coming out of a camped tech plant base door.
Ah no - of course - we must hax becoz like cloakers are invisible!!!!!

Udnknome · 2012-05-08, 11:49 PM

beyond hax, lack of stealth implants.. there are other things to consider. Remember that you are not supposed to be there. so don't act on every target that comes your way. I've passed several potental targets just to get at a flail squadron and hack / deconstruct them.

Understand your opponents field of view. Press "T" and look at your third person view. People are scared and weary of cloakers at all times; and understanding that paranoia is the first step to exploiting it.

As far as kills are concerned. you can add enhanced targeting instead of darklight and scavage kills as people try to heal their armor. It's what I did when working on my knife kill medals. I've heard that you can throw a gernade and whip out your knife while it's in the air for some almost insta kills, but I havn't personally tried it. (unsure if this is exploit)

Edit: PS: if you hear aircraft. STOP IMMEDIATELY! look around and see if they are near or comming close. Mossies (and Wasps?) can zoom over you at max altitude, detect you, then swoop down and wax. if you have the sensor shield and it is on, this isn't a concern. I usually don't have it turned on until I get into a base SOI, so it's still good info for the open range.

Metalsheep · 2012-05-09, 10:54 AM

A big problem with being a Cloaker anymore is that modern Graphics Cards do not render cloaking correctly anymore. They're just TOO good at rendering, or dont render at all. I know honestly, that is the case with my GTX 570, if a cloaker even moves a smidge, he totally lights up on my screen. I've gotten kills on cloakers from really long range because of this. Some people even turn off certain settings in their GPUs so that Planetside does not render your cloaking at all so you are totally visable at all times. Sometimes though, your cloaking just bugs. People can either see you, or your name over your head and just shoot below your name. Sometimes you just accidently get shot or run over. I cant tell you how many times a Vanguard has splattered me when i was cloaking. Also, Reviel Enemies will show your location.

Be sure that you have Sensor Shield as a cloaker, it will cover you from Radar and protect you from low level Pain Fields. But SS will break if you shoot, get hurt, or preform other actions like placing CE or hacking. (Unless you have Expert hacking.) Be aware of weather or not you are in an area with Interlink Radar, or if mossies are overhead with their Overflight Radar.

I would also recommend Enhanced Targeting, it lights up enemy players and CE from longer ranges and will show you their HP so you can pick off wounded targets and avoid healthy ones. Melee Booster is a good third if you want to knife enemy players stealthily. But i'd prefer Audio Amp for enhanced Radar for yourself. You could also get Darklight for other cloakers, or surge for those times you need to get away, a surging cloaker is really hard to hit. And yes, enemy players who have Dark Light activated will have an Icon next to their names, again i reccomend Enhanced Targeting so you can spot this from a longer range.

Linked to Infiltration Suit is the Phantasm, pick this thing up if you need stealthy transport. It can get you deep into enemy territory if you pilot it correctly. The Wraith is okay, but you are limited to the ground and its armor is ultra weak. The phantasm is quite well armored, actually and the fastest aircraft in the game outside of the Wasps afterburner.

As for what you carry as a Cloaker all depends on what you want to do. I presonally carry the Medium Assault pistol, Jammers, a REK and one box of Ammo for my pistol. But its all a matter of taste.

Bromaxulon · 2012-05-09, 12:09 PM

Strange that a lot of you mention modern gfx cards not rendering the cloak correctly. I am using an ati5850 in my machine and it renders the cloak as intended, as I am often diced by cloakers.

I even have a hard time spotting thing that are cloaked, that my outfit members call out.

Curious to see if this is an issue tied to nvidia cards and their drivers, or if it's just a gfx setting issue. I'll have to check my settings later.

Though if your using gfx settings to gain an advantage that's mighty lame. I'm of the beat your enemy at his best mindset.. More fun.

Metalsheep · 2012-05-09, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bromaxulon

Strange that a lot of you mention modern gfx cards not rendering the cloak correctly. I am using an ati5850 in my machine and it renders the cloak as intended, as I am often diced by cloakers.

I even have a hard time spotting thing that are cloaked, that my outfit members call out.

Curious to see if this is an issue tied to nvidia cards and their drivers, or if it's just a gfx setting issue. I'll have to check my settings later.

Though if your using gfx settings to gain an advantage that's mighty lame. I'm of the beat your enemy at his best mindset.. More fun.

My previous Radeon 6870 did the same thing to cloakers as my 570. Before that i had a Geforce 8800 GTS and i could still see cloakers decently, though maybe i've just got good eyes? But it didnt do it to the extent of my 6870 or 570. Moving cloakers are clear as day on those two cards. It renders the cloak, but when they move even a little its like a big neon sign.

Bromaxulon · 2012-05-09, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Metalsheep

My previous Radeon 6870 did the same thing to cloakers as my 570. Before that i had a Geforce 8800 GTS and i could still see cloakers decently, though maybe i've just got good eyes? But it didnt do it to the extent of my 6870 or 570. Moving cloakers are clear as day on those two cards. It renders the cloak, but when they move even a little its like a big neon sign.

Strange how that happens. My cards a gen older so it must be the most recent cards/drivers that are causing this issue. Pity ps1 doesn't have any dev support as I'd imagine that this would be an easy enough fix.