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Onlink: Going under the hood...
http://www.ferrousmoon.com:80/forums/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=1470		 Page 2 of 3
Author:  FinalWarrior [Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Hey Miah, not sure if you've fixed this yet, but after completing 0.1.2F's Arunmor storyline, while super-speed fast-forward to advance time, Onlink will randomly drop users back to desktop (but it doesn't quit or crash or anything) with an out-of-game error. I can't recall what the error message says (I'll reproduce the error in a bit), but it sounds really bad even though nothing seems wrong once you hit "Okay" and return to Onlink. It's really rather annoying, because the game continues to run (i.e., it's not paused) in the background.

-- Griffinhart
Author:  Kjeldar [Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Yeah, we talked about that back when 1.2F was released... i guess its fixed by now...
Author:  Miah [Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
...but after completing 0.1.2F's Arunmor storyline, while super-speed fast-forward to advance time, Onlink will randomly drop users back to desktop (but it doesn't quit or crash or anything) with an out-of-game error
...wut?
Author:  FinalWarrior [Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Odd. i can't seem to reproduce it anymore.

Well, it used to be that, after completing the Arunmor storyline, Onlink would pop an out-of-game fatal error message box and drop the player back to desktop, usually when the player was fast-forwarding through time. However, there wasn't any user-detectable fatal error: Onlink had just minimized itself, and after clicking "Okay" on the error box, the player could return to the game without any problems.

It's just that this is pretty annoying if you spend a lot of time fast-forwarding.

I recall there once being a topic or bug report about this... I'll try and fish it up.

-- Griffinhart
Author:  Blacklist [Fri Oct 17, 2008 3:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
First off. I'm Blacklist. Big fan of Uplink/Onlink, and I have a little nit-pick that I want to bring up.

Back when I was playing Uplink, one of my favorite things to do was to hack into a bank's admin section and view the records, jotting down account #s (btw, the notepad app you added to the game is a life-saver), then hacking them individually, looking for a decent amount to steal. It provided some entertainment and boosted my rankings pretty fast.

I tried the same trick with Onlink, only to discover that all the information was hash-encrypted (with no "Encrytper" security) and that there was no way to decrypt those text boxes. Needless to say, I was a little frustrated. I understand the logic of having the banks store that information in an encrypted format, but with the new hash-crackers included in the PC Hacking suite, there should be a way to retrieve that information.

Thanks for the great game!
Author:  FinalWarrior [Sat Oct 18, 2008 4:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Nitpick: there's no way to scroll through the console. Granted, I doubt you'd ever really need to, but still. For example, if you type

cd log
dir

The console will post all log entries; however, you won't be able to view all of them, because there's no way to go up through previous posts.

-- Griffinhart

ETA: Also, not sure if this is an intentional "feature" or not, but hitting the Enter key with IP_Probe or IP_Lookup does absolutely nothing. You have to click "Go" for the program to run.

ETA2: The GCD sorts by first name. Aren't most things of similar ilk sorted by last name?
Author:  Rickton [Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
ETA2: The GCD sorts by first name. Aren't most things of similar ilk sorted by last name?
Not Facebook.

Now that would be funny. The GCD is based on Facebook technology.
Author:  FinalWarrior [Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
Quote:
ETA2: The GCD sorts by first name. Aren't most things of similar ilk sorted by last name?
Not Facebook.
Actually, I find FaceBook (or at least, some apps on FaceBook) inconsistent. Sometimes it sorts by first, sometimes by last, and sometimes there isn't a discernable sort pattern.
Quote:
Now that would be funny. The GCD is based on Facebook technology.
Oh god. The implications are so terrible to comprehend. It's like Shub-Niggurath is giving birth inside my head.

-- Griffinhart
Author:  Rickton [Sun Oct 19, 2008 10:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
Oh god. The implications are so terrible to comprehend. It's like Shub-Niggurath is giving birth inside my head.
Status: Hannibal Lector is in the Bahamas. See ya bitches!

