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Author Topic: Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?  (Read 2474 times)

Adraius

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Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?
« on: September 04, 2015, 01:09:40 PM »

In the manual, this is what is says about having a hack fully traced back:

Quote from: manual
* Feedback: Once traced, the system is permanently locked and may attempt to counterattack the source of the unauthorized access, which either causes system corruption or disables connected hackware.
By now, I've been fully traced back dozens of times, but I've never experienced any negative effects aside from the terminal permanently locking itself out - I've never had hackware disabled or gained system corruption. (which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)

Also, an unrelated question/possible bug: in the score sheet, it lists all the corruption effects and how many times you experienced each effect.  Below Data Loss (map) is one I've never seen - Data Loss (database) - but according to the score sheet I experienced it dozens of times.  What does that effect do, and is it not supposed to show up in the log?  Is it bugged?

Lastly, a very small thing: in the score sheet it shows me that I had a Guided Micro-Nuke Launcher in my inventory, and it appears in the list of my identified prototypes - but in the game, I never identified the part, all I knew was that it was a prototype launcher. (now I'm a bit bummed I didn't risk attaching it =P )

EDIT: Ok, just one more: not a bug I think, but why does the Misfire corruption effect put all your other weapons offline?  It just seems like busy-work because your next move is to turn them all on again.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2015, 01:23:30 PM by Adraius »
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Kyzrati

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Re: Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2015, 09:28:49 PM »

Thanks for these!

In the manual, this is what is says about having a hack fully traced back:

Quote from: manual
* Feedback: Once traced, the system is permanently locked and may attempt to counterattack the source of the unauthorized access, which either causes system corruption or disables connected hackware.
By now, I've been fully traced back dozens of times, but I've never experienced any negative effects aside from the terminal permanently locking itself out - I've never had hackware disabled or gained system corruption. (which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
Perhaps you've just been lucky. The chance of feedback is not too high, especially on low-security machines. However, I just tested it real quick on a high-security terminal and got corrupted on my first trace :P

(which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
There are drawbacks other than just feedback, by the way ;)

Also, an unrelated question/possible bug: in the score sheet, it lists all the corruption effects and how many times you experienced each effect.  Below Data Loss (map) is one I've never seen - Data Loss (database) - but according to the score sheet I experienced it dozens of times.  What does that effect do, and is it not supposed to show up in the log?  Is it bugged?
It isn't differentiated in the log messages--both map and database info losses are called the same thing--but you're right! I was getting curious why I wasn't seeing that effect in my own longer runs... and perhaps I didn't explore it because the effect can be really annoying ;)

Apparently I broke this back before even releasing Alpha 1! It used to work in the 7DRL, but during some later refactoring I forgot to add the line that makes the change to your database :/ (the other two dozen lines that calculate the loss are just fine :P)

Anyway, I fixed it now, and also tuned down its effect a good bit. Still, prepare to be annoyed.

Lastly, a very small thing: in the score sheet it shows me that I had a Guided Micro-Nuke Launcher in my inventory, and it appears in the list of my identified prototypes - but in the game, I never identified the part, all I knew was that it was a prototype launcher. (now I'm a bit bummed I didn't risk attaching it =P )
Very good catch! As with most roguelikes, Cogmind identifies any unknown contents of your inventory at the end of a run, but apparently because the inventory list is reported before the prototypes list, the latter assumes you identified it because the code to list your inventory automatically identifies everything for you. Oops. Fixed it for the next release, thanks.

Also, I always identify launchers ASAP because they have a chance of being super awesome ;)

EDIT: Ok, just one more: not a bug I think, but why does the Misfire corruption effect put all your other weapons offline?  It just seems like busy-work because your next move is to turn them all on again.
This is due to how firing is implemented internally. The player firing system was designed (a very long ago) completely based on the parts UI status, and there was no easy workaround, so I partially faked the effect by forcing player input, which required deactivating non-firing weapons to make sure all other systems interpret the volley correctly.

Misfires ended up being a surprisingly long and involved piece of code, so I didn't go the extra mile on that one, but a solution here is to remember which weapons were active before the misfire and (if they still exist), reactivate them once it's complete. I'll look into it.
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Adraius

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Re: Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2015, 11:42:07 PM »

Quote from: manual
* Feedback: Once traced, the system is permanently locked and may attempt to counterattack the source of the unauthorized access, which either causes system corruption or disables connected hackware.
By now, I've been fully traced back dozens of times, but I've never experienced any negative effects aside from the terminal permanently locking itself out - I've never had hackware disabled or gained system corruption. (which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
Perhaps you've just been lucky. The chance of feedback is not too high, especially on low-security machines. However, I just tested it real quick on a high-security terminal and got corrupted on my first trace :P
0.o Uh, if so, I've been hella lucky!  I got traced back 13 times on my winning run alone, and a high proportion of those were high-security terminals! (low-security ones might be worth swinging past again and re-hacking, I just say 'screw it' on the high-security ones and let them lock me out) Crazy...

