The Hacker Project - a free online game

In an effort to add something to what should one day be a good storyline, and also in attempt to balance the game, I've tried to come up with some sort of idea where you could align yourself with one of the 4 mega-corporations, and in doing so would give certain bonuses for missions from each mega-corporation, which would potentially in effect balance the level of each user taking each mission. This would potentially stop lower-end players from taking higher paying missions and being hacked and having their processes stopped. On the other hand, it would increase the number of low-level to low-level, mid-level to mid-level and higher level hackings for process stopping.

The requirement to join the "higher-end" mega-corporations would do this.

On the storyline side, each mega-corporation aligns themselves (Good or Evil), and the bonuses for taking certain missions for the corporation you work for would be affected. In effect this would also set a level of prestige for each mega-corporation.

True Light
Requirements = None
(Alignment = Good)

Changes in HPD payment for missions:

Delete File: 30% Increase on all non True Light servers for Newbies under Protection, 20% Increase otherwise
Disinfect: 25% Increase on all servers
Kill Process: No Change
Anti-Hacker: 20% Decrease


Omnicron
Requirements = No Newbie Protection/Void Newbie Protection Upon Registry
(Alignment = Good)

Changes in HPD payment for missions:

Delete File: 40% Increase on all non Omnicron servers
Disinfect: No Change
Kill Process: No Change
Anti-Hacker: 15% Decrease

Hakuza
Requirements: Hardware? # of Completed Missions for Hakuza? Software wouldn't work. Maybe HPD Cost?
(Alignment = Neutral)

Changes in HPD payment for missions:

Delete File: 15% Increase on all non Hakuza servers
Disinfect: 15% Increase on all servers
Kill Process: 15% Increase on all non Hakuza servers
Anti-Hacker: 15% Increase on all non Hakuza servers

Icarus
Requirements: Hardware? # of Completed Missions for Icarus? HPD Cost?
(Alignment = Evil)
*When "quitting" Icarus (Changing your IP), You have a 20% chance of getting an anti-hacker mission against you*

Changes in HPD payment for missions:

Delete File: 5% Increase on all non Icarus servers
Disinfect: 15% Increase on all non Icarus servers
Kill Process: 25% Increase on all non Icarus servers
Anti-Hacker: 25% Increase on all non Icarus servers

To quit the mega-corporation you work for, simply change your IP. Changing your IP would also nerf any bonuses you would get from working for said mega-corporations.

The requirements to join the Icarus Mega-Corp would be the highest, and which would normally mean the higher-end players will always end up working for Icarus, the alignment would disagree. Not every hacker is going to want to be deemed "evil", which is why the "Lower-end" Mega-Corps pay nearly the same bonuses, but for different mission types.

The way that I would see this working:

Newbies would work for True Light to get the initial bonuses to get them on their feet. Regular/High-end players would work there for the high Disinfect bonus.

Regular players/Higher-End would work for Omnicron, as delete missions are an effective way of making HPD and it provides the highest bonus. Newbies can work here, but lose their newbie protection upon signing up. To regain newbie protection, simply change your IP (effectively "quitting" the mega-corporation)

All 3 types of players who would want to be affected the least by this update/Enjoy a nice rounded bonus for all types of missions/Don
't care for alignment (In other words, Neutral) would work for Hakuza.

Evil players would work for Icarus. The kind of player that likes to destroy other user's software, etc. As it would pay the most for them.


There it is. Critique me on this one, please. I'm sure there are some things that I am forgetting, and it is a pretty major update, but I think with some tweaks and other changes this could be a really great thing for the game.

The question is: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ok I am too new here to comment on the technical details of the bonii involved and so on - but I do understand the storyline.

I (personally) don't think that corporations are meant to be moral. Giving them an alignment as in "Good" and "Evil" is neither realistic nor in fact needed for the system which you are proposing.

Having said that:

1) On bonuses - you may wish to have differential bonuses between "True Light" and "Coorporation" attacks. Hazuka for instance would NOT regard missions against True Light (who are an adversary, but not a competitor) in the same way as they would see a mission against Icarus (Both and adversary AND a competitor)

2) On penalties - Penalties on missions which you undertake against your own "Coorporation" are probably needed.

Final thought - Would working for a coorporation long enough get you access to some of those secret servers :p (e.g. if you were trusted enough you might get a mission to disinfect a secret server)

Mmm, i like the idea, the way it was thinking.

