Hacking
Hacking is the art of interfacing with a robot or machine and commanding it to do something, often in violation of security systems.
In Cogmind there are three types of hacks:
- Common: Most of these are commands native to the system itself, functions and data that Operators and other robots need access to for their work.
- Unauthorized: These are hacks that attack the system itself or abuse it in some way, decidedly not what you’re supposed to be doing there. They are always entered manually--you’ll never see these listed like the others.
- Unique: NPCs will under special circumstances, or for plot purposes, give codes that can be used to achieve unique effects. These would of course always be entered manually.
Hacking Machines
Interactive machines appear in color rather than gray. Access their interface by bumping (moving) into the solid color space containing the representative letter.
Factors
Each function/command at a machine has its own base difficulty to hack, though there are numerous other factors at play in determining your chance of success.
- Security Level: Each class of machines exists in three different varieties, rated by security level from 1 to 3. Higher security machines provide greater functionality, but are correspondingly more difficult to hack.
- Familiarity: Hacking multiple different machines of the same specific variant gradually increases your familiarity with that particular system, making future hacks against it easier.
- Utilities: Active hackware contributes to hacking attempts, most directly by making each hack easier.
- System Corruption: Being corrupted decreases the chance of success by a corresponding amount.
- Operators: Having a network of operators under your control helps bypass terminal security systems, though the benefits decrease with each additional operator. When hacking terminals, one allied operator confers a +10% to the chance of success, while the benefit of each additional operator is halved (+5%, +2%, +1%), with each operator providing no less than +1%.
Process
From your point of view, hacking is simply connecting to a system and choosing/entering commands. However, the system itself responds in three phases:
- Detection: Initially your presence is unknown, but with each subsequent action there is a chance your activity will be detected. Detection happens more quickly at higher security machines, and becomes more likely with each failed hack, but can be mitigated by stealth-enabling hackware. Accessing the same machine multiple times also increases the chance of detection, and subsequent connections are tested for detection before even the first hack.
- Tracing: As soon as suspicious activity is detected, the system attempts to locate it. Failing hacks increases the speed of the trace, more quickly for worse failures. If a session is terminated while a trace is in progress, that trace will resume from where it left off if another connection is established within 50 turns.
- 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.
Machines
See a machine's page for the specific functionality of that machine, including indirect hacking (manual commands):
Hacking Robots
Almost any robot can be hacked. Access a robot's system using either a melee datajack or Remote Datajack.
A robot that has been disrupted by electromagnetic effects can be rewired into an ally by bumping into it.
Factors
Each robot command has its own base difficulty to hack, though there are numerous other factors at play in determining your chance of success.
- Robot Class: Certain robot systems are more difficult to hack than others.
- Familiarity: Hacking multiple different robots of the same specific variant gradually increases your familiarity with that particular system, making future hacks against it easier.
- Utilities: Active hackware contributes to hacking attempts, most directly by making each hack easier.
- System Corruption: Being corrupted decreases the chance of success by a corresponding amount.
- Datajacks: Multiple successful datajack penetrations gives a +5% hacking bonus for each additional connection (up to +15%).
Commands
- PARSE: Scans the robot's system for useful internal details, including its current level of system corruption and a breakdown of hacking calculations and likely success rates.
- LINK: Embeds a program that broadcasts data to Cogmind and all allies via the datajack, helping predict what the robot will do next. This confers a +15% bonus to both targeting and damage against that robot.
- REBOOT: Completely disables the robot for a certain duration (15~25 turns). Rebooting a robot erases its short-term memory, so if you're out of sight when it starts up again it won't know where you went, or even that you were ever there.
- OVERLOAD: Outright destroys the robot by overloading its core.
- ASSIMILATE: Reprograms the robot to serve you. You can issue general orders, as described in the Allies section.
- MANUAL: Opens an interface that can be used to enter unique commands obtained on your travels.
Defense
Some robots are capable of remotely protecting others from hacking attempts. Similarly, you can protect your allies from hacking attacks with active defensive hackware.