Ok, I've been brainstorming! (Hey, the film 'Troy' was boring, so I got out a pencil and paper).

I've come up with a few ideas for the airline servers. Firstly, I'll explain a bit of theory. This is purely fictional conjecture.

Planes fly around the sky controlled by their own pilot, or auto-pilot. Every plane is linked to a central server for its airline and is identified by a serial number (such as the ones seen printed on the sides of light aircraft). The airline server controls the auto-pilot with a backup system on the plane, available in case of loss of connectivity to the server. The central server keeps planes from crashing and sends them about their daily routine.
The thing is, takeoff and landing are totally automated, apart from the manual override system. The ATLS (Automated Takeoff and Landing System) controls the plane during the takeoff / landing periods. A hacker could therefore break into the system and control the plane (to a certain extent), changing things such as engine thrust, flap elevation or landing gear. Of course, if a pilot noticed something was wrong he could enable the manual override and land the plane himself. The later the adjustment is made, the less likely it is that the pilot will have time to notice and correct the change, however, the second the plane touches down it is controlled by another system that is not accesible to external parties. Basically this means that if a hacker waits too long, he could be traced or the plane could touch down.

That's the idea behind it.

I think that the ALTS screen should at least have options to change engine thrust levels and extend or retract the landing gear. That way there are two different ways of crashing the plane. The other great thing about this kinda thing for missions is that it is much more time-critical than other missions. A hacker would have to be inside the server in the time window of takeoff or landing as to crash the plane.

I also think that each generated plane should have a random number of passengers in it. The higher number of passengers in it when you crash it, the worse your neuromancer rating. If it's just a private jet (with 3/4 passengers) it shouldn't really touch your rating. If it's an Airbus A380 filled to maximum capacity then it should kill your neuromancer rating to its lowest possible and send a massive team of investigators after your ass. Better hope you covered your tracks well!

I'd really like to see this implemented.

Another thing I had a few ideas about is the optional extras you can add to a virus when using a virus creation program. Here's a list...

* Polymorphic - Changes its code at assembly level to avoid detection.
* Memory Resident - Stays in the memory even if the process is closed.
* Boot Sector - Hides in the boot sector area of the hard disk, making disinfection much harder.
* BIOS Infector - Adds code to the BIOS firmware, causing the virus to be ran at boot.
* Partition Resident - Creates a small partition and places the virus in it, hiding it from conventional scanning.
* Keep Alive - Creates a second process which reloads the virus process if it is terminated.
* AV Sabotage - Attempts to sabotage common Anti-Virus programs by corrupting their databases.
* Parasitic - Appends its code to other programs, infecting them.
* Encrypted - Main virus code is encrypted with a random key (stored in the program file) to avoid detection and then decrypted upon infection.

Combinations of these functions can make it very hard to detect and remove the virus. This is why better virus scanners are required to detect and remove them. Each extra function costs extra cash.

The user chooses a single virus type (overclocker, os-killer, hdd-wiper, file encrypter, etc... I mentioned these in another post) and any extra functions (as listed above). The total charge for writing such a virus is calculated and displayed. The user then clicks 'Send' and a request is sent to a freelance virus programmer. The programmer begins work on the virus and sends it you via email when he's done. Of course, it takes time. Each extra item on the list of stuff to add requires extra time as well as money.

The virus can then be given two ratings (0-100); detectability and removability. The lower the number, the harder it is to remove it. Of course, if it were at 0 then it would be unstoppable, even with the best anti-virus software.

Hope my ideas are useful!

Questions and comments:

1) Why in the first place? Why?
2) That's a great minigame. Maybe it should be called that instead?
3) How much money do you plan the reward to include?

1) As I stated above, I was bored. Secondly, my mind is constantly on the subject of computers.

2) It's not a minigame, because minigames are like "Thermonuclear War". It's a mission type. There could be a special mission (the ones you get medals (the little icons) for on the game over screen) in which you have to take out someone special, maybe in one of the plotlines.

3) Reward for what? If you mean taking down a plane, it depends on the target and the employer. If it's a government employer targetting a known terrorist on a public plane (i.e they want to kill the terrorist, but all the innocent people on the plane would die too, which doesn't look good for them, so they get you to do it), it's a high payoff, like 1,000,000cr. If it's just an assasination of a single person (on a private jet), a smaller payment such as 250,000Cr would be given. I know it's a huge amount, but with all the new expenses in new software and viruses, along with a system to run them on, we need harder missions with bigger payoffs.

