The Hacker Project - a free online game

Name: Cash Cow Virus

Description: A huge worm that requires a lot of resources to run. Only one of those beasts can be installed on a server. The cow will target a mega-corporation account and suck huge chunks of HPD. Can be installed on any server, if resource requirements are meet.

Resources: 30X File Share resources / version

Income: 20X File Share income / version

Restrictions:
 - only one can be installed / server
 - when collecting, you are prompted to target a faction account to suck HPD from
 - 2.5% of collected HPD goes to negative standing towards targeted faction


Please comment  :17:

'SGP Cash Cow' anyone? :laugh: :laugh:

I like it, i really do. Would it work like the current virii when installed on a player's server, ie: drain funds from their account, or would you install it anywhere and select the mega-corp to target?

Where can I get me one of these lovely ladies from???

A replacement for cash farms. You install this anywhere you can get your hands (but only one / server), then when you collect, it prompts you for one of the 4 factions. You select the faction and collect the HPD. You also lose standing for that faction as a trade-off.

Oooooooh ii DEFINATELY want one these!

 :rockon: :please: :w00t2: :drink: :cheer: :punk: :dribble:

so I can make say 20 servers, than install a big one on each, than drain true light for making rev? lol. sounds fun..

Good luck protecting 20 servers /lol. But yeah, i definately want to see this ;)

Question: will it be implemented before the round reset? That would probably be a good idea, and im sure we can slow rev down a little to give you more time :19:

Although, if it comes in at the beginning of R3, then while everyone's rushing to get themselves one, i can...../cheekygrin

I hope it will be a run-once file that will selfdestruct after doing it's job.

And plz change the name ... it keeps reminding me of a dark era in HP history  :laugh:

What about AP?

*Eledran wishes it has not a AP cost due the fact it makes you to loose standing...

That's a lot of resources. So the basic stats will be something like 96 HDD, 7500 CPU, 300,000 RAM, 1500 BW for a v0.1 collecting 1200 HPD per running hour. That's a hefty bill.

This is a great way of balancing farms, as the exponential server costs (aswell as the resources needed) will restrict your growth to some point.
However, this does not prevent players from isolating themselves, gathering funds for the next virus.

I suggest to restrict the amount of worms a player can own on their LAN (Not public servers), this makes way for more strategy.
For example;
Players LAN is restricted to 3 worms(one worm / server), once that limit is reached you can either start installing them on public servers (given resources are met).
Or replace those on your LAN with upgraded versions.

The second option explained;
Replacement would mean that along with the costs of your research(and the resources required to run that research), you also need to increase the available resources on each of the 3 owned (worm) servers.
Once you have an upgraded version availabe one has to realize the effects of the actual updating process;
In order to install the new version, the outdated one first needs to be removed, and the long install time will inevitably lead to a period of income loss.

Factor in the AP cost for the researched versions and you actually have a physical limit of the fixed income one has, once this limit is reached you will have to find other ways to increase your income. Thus preventing players from isolating themselves and, to some degree, forces them to interact with other players.



I agree, it does need a better name. Personally I was thinking of: Happy HP Worm.  :confused2:
But seriously, it does need a better name.

The worm will only be activated on round 3. The update will be completed before R3, but the worm will not be available until R3 starts.

I'm open to suggestions for a new name...

Cash Cow Virus
Colossus Worm
Goliath Worm
Big Foot Virus

Now wait a minute....you threw the factions update at us in the middle of round 2...why not throw out this update and make sure the kinks are out prior to implimentation in round 3 so round 3 isn't messed up with a screwed up update????

Ginjitsu has a point, this update will change the way HPD is gained dramatically. Not to forget that the virus will not be usable from the start, as its requirements are gigantic. Players could make preparations for it, only to discover that it is somehow flawed.

It is understandable that this update shouldn't be rushed, knowing the round could end soon. But testing the update before R3 can prove to be very beneficial.



Something Else, if you are still taking suggestions I would like to add;

Sovereignty Worm or Sovereignty Virus

Sovereignty;
-the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign
Sovereign;
-having supreme rank, power, or authority.

