Hacking - what do you hack?

[madcow]

Pretty quick question here, I figure there's likely going to be some variation in answers, so figured I would start its own topic. 

What is it that you use hacking for?  Do you steal knowledge, ship designs, or lower AI progress?  And just as importantly, why or what makes you decide on one over the other.


This basically stems from not knowing what I should hack - and so for lack of a better idea I just save it for lowering AI progress once I find the super terminal (or whatever it's called).

[Zeyi]

Hacking, I find,  is very situational, I doubt anyone will come here and give a blanket "I hack X" all the time due to this.

The only hack I always consider is the ship design hack, once I have found a planet with an ARS and fully neutralised it, I send a science lab MKII before I kill the command station to see what I'll get from the ARS. If I don't like the ship, don't think it's useful for this game or think there is a really good choice worth hacking then I will, otherwise I save it until a better opportunity arises.

Another example would be that you're in a tight spot and need something unlocked really bad, but have no knowledge. Is your situation so tight you can't afford to take another planets worth of AIP? Then in this situation you may knowledge hack to avoid further antagonizing the AI.

Personally I only use the super terminal in my fallen spire games, I tend to find the rest of the time my AIP is low enough just with use of data centers and co-processors, unless I'm playing a higher difficulty than I usually play, in which case I may give it a go.

It is worth mentioning that soon some major hacking changes will be undergone and all this will probably change, but that is not until the next expansion

[Tridus]

Difficulty will affect this, as the SuperTerminal is less effective at higher difficulties due to the AIP floor rising more quickly. But in a difficulty 7 game where you take a lot of planets (like a fallen spire game)? The SuperTerminal is awesome.

[madcow]

Or a 7/7 game where you take a lot of planets cause you aren't a refined and discerning AI player yet

Interestingly enough, I didn't realize you could see what ship you will get from an ARS without hacking. I guess I'll need to build a ship hacker for that if nothing else.

[Lord Of Nothing]

You don't need a ship hacker to see what types of ship you can get- bring a regular science lab (Mks 1,2 or Advanced) into the system, and go the ARS tab in the lab. IIRC, The first ship is the one you'll get without hacking, the other two are the additional ones available through hacking.

[madcow]

Even better to know.

Incidentially, are there more hacking instances besides the three I mentioned? (excluding any alternate victory condition minor factions)

[Tridus]

No, that's all the hacking that exists right now. Could very well change in 8.0 given the recent poll results to make hacking a resource (in place of crystal).

[LaughingThesaurus]

I don't really have any desire to become a "refined AI War Player". I like having all the toys and having fun with toys and stuff. Maybe that'll change eventually but...
in terms of hacking, I don't really do it unless it's for ship designs. I'd probably hack the superterminal if it exists and I felt I could get a big drop in AIP from it. Reason being, it lets you take more planets, letting you get more knowledge, letting you not have to worry about knowledge hacking at all. Ship Design Hacking is potentially superior if you actually want an alternative ship from an ARS.

[LordSloth]

Generally speaking, I reserve hacking for ARS first (though it scales up dramatically), super terminals second, and knowledge hacks third.

I'm currently playing with Fallen Spire, Spire Civilians, Showdown Devices, and as high AIP as I can manage on a spiral map, along with vengeance generators and other Fun Stuff. I'm struggling with it a bit, but as of hour ten I think I've broken past my roadblock at around 300 AIP.

I'm very likely to take a system for the knowledge along the way, so the only reason I would knowledge hack would be if I was 250-1000K short of a key tech. For instance, if I had Spirecraft off, I can think of one situation where I would most likely need Mark IV Bombers and Mark II/III Cloaker Starships. I was able to squeak my way past with rams and a cloaker starship. If I had Fallen Spire off, I wouldn't have been so obsessed about setting up a chokepoint, despite the adjacent Dire Guardian Lair. If I had Spire Civilians off, I'd have at least 100 less zero-calorie AIP, but no reoccuring reduction.

[TIE Viper]

I almost always play 9/9 and almost always hack for ARSs.  I haven't finished a game in a very long time where I have used the ST but that's mostly because I usually play with the Civilian Leaders on.  I almost never need to hack for knowledge.  I typically plan how much expansion I do based on my knowledge needs for that game so I rarely am in a situation where doing that is desired.  I've done it a few times though.  One time that springs to mind was getting some emergency K to unlock some stuff for a HW assault.  IIRC I couldnt afford to take the AIP hit to get more planets.

[Aziphos]

sorry wrong thread