Suggestion: Hacking that requires preparation/research

[ymgve]

In Witcher you have oils you can use to prepare before a fight, giving your weapons an advantage.

What if this concept was expanded on in CP2077? Instead of hacking being a pure skill check or minigame (not sure what's planned for the game), you prepare a hacking chip by picking plugins that fit the expected security system in the building, the gang you're up against etc, maybe pay some fixers for info about what plugins you need.

Then when encountering something to hack in the mission, you just slot in the prepared chip, and if the plugins are correct you get instant access.

 

[jervi]

The way hacking works IRL is that if you don't do that sort of research to begin with, you have absolutely positively no chance in the first place. If you dodo that research, then you can hack the system but you still need to hack it to hack it. The only ways to get instant access are to either hack the wetware (social engineering) or hack the hardware in a more literal sense; axes are great for hacking locked doors! Maybe you could split the difference by hitting people (wetware) with an axe...

In any event, the only way you can avoid hacking through additional research is if that research includes somehow obtaining passcodes that totally and utterly eliminate the need for hacking the way a key makes lockpicking irrelevant. And that doesn't involve any plugins or chips; simply the same sort of social engineering that most RL hackers/crackers use to get into places where they don't officially belong.

 

[ymgve]

Hacking software can do automated exploitation currently, I assume hacking software in the future is even better.

Anyway, the hacking in the game isn't supposed to reflect hacking as it's done in the real world, it's supposed to reflect hacking as it's done in the Cyberpunk world, while also being entertaining and challenging for a general non-tech gamer.

 

[cyberpunkforever]

Hm, I would not like to search for houndreds of clues or backtrack a lot or talk to everyone in thr city to be able to hack
just add a few unlockable skills to upgrade hack ability or some different choices with different outcomes for side quests and those different outcomes give different info to start the hack or something like that

 

[jervi]

Hacking software can do automated exploitation currently, I assume hacking software in the future is even better.

Anyway, the hacking in the game isn't supposed to reflect hacking as it's done in the real world, it's supposed to reflect hacking as it's done in the Cyberpunk world, while also being entertaining and challenging for a general non-tech gamer.

I hope it's better. The winner of that contest came in last place in the DEFCON 24 CTF.

Seriously though, I see where you're coming from and kind of agree, but something about your implementation just rubbed me wrong. Hacking in the cyberpunk world is highly interactive and less automated than RL hacking. And that's exactly what makes it more entertaining for the non-tech crowd than RL hacking. How much fun is sifting through trash or walking through an office shoulder-surfing the wage slaves for passwords? Not much fun at all! But don't just take my word for it...

Hm, I would not like to search for houndreds of clues or backtrack a lot or talk to everyone in thw city to be able to hack
just add a few unlockable skills to upgrade hack ability or some different hoices with different outcomes for side quests and those different outcomes give different info to start the hack or something like that

Precisely! However, the price you pay for not running around looking for weaknesses in the system is that you have to interact with the system in a more direct manner.

Of course, with experience, you might figure out a specialized technique to make a certain tasks easier... some unlockable skill that upgrades your hacking ability. And maybe one of your side quests will drop some nugget of information that comes in handy later along the main storyline and give you an edge... different info to start teh hack or something.

I think you and I are tracking here