Underlying Thought;
This new virus will be the best money generating virii available, and will undoubtedly be used by everyone. In-line with the Factions Update, it will allow us to steal money from corporations, and use that same money against them.

Thus it has supreme rank and demands power/authority

Robber Baron Virus

"Robber baron is a term that revived in the 19th century in the United States as a reference to businessmen and bankers who dominated their respective industries and amassed huge personal fortunes, typically as a direct result of pursuing various anti-competitive or unfair business practices. The term may now be used in relation to any businessman or banker who is perceived to have used questionable business practices or scams in order to become powerful or wealthy (placing them in power of everything having controlled most business affairs.)"

EDIT: addendum...

The LAN limitation has some merit, but an alternative to this idea is that the virus has a competing resources effect (i.e. diminishing returns.) Instead of an absolute cap of 3 virii per LAN, perhaps the quantity on your own servers suffers from a diminished effect for each install based on the theory that when they're installed on the same LAN, they're competing for resources. So the first install produces 100% return, the second produces 80%, The third produces 64%, and so on until the return approaches zero. Of course, the higher version gets priority, so if a v1.05 and a v0.80 are installed on your own servers, the v1.05 yields a 100% return while the v0.80 only yields an 80% return. (Each successive installed version yields 80% of the previous one's.)

So, there is a point in both installing on your own servers and in finding secret servers and player servers to install them on in order to gain a 100% return by going around the competing resources effect.

I use 80% as an example, but this could be squished down to 50% to make a cap of 3. 100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%, ... after 25%, though, I'm sure it will be rare to find more than one or two additional installs. The version priority even takes effect if more than one player installs it on the same LAN. Player A installs a v1.1 and earns 100% while player B who installed a v1.0 earns only 50% and must go out and disinfect the v1.1 in order to increase his return.

This could be used on corporate intranets as well, but with not so steep a decline due to how large these infrastructures are. Perhaps 100%, 95%, 91.5%, etc... (math is estimated at each successive install earning 95% of the previous install's return.)

Could get a little complicated but could also supply farm income while providing opportunities for PvP with regards to the farms.

Agreed. The update will be implemented asap, but on R2 you will only be able to control two virii of this type.

In R3, you will be able to control a maximum of 15 virii of this type on a regular account, and 30 on a Gold account.

I like the name  :21:

Some of the other suggestions are good too, I just offered "Robber Baron" because I believe that it would fit with the mega-corp theme and have historical significance. The term isn't unique for the States, either. I believe it's of German origin and was, as the quote I used suggested, "revived" not coined during the United States' industrial revolution.

I have this update ready and tested the vir and it works well. I can assure you it's bug free.

I'm not sure if we want this before R3 or in R3. Don't want to prolong R2 more then necessary...

How many AP does it cost for installing a 0.1?

I think it was 975 AP when I installed a 0.1...

See...release it and let us find these things out!!  :bodyguard:

53h 20m to install a 0.1  :16:

Wow, thats a little much for 1200 HPD/hour :5: ..... 106h 40m for a v0.2....oMG!

yeah but 0.2 is 2400 HPD / hour  :16:

too bad it does not start the counter as soon as you start installing it.... lol

 :laugh: well if you put that way... :laugh:

Thank you for at least giving us a chance to see what this baby can do...now the one question I have is where do I find this baby???

 :laugh: You'll find the beast on True Light Repository servers at the beginning of R3.

Hmmm...no round 2 love eh Emi??? Let the games begin!!!    :bodyguard:

I await 0.1 LOG UNDELETERS show up again at TL repositories at R3 :21: :21: :shifty: :shifty:

And that any other 0.1 software disappears from TL repositories. :12:

BTW, I think public servers should not have /root/OS/os.sock related missions. They should be static, or setting limits like no more that 50% missions to each mega-corp around it at the same time aviable, taking the default rounding (it sounds too bad to me, I guess google translation is wrong), so for the 5 TL repositories there should be only 2 active (5*50%=2.5 => Rounding_default(2.5)=2)

Edit:


Try hacking emi's servers. I guess he has got copies of many of the soft aviable ingame ;)

you could try but the server in question isnt on the live site.

So...

98     e (#1)     1         2.269.821

Emi has not got any server ingame? :S