Yet More Larp

So another successful LARP event, great software as always.

We tried our first PvP mission and though it went down well we think we have hit an overpowered ability.

HACKING.

Basically it seemed to win the day against everything else. Is there something I have missed or is it overpowered?

Comments

  • Uhm... it might be for PvP, as I never intended it for PvP...

    One of the new patches allows you to tune up the difficulty:
    https://github.com/daid/EmptyEpsilon/commit/ff2b3a417eb4a215cd9407f7eeafe9e84d3013d1

    But we could also tune down the effect on player ships?
  • Based on feedback, tune down the effect or limit to so it can't take a system below 50% Basically someone who was AMAZINGLY GOOD at Minesweeper nailed the other players ship to quickly. He was quickly praised and broke the game :)
  • A maximum hack reduces system efficiency to 25%, and that's multiplied with the power level:
    https://github.com/daid/EmptyEpsilon/blob/master/src/spaceObjects/spaceship.cpp#L1020

    Maybe it would be good to substract it from the power level, so you can counteract hacking by adding more power?
  • I'd suggest another server config where the degree of hacking affect on player ships is set. This could be in the options.ini file to avoid additional UI clutter on the server config screen. Simpler to implement may be overall effect of hacking, but then that would also reduce the effect on non-player ships. I would not want to diminish Relay's role in combat
  • The subtraction solution sounds good, that way the engineer has another way to save the day. Also, it won't affect AI ships.
  • Some question, as I never did pvp in EE: Is there any indicator other than power drop, that a player ship is hacked? I think the simple fact that a crew know they just have been hacked will change things quite substantially, because now you know that you should work around it.
    Shields hacked? That means you can save some power and coolant, use it to increase efficiency of the engies/ftl drive and get outta here. Mines and the own relay officer can help to delay the persuer.
    Weapons hacked? Hack the other ship's shield. And so on.
  • edited October 2019
    https://github.com/daid/EmptyEpsilon/blob/master/src/screenComponents/powerDamageIndicator.cpp#L57
    There is at the different subsystems, but only if there is no other indicator.

    In PvP I think the main 2 problems are that it's very effective with the multiply, and that there is no way to counter it.
  • Could add an anti-hacking minigame involving setting up firewalls. Tetris maybe :P Or can the engineering repair crews also fix hacking?
  • Repair crews speeding up hack fixing sounds like a pretty decent mechanic. But it would be a bit hidden, as it would be difficult to convey that that is happening...
  • We have considered a few things based on feedback.

    Counters didn't go down well as an idea, you can already hack back so you would have to stop that to counter.

    Limit the effect to 25% MAX, this means you just hack different systems rather than take one out fully. Or at Least certain systems can't be taken out entirely.

    Have some sort of Reset, so when hacked you can reset the system, at the expense of heat.

    Hacked system cannot be hacked twice.

    Let Power boost, counter it. Or A Repair drone remove it straight away.

    Maybe a hack SETS a power level higher automatically




    Personally getting rid of the power level boost is a basic start and just limit its use or Power can counter.
    All other solutions could get complicated
  • float power = systems[system].power_level;
    power *= (1.0f - systems[system].hacked_level * 0.25f);



  • Did these 2:
    https://github.com/daid/EmptyEpsilon/commit/5ad1e7598154c1ba97f523ae44f3d73dcfb4e975
    https://github.com/daid/EmptyEpsilon/commit/e44535146d6bcbc6eccabe64b32403aa248e9e19

    I don't want to criple hacking towards AI ships too much. And I don't want to introduce another server setting.
    The first change makes it so you can effectively use heat generation to counter hacking effectiveness. The 2nd makes that repair crews have a 2nd hidden purpose.
  • That is amazing. As always thanks for everything you do, there are 100 player regularly love your work and I get to GM for them.
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