how to use cloaks effectively?

[spazomatic (OP)]

Is there a good explanation on how to use cloaks effectively?

I tried to go with a cloak/cannonade theme in my last game.  I invested heavily in all the cloak technologies and didn't use active sensors anywhere near my cloaked ships, but the aliens seemed thoroughly unimpressed and missiled me off the field at 150mil km.

I found a few forum posts that talk about cloaks and detection but I couldn't find anything that really covered how it all works.

[Gyrfalcon]

Cloaks are simple - they make your ship appear a great deal smaller to active sensors, this can tempt the AI into closing with or underestimating your fleet.

Carronades are terrible niche weapons. If you want to play a beam fleet, you still need anti-missile weapons, either gauss turrets or massed 10cm railguns.

[Scud]

Cloaks are best combined with missiles. Any situation where you have to close to beam range with the enemy will negate your cloak advantage completely. If you insist on using them with  beam weapons, they’re best used strategically, to sneak up to unsuspecting stragglers

[Father Tim]

Is there a good explanation on how to use cloaks effectively?

It's not really possible to use cloaks effectively.  As mentioned above, the only thing a cloak does is to reduce the apparent size of a ship.  This means the maximum range at which it can be detected is lower, but once detected there is no difference.  Cloaking is only useful if you're trying to hide and/or run away.

I tried to go with a cloak/cannonade theme in my last game.  I invested heavily in all the cloak technologies and didn't use active sensors anywhere near my cloaked ships, but the aliens seemed thoroughly unimpressed and missiled me off the field at 150mil km.

I found a few forum posts that talk about cloaks and detection but I couldn't find anything that really covered how it all works.

With a 90% cloak, your 16,000 ton (320 hull space) ship appears to be (and is detected by active sensors as) 1,600 tons (32 hull spaces).  That's it.  Versus a resolution 200 active sensor this will reduce the detection range; versus a resolution 20 active sensor it will not.