Author Topic: ASC hacking ?  (Read 2597 times)

Offline Ragnarok

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ASC hacking ?
« on: September 01, 2013, 12:10:06 pm »
Can someone explain hacking in general to me ?
I remember hacking used to allow you to get knowledge or specific designs if you placed a hacker on a planet. It would result in a timer, lots of zombies and finally, the knowledge or design.
Now i see there is a different hacker unit that can build different hacker thingies, which increase ? or decrease your hacking progress.

Right now my hacking progress is at 76 with AIP being at 40.
I have a ASC and I'm wondering if i should hack it ?

Secondly, i thought mkv fabs would only allow you to construct at that specific place, but all my stardocks can build mk5 gravity rippers ?
thanks.

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2013, 12:25:57 pm »
Can someone explain hacking in general to me ?
I remember hacking used to allow you to get knowledge or specific designs if you placed a hacker on a planet. It would result in a timer, lots of zombies and finally, the knowledge or design.
Both are still available through the menu that comes up when you select one of the new hacker units :)  I think they're called "Knowledge Hacker" and "Ship Design Hacker".  One advantage of the new model is that the parent "Hacker" unit does not provoke any response by simply flying through an AI planet.


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Now i see there is a different hacker unit that can build different hacker thingies, which increase ? or decrease your hacking progress.
Hacking decreases HaP, though possibly we'll change it around so it counts up from 0 like AIP.  The idea was that it's kind of a "human progress", but that may not be best for clarity.

So you "spend" HaP to do various hacks.  It's actually allowed to go negative, but the hacking responses get MUCH nastier at that point, and if it goes very negative then player-death becomes basically assured.


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Secondly, i thought mkv fabs would only allow you to construct at that specific place, but all my stardocks can build mk5 gravity rippers ?
That's relatively new, yes.  Basically the idea is that ANY fleet ship you can build, you can build at your normal space docks.  Same with starships and the Starship Constructor.  This doesn't apply to fallen-spire stuff or whatnot, but anything from an Advanced Factory, Fabricator, etc...

I added that capability because the new hacks include "gain ability to build this fabricator's type, regardless of whether I capture and/or hold the fabricator", so naturally there needed to be another way to build those types.
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Offline Ragnarok

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2013, 12:51:11 pm »
If i can construct mk5 at all spacedocks, why would i want to use the "hacking" ability that reads "you can construct the unit everywhere now) ?
Sorry, i dont understant it.

Or do you mean that successful hacking will allow me to construct the construction site, instead of the specific unit (cuz that how i read it).

Offline Aklyon

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2013, 01:42:24 pm »
Dock building is dependant on keeping the structure intact. Hacking the structure gives you the blueprints; you don't have to hold the constructor to hold the ship building availability.

Offline Ayrix

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2013, 01:43:30 pm »
If i can construct mk5 at all spacedocks, why would i want to use the "hacking" ability that reads "you can construct the unit everywhere now) ?
Sorry, i dont understant it.

Or do you mean that successful hacking will allow me to construct the construction site, instead of the specific unit (cuz that how i read it).
Hacking fabricators or advanced factories means you can build without having to control the building.
So it's okay if you lose the fabricator/ advanced factory by "accident" and you don't have to ever capture it.

 Thus saving 20 AIP, and being able to freely chose your chokepoints, or just meaning you don't need to waste major defences on an otherwise worthless planet.

Offline Zair

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2013, 04:28:36 am »
I had a game where both Advanced Factories were so far away from my territory it would've been horribly unfeasible to try to hold either of them, as I was going for a Fallen Spire finish and an exo could've swept into an AF system and just mopped the floor with it. I ended up just saying 'screw it' and hacked the AF instead.

Also, hacking a Spider Turret V controller adds a hell of a lot of winpower to every system you hold. Those plus a Mil Command II/III will cause tons of trouble for AI ships going anywhere near them. You DON'T want to lose the ability to build those if you can get your hands on them.

Offline Ragnarok

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2013, 04:50:33 pm »
Is there a way to see which 3 ships you can choose without beginning or worse actually finishing the hack ?

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: ASC hacking ?
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2013, 04:51:59 pm »
Is there a way to see which 3 ships you can choose without beginning or worse actually finishing the hack ?
Sure, just bring any science ship in, select it, and click its ARS tab :)
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