Here's a great idea: Assassinate a radical SA-Net administrator. Payoff: 2,500,000.

That idea should be adapted slightly:

Onlink should have terrorist servers like Al Quaeda and stuff, with get missions from the military to kill the system admin or leaders mentioned on the Al Quaeda server. This would increase your neuromancer rating. Accepting missions from Al Quaeda to kill military generals would decrease your neuromancer rating, but give you a higher payoff.

Mission titles could be "Assasinate a terrorist leader" and "Assasinate a military leader".

Also, neuromancer ratings should strongly affect the number of attempted hacks into your system. If the community likes you (high neuromancer rating), you only get a few attacks per in-game year. If the community despises your guts (very low neuromancer rating), you should expect up to 2 attacks per week.

This way it affects your game in a more significant way.

Better yet, lets integrate that with your "realistic news" idea just a couple days ago.

"U.S. Major General to visit California"
"Terrorist leader suspected to be in hiding in London"

Then you assassinate them using these clues.

Pure genius

You see, I come up with the awesome ideas, you link them together

I Really like this idea. it'd be great to see it implimented, maybe with a fuel dump command or something of the like?

Blackbox transcripts would be cool...

Co-pilot: The fuel latch has released!
Pilot: We're losing fuel!
Co-pilot: Pull up!
Pilot: I'm trying!
*BANG*


kekeke

That'd be fun.... but also some hackers like those that are moraly deprived(like me) I go on the GCD for phun and charge a poor sap of high teason for cryin' out loud! And, also, maybe you can get the hackers to fear you too... if you ruthlessly got many people killed they'd be afraid they'd be killed ya know. Maybe somthing along the lines of this BASIC script: And Burningmace, that idea is good, also maybe incorperate the airplains computer, so you can crash it youself via simple flight sim.

I don't think that Miah would have the time to make a flight sim, but since it's the Future, maybe you can reprogram the autopilot systems, oxygen systems, etc. to drop the plane.

I really don't recommend a mission like this, because that would let all the feds loose on you, and the game, if realism is still a goal, won't last long if you perform this mission. Your ratings will drop catastrophicallly (because you killed tens or even hundreds of civilians), and then nobody will hire you, which is another problem.

I agree but as we said above this could be your choice from private jets, to airsbus' from the military to commercial. i'd prefer just a screen where i can see what the planes actually doing and what altitude its at and how much fuel it has .ect

Oh and if your a good enough hacker companies will hire you because they wont know it was you that did it.

I was reading Mace's idea when he mentioned something that caught my attention...heheh..."get missions from the military to kill". Imagine recieving missions from the Military to spy on other contries, their officials, uncover information of future plans, read memo's of other world leader's computers( including bank account #'s, Plans, and random stuff such as wife's birthday.etc.). Of course this will have to open a new software tool...."Language Translator"!! Now that would be awsome. Also, because you would be able to hack another World leader's P.C., You could send/change/and create E-mails from him to others. (can anyone say WAR?, Better business for hackers to spy upon Manufacturers of products or their rivals, Corporations that work along with the Governments? Can we determine Oil economy or the prices on fuel??) Anyway, complete the objetives and move on. Also, another new ability...The U.S. Military...which Branch? You pick, or all....steal, or add certain amounts of money to it to change the tide of the war. One final thing I almost forgot...about the world leader's P.C...change a few words here or there in his Pre-typed speach for his Conference/ Meeting, or messages to his neighboring country. At first I thought all of this would be too much but when you think about it...if you want the game to last a long time, it must include numerous capabilities as well as real worldly events...thus granting more power of control for the gamer/ customer, and will to succeed. But anyway, they were just ideas after all, ut surly not all of them would be impossible to implement...would they Miah??

The "hack or not" AI should be extended so that it incoporates fear and rating as well as neuromancer.

The fear value would be generated by percentages of hack types (like how many times you've utterly b0rked systems or released revelation upon them or how many people you have killed)

I'll send some pseudo-code to Kyuu.

You cant forget cabin pressure.... Do I hear eardrums popping? Also, by simple flight sim I mean like three views. A top down, side, and chase view, the ground being a line that moves to form the ground.