In order to stay somewhat consistent with the original Uplink storyline, I would like that player to also be able to switch sides. During the first three missions (1-3) the player would be forced into working for Neo-Faith, Neo-ARC, and then Neo-Faith again; no room for choice directly. After mission 3 the player would be given a final choice between which Neo organization he/she wants to join.
Another thing that bugged me in the original storyline, that I believe can be fixed in the Neo storyline, is more interaction with the other big systems in the game. To give an example, here is my idea for mission 4.
Mission 4 : Government
To recap Mission 2, the player has just destroyed a system belonging to Neo-Faith. In Mission 3 (I'll define it more formally later) the player gets a confusing email. The email is from a Neo-Faith representative. Contained in this email is a large sum of money, a reward for proving to Neo-Faith that the player is capable of hacking their systems. The email explains that Mission 2 was all just a guise, and that the player was really talking to a Neo-Faith representative (not a Neo-ARC rep). The motivation behind the mission was Neo-Faith wanted to see if the player had the guts and knowledge to hack a Neo-Faith system. The new goal for Mission 3 will most likely involve a feature of the game that is unique to Onlink. Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with everything that's new in Onlink, but Mission 3 would be a nice place to try out the C++ coding module I think. (player downloads files from a Neo-Faith FTP server in order to construct a preliminary counter-virus to Apocalypse, something like that).
The Mission 4 email comes from a person claiming to belong to the still mysterious, Neo-ARC organization. In the email, the representative claims that Neo-Faith is misguided and is blinding the player to the truth. This mission is the pivot of the two storyline paths. Neo-ARC has stolen a file from Neo-Faith, a very, very important file. Neo-ARC has stolen this file and placed it in the vault of the F.B.I. database. The player's mission is to either hack into and delete this file, or hack in and copy it, later uploading it to the Neo-Faith FTP server from Mission 3.
If the player deletes the file, the he/she is locked into the Neo-ARC path of the storyline. If the player chooses to copy the file and upload it to the FTP, he/she is locked into the Neo-Faith side of the story.
Regardless of which path the player chooses, the F.B.I. will notice the player. In response to the hack that is performed in Mission 4 by the player, the F.B.I. will assign agents to track down the player. The player will then have to take a proactive stance, in order to stay alive, by hacking into the F.B.I database daily, in order to gain information to hack the agents computers to delete key files.
This means the F.B.I database will have to be modified slightly, adding one screen that will list agents and their current missions. This screen will be the starting point for the player.
Current Agents :
Tracking Hacker for Crime (hacking into F.B.I vault)
Agent Hanks (IP : 123.23.321.444)
Agent Hilton (IP : 345.745.23.567)
Agent Seinfield (IP : 999.333.44.222)
The player will be given the IP addresses of the Agents currently on the case of tracking the player. But, the player will be unable to hack these systems directly. The player will only be able to hack an Agent computer during the times that that Agent is connected to the Internet. The player determines these times by hacking into the F.B.I. database and reviewing the logs. The player will have to watch for a log message that looks like this :
123.23.321.444 connected to mobile LAN at 19:00
The player is guaranteed that the Agent will remain online for at least 3 hours after this log message is generated.
From there the player will then hack the Agents personal computer, and look for the specific file that contains all the information the Agent has gathered on the case. Some files may be encrypted, or might be password protected. The player might also have to consider backups. This would also be a nice place to add some flavor to the game. For instance, in the root directory of the Agent computer, there would probably be some files not relating to the player. I imagine that a normal F.B.I. agent would have pictures of his family, emails from bosses, and other things (even porn).
I think that there should be at least two different ways to delete the key files of an Agent's computer. The first is simply to delete it, but there might also be another way. I heard that the player might be able to create viruses in the C++ coding module. Well, if the player has complete access of an Agent computer, what is stopping him/her of planting a virus in the Agent's email system! This would be a great way to use the C++ module I think, and plus it would be really satisfying to see in the BBS, "F.B.I. Agent Tom Hanks was fired today after opening an email containing a malicious virus. After destroying the Agent's laptop completely, the virus went on to infect other F.B.I systems, causing mass mayhem".
Once Mission 4 is completed Agents will always be on the lookout for the player. The player can keep up with these Agents by monitoring the BBS, looking for news that might say, "In response to the recent increase in hacking, the F.B.I. has assigned 3 new agents to catch the culprits for good. Let's hope that these new men will be able to clean up the Internet, making it safe for normal users again".
That's it for today, more on it tomorrow.
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