Mini-feed:
Hannibal Lector wrote on Agent Starling's wall.
Buffalo Bill wrote on Hannibal Lector's wall.

Interests:
Eating people, mind games
Author:  Switch [Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
I've only had a quick blast through the latest update of Onlink, and the two things that have always bugged me are still there;

First, When on a screen with a scroll bar (Example software list on Uplink Internal Services) using the scroll wheel on a mouse doesn't work.

Second, on areas where you fill in data (Example GCD name input), clicking on the box to input the data should automatically wipe the 'Fill this in' text that is already there.

I know they're really small things, but they're just something that never should have been there.


Edit.

I don't know what your thoughts on realism are but two things;

First, I just started a game, took all the missions that require access to the International Academic Database, bounced loads and had plenty of time to do like 10 missions. After each one, whilst in the server, I replied to the email and got an immediate response. Surely all 10 employers wouldn't be monitoring the IAD at the same time? Maybe some delayed responses would make it feel a little more realistic.

Also, I took like 15 missions on at once, and if I want to, I can just leave some for now. Maybe some missions that are time critical? For example, if someone needs another person removed (Ruin Life mission) they might need it quick. It could even be paid depending on time taken with things such as Research stealing 1 day 10k, 2 days 8k, 3 days 7k etc.

So I dunno your thoughts on realism but I think this would be cool.

Edit 2.

When you're in a server, let's say you click File Server to access the files stored. You can then click the x to go back to the main menu of that server. However, if you go into that server's console, you can't go back. The console should have a back button too; It's a pain re-hacking places over the fact that you can't return to the main menu of a server.
Author:  chiMmy [Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
When you're in a server, let's say you click File Server to access the files stored. You can then click the x to go back to the main menu of that server. However, if you go into that server's console, you can't go back. The console should have a back button too; It's a pain re-hacking places over the fact that you can't return to the main menu of a server.
Ever tried writing exit in the console? Never tried in onlink but it does work in uplink.
Author:  FinalWarrior [Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Quote:
When you're in a server, let's say you click File Server to access the files stored. You can then click the x to go back to the main menu of that server. However, if you go into that server's console, you can't go back. The console should have a back button too; It's a pain re-hacking places over the fact that you can't return to the main menu of a server.
Seriously? Type "exit" into the console.

HOWEVAH, a similar "x to go back" thing is needed for password, cypher, and voice print screens. In fact, all think all security screens need one.

-- Griffinhart
Author:  EidolonsFury [Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
Here's something that's always bothered me, the amount of credit a person is able to have with their bank account, it's all the same. Shouldn't different people have different credit limits? Whenever I'm in someone's bank account, I usually max out their loan before stealing their money, but the max amount is always the same. I'd just like some variation to that, so that some people only have maybe a $250 max loan, while others might have $5,000 or so.
Author:  ghost_sypher [Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
I always wondered that you might be able to copy a prog from your memory to a servers memory and run it there via console as you can with the Storyline-Progs.

Now, sometimes I like working from console and delete all logs from there. But via "run Log_Deleter" the logs are deleted but leave delted entries that can be restored with a log_undeleter.
Shouldn't I be able to copy Log_Deleter v4.0 in the files-server and run it from console leaving no entries behind?

I tried with Lug_delter v4.0 copied to the files server):
run log_deleter
run log_deleter v4
run log_deleterv4
run log_deleter v4.0
run log_deleterv4.0
...
always only resulting in deleting logs like with log_deleter v1

Would be great if one could copy just any file to the files-Server and run it through the console.

________

Something else, that i wouldn't consider bugging me as in "not beeing 100% realistic", more sort of an idea on gimmicks:
since there is a reference to the all time great movie WarGames in the game, how about some other innuendos on movies like "the NET" with Sandra Bullok and the Pretorians, "HACKERS" with a LeonardoDavinci-Virus and a oil company, "Sneakers" with Robert Redford, "Mission Impossible" and the Langly-hack, "TRON", x-files "Kill Switch" (episode 11, season 5), "Pi", "Code Hunter", "Ghost in the shell", "Serial Experiment:Lain", "Breach", "office space", "pirates of silicon valley", "enemy of the state", "Password Swordfish"? and others.
Or mentioning/including some real life hackerstories like of Kevin Mitnick (Condor), Captain Crunch, Captan Zap, Hagbard Celine, the CCC, cDc and NinjaStrikeForce ...