(which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
There are drawbacks other than just feedback, by the way ;)
...welp. xD

Also, an unrelated question/possible bug: in the score sheet, it lists all the corruption effects and how many times you experienced each effect.  Below Data Loss (map) is one I've never seen - Data Loss (database) - but according to the score sheet I experienced it dozens of times.  What does that effect do, and is it not supposed to show up in the log?  Is it bugged?
It isn't differentiated in the log messages--both map and database info losses are called the same thing--but you're right! I was getting curious why I wasn't seeing that effect in my own longer runs... and perhaps I didn't explore it because the effect can be really annoying ;)
Oh jeez, I remember you mentioning this one now in the dev blog entry about food clocks... it makes parts become unidentified.  Yeah, that'll suck. >.< Important pair of questions: 1) do you forget one particular item or all items of one type, and 2) is there any way to re-identify them!?  If not, that's pretty brutal... I recall there's an item that identifies prototypes in your inventory, I wonder if that would help...

I understand if the answer to my questions is "you'll soon be finding out!", by the way. =P

I didn't equip the launcher because a) I already had an identified doomsday launcher (a Ragnarok) so this one was just a backup panic button, b) I had such a perfect loadout I didn't want to get part of it damaged/rendered useless by a faulty prototype, and c) it took up two slots, meaning I've had to drop a couple items on the ground to equip it instead of drag-and-drop swapping, and I was really lazy. =P I'm regretting that decision now, though, if only because I don't get to see what I'm sure is some more beautiful ASCII art in the gallery!

Regarding misfires, I suspected that was the case. =) Consider this a stealth feature request, hehe.

Thanks for all the responses!
« Last Edit: September 04, 2015, 11:45:36 PM by Adraius »
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Kyzrati

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Re: Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2015, 12:23:09 AM »

Quote from: manual
* Feedback: Once traced, the system is permanently locked and may attempt to counterattack the source of the unauthorized access, which either causes system corruption or disables connected hackware.
By now, I've been fully traced back dozens of times, but I've never experienced any negative effects aside from the terminal permanently locking itself out - I've never had hackware disabled or gained system corruption. (which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
Perhaps you've just been lucky. The chance of feedback is not too high, especially on low-security machines. However, I just tested it real quick on a high-security terminal and got corrupted on my first trace :P
0.o Uh, if so, I've been hella lucky!  I got traced back 13 times on my winning run alone, and a high proportion of those were high-security terminals! (low-security ones might be worth swinging past again and re-hacking, I just say 'screw it' on the high-security ones and let them lock me out) Crazy...
Maybe hella lucky, yeah. Also, it might just not be obvious enough? It appears listed on the left-side hacking terminal, and a special sound plays, but that's it. In fact, now that I look at it the message doesn't go to your full log at all. So you may have just missed it. That should probably go to the log--the reason it's not there is pretty much nothing you do while hacking is currently sent to your main log. This was set to be a possible change later. I didn't want both you main log and the hacking windows to be showing new information simultaneously. Too confusing.

(which is why I let myself get fully traced so much!)
There are drawbacks other than just feedback, by the way ;)
...welp. xD
It's one of the things that's not so easy to discover now, so you'll be helped beginning in some future version via a tip.

I understand if the answer to my questions is "you'll soon be finding out!", by the way. =P
It's not all that bad ;). It's on per-item, and all it does is make you think they're prototypes, so equipping them will identify them again.

I didn't equip the launcher because a) I already had an identified doomsday launcher (a Ragnarok) so this one was just a backup panic button,
Ooh, Ragnarok is deadly, yeah. BUT: Keeping an unidentified prototype as a panic button can be dangerous, even more so at the end of the game where some prototypes are more likely to be faulty!!!

b) I had such a perfect loadout I didn't want to get part of it damaged/rendered useless by a faulty prototype, and c) it took up two slots, meaning I've had to drop a couple items on the ground to equip it instead of drag-and-drop swapping, and I was really lazy. =P I'm regretting that decision now, though, if only because I don't get to see what I'm sure is some more beautiful ASCII art in the gallery!
Good point about not wanting to mess up a perfect build, though. I can see that. You'll have more opportunities to collect the art later--at least the records are 100% stable and can be carried from version to version :D
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Adraius

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Re: Hacking, Corruption, and Score Sheet Bugs/Missing Features?
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2015, 01:49:06 AM »

Re: feedback, I just checked my run log more carefully, and sure enough, I DID get feedback two times, both giving me a bit of corruption.  At least I can say with confidence that I haven't missed any part disables...

Having those appear in the log would be good, yes.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2015, 01:52:53 AM by Adraius »
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