Some thing like that is good to the role playing of the game.

Interesting, I like the idea too. I had this planned in the development phase, but it was a complicated procedure and decided to leave it for later. The idea was to offer the player a chance to join one of the factions and battle with the others that joined the other factions.

However, I would like all the Mega-corps to be Evil and only True Light is Good.

Also the bonuses should be balanced and more equal, so that players divide in about equal numbers among the factions.

Now a few good things / bad things about joining a faction:

- you start with neutral on all 4 factions
- if you join a faction, you are made friendly towards it and enemy towards the others (can only change faction once a week)

- what friendly means:
  -> you get full admin access on all faction servers and sniffers change pass don't affect your faction server access
  -> access to the secret faction bulletin board and secret missions only acceptable by faction members (including capture virus missions to capture vir on friendly faction server)
   -> can not install virus on friendly faction servers

- what enemy means is that your actions against the enemy faction ( crack admin, install virus, access server, proxy jump )
   -> will possibly spawn a special anti-hack mission on the corporation non-public mission board. (yes a non-public bulletin board only accessible by the hackers working for the faction)
   -> the non-public mission board is where special mission against other factions spawn, as well as lots of anti-hacker missions against faction enemies
   -> so it becomes more dangerous to cruise enemy servers due to the fact that if you are an enemy of the faction you are more likely to spawn an anti-hacker missions on yourself. Neutrals are un-affected and can only spawn anti-hacker when installing a virus.


- faction ranks, to show the number of joined players, servers, faction power. See what faction is the strongest.

I like those changes siremi, but one thing that I really did like (And could possibly be implemented with some modifications if it doesnt work currently) is the fact that you lose your status with the faction when you change your IP. This severs all connections with the faction so that they can not retaliate against you, and also nerfs the bonuses you get from disinfecting, giving a little more incentive NOT to change IP, but leaving the IP Change feature in game.

I feel like using that feature of resigning your faction status when you change IP seems unrealistic.  If you join a faction, it's like some kind of contract where you say, "I'm throwing my lot in with XYZ Corp." or "I agree with XYZ Corp's views/ideas". So if you changed IPs, I'd think one of the first things you would do would be to check back in with your informant with the corp.

Also, this would work in favor of Gold members. Only Gold members or non-Golds with a hidden backup server and high bandwidth would disinfect another players virii without considering an IP change, considering the possibility of retaliation hanging over every disinfect. Also, I wouldn't think non-Golds w/backup and high bandwidth/low CPU/RAM wouldn't specialize in disinfecting anyway, a server built like that would be better suited to installing.

Another thing is that the whole good/evil thing shouldn't be used here, isn't the idea behind a dystopian, hacker based environment is that the lines between good and evil are blurred? I can't think of more suitable labels, but the corporations seem to lean more towards order/forced progress/profiteering while True Light tends more towards freedom/self-determination.

@siremi - What do you mean by balanced and more equal? I assume it's Hatejacket's labeling of Icarus' bonuses as being better than others. Can we get rough examples?

Admin access on all servers shouldn't be given automatically to members, each should be individually cracked as they are now. Gives incentive for virii to be installed on higher protected servers relative to their virii's own version. Also, since faction members can't install virii on their own faction's servers, that means they can't install sniffers on their own servers, which means sniffers on any faction's servers automatically have half their features made useless (password change)

As for changing factions, there should be a huge penalty for leaving/switching. And I mean huge, preferably in the 2000-3000AP range. Corps don't take kindly to fair-weather hackers.

Last point, will the corps tolerate competition within the faction? I'm talking members of the same faction nuking each other over the same disinfect mission for example. If they do without penalty it sort of undermines the faction idea, considering members will be weakening each other over money.

Otherwise, great idea! I actually began playing here with the intent of RP'ing a neutral party, but well, that went out the window when my intro post got one reply.  :2:

I agree with Moen Co, to lose your faction status when using IP Change is unrealistic and removes defense one has.

However, not to worry. The anti-hacker missions will compensate for that, because you'll see lots of them on the enemies of the corporations, since the corps will also track them if they crack the pass / proxy them, etc.


