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Author Topic: Make DM's utilities always available [spoilers]  (Read 758 times)

bugsniper

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Make DM's utilities always available [spoilers]
« on: December 03, 2018, 02:24:04 AM »

Currently, you can always either leave Data Miner's level with the squad redirection in effect, or you can always kill Data Miner to get to the data conduits and sometimes get the attached hackware.

Sometimes, I'm not prepared to enter the data conduits because I don't have a build ready for the combat programmers, but I'm still interested in hacking the machines when I get back into the factory using the hackware. Currently, when I don't get the hackware, I have to either leave with nothing or restart the game and hope to get the better outcome in the next game.

So my idea is to have fewer hackware parts attached to Data Miner, and to add one of them as a salvagable part, obtainable only by destroying the machinery. That way, the third option of walking away with the hackware is always available.
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Kyzrati

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Re: Make DM's utilities always available [spoilers]
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2018, 03:45:19 AM »

Hm, design-wise I don't consider DM to be an intended source of hackware, although it's true lots of players like to use DM as such anyway, hoping to get lucky for that extra hacking boost.

If you don't get lucky there, you can still hack just fine using the next tier down, which isn't too much of a reduction, or sacrificing an additional utility slot for more hackware. Strategies don't hinge on whether you get hackware by sneak attacking an NPC who otherwise wants to help you :P. I mean if you're an absolute min-maxer, yeah I can see it being disappointing knowing you didn't get a potential benefit, but technically many such instances, both smaller and larger, play out across a run. (Cue all the people grumbling about unfortunate TES/QUA/S7 hauls xD) It's all a part of adapting to the situation.

Overall hacking is already a very strong strategy, so I don't think it really needs to be buffed like that. Maybe that could change one day depending on how other systems and content evolve, but not for now.
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kiedra

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Re: Make DM's utilities always available [spoilers]
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2018, 09:20:35 AM »

I can totally understand both points of view here, but making DM drop something reliably would really kinda throw off the overall "design". There is so little RNG in Cogmind already, RNG that you truly rely on. I've actually had two consecutive runs, in the first DM dropped all his hackware, in the second he got away. Obviously this made one hell of a difference to my hacking potential, then again it did not make the second attempt harder or impossible, just different.

However, I can perfectly understand the frustration if he doesn't drop anything. But this experience is heavily influenced on your personal expectation, along with knowing what you could get on a "perfect roll". I think GJ put this best in one of the recent Armchair Robotics Discussion - DM has minor guaranteed benefits (if you let him live) or a high risk-reward scenario (if you go for a kill), which can make for a great hacking run if you get lucky, but does not change much if not.
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