Hackers - I don't think this is intended

[Draco18s]

I noticed two things about the hacking devices:

1) They're cloaked, meaning that the response the AI sends can't stop the hack no matter how hard it tries, unless it miraculously has unlocked decloakers (or you have Astrotrains enabled) and were dumb about your placement such that the AI gets lucky when it does its pitiful tachyon sweep.  Unlike how I used to remember knowledge hacking requiring a significant military presence to protect the darned things.  15 minutes with a "permacloaked" (why yes, I dropped my military through the hatch earlier, the tachyon guard post is dead, why do you ask?) hacking device is just...not impactful.  There's almost no reason for the 15 minute timer.

2) They're not blind and don't self-destruct when the hack is complete...at least they don't have "gather scout intel."



On an unrelated note:
I freaking love the enclave starship.  Almost none of my other units have kills.  I totally colonized the mk4 starship factory JUST for that unit. <3  Nothing else is unlocked to Mk2 except the riot! X3

[alocritani]

I'm not sure to have understood at 100% your question, but for me tackyon radiation is a quite common problem.

[Zeyi]

on (1) I think it was intended as the AI will still use its ability to blanket a  planet in tachyon coverage as your hacking progresses. At which point, you DO have to defend it. The rest of the time the response just builds up and attacks your nearby systems which I thought was also intended - I mean, hacking is stealthy and its not really a hack if you know where and how it's happening.

With regards to (2) I'm not sure, I have noticed this but just ignored them, they should probably autodestruct.

[Draco18s]

I'm not sure to have understood at 100% your question, but for me tackyon radiation is a quite common problem.

Had it happen once so far.  On a superterminal hack.

[Chthon]

I'm not sure to have understood at 100% your question, but for me tackyon radiation is a quite common problem.

Had it happen once so far.  On a superterminal hack.

You've gotten lucky so far then.  The higher the hacking response, the more often it will blanket a system in tachyon.  To the point that Moderate can often have it happen every 2-3 minutes.

[keith.lamothe]

Early hacks are pretty easy, yea.

Glad you like the enclave   I think we finally found a winning design on those.  Though they may be a bit numerically OP right now.

[Aklyon]

Enclaves are indeed awesome. Aside from (fleet) and (spire fleet if available, otherwise raiding group), they're the only one I have a consistent control group for.

[Vyndicu]

Early hacks are pretty easy, yea.

Glad you like the enclave   I think we finally found a winning design on those.  Though they may be a bit numerically OP right now.

In an older version (before hacking balance was introduced) I recall doing a hacking where the AI used tachyon blanket at least 12 times (I was on high AIP not surprising) in a 10 min hacking. If you pushed hacking far enough I am sure you will encounter a much more "awareness" AI reaction.

As for enclave they aren't that numerically OP as they seem to be on paper. They aren't considering at max (plus knowledge/energy cost) cap mk 1 to mk 4 you can only have 9, assuming one homeworld and normal cap. Whereas the AI can summon as many enclave guardian as they want to. Just pointing out a small flaw with your logic.

[Toranth]

Early hacks are pretty easy, yea.

Glad you like the enclave   I think we finally found a winning design on those.  Though they may be a bit numerically OP right now.

Unless you foolishly enter a system with a Threatening Eye, and accidently rack up 500+ ships before getting out, a mere hour into the game...

But yeah.  I love Enclaves.  I'd love so see the Neinzul Combat Carrier rework end up turning into a bonus-ship version of the Enclave.  It might replace Protector Starships as my favorite bonus ship (or Lightning Frigates or Blade Spawners or Fireflies or Nanoswarms or Sentinal Frigates or Shieldbearers).

That said, in my experience, even when you have low (10) Hacking Response, a Tachyon burst is likely to happen during a 15 minute hack.  Not guaranteed, but more than 50% likely.  By 100 Hacking Response, I'd expect 1 during just a 5 minute hack.  By 400 Hacking response, it's practically guaranteed.  Even 30 seconds hacks are likely to have one occur.

Of course, by 1000+ hacking response, you don't see Tachyon Bursts any more.  That's because the AI is too busy doing other Bad Things^tm at you to bother with minor stuff like getting rid of the Hacker itself.

[Draco18s]

Early hacks are pretty easy, yea.

I think I'd like to see a guaranteed tach-burst at the ~50% mark regardless of the response strength.  Make me work for this stuff, even if the response is low!  The spawned zombie ships themselves are pretty much meaningless.

Glad you like the enclave   I think we finally found a winning design on those.  Though they may be a bit numerically OP right now.

I've also got the lightning torpedo frigates (out of an unhacked ARS, none the less).  Also like them, but I think they're outshined by the enclaves (which, to be fair, the LTF is a fleet ship, not a starship).  The torpedos have a longer lifespan, but massively lower base heath, making them easily shot down.  They also don't retarget in-flight, which can leave them vulnerable.

As for being numerically OP, I think that's only because the AI doesn't know how to properly deal with them.  Even when it uses its own version against me, I've got numerical superiority (6 enclaves vs. 1) and all of its drones stop to engage mine!  Then if any of them do get close, they get shot down by my other units.  Most of my fights I end up losing only a handful of units, generally to superweapons: ion cannons, translocating command stations, orbital cannons, etc.

[Toranth]

Early hacks are pretty easy, yea.

I think I'd like to see a guaranteed tach-burst at the ~50% mark regardless of the response strength.  Make me work for this stuff, even if the response is low!  The spawned zombie ships themselves are pretty much meaningless.

I disagree.  I racked up about 500 threat doing an unattended first hack at 50 AIP.  That's not meaningless!  It would have been suicide if it weren't zombies.
Personally, I think Hacking does need a little tuning, but making stuff like unattended hacks flat out impossible isn't the answer.

[tadrinth]

You shouldn't be able to leave a hacker undefended, but between the zombie ships and the occasional tachyon burst, i don't think you can't really do that.  I'm not in favor of making it super hard to defend the hacker; it's really annoying to lose the hacker right before the hack finishes and lose all your progress.  Better for the hacking response to threaten either your fleet (due to hordes of zombie ships) or other planets (due to zombie raid starships). 

One compromise could be adding a hacking response which spawns anti-hacker ships.  These would have tachyon, know where your hacker is (by tracking the hacking signal source), and make a beeline for it after spawning.  Then you have to shoot them down before they reach your hacker and decloak it.  That might be more interesting than just planetary tachyon bursts. 

Also, I suspect Draco18s is not seeing the full possible hacking response.  Right now the hacking response is reduced by your Hacking Progress buffer; if you only hack a little bit late game when you have high AIP and therefore a huge HaP buffer, the hacking response is easily handled.  Use up your HaP buffer and the hacks get a lot more serious. 

I do agree that the placed hackers should self-destruct when they're done where appropriate, along with the design backup if that design is now locked down. 

[Draco18s]

Also, I suspect Draco18s is not seeing the full possible hacking response.  Right now the hacking response is reduced by your Hacking Progress buffer; if you only hack a little bit late game when you have high AIP and therefore a huge HaP buffer, the hacking response is easily handled.  Use up your HaP buffer and the hacks get a lot more serious. 

True, I am keeping a hacking buffer.  I got real lucky with ARSes (haven't had to hack a single one to get the ship I wanted), but I've been largely saving ~100 HP to smash the homeworlds with.

[Chthon]

I tend to be a little more liberal with my hacking.  Hacking can often save me AI progress.  After all, ships spawned from hacking attempts are one time only, while AI Progress is a permanent upgrade in AI fleet strength.  If I can handle the hacking, I'd rather do that than incur more AIP.