The Hacker Project - a free online game

Thank you all for the great feedback on the AP system.

I've read all the 5 pages and made a some changes to the AP costs to address some balance issues raised by some of you.


- delete file does not cost AP anymore
- password breaker AP cost is now set at 15
- upload / download AP cost is now 10

- default AP cost for installing a virus set to 15
- AP for installing a virus depends on virus version and size.
   -> +1 AP for each 100 Mb the virus has
   -> +(virVersion-0.1)*30 AP
   => total AP to activate the virus = default 15 + above modifier

Huh. I like this; it makes low level virii more AP effective, to compensate for the fact that they are easily removed. Just out of curiosity, though, why the extra cost for Megabytes? You'd think the version would be the main thing. . .

the file share...

180 AP to install a 0.5 file share virus?

Why do they even exist?

Aside from that with the size of them, it's more profitable to install more adware.

And it's not like anyone's going to capture a measily adware when it costs 120 ap.

Adware is even more costly on AP from my calculations...

Your AP will also regnerate faster in the time it would take to isntall a file share. Plus you only need to install an adware once.

ok, well the idea is to make their activation AP cost as even as possible...

It takes 187 AP total to activate a File Share 0.5

Please don't spam with wrong calculations. Thank you.

Okay, but the fact still remains that you can install more adware + Have your HP regenerate in the time it would take to install one file share. It would seem pointless to capture an adware in the AP system, yet VERY effective to capture File Shares.

Yes that's correct, if you wait longer you catch the bigger fish. Taking HPD / hour, the File Share is the viable option when you want more HPD with less AP, it would make about 5 x more HPD for AP used to install it, but on the other hand it is more likely it will be targeted by AV / Capture.

File Share is the more risky shortcut to get more HPD.
Adware is the more safer way and may benefit more in the long run.

since it's quicker to cap, you're more likely to get at it...........

Well, overall, these updates have greatly improved the AP.

Thank you for YOUR input, siremi. It's still your game, so you're more than welcome to change whatever you'd like, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. The difference with this game compared to others is that you're flexible, while at the same time you don't give everyone what they want, and hell, that's probably for the better in the end. You still get your game, and with minor tweaks here and there, everyone gets an overall enjoyable experience.

Don't get me wrong, i'd still love to see AP gone, but I can deal with it now.

yes, much MUCH better now, but still a bit of a burden on those of us who are more active..........

Wow, hatejacket. That was a good post; much more mature than the knee jerk posts popping up all over the place saying "OMG NO APS!" (although usually in more coherent terms). I think APs detract from the immersiveness of the game, but at the same time, it's a bit of a relief to not have to be on all the time just to keep my edge. I'm basically trying to say that APs aren't such a bad thing, and I think there are others who agree. The problem is, the haters are so much more vocal. And I'm talking to you, Noseedam. Seriously, we get the idea. You don't like them, you don't have to keep posting it. Give the fix a little time, huh? :P

Exactly, and I know I'm taking something away from Ebolla here, but I think it'd be a good idea to have a page simply listing a timeline with all of the updates for the game. Believe it or not, people, it's still a new game, there's still changes to be made.

I retract from an earlier post, this is still the same Hacker Project that captured the minds and time of everyone that is playing this game and reading this very post.

well, things are more or less back to where they should be (AP is a bit overboard still >.>) and hopefully newbie will have a better chance

File-Share 0.5 costs
10 + 15 + (16000 / 100) + ((.5-.1)*30) = 197 (Sorry Sir Emi but 187 is wrong you /fail )
You make 300 HPD for 250 BW

Adware 0.5 costs
10 + 15 + (500 / 100) + ((.5-.1) * 30) = 42
You make 15 HPD for 15 BW.
10 + 15 + (83330 / 100) + ((8.333-.1)*30)=1105.29
You make 249.99 HPD for 249.99 BW


The new system clearly favors File-share over Adware.   The original system already did before you added in VB.

You will find the calculations are based on EXACTLY what you gave us.


And Hatejacket.  If you look at the SGP forums I am already putting something like that together ;)

A single adware that would take up the equivalent amount of bandwidth would cost 330 AP to install...

A bunch of 1.0 adwares that would take up nearly the same bandwidth (10 less) would cost 416 AP.

Both these adware solutions would make you significantly less money than the fileshare one, and would take less time to disinfect (assuming a high enough anti-adware version).

As such, there is very much a point to fileshares (less of one to adware tbh).

But capture at the same time places a bit more of an importance to adware, as newer players (And older players alike) will be less likely to capture adware as it costs more to capture than it does to install, am I correct?

Like siremi said, in the end, adware seems to be the way to go, so long as they were to survive (Not be disinfected/captured, which IMO will be 10x less likely to happen).

I'm starting to like this AP feature, so long as I'm correct, which as it seems I'm usually not :P

Dave math bad


I was good in school :( Lol

Thing is disinfect is still overly cheap.  Right now the way to make cash is to disinfect Adware like made which I have been doing today.  I have made almost 20K hpd while watching 2 movies and doing little playing.

well, you'll have to bite the bullet until you get that group of the 20% of virii that don't get disinfect missions against them. And when those get disinfected, it's time to wipe someone out :P

I didn't added the upload costs, those are in a different place for me :) You win  :third:

maybe upload/download cost nothing, and install cost more?

I made a slight error on the 249.99 BW adware
10 + 15 + (8333 / 100) + ((8.333-.1)*30)=355.32  which is still considerably higher than file-share of equal BW usage.

