How Effective is Silent Running in 3.3?

Old Duck

Old Duck
As an ex-submariner, "silent running" has great appeal to me. I've been playing around with different builds and configurations and flight practices to maximize my time in SR, but I'm starting to wonder if it's still viable in the latest update. It used to be that when I switched to SR when approaching a station, the ATC would get excited and say something like, "Where did you go, CMDR? You've disappeared from our scopes!" I've not heard anything like this since 3.3 dropped, and I'm still being scanned even when in SR.

Related, but slightly different, it also appears that SR or running cold (heatsinks, thermal vent) no longer breaks an NPC's target lock on our ships. Can anyone confirm? I'm assuming this is a bug in the AI. How about PvP - while I'm sure the experts know ways to negate Silent and Cold Running, are you at least seeing the desired effect of target lock break?

And finally, I've read somewhere that different ships have different "noticeability" when it comes to evading scans, regardless of SR. It's always been my assumption that a small ship like a Viper would be less detectable than a huge ship like a Type-9 (cold or not, a Type-9 is hard to miss), but then Frontier implied that the Krait was a good smuggling ship, and it's not what I'd call "tiny".

Dive, dive, dive into this thread my smuggling friends, and tell me what's happening with Silent Running in 3.3 :D
 

Ethaidan

Ethaidan
Re the Krait: As I understood it, that comment was not related to the physical properties of the ship(s), rather to the priority given to scanning different types of ships by the System Authorities. For example, if you jump into a system in a Python and I jump in a Krait, they'll prioritise scanning you first - basic profiling - and the Krait (for whatever reason) is lower down on the list than other comparable med/large ships.
 
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Old Duck

Old Duck
Ethaidan said:
Re the Krait: As I understood it, that comment was not related to the physical properties of the ship(s), rather to the priority given to scanning different types of ships by the System Authorities. For example, if you jump into a system in a Python and I jump in a Krait, they'll prioritise scanning you first - basic profiling - and the Krait (for whatever reason) is lower down on the list than other comparable med/large ships.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming this "priority level" is secret sauce like the BGS....
 

Lightspeed

Lightspeed
I am still seeing NPC pirate ships using the heatsink "ha ha broke your target lock" technique, so I should imagine SR is still intended to be a thing in the game.
 
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Deleted member 182079

D
Lightspeed said:
I am still seeing NPC pirate ships using the heatsink "ha ha broke your target lock" technique, so I should imagine SR is still intended to be a thing in the game.
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Isn't that only when they pop SCB's?
 

Krash

Krash
The silent runner in my crew still drops off the radar like he always did pre 3.3. He's in a cool running DBS torp boat. At about 500m the radar looses resolution. We can still see him out the window and night vision will light him up, but that's the biggest difference with 3.3.
 

Lightspeed

Lightspeed
Old Duck said:
As an ex-submariner, "silent running" has great appeal to me. I've been playing around with different builds and configurations and flight practices to maximize my time in SR, but I'm starting to wonder if it's still viable in the latest update. It used to be that when I switched to SR when approaching a station, the ATC would get excited and say something like, "Where did you go, CMDR? You've disappeared from our scopes!" I've not heard anything like this since 3.3 dropped, and I'm still being scanned even when in SR.

Related, but slightly different, it also appears that SR or running cold (heatsinks, thermal vent) no longer breaks an NPC's target lock on our ships. Can anyone confirm? I'm assuming this is a bug in the AI. How about PvP - while I'm sure the experts know ways to negate Silent and Cold Running, are you at least seeing the desired effect of target lock break?

And finally, I've read somewhere that different ships have different "noticeability" when it comes to evading scans, regardless of SR. It's always been my assumption that a small ship like a Viper would be less detectable than a huge ship like a Type-9 (cold or not, a Type-9 is hard to miss), but then Frontier implied that the Krait was a good smuggling ship, and it's not what I'd call "tiny".

Dive, dive, dive into this thread my smuggling friends, and tell me what's happening with Silent Running in 3.3 :D
Click to expand...

