No omni-sensors.

I would vote for the T2 radar in SC to be the upper limit of radar range, i'd prefer players to have to build another radar closer than being able to see most of the map

I did like someone's suggestion of stealth that works until the unit is spotted visually or fires a weapon, then doesn't work until it goes out of range again. That would make stealth gameplay a little more interesting. The stealthy player could also have an indicator as to whether the unit is currently noticed by the enemy to make sneaking easier for them.

Although I agree the omni sensor radius on the t3 tower was to great I do not think omni itself was a problem in sup com or FA. The problem was that it was designed to counter units with both stealth and cloak but because so few units(2 of both of which were specific to a faction) it became something of a third wheel since visual sensors were positioned as the counter all anti-intel ability(stealth and jamming as they were the only anti intel widely used) and thus its effectiveness was buffed to compensate.

I think that If omni is dropped cloaking(or stealth technically but I like stealth) should be dropped as well otherwise cloaking should be more available so that omni has a function beyond just better radar.

Well if you dont like too much complexity and I can see your point, it can be boiled down to radar (active), sonar (active), seismic (passive), optical (passive).

Seismic detectors have to be static emplacements and should also include passive subaquatic sonar if the detector is built in water as well as detecting vibrations in the surface of dry land terrain when any units, including cloaked units, move, but should not reveal the presence of actively cloaked units for targeting or even precise numbers of unseen units (ugh Starcraft2), just a splodge of red where the rumbles came from. Lets you prepare for attack without knowing strength or enabling ranged counters except for attack ground eg artillery which incidentally prevents further seismic detection while in progress.

Radar is active (can be seen by the enemy) and mobile eg on cruiser and scout planes and battleships, cannot penetrate active cloaks at all but does reveal passive stealth units just outside visual range as a welter of confused echoes (a few red blurry polygons) enough to get a directional fix.

Sonar is active (can be seen by the enemy) and mobile eg on destroyers and subs. I dont think active cloaking should be possible in water but passively stealthed units should exist which have slower movement and cannot be seen until in visual range which should be lower in water, but these can be heard by seismic passive sonar when moving.

Optical sensor extends visual range just like a watchtower in Age of Empires! (loved the music) can be mobile and range depends on unit size.

How's that?

I don't really have a strong opinion either way about this subject, but that is an absurd exaggeration. A T3 omni radar consumes 2000 energy, which is equivalent to 4 x T2 Power Gens or the best part of a T3 one. Unless you're doing a radar rush there's no way you'd have omni inside a few minutes. 20 minutes for omni is plausible but even then in most cases staying at T2 radar and using the power for making planes is preferable.

How about the following sensor types:

Radar- only detects air units and orbital units. Cheap, huge range. Stealth is cheap also.

Thermal- expensive, large radius. Detects large energy signatures (build underground to stealth, or turn off)

Ultrasonic- short range, more expensive radar. Works on land units/structures. Does not detect signatures in cluttered environments, such as small units in forests or rocky, rough areas.

Omni on commander only just makes the commander counter a wide range of units. You only have one commander so stealth units would either be balanced for small situations where your commander can cover an army or large situations in which your commander cannot be everywhere at once.

This is a really bad way of doing detecting if we are trying to reduce micro. Why wouldn't units shoot in the general direction of the detection area?

Well make ground attack for seismic detections automatic and there would be no micro at all and that is not a detection issue, its an AI auto-targeting issue. Attack radar detect was auto for arty in FA. But any ground attack capable units or emplacements would not have precise targeting info just an approximate location which added to their own targeting randomicity would make it a barrage not a targeted strike like a missile strike for example which was very precise and powerful in FA and had to be micro'd. That is the distinction.

The point of a red blob IMHO is that you get a location warning from seismic detection and can be ready for the reveal when they open fire and you can also get critical units out of danger but you wont see actively cloaked units until they are very close, some fraction of total visual range IMHO.

But... I also think there should be disruptor devices and or fences which reveal any cloaked unit which cross its area of electrical discharge. Maybe even paint ball machine guns why not? Would give the phrase "painting the target" a whole new meaning. There has to be some way to counter cloak or it would be too powerful, you could just spam cloaked units and then scout the commander, surround it making sure you have enough units to one shot it and open fire and nothing could stop you, that cant be right.

IMHO the real value of cloak is not a cloaked attack, it is ambush surprise advantage. Cloaked units attacking a defended base should be toast.

I am not entirely sold that we even need units to be invisible at all. Actually making units invisible on sensors is a kind of cheap way to replicate intelligence gathering gameplay.

If we didn't have such wide-range, dense sensor systems, then we wouldn't need to be stealthed to be able to be stealthy, since if the enemy doesn't see you coming it has much the same effect.

I'd also like to see long range omni go away. I think having it on the commander, and short range units (basically LOS range) is ok though.

Regardless of other detection options, I'd like to bring back the TA way of doing stealth and cloak:

Stealth: Invisible to radar, but not to LOS
Cloak: Invisible to LOS but not to radar.

Coupled with this, I think there should be an overlay for the detection ranges of known enemy detection units.