OK lets cut to the chase, the game will become repetitive after you get to a point in the game where your just repeating the same hacks over n over.

how would you like Onlink to reward you to make you more interested to play?

This is not a dig or anything at the game or mod, I see it as a little bit of question time at how players feel about repeat play of the game/mod.

Well what does it for me is knowing that i'm one of the best hackers in the world.(At the end the best) I like to watch the news every now and then just to see the carnage my work did. It would be nice if your actions would have more consequenses for the world. Also having more then just the news to get feedback would be nice. Just overall getting a more involved feeling. Like you actually influence the world. I think that would keep me playing even more.

However i think your idea was more like getting items, programs or something right? Well for me personally it's all about the feel, but getting programs or hardware for mission would be nice. Another topic already discussed other ways of getting programs, but this would be nice too.

I must say that ways of getting unique hardware and software would be cool. This is pretty much the way all RPGs are working.

I think extra "medals" should be added to the game. Most people don't realise that the game stores information about what you're doing and gives you medals which are displayed at the end screen if you either get caught or the internet is destroyed by Revelation. They're not particularly interesting medals, mainly things like side missions - hacking Uplink ISM and stealing the agents list, etc.

But it'd be cool to see something in the social page (the one that shows your Uplink rating and neuromancer rating) that lists medals that you've attained, and ones that you haven't, detailing how you get them. Each medal could have different levels too (bronze, silver, gold). Examples follow, variables for level of medal in square brackets:

• "Gold Digger" - Steal money from [2,3,5] separate banks.
  "Corrupt Vigilante" - Get [10,20,30] innocent people arrested via the Global Criminal Database.
  "Grim Reaper" - Set [10,20,30] people's status to "Deceased" in the Social Security Database.
  "Dunce" - Alter [10,20,30] people's academic records.
  "Demolition Man" - Destroy (i.e cd sys, delete, shutdown) [20,40,60] computers.
  "Speed Hacker" - Gain admin accounts on [4,7,10] computers within a 5 minute period.
  "Master Theif" - Complete [30,80,150] "Steal a file" missions.
  "Removal Man" - Complete [30,80,150] "Delete a file" missions.
  "Scapegoat" - Frame [5,10,20] people for your hacks by altering logs.
  "High Roller" - Have [1000000, 5000000, 20000000] credits in your bank account.

Of course, some could be secret too, with cryptic names and no descriptions. Something like "Carrier Signal", for which you have to dial out to phone numbers 100 times. Strange unexpected things like that.

On top of that, you could have some wierd medals too, for doing odd/evil things:

• "Near Miss" - Almost get caught (but blow up your gateway in time) [3,5,10] times.
  "Charity Box" - Give [5000,20000,500000] Cr to a bank account that is not yours.
  "Backstabber" - Get [5,10,20] fellow agents arrested.
  "Seven Leaf" - Manually guess the admin password to a system without cracking it or getting it from a mission. Does not count for systems with static passwords. (Instant gold medal)

Regarding unique software, something a bit like this is in the pipeline, but I don't want to say too much. Another thing that is being thought about its some form of money highscore system to add a bit of competition between players. This will likely be implemented after the banks become harder to hack.

Damn Bm your medals idea seems really good. Finally a reason to keep playing after you've done everything.

Also what i just thought of, why not also have cosmetic rewards? Like a [insert color] interface for example.
Another idea i had regards recognition.(Did i spell that right?) I was thinking, why not have the abillity to do something for someone.(just because you want to, no mssion) Like give people cash or act on a newsreport regarding two companies that are heavily competing with eachother. A bit GTA-like. Also being able to do stuff outside of missions that effect the world or at least a part of it and then getting feedback from the world about your actions.
Like:
"Last night at [insert time] a hacker penetrated the security of [insert company name] and destoyed vital research data. This will most certainly be a blow for [insert comapny name] in the battle against [insert rival company name]."

I think it would be really cool to be able to do stuff like that and really have the feeling that you have some power. Also i suggest that the news be put directly into the GUI. Possibly by getting an OS upgrade or something. This would also make it possible for important news messages to generate a popup somewhere on the bottom of the screen.(like the popup baloons from windows or the square popupbox from MSN) In the current situation having the news in the ISM of Uplink/Onlink isn't that problematic as it's not THAT an important part of the game. However if my idea of making news more important goes through, having to connect to a server every 5 mins just to read the news is not cool.

Any comments?

EDIT: I think this thread belongs in the future section by now with all these ideas

There should be a medal for emptying out all the banks in the game. ^_^

Other than that, I really like the medals idea... 'cept for one, the "Backstabber". It's too easy to get that one. *coughsecretmissioncough*

-- Griffinhart

well, i posted this in future a while ago...

http://www.onlink-mod.net/modules/forum ... .php?t=817

i believe we gotta figure out how to turn uplink into a never-ending kind of game.
In Uplink, you can play till you end the main plot. Then there's not that much to do.
Giving more medals is a nice idea, but doesn't make the game last longer.

Now, HOW to make the game to just keep on going? Well, i sure'd like to see what i posted in the other topic... like being able to throw world's economy...

I think right now that's the only function in the other OS's right now, at least it was in the early versions of Onlink.

Granted fo course there'll be more to the OS's later, but I believe they do (or at least did) change the colour scheme.

More play?

Microsoft/Digital Anvil's Freelancer had a really good idea. The main plot took quite a while to finish, and left you with 70% of the universe unexplored.

But that might not work for Onlink. However, have you considered maybe having more than one plot in the game?

Uplink's primary plot was ARC vs. Arunmor. Choose Arunmor and live.

Now, you could always have the world accelerate into nuclear war, and the government (because you saved the Internet) asks you to help defend their nuclear systems against a bunch of malicious hackers, who are trying to stack the odds in a east vs. west conflict.

That suggestion about being able to assist/destroy companies out of your own will is a good one, I think.

Then there's another suggestion, but the amount of work it involves, well, I'd be glad to help, but it may take quite a while.

1. Shrink the entire Uplink world (gateway locations, system locations, and the reach of Revelation) into the United States.
2. The final mission (faith in chaos) is only stoppable in the States. If you fail, bye Internet. If you work for ARC and infect enough USA computers, Bye Internet.

3. Now that you've saved the world, unlock Canada and Mexico + South America's computers. Each country counts as a "territory", with unique companies, hardware, missions, and agency.

USA = Uplink
Canada = ???
S. America = ???

4. When the game spreads to the entire united America, create a new plot threat. Darwinia failed, and darwinians are on the loose. Seek and destroy, or convert them to destroy, or whatever.

5. Then when you've saved the Americas, unlock Europe and Africa. Main plot now involves stopping (or facilitating) the release of a deadly virus in Africa.

6. Save Africa - the rest of the world becomes available. Main plot: stop the corrupt US Govt from using their space-borne weapons array for world domination by self-destructing it in orbit, or finally end the game by using those weapons to wipe out major population centres.

*inhale*

Yes, it's crazy. Yes, it involves a LOT of work. Since you will be compressing the entire World into the USA ( in terms of target systems ), it involves many, many more.

But imagine the play value - and the replay value

~ Eleazar

Thats great Eleazar, I like that idea

I don't like that you can make it to the top ranked uplink agent so soon. The second highest uplink agent should be uplink level 2 so that only after you reach level 1 are you Mr Uplink

There should be more missions like arunmor vs arc after that mission is completed, like political issues where you can take one side or the other. That way there would be a lot more replay to the game

We're working on a storyline for this. You should apply for the position