It makes sense that if you are hired as a sub-contractor to work for the corporation that they will give you the access details in order to better protect their servers. Keep in mind that this does not mean that you can just join the faction and gain access to all the servers and then leave with that access. No, you get a special key to access, but if you leave you will have to crack them.

Also since you are getting access and can not install any viruses on the corp you are joining, the access will only be used to guard the assets of the corporation, be that disinfect or protection against the enemy agents.


The employer that sets a contract for bounty hunters for example, is not concerned with the battle between the hunters to get the reward. This creates competition and is good for the employer. So the corporations are not concerned if the sub-contractors wage wars among them as long as someone gets the job done  :12:

I still think IP change should be implemented somehow.

Maybe after changing your IP you have to update your new IP to the mega corp...After 6 hours you get dropped from the mega-corp if you don't update your IP, as your employer hast lost track of you...

I don't know, I think if you change your IP even your employer would be hard to track you.

Yeah but you're a bounty hunter, the employer does not need to track you down, you contact him, get your contract and then contact him again when the job is done.

Simple.  :)

I would think of it more as a trust issue.  Unless you want there to be a possibility of double agents, a freelancer working with someone from say Icarus, could employ themselves with say, True Light.  That person then gets access to all True Light servers, brings down the protections and allows his buddy from Icarus to hack all of those servers with 5 minute timers. True, Icarus hacker probably gets a few anti-hacker missions, but cracking the servers took much less effort and doesn't require any hardware at all.

So you'd need to put some kind of anti-double agent system into each of the servers, either limiting what commands can be run (allow download/disinfect/unhide, disallow infect/hide/kill process?) a la newbie protection applying only to faction members, or hostile actions on your own faction's servers carry a chance of lost reputation/being expelled from the organization, complete with leaving penalty.


I know I wouldn't be comfortable working for someone if they tracked me down just to keep an eye on me.

It also sounds like the relationship between a Corp and a hacker is something like working as a freelancer.  You take jobs, complete them, get paid, end of story. But you follow the unspoken rules of thieves and hackers, and breaking them carries their own consequences.

Let me make it more clear:

If you work for a faction and get access to servers of that faction that you discover:

- you can NOT:
  -> stop protection software or run protection software (FW and PWD)
  -> install virii on your faction servers
  -> work for more then one faction / mega-corp

- you CAN:
  -> disinfect / capture virii
  -> other stuff the admin does

I was just thinking about this last night, I'm glad HJ mentioned it on the new thread.  I think this combined with the OS option would work out well, if you are working for Truelight you would be running a TLOS, which would work as a key to allow you admin access to all TL servers.  If you leave truelight you lose your TLOS and get some sort of basic OS like everyone starts with, maybe a GOS (Gateway Operating System).

I would also suggests some sort of reputation system, like you can infect a server of your faction but you take a huge reputation hit, if you drop below a certain point you are kicked out and they take out some anti-hacker missions against you.  The lower your reputation for an organization, the more likely you are to generate an anti-hacker mission when surfing their servers.  The higher reputation you are with a faction, you get a bonus to payouts.

Joining a faction would give you an instant bonus, then a daily bonus each day.  If you are running a TLOS you have a daily bonus to TL, but a small daily hit to all three mega-corp reps.  If you are running a mega-corp OS, you gain a bonus to that corp, and a daily hit from TL.  Finishing a mission from an org would give you a rep bonus, disinfecting a virii on an org secret would give you a bonus, stuff like that.

Edit:  Also, as an added bonus, if you crack a player with an enemy OS (if you have TL anyone with a mega corp OS has an "enemy" OS, as a mega corp TLOS would be "enemy") you could transmit their IP to your organization, which gives a certain % chance that they will get an anti-hacker mission spawning against them from your org, as well as giving you a rep bonus to all the factions that are "enemy" to that faction.  Example, if you are Hakuza and hack a Truelight, you transmit their IP and gain a bonus to all three mega corps rep because none of them like Truelight, and maybe a slightly larger bonus to Hakuza because they are your benefactor.

This mean that being "nonaligned" is an option? There would certainly be a segment of the population which would not want to be affiliated with a faction. I would want the ability to "go independent" even after joining a faction. Maybe even require a time of independence between factions. I also think that one would definitely not be able to rejoin the same faction as one would be "black listed" by that faction for being a traitor.


That would make more sense of the Operating System suggestion.

I'm combining both the suggestions into one uber suggestion.