According to FD, Silent Running is among the top 1% of marketing strategies out there :)
 

Old Duck

Old Duck
Krash said:
The silent runner in my crew still drops off the radar like he always did pre 3.3. He's in a cool running DBS torp boat. At about 500m the radar looses resolution. We can still see him out the window and night vision will light him up, but that's the biggest difference with 3.3.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming this also means that you can't acquire target lock with gimbals, turrets, and seekers, correct?
 

C64Fan

C64Fan
When I smuggle passengers or goods I always activate Silent Running the moment I drop by the station, and have a Heat Sink ready for when the ship is just about to take damage. One Heat Sink is enough to give you time to land. Doing this correctly you’ll never be scanned.
 

Goose4291

Banned
Goose4291
Old Duck said:
As an ex-submariner, "silent running" has great appeal to me. I've been playing around with different builds and configurations and flight practices to maximize my time in SR, but I'm starting to wonder if it's still viable in the latest update. It used to be that when I switched to SR when approaching a station, the ATC would get excited and say something like, "Where did you go, CMDR? You've disappeared from our scopes!" I've not heard anything like this since 3.3 dropped, and I'm still being scanned even when in SR.

Related, but slightly different, it also appears that SR or running cold (heatsinks, thermal vent) no longer breaks an NPC's target lock on our ships. Can anyone confirm? I'm assuming this is a bug in the AI. How about PvP - while I'm sure the experts know ways to negate Silent and Cold Running, are you at least seeing the desired effect of target lock break?

And finally, I've read somewhere that different ships have different "noticeability" when it comes to evading scans, regardless of SR. It's always been my assumption that a small ship like a Viper would be less detectable than a huge ship like a Type-9 (cold or not, a Type-9 is hard to miss), but then Frontier implied that the Krait was a good smuggling ship, and it's not what I'd call "tiny".

Dive, dive, dive into this thread my smuggling friends, and tell me what's happening with Silent Running in 3.3 :D
Click to expand...

It's pretty useless from.my experience, unless you're dealing with an absolute novice ganker at a station and you're trying to sneak past.

Offtopic, but what boats were you on by the way?
 

Krash

Krash
Old Duck said:
I'm assuming this also means that you can't acquire target lock with gimbals, turrets, and seekers, correct?
Click to expand...

That is correct. All the radar shows me is a general direction with the "scattered ghost" icon effect, if that makes sense.
 

O'Roarke

O'Roarke
Apparently the "Emissive Munitions" experimental effects on a myriad of weaponry, pulse lasers in particular, is super-effective in nullifying the "silent running" part of "silent running". You get to keep the heat buildup downside while under silent running, though.

It seems that the current PvP-meta is angling towards "only railguns" (Hazzmango youtube edutainment).
The "Super Penetrator" experimental effect on railguns will guarantee that your silent running ship, which is permanently visible due to emissive munitions mentioned above, will be turned into swiss cheese pretty much immediately (and continually).

Disclaimer: No PvP experience at all.
 
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Krash

Krash
O'Roarke said:
Apparently the "Emissive Munitions" experimental effects on a myriad of weaponry, pulse lasers in particular, is super-effective in nullifying the "silent running" part of "silent running". You get to keep the heat buildup downside while under silent running, though.

It seems that the current PvP-meta is angling towards "only railguns" (Hazzmango youtube edutainment).
The "Super Penetrator" experimental effect on railguns will guarantee that your silent running ship, which is permanently visible due to emissive munitions mentioned above, will be turned into swiss cheese pretty much immediately (and continually).

Disclaimer: No PvP experience at all.
Click to expand...

Silent runners are so annoying that most of my combat builds will have a Pulse laser with emissive.
 

lecorsobreton

L
I don't partake in pvp, but I recall a video of the player having night vision on and all the ships were visible, so it might break silent running too by making you visible despite being cold.
 

Kawazu Delta

K
I've never made a go at it in combat, but here's Gelid, my dedicated Silent Runner.

https://s.orbis.zone/2e75

I mostly use her for the transportation of legally challenged persons about the bubble. If you swap out the passenger cabins for cargo racks, she's just as good for extra-legal logistics. Heat idles at about 16%, I can drop out near a station and run silent all the way through the mail slot without ever firing a heatsink, boosting all the way. Same on exit. The shield is an afterthought, I only keep it on because some of my clients are a bit squeamish about hull damage.
 
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