Mind you File-share gets a bonus to it's HPD generation.  Instead of a 1 for 1 it generates 1.1 for 1.  Basically File-Share .1 uses 50 BW and generates 60 HPD

Doh I came in 3rd for being the first to see that ;)  Of course No one posted my mistake but one of my group members pointed it out to me in chat.  :dunce:

Is password cracking actually different? Seems to be 15 in both... or are these the only AP costs remaining now?

Definitely some good changes in terms of balancing things better in relation with making the game less painful for newbies. Still has some benefits for the older players, but not quite as painful anymore.

I agree that this is better for newer players, mainly because their virii will install cheaper than the older players' virii. On the other hand, this has made the ONLY viable source of guaranteed moneymaking disinfecting. Since the "God mode" of IP change really hasn't suffered at all as a result of this (the only way to catch someone is to have every IP already cracked and be watching the server as they start. Since they can change ip and password relatively cheaply, they'll be gone by the time you can start cracking them). I've followed the trails on freshly disinfecting files to 8 different, nonexistant IPs. This game may be more newbie friendly now, but if more advanced players are forced to play like newbies then what's the point? 80% of the virii we drop will be disinfected - the people who disinfect them will profit about 3x as much as we did for installing them, and at 1/5 of the AP cost. Where's the balance now? The only way for bigger players now to survive is to begin disinfecting their own virii the second they're installed. I'm sure that's EXACTLY the kind of game you had in mind when you started this up, Sir Emi. This game is rapidly changing from a semi-realistic hacking game into a generic themed php game.

EDIT:
Oh yes, and it goes without saying that if the bigger players start disinfecting their own virii, then the gap between bigger and smaller players will only increase. And since that's what we're forced to do with these new changes, that's exactly what's going to happen. Even if you set up something so that players couldn't disinfect their own virii (massively unrealistic), it wouldn't be difficult for an organized group to trade virus disinfects. AP may be better now, but the problem is deeper than just restricting how much people can play. If you want an even playing field, you're going to have to reset the game and change the mechanics (there's no way to hurt a gold player. We get our software back instantly. Damage our servers? No biggie; our viruses will get us the money in 2 hours).

why is it that changing your password on your own gateway cost's 30?

So that you can't change your password over and over never giving someone a chance to hack you.

Definitely agree with Crlaozwyn... as well, with a shifting scale set up, that means that the older players will have their charts telling exactly which level gives the best results... whether that happens to be a fileshare or adware, and which version gives the best tradeoff (or if it just keeps getting better as the level raises). As such, these changes disadvantage newbies way more than those of us who have the more complex Excel and other information telling us how to play. ;)

I agree that something has to happen to make this more balanced. AP and other artificial limiters like it tend to harm newbies more than the established players though, which isn't the intent, I believe...

I don't think the current AP system limits newbies at all. There's no way for them to spend 1440 AP on a single day with their inferior hardware. The only ones who need to adjust are the players who can run 50 processes at once and upload dozens of virii per day.

I'm new(er), and even though I've been uploading tons of viruses and doing tons of missions every day and I have yet to drop my AP below 2800...

i'm a slightly older player (only in the top 50 tho  :10:) and i BURN AP, i only crack people, cap virii, and hide stuff too make room for virii i might install later............ i really don't do any uploading

Cap Virii, eh?

Nos respect: -5

??? i have too! and most of my virii is basic stuff, or stuff i cap of private servers!

Still not happy with AP, but who cares what I think right?

One change does NEED to be made though: when a sniffer daemon is used to reset a server password, there needs to be an AP cost associated with it.

Truth.

/signed

Another thing... what are higher players supposed to do with their money? There's no point upgrading bandwidth because we're limited in how much we can upload. There's no point upgrading CPU/MEM past a certain point, because we're limited in our research... What should I do? Buy 12 servers? Or is this a subtle suggestion that after you reach a certain point in the game, there's nothing left to do and you should just quit?

How are we limited in research, crl?

By limiting the research processes we can run at once (since each one costs ap), it doesn't make sense to boost specs past a certain point. I know I'm nowhere near soviet, but I've got >85GHz CPU + 4 gigs of memory. I just want to know what to do with all that cash now... Maybe eventually when all software is v20+ I'll need to upgrade again, but until then there's nothing to do - except run disinfects on all of my own virii for the ridiculously cheap money, of course.

But you aren't limited in how many you can run at once, only how many you can complete at once. Plan your research at the correct intervals and you should be fine. It doesn't limit how many research processes you can have running at once, just when you can complete them.

yeah, stop planting viruses for one day and save for research maybe?

Good call - I'll play half the game at a time :) Wish I'd thought of that.

ADD:
Sorry I'm frustrated - I just think the game shouldn't slow down the farther into it you get. What about having separate AP for different gateways or something? As it is, after you reach a certain point it's just a matter of time until you run out of AP and just sit there looking stupid.

Yeah stop planting virii when you can only install a small fraction of what can be disinfected.

By the previous numbers.

162 AP to install 1 File-share .4
20 AP to disinfect said File-Share

So lets figure it out shall we?
1440 APs / day
1440 / 162 = 8
8 Virii * .2 = 1.6 rounded up to 2

8 virii - 2 virii = 6
6 * 162 = 972

To disinfect 6
6 * 20 = 120

So you just lost 972 AP to get 2 virii installed.  And that is if people ONLY disinfect the ones there are missions for.

972 AP = 32 Research Projects
972 AP = 64 cracked admins
972 AP = 3 IP changes

Do I need to say anything more?

I understand you want to limit our growth Sir Emi.  Heck before you brought out the AP system I was already doing that for the Top 6.  Now guess what.   I am taking the leash off of the Top 6.   Go to town SGP.   No holds barred.   People think we control this game well lets show them what we can do and how impossible it will be to even come close to us.

Aye aye, sir.

Let's have some fun.