Datapad and applications

[Elladan]

Hi !

I'm creating this post to explain an idea that I'd like to see implemented in the game for quite a long time : a Datapad. For those who don't know what it is, well, it's like a tablet you carry with you and that links you to the electronic world enabling you to interact with it.

So what's the point for Starmade ?

First of all, the aspect I like most about it is Hacking. For example, you want to enter an enemy base to steal a ship because he looks awesome. So you don't want to break through with a big ship, destroy the base and the prize you seek along with it. So you want to be able to go another way. You want to get to the planet with a Stealthed ship then, you'll quietly go the door of the base which is locked. That's the moment you take out your datapad and start hacking. Hacking would take some time depending on the object. For example a door might take 1 min to unlock. During that time, the faction owning the base is warned about the intrusion attempt. Once you unlock the door, you might try to get into some turrets systems to switch targets or directly head to the ship. Well, in this example, I went for the ship, where it takes me 10 min to break through the ship's systems and leave with it.

Okay, that's seem cool, but how does it work deeper ? When you get to a block that denie you access, you can use your datapad to activate it. It takes time to break in and the block's owner is warned. The time it takes depend on the size of the group of block you want to break in and its type ( doors are easy to hack, core are a lot harder ). Eventually, they might be some security blocks that would have you complete some kind of tasks to grant access ( a bit like Assassin's Creed Black Flag hacking ).

Spoiler: Assassin's Creed : Black Flag Hacking

Also you can't hack into a homebase to take control of either ships docked there or anything that could damage it. ( You might still be able to use turrets to shoot the guys owning the place but not to destroy the base )


Second of all, hacking isn't the only possibility of such a feature. Indeed, it could be used to view the map or send/receive permanent messages while not connected. ( It might just be links to the current message systems and the actual map to facilitate access )

Last of all, it's an interface so anything you might think of could be done with it. From programming IA with LUA code to checking the sales on a shop you own.

So feel free to comment and add what you'd like to be able to do with it.
( Agree on the post if you like it )

Elladan

 

[Miow22]

I love it. It adds a whole other branch to starmade.
also, I love halo n' all, but its funny how Ipads look better than their data pads ;p

 

[Elladan]

It's just an illustration. It can be an Ipad or anything.

 

[therimmer96]

It should be a generic shaped model, and the textures should be included in the skin, so each individual gets a pad that suits their style

 

[hindos]

Wonderful idea especially since its formulated in a way that the game wouldn't become unbalanced by it. I do see the issue of folks being offline, but that could in turn be counteracted via the usage of NPCs in bases. It would be very interesting if the folks from the dock hooked up with the actual StarMade client by communicating with the programmers so that we could have the certain aspects of this site visible on the DataPad such as the PM system and/or the IRC system. Pretty wild idea, but it's food for thought.

 

[therimmer96]

What I would love to see is 2 types of computers in starmade. Both pretty similar. The first, computercraft style computers. If you haven't heard of it, computercraft is a mod for minecraft that adds computers that can be programmed by the user in Lua. These machines can be used to control devices in the game via redstone, and has integration with other mods aswell. The computers can communication via a wired lan network, or wireless, or even across redstone. Now imagine being able to create systems where a ship with a wireless computer approaches a station, and uses a program to interface with the stations systems to request docking permissions. The station will then decide if the ship and pilot are allowed based on a list of parameters such as faction, ship size, are there any spare docks, and then tells the pilot where to go, and opens all doors in between the ship and dock. That would just be awesome :D

Second type of computer would be this suggestions. runs programs, but can not interface with peripherals like activators without being paired to another computer and sending the commands to that one which will run them and return the output.

Imaging the possibilities of this kind of system in a game like this!

 

[Elladan]

I do see the issue of folks being offline, but that could in turn be counteracted via the usage of NPCs in bases.

In fact, that's also another good point of this feature. For, if you are offline, someone might come and destroy all your base. While with this datapad, they might leave your base intact so you might continue building it. Losing a ship is far better than losing an entire base and its ships.

 

[Moraligus]

INTRODUCING THE SCHEMADYNE HACKTOP! it like a laptop only for hacking! Door in the way NOPE, HACKTOP! Can't access gravity? USE A HACKTOP! Mother-ship destroying your fleet? Board that b**ch and f**k up that weapons computer with WHAT IS IT? HACKTOP!
HACKTOP SOLVES ALL YOUR PROBLEM! HACKTOP IS LOVE HACKTOP IS LIFE!