They would also be a great nutrient for secrets ;)

I'd love to find gimmicks like manuals on how to build a cantenna, preak your own cellphone or increase the memory on your Linksys Router or something like that *lol*
Or progressiv infos on how to gradually secure your privacy by applying PGP to your mails or use steganography, cipher/encrypt/code sensitive information on your harddrive, using Proxies and Anonymiser, turning off header infos of your browsers and so on.

Another reference is to the Robocop movie through the OCD server.
Well I prefere more the Cyberpunk like from William Gibson, the movie addaptation Johnny Mnemonic or the Shadowrun RPG, where they have synaptic interfaces to controle vehicles (called Riggers) or link themselves to a cyberdeck (=computer in a keyboard, somehow a bit like the C64 or Amiga 500 or Attari TT; I had none if these :( ) to emulate cyberspace and turn it in an interective visual environment (called Deckers => cyberdeck hackers). System Shock, Deus Ex and Matrix. And there was this game Neuromancer on C64/DOS.

-------

I don't know, if this is been dicussed already, but what is the "view records" good for on servers. Shouldn't one be able to hack/alter that one too for a purpose? What could I do with that one?
I read on people retrieve accounts from here (Name and Password). Well the pasword showing on an ISM right now is "31d31a13a3549f713e5f182b37d84f9b". What doo I do with that? do I jsut enter that as is in the login screen or do I have to decypher it first? But how?
Author:  Timeslice [Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Onlink: Going under the hood...
First, I would like to thank and applaud you for changing/fixing many of the nitpicks that I've had, including:

1.) Log files and file servers with little or no activity. Am I the only one on the internet? (Although this makes finding the significant log entry in the ARC servers nearly impossible if you aren't already looking for it.)
2.) Input prompts not clearing their description when I start typing. You missed a few in a7, but I haven't found any missing in a8. Nothing worse than failing a hack because you didn't delete enough characters before searching.
3.) The wireless router on the VirtuaNET. Does it really work? Why is that the only gateway that can have it? (Yay, now there's almost a point to having more than 2 security slots.)
4.) Notes in general (so awesome, detach++. Now if only CR/LF worked in the detached window). Notepad is a staple of OS's. Having to send emails to an invalid address just to keep the notes in the postmaster's response is silly.
5.) PC's being pointless. Why give me a link if there's nothing to do with it? (PC's are so awesome now.)
6.) AutoSave. Why doesn't it exist, why can't I toggle it?
7.) Encrypt (file utility). Completely pointless. (No longer, hehe.)
8.) Security with Amnesia. Yo, I just hacked you, using the same bounces. Do you really have to wait for me to do something stupid to start tracing me?
9.) And many more...

And now, a few of my nitpicks and nagglers:

1.) Records. What's the point? While I totally understand (and even agree with) encrypting them, if you're going to make them useless, just remove the link.
2.) Information retrieval missions (especially balance, loan, and name). How do they immediately know I have the exact right answer? Seems to me like they already knew, and if so, why pay me?
3.) Framing a user (for bank fraud or data destruction) Completely aside from the fact that these don't appear to work in Onlink, I feel like I should have to hack a user's PC or Gateway to properly frame them. Just pointing at them feels too easy. Also, why is it that admins can passive trace me through 40 bounces, but can't trace the guy I'm framing through more than 3 or 4 bounces? Discrimination, that's why!
4.) Voices. They used to progress properly, but now half the time they start off pissed and then switch to pretending like they just picked up the phone. Make up your mind, dude!

Thanks for making such an addicting game even more so!

</phoenixdown>
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