I really like the suggestions surrounding the refactoring of the skill rust system, as summarized in this thread (more specifically, this github post). When we get there though, the computer skill will be in a tough space. If reading only raises your “potential”, and you still need practice to attain a higher skill level, it’d be ridiculously difficult to level your computer skill the way things currently are.
So why not create more opportunities to practice this skill. Why is practically every computer in the land a “broken console”? Perhaps your character can boot them up with an appropriate power source in hand. Once booted, you can:
Hack to attempt to log in
Hack to attempt to gain root access
This is game is set in the future. Homes are being integrated with computer systems for both convienince and security. Perhaps there are areas within homes that are only accessible through hacking the home’s integrated computer system. Perhaps some appliences can become active through interacting with this computer system.
How about programable driods? They’d require skill in electronics, computers, and/or mechanics. Maybe these driods can do simple tasks for you to allieviate the repetitive tasks you have to do to stay alive. Program a driod to collect water from the local river! (Just hope a predator doesn’t follow it home!) Program it to return to your shelter after you’ve loaded some items into it! (Just hope it doesn’t malfunction and get lost with something important).
There’s lots of fun to be had aside from hacking computers in labs, pharamcies, etc
I think one way to help would be to not have bank/police/clinic vault consoles break so easily. Just have them go ‘BEEP! Maximum failed login attempts exceeded!’ after a certain amount of time. Programmable droids I like the idea of, that would probably come in once a proper companion order system has been worked in.
Although with the right books I think you can raise it up from 0 to about 8 without touching a computer.
You pretty much have to. As it stands the only consoles you can hack with anything less than level 5 computers (successfully) are what, the Water Treatment Plant doors?
I’ve definitely wanted this to be the case. If you had the opportunity to try to hack into personal PCs, similar behavior would make sense.
Ya, that’s what I’ve done. But if they revamp the skill system in the way that’s described in the links in the OP, even after reading the books your current skill level would still be 0. Hence the need for more opportunities to hack.
Perhaps with a UPS or some other charging device it would be possible to turn on a laptop, and learn some computing with it. Maybe more working consoles in random houses, and if you hack into them it you can get a bit of lore, like panicked status updates during the cataclysm or something.
Oooh. This reminds me of how the Metriod trilogy on the Gamecube exposed its lore to its players. Those interested in it would learn about it by scanning the environment of places they visited.
I’ve thought about including something where if you activate a console while you have a usb drive with hackPRO in your inventory, it would either reduce the computer skill necessary to hack the computer, or it would bring up a little training sim program.
We’ve got perfectly good cellphones kicking around with little phone OS’s in 'em, might be able to raise computers to some really basic amount (to 1? Dunno) by messing with the software. Not sure how viable that is as an addition, but it’s an electronic device that actually works when you find it.
Autohacking consoles would overpowered, since it doesn’t make sense for them to be used up when you use it. You’d have no need for computer skill at all anymore.
Well, I’m not sure if there’s anyone working on it now, but there were ideas of having vehicle-mounted computer systems.
Also, I’m working on having a bunch of USBs that could be “hacked” by disassembling them with a PDA. This would give more ways to train the computer skill and also would serve as a more sensible medium in learning and attaining certain recipes and components (such as for robots and a number of CBMs).