 

[ltmauve]

Certainly sounds like it could work.
Other things:
Hacking decay: Your hacking amount should decay while you are not hacking the object (like someone interrupted your hacking with a laser pistol)
Faction block hacking: Takes forever unless you dock it to a faction base.

 

[Elladan]

Well i was more in the optic of a "try again from the beginning" when interrupted but that could work too.

However, I didn't really understand the "Faction block hacking: Takes forever unless you dock it to a faction base."
What do you mean by it ? Like you can't hack a faction block until you reach your faction base ? ( meaning you might take control of the ship but letting it to its faction until you dock in yours )

 

[ltmauve]

Yeah, the entire point of preventing someone from walking in, just hacking the faction block, and getting access. You can still control the ship, but you need to still hack doors and everything.

Also I suppose having a decay factor that you can set would mean that really, it could go either way, with 1 being "restart from stratch," and 0 being "come back to it in a week"

 

[Elladan]

The "decay factor" would be some kind of server config ? And while it's on, it would prevent you from hacking the same block for some time ?

I don't believe that could work, it makes the system a bit too complex. Nothing should be preventing you from trying again if interrupted. Eventually, the time to hack the block could be raised at each try to simulate that the system adapts to the intrusion.

 

[Elladan]

By the way, i'm still looking for a "good" title for the post but i can't seem to find one which exactly describes the content so if any of you has an idea, I'd be glad to hear it :D

 

[rece ktore leczo]

I imagine this to work by implementing new block, which would be used to store password. By connecting this block with other blocks which we can activate (like doors, lights, activation and gravity blocks + maybe weapons and core), we would make that activating these blocks would require us to give a password.

We could have different levels of security which would use different passwords, because we would be able to connect multiple blocks to the same security block and once knowing password, so i.e. getting into the ship and walking around would require only one password, but to get to the core room, we would need to know (or hack) another one.
​

The pop-up window to type the password i vision similar to the one in deus-ex (picture), meaning simple window to input the password and an option to hack the device.
It would be nice to have a choice between different types of passwords other than 0-9 combinations, like this pattern thingy on phones or other input types (maybe a total of 3 different setups to choose from) but all of them with the same number of possible combinations, or at least pretty similar numbers.


A must-have (imo) are different levels of security (more complicated passwords as the security level increase) adjusted by activating security block, so in pop-up window we could have options to change security level, password, availability for NPCs, type of password input and possibly few other settings which don't come in my mind right now.

Why different if anyone would most likely use the highest (most secure) one? Let me introduce the cost of using this system.
Shortly - faction points. They would most likely be implemented as a currency to claim/secure things for factions (possibly with more uses) so using them to protect our things with passwords perfectly fit in. Higher levels of security = more costs for the faction.
I think there should be one level, i.e. 0 lvl for players without faction. It would allow for very limited combination for the password but wouldn't cost anything as the upkeep. To prevent using 100s of 0 lvl sec system, the number of different 0 lvl systems on one entity should be limited, to i.e. 2 or 3.


Attempt at hacking shouldn't be automatically considered as an act of hostility, but unsuccessful one should make a hacker a personal enemy (or however it is called), so he would be a target of turrets
If someone is trying to hack our sec system, we should get an info (right-upper corner + a memo to datapad) saying which sec system on which ship in which sector is being hacked, similar data should be received once our system got successfully hacked. With unsuccessful attempt we should get the same info extended with the name of the hacker and maybe the password he typed while hacking.

Of course it would be the best to have a mini-game, so hacking would actually require some skill instead of just waiting to get it done. There are many types of such mini-games in other titles (Fallout, assassins creed, deus ex, mass effect) so the Devs instead of inventing completely new ones could just be heavily inspired by the ones already created and tested.
Unfortunately i guess that making such mini-game and properly balancing and randomizing it could be pretty troublesome and time consuming and this wouldn't be a major feature in the game, so i would completely understand if such feature would not have place in vanilla game, but still, it would be awesome to have an ability to create mods with our own mini-games.