Unaligned people would run a GOS (Gateway OS) and would get some more neutral type bonuses from the organizations.

You should definitely be allowed to rejoin a faction, however you would have to have a certain reputation with that faction to do so, and when you quit you would take a hit.  Reputation loss from quitting would be large for the mega-corps, but smaller for Truelight as they are more of the "good guys".  When you quit from the mega corps they may put an anti-hacker mission on you, while quitting from truelight does not, however joining a mega corps faction has a small chance of truelight spawning an anti-hacker mission against you.

The MegaCorps also see themselves as the "good guys" however. That's something to think about. Even if their actions are sadistic and repressive, they will use the good old "greater good" rationalization used by so many tyrants throughout history and that carries with it the slippery slope of "if you're not with us, you're against us" that helps the masses turn a blind eye to the crimes of their government.

I don't see True Light putting out "anti-hacker" missions if it's a neo/pseudo-anarchist movement. If they're a liberal, socialist or pro-government movement of some kind (pro-democracy for example) then yeah, they might do that. Anarchists wouldn't and you also wouldn't take a hit for joining, leaving, and rejoining in the eyes of True Light and reputation would be meaningless as far as TL is concerned, otherwise it's just another MegaCorp.

If we're allowed to rejoin a faction (aside from my previous paragraph's concept), I'd want to see the reputation loss when you leave be huge and if you join another faction afterward, I'd want to see another reputation penalty for disloyalty. If you leave then rejoin, I can see them being suspicious but not "black listing" you. However, anyone who constantly joins, quits, joins, quits, etc. even if it's just the same faction they're joining over and over again, eventually, they're going to get tired of that flake and not bother with them again. As a business owner, you don't want to deal with unreliable contractors and you really don't give someone more than one or two chances if you want to stay in business. It's just common business sense and these MegaCorps didn't become so powerful by employing unreliable contractors.

Stuff to think about, but I think, overall, this thread is headed in a good direction.

    I think that you should have ranks all the way up to President, WITH the data files Exou talked about, and the higher ups could actually create some, maybe?
    You could get some work for transferring this file, or deleting that one, etc. etc.
The thing is, True Light is technically a terrorist organization. The MegaCorps are tyrant rulers. All of the IFs are doing illegal things- everyone is bad here, but it's a matter of personal opinion, the MCs would probably like us if they weren't just words, since we're prolonging the inevitable doomsday, but are annoyed at the constant infections. Truelight probably is pissed we're stopping their almighty plan, now, if we did have faction leaders, and ranks, we would see how it worked out.
     Maybe the faction workers would have a 'network' that allows them to chat w/ each other and organize, with some motivation, such as the ability to 'proccess' data files (an action that wouldn't take TO much BW and CPU and such, and just a few hours, but could be stopped or hijacked somehow, like spyware or something.
      The ability to pay workers, I realize that's abuseable, so maybe a trade-for-data thing? where you spend an hour doing w/e while the data file is transferred, and the HPD is transferred back.
 Then the accountant, CEO, president, whoever who got it could open up the data file for a reward, bigger then the amount he gave. (the IFs with low ranks cannot proccess most data files, only certain TLs, or maybe cheap memos and gossip they find) so example:

   IF finds x data. He sends IM through hakuza messenger, looking for an, acountant. An acountant offers, and they look it over (transfer confirmation) and decide whether or not to go through with it. The Ac says yes. They wait an hour and either one hits task complete. The IF recieves X (varies on data, or what the Ac pays him, could go either way?) and the Ac begins opening it. He could recieve x-x times more then the IF did, because he has to wait longer, and his job is higher up.

     This means newbs recieve less, but if they got a LOT, then what? They'd advance to quickly! This could lead to some inexperienced players with really good stats, which is bad. The better players already make a lot, it's a 'supplement' that benefits both of them.
      Anyone could choose to delete an enemy file as well.
Ac sees a delete data mission, the data looks big, which could mean a setback for Omnicron, he takes it and cracks the server. He begins the delete- and waits a while, finally, he finishes, the data is destroyed and he is rewarded, an enemy IF had been transferring it to his server, but it's to late, the Hakuza Ac has stopped a potential transaction, which made some sort of dramatic butterfly effect and the revelation happens.  :laugh:

I think this is a great idea and I would really like to see it put in.....