Cloaking device & Energy recharge rate.

[Eric Walch]

I was looking at the energyFull/energyLow event handlers and noticed that the shipEnergyBecameFull never arrived for a NPC ship.

Looking in the code why, I stumbled over the cloaking device. There was also a part that INCREASED energy. I couldn't believe it but I saw that when a NPC or player has the device, and it is active, energy is lowered with a rate of 12.7. However, when the player or NPC has the device and it is inactive, energy is raised with 12.7 This effectively means that just heaving the device, raises the ships energy_recharge_rate with 12.7. Normally energy_recharge_rate lies between 2 and 7 so this is a considerable increase.

I never noticed this large effect of the device in use. I just tested it with a NPC ship. And yes, giving him that device brought back his energy much faster to full.

This has always been this way and is probably intentionally, but it also means that just having the device makes a ship stronger, even when not using it.

[Commander McLane]

I wouldn't suppose it to be intentional. Therefore I would vote for removing it. An inactive cloaking device should just do nothing, not recharge your batteries.

[DaddyHoggy]

I wonder how the cloaking device works? (From a hypothetical Star-Trek-Techno-Babble POV)

A quantum-level field folding device from the optical wavelength (presuming the cameras of the ships still work at optical (human-ish?) frequencies right through to whatever wavelength the other sensors on the ship work at.

Perhaps rather than simply absorbing the energy at all frequencies at the surface of the ship and retransmitting through, perhaps, some quantum entanglement function the surface of the ship (which must be energised to enable the cloak to work in the first place) acts in reverse when the cloak is not turned on - i.e. random, multi spectrum energy falling on the surface of the ship is absorbed by the ships batteries (and thus increase the recharge rate which is the phenomenom witnessed).

Doesn't work with lasers as their energy is too high to be absorbed and it damages the cloaking devices energy distribution net which is why, possibly, the cloaking device is one of the first things to get damaged when your shields have gone (well it always used to happen for me this way).

Anyway, enough of this silliness - just thought I'd have some fun - I don't get to use my physics degree anywhere else...

[Eric Walch]

(which must be energised to enable the cloak to work in the first place) acts in reverse when the cloak is not turned on - i.e. random, multi spectrum energy falling on the surface of the ship is absorbed by the ships batteries (and thus increase the recharge rate which is the phenomenom witnessed).

No, it is actually quite logical. Cloaking uses enormous amounts of energy. It is in the order of 25.4 units per sec. The navy knew this and also knew there didn't exist ships that could generate that much energy, so they equipped their cloaking devise with a power generator of its own. To make it not to big, the internal generator isn't large enough to do the whole job on its own. Half of the needed energy still has to come from the ships own generators. But when not cloaked, the generators from the cloaking device can be used as an additional energy source for the ship. It would be a waist of resources to not use it.

[DaddyHoggy]

A much simpler, more logical explanation than mine. Thank-you.

[TGHC]

So Eric can do with it with words as well as code

We are not worthy!

[DaddyHoggy]

@TGHC - true, but his explanation would never make it into an episode of Star Trek:TNG