Seeing as it really didn't fit the thread at the time, I'm moving them here for now.
Hacking is meant to be the player's nonviolent, somewhat sneaky approach to dealing with the AI threat. It is not perfect, and as it needs risk, and tends to be almost free rewards without that risk, the risks should be pretty severe for failure. As such there are still things that the player might want to use against the AI that aren't currently implemented, specifically with altering the AI's Logistics.
This thread is about discussion about ideas on how the player might be given the opportunity to alter how the AI moves ships and reinforces planets, either temporarily, or permanently. Since such options could be extremely powerful, their cost should reflect that, and they should also have a potentially overwhelming response for failure. Here are some ideas I've had.
Warp gate reprogrammer hacking mission. (I am altering my description of this based off a discussion with a friend.)
Description
This mission propagates a virus into the AI's warp grid on a planet. All ships arriving at the planet from the warp grid will have their IFF scrambled. This gives them a 40% chance to become neutral zombies, 40% chance to become friendly zombies, and 20% chance to remain unaffected. I am removing the option for controlled player units due to the issues of control that can cause to the player. This is an ongoing response similar to Knowledge hacking or Super Terminal hacking with a chance of response every time an AI ship gets reprogrammed. If the player chooses to destroy the Warp Gate, he terminates the hacking similar to destroying a Super Terminal.
Definition
Ships arriving from warp gates include: Reinforcements, AI Eye Reinforcements, Strategic Reserves, additions to the Special Forces, and Waves.
Ships not arriving from warp gates include: Special Forces arriving via wormhole, Exo Galactic Strikeforces, Constructed ships like Dire Guardians and Hybrids, and any ships that arrive from deep space.
Penalty
AI retaliation against this includes: Large waves on this or neighboring planets destined for this planet from deep space, Special Forces interventions, or in rare occurrences becoming more common with the hacking threat going higher, purging the area of ships and self destructing the warp gate resulting in clearing out the virus costing the player the usual +5 AIP for loss of Warp gate and remaining AI ships joining threat fleet.
Edit: I want to be clear here, "All remaining AI ships joining the threat fleet." means the AI shuts down all non-player ships on the planet for 1 minute for a full format of their programming and then they join the threat fleet. This includes both neutral and friendly zombies at the location, but not special faction or player owned ships.
Benefits and Uses
Distracting Special Forces and the Threat Fleet, Dealing with certain kinds of Eyes, Causing general mayhem in tough systems
Warp gate redirection hacking mission.
Description
The player creates an artificial warp gate, and links it to the AI Warp grid forcing all ships destined for a certain warp gate to instead arrive here. It is attached to the warp grid by a hacking mission designating a remote warp gate as it's source. The warp gate has a range of jumps equal to it's mark, and can only redirect threat up to it's rating which increases by level. Any additional strength causes the warp gate to self destruct and remaining ships arrive at the intended destination. The warp gate regains strength over time, but if destroyed and replaced a new hacking mission must be employed to reattach it to the grid.
Definitions
Human Warp Gate Redirector: A permanently cloaked building constructed at the target warp gate used to point all warp traffic to the Human Artificial Warp Gate. Destroyed when the linked Human Artificial Warp Gate is destroyed.
Human Artificial Warp Gate: Created first before the hacking mission takes place, this is where all AI warp reinforcements arrive from the intended warp gate when linked. Researching higher ranks increases all warp gates to the new rank. A galaxy wide limit is placed on how many the player can support.
Warp Gate Redirection Hacking Mission: Places a hacker that does not begin till it is given a rally point similar to a Rally Point Redirector. Once given a destination it begins the mission picking an unlinked Human Artificial Warp Gate at the destination at random.
Warp Traffic: Includes Reinforcements, certain AI Eye reinforcements (Watch out as this can easily burn out an Artificial Warp Gate quick), Strategic Reserve deployment (also can burn out the gate quick), and waves.
Penalties
The AI will frequently attempt to overload the warpgate by doubling, tripling, etc. the strength of waves and reinforcements sent via that warp gate. How much it increases the wave is determined by the hacking response level. The end result of an overloaded Artificial Warp Gate is having ships destined for your space in two locations at the same time possibly in one place putting extra ships right into your exposed flank.
Benefits
Allows the player to somewhat permanently force all waves to arrive at a single choke point. Also allows a player to attack a planet with certain eyes or that the AI will deploy strategic reserves and letting the player fight those extra ships on their own turf providing the player with more salvage, and preventing the AI from getting reprisal wave salvage.
Wormhole Map Hacking
Description
The player places a hacking unit besides a wormhole guard post to infest it with a virus removing all knowledge of the wormhole from the AI's database. The effect is the AI completely forgets that this wormhole exists. The AI already having mapped the galaxy will not immediately realize that there is an unmapped wormhole and will simply path as though the wormhole is not there. Once the hacking is complete, the wormhole guard post(s) for that wormhole will self destruct.
Penalties
The AI will eventually notice if traffic is entering into one of it's systems via an unknown method. Once it notices it will send an expeditionary force to scout the wormhole immediately. This takes the form of an Exo Galactic Strikeforce of a strength based on the Hacking Response. The AI will not forget anything that is on the other side of a wormhole either. If the AI realizes that it cannot path to a system, it will know something is up and begin scouting immediately with a severe level strike force. This prevents the player from restricting the AI from a section of the galaxy completely. Finally, a wormhole guard post is required to be at the wormhole the AI will forget. If there is none for any reason, this attempt will fail. This makes it a one time event per wormhole that can only occur in AI territory. Any and All Exogalactic Strikeforce destinations will be the system at the other side of the wormhole first, and following that normal rules apply (i.e. it heads straight to your homeworld)
Benefits and Uses
The player can limit the AI's ability to move around the galaxy. This can delay special forces, or force special forces to fight through a world of your choice. You can prevent CPAs or Exo Galactic Strikeforces from hitting weak planets. However you must be careful not to let the AI notice ships arrive via that wormhole. Ships arriving while cloaked will remain unnoticed so long as there is no tachyon stationed there. This can show the player down some, but still allows the player to make use of greater mobility while denying it to the AI.
If anyone else has ideas, or would like to discuss one of my ideas or add something to one, feel free. I am not looking into balancing beyond whether or not it can be balanced and how. Real balancing will come after the idea is fleshed out and has been accepted to be implemented. The question is not whether it is balanced, but whether it as it exists can be balanced and is a good idea.