If not mini-games then what? Pure luck/good intel for manually typing in the password or a waiting game.
The time needed to crack the password should be customizable, also maybe while automatically hacking, after some time we should be able to see some parts of passwords, but with some degree of not being 100% accurate. The accuracy of showing the guessed parts of password would increase as the time of hacking goes on to be 100% accurate, when the time needed to hack certain part of password pass.
Anticipated digits of the passwords would be shown one at a time, refreshing after some time passes (either in % of full hacking time for digit or some value of time).
Accuracy of predicted digit depending on the passed time for hacking it should be customizable, i.e. it could grow linearly - 20% time passed means 20% accuracy, or exponentially (don't know if correct term) - 20% time means 0.2^2= 4% accuracy, 80% time passed - 0.8^2=64% accuracy.

Unsuccessful hacking attempts should prevent any new hacking attempts for customizable amount of time, for me 15-30 sec would do the work. Of course it highly depends on the way this system would be implemented, so i won't stick hard with this statement.

Spoiler: A story to better explain the idea

Let's imagine we started automatically hacking the 3rd sec lvl device with password made up from 3 digits 0-9. The custom time on the server to crack one digit is 5 mins and accuracy of predicted digits grows linearly to passed time. We don't know when the owner of targeted ship would be back, meaning we are in hurry. And we don't want to be known as a thief.
After 5 minutes and already cracking 1 digit ("0") we are left with two unknowns. But then BAM, we see that the owner is joining the server, so we should hurry up. Luckily targeted player hasn't spawned in our sector, but the fact he got a message about attempt on hacking his ship most likely means he is heading here right now.
We wait 2 more minutes and the guessed second digit of the password is "0". 2 minutes passed instead of full 5 means that there is 40% possibility that this digit is the correct one.
As we like to live dangerously we try to use "0" as second digit. It works and now there is only one digit left.
We decide to wait only 1 more minute , which means 20% accuracy on predicted digit. "6" shows up and we try if it's the correct one.
Of course it isn't, so now the owner of the ship got new message about failed attempt at hacking with our name. He may start to curse on us in the global chat and started planning the revenge on us, but right we don't care and we only want to steal his ship ASAP.
20 seconds passed, so the device is unlocked and we can try to hack it once again. Well, we failed again. 20 more seconds later we try one more time. "7" was the answer. Why haven't we thought about it earlier? James Bond wouldn't be happy about our detective skills, but there is no time to think about it. We swiftly get into the core using the same password and rapidly fly away with our new pride of fleet.​

Stealing/hacking into ships and bases shouldn't be possible if the bases are faction protected (which most likely would cost faction points in the future).
Or it could be possible but with some balancing (much more time needed, etc.), so Starmade wouldn't end up as a GTA in space with everyone stealing other players things.

One last thing - my preferred levels of security with number of digits in password:

• 0 lvl; 1 digit from 0-4 range (automatically hacking it would take half the time of base hacking time for 1 digit)
• 1 lvl; 1 digit from 0-9 range
• 2 lvl; 2 digits from 0-9 range
• 3 lvl; 3 digits form 0-9 range
• etc.

As many different levels as we wish to have on server


Ok, now is the last thing - sorry for focusing so much on the hacking part of OP suggestion, i've just started typing and felt i had to fully explain my vision, but back to topic - having this type of datapad/holopad/whatever way it would be implemented would be great.
I can picture this as something similar to Pipboy in Fallout but of course futuristic and feeling more as a part of the game (could be achieved by making it holographic, so we could see what's going on around us).
We could use this as a tool to nearly everything. Managing the faction, buying/selling in shops, hacking, sending messages, commanding NPCs, etc.

 

[lazarus78]

Well if you can hack things, can we beef up their security? IE if the hack mini-game is a "don't touch the wall maze", for example, entirly pulled out of my ass, can we upgrade it so that the maze is larger or add a completion timer, so that the important systems can be made virtually unhackable?

It only makes sense that if things can be hacked, they should be able to be upgraded to improve security. Perhaps a central control computer (Like in the movies) where you can manage and upgrade security systems for different parts of your ship, like doors, weapons systems, shields, power, etc.

Overall I like the idea of hacking, assuming we have control over it on our ships and stations. Data pads could allow us to specify individual security levels for different things, like having maximum security doors or free public doors, so we can protect important computer systems or our top secret ship hanger. XD

A time consuming idea to implement for sure, but it fleshed out right, it could be a fantastic addition, for sure. At its core, a data pad to control out ships systems on the go would indeed be nice.

 

[ltmauve]

The decay factor basically determines how long you can step away before losing all of your hacking. 1 = step away for an instant and you lose all your hacking, 0 = no decay, you can come back anytime and finish it. numbers in between would give a limit on how long before a full reset.