Would this be a good game idea: Hacking I know only 1 other game that has this game cimcept with is uplink(released in uk a year or more ago but just released in usa this past week). so the good thing about this is that there are not TOO MANY of this game type out what do you think. vote yes or no with reason thank for your input in adv.

tell me what you would do. this is not 3D only 2D i think. you would steal files, delete files, change reconds, and stuff like that.

Well, its quite a nice idea, but many people have just toyed with it and given up. Perhaps this is because it may not be too rewarding to the player... I don''t know. If you can pull it off well, I think it is a good idea.

Well, I think hacking is a good basis for a sub-game, but not really for a full game, it could certainly work as a puzzle style game, but I think it would shine as a sub-game. I think players want to see visible effects of hacking, with a pure hacking simulator, your only reward is to be told by text or perhaps some animated sequence, that you have successfully hacked something. What I think people want to see would be hacking applied to something meaningful, like say if you could play a hacker in one of the current futuristic MMORPG''s (for arguements sake) you could aid friends by hacking into a buildings defence network, and thereby gain control of gun turrets, security cameras and the like, or you could dig up information on players that could ruin their standing with certain NPC factions. You could also perform the hacking remotely, with a greater chance of failure (due to having to hack via varying networks), or you could perform it locally, ie in the building, with a greater chance of success, but at greater personal risk. That, personally is how I would like to see hacking implemented.

I''m with Mephs on this one.

To make a complete game out of it would mean making it really complex. You''d want more than one route to actually complete any goal, and as much freedom as possible to experiment. When you think of all of the factors actually involved in hacking, translating those into a game environment (which by their very nature have a strict set of world rules) would be very hard.

Besides which - in general hacking is boring. You spend a load of time scouting the network, probing, scanning, etc., and then lots more time doing donkey work and spend five minutes actually executing the attack.

I dunno. I would love to see someone make it work, but I just can''t think of a way to do it.

I remember back in the BBS days there were some text-based BBS door games that was pretend hacking. It was kind of fun for a while. One of the ones that I remember playing is called "B.B.S. Hacker". There''s also another one called Hackarama. You can find them both at http://archives.thebbs.org/ra93c.htm

There are actually a lot of "futuristic" hacking games, baised on the cyberpunk/VR theories of hacking.

There is even a free game call "decker" which is a lot of fun ~

As for real hacking, that is very very boring. It would be like real putting shredded paper back together. Not fun.

Of course, Script Kiddy stuff, or toolz, and purchusing toolz thru a fixer of some sort might be interesting. Of course, the story would be difficult, because every part of your game would involve the same tasks, with slightly better tools. You would have to find a way to change things up.

There is a great game, Hacker by Activision, that rocks my socks. I'd just like to mention it.

(added Hacker's game company )

[edited by - dede on March 15, 2003 12:52:09 PM]

Uplink isn''t such a bad hacking game, if you don''t mind it being /very/ Hollywood-style hacking. Still amusing.

- This is a rehearsal for all the empty promises I will be
-ryan@lecherousjester.com

I haven''t played uplink but i recall positive comments about the game possibly here at gamedev a couple of years back.

RtS: at least it uses names of real tools, rather than ''Double-click the Matrix Emulator to break past the Multithreaded Proxy'' that some films seem to find cool...

As a game, Uplink is brilliant, IMO. If you don''t approach it as a ''hacking sim,'' then it''s a lot of fun to play.

The tension you get when your trace detector is beeping fast (to tell you they''re about to trace you) and you''re just waiting for the last couple of logs to be deleted...

The way in which you have to have to manage your resources fairly carefully. Do you buy new tools, or upgrade your machine? Do you do it now or later?

The storyline! (Yes, there''s a storyline!)

The thing I''d ask is what could you do better than Uplink does?

Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates, and when he''s not doing that, runs The Binary Refinery.