When it comes to Cerberus there are a few elements that come to mind that weren't/couldn't be implemented in Onlink:
More indirect connection with the outside world.(RPG)
I like how Uplink/Onlink never directly connects to the world, it is always viewed from the hacker perspective. However that indirect connection could be expanded upon greatly. For example by creating servers(nodes) who's names refer to their in-world use or adding that information inside the server for the player to find. Even more immersive would be specific mission types for a few such more public-based systems.(Think "hack the New York electronic billboard control center" where you get actual control over all the electronic billboards in New York)
Distributed power.(RTS influences)
In Uplink/Onlink all your power is focused in a single location(not taking external storage into account). Besides the fact that this is really stupid for a hacker, you are also very limited in both power and gameplay elements. Allowing the purchase of additional servers in multiple locations will allow for a greater sense of power mid-late game and add a lot of gameplay potential. Things such as multiple simultaneous hacks (on a single target) and DDoS attacks will now be possible. Also the capture of a server will not be a massive disaster mid-late game as it is in Uplink/Onlink.
Another possibility this opens up is the use of botnets. Buy one or make one and potentially sell it(either for a mission or by use of a general botnet market or both)
Building more complex systems.(RTS/RPG)
Currently Uplink/Onlink features a very simplistic hardware system based around the current technological developments. If Cerberus were based further into the future, that would allow for vastly more complex system designs. I'm thinking instead of working around components that form a system(motherboard, CPU, etc.), use interconnectable stand-alone nodes with varying properties and special abilities. So you could have a standard General Purpose node and then buy a cracking node with hardware acceleration for cracking and connect them together. That cracking node would then work like a piece of enchanted armor in an RPG. Adding not just general computational power, but also hardware accelerated cracking(Much more powerful when cracking then general power, but useless for anything else.).
Bring system defense to the foreground.(RTS)
Since using multiple servers will allow for AI focus on the capturing of servers to be more commonplace, the focus on defensive measures should be increased. Here again the interconnectable stand-alone node principal seems appropriate. There are of course lots and lots of possible defenses from hardware firewalls and traffic monitors to physical defenses such as locks, heavy metal casings, explosives/EMP. What defenses should be implemented however heavily depends upon the design of the rest of the game.
Overhaul the money making system.(Sim)
As mentioned the current system of making money in Uplink/Onlink has a partial grinding feeling to it. Since this is such a large portion of the game, multiple solutions will need to be combined to create an acceptable and varied system. My solutions are:
- Continues income.(Create some way to earn a continues stream of (low) income.)
- Increase mission variety.(If missions are more varied, they will feel less like grinding.)
- Create off-mission income.(Robbing a bank is pretty much the only way to earn money outside of missions in Uplink/Onlink. This has to change not only for variety sake, but also to increase the feeling of power.)
- Luck based income(Think online casino or lottery.)
- Random income(Random or scripted events that give money.)
- Investment based income(Could be anything from stocks to land and possibly combined with ways to influence through hacking.)
Focus on hacker power.(RPG)
I think what we all like about Uplink and Onlink is the feeling of power over others through hacking. However I do not believe that Onlink has pushed that nearly far enough. We are still very much bound to the limits set in the missions that are given to us. The changes we make in the world on our own accord have little to no impact or even feedback. What we need is a far greater sense of power and impact. I'm thinking of the following:
- Multiple options during missions:
--- Follow the mission.
--- Decide to take a little "extra" while your there.
--- Ignore the mission and take it all for yourself.
--- Turn against your employer(either as a counter-mission or by yourself for money directly)
--- Fake successful completion.
- Off-mission actions get more feedback.(Like news messages, servers going offline, companies going bankrupt, stocks being influenced, etc.)
- More off-mission possibilities to influence the world.(Change someones credit rating, destroy vital files and their backups to ruin a company(or maybe make a copy and sell it back to them), influence countries by attacking heads of state, etc.)
Anything that can enhance the sense of power the player has over the world(preferably gradually increase as the player gets stronger) would be great.
Implement viruses, worms, keyloggers, etc.
Hacking shouldn't be the only tool available to you. Using worms, virusses, keyloggers and more should also be in your standard arsenal. This will provide both new gameplay and new things to buy, upgrade and develop.
Optional:
Make use of money beyond useful investments.
Allow useless things to be bought with money. Anything from graphics upgrades for your terminal to real-world things such as cars, house decorations, or even houses themselves. This might give the player a reason to earn money besides to get more power(and then earn even more money). This also could be part of the end-game where getting even more power is either useless or impossible and thus money would become meaningless.
Ok, it has become more then "a few elements"
. Though even now I'm still not satisfied my post is complete, it'll have to do for now.