MrChumble
06-10-04, 21:38
I'm not quite sure what to make of hacknet. I've no idea where KK plan to take it (if anywhere) so there doesn't seem much point ranting about it.
I have some pretty specific issues with the current implementation, which I'd love KK to comment on (not that I expect them to :rolleyes:).
Firstly, is it meant to be possible to level inside hacknet? At the moment it seems ridiculously hard to do so. You need 30 int to use the basic attack software, so that implies your character will have spent considerable time leveling with a tradition combat skill already. My spy for example leveled with pistols, gimping himself awfully along the way to plow points into hack and hightech combat. However once into hacknet, it's not possible to level there, even if you LoM to pure hack.
The level 20 mobs give significantly less money and exp than the aggies my pistol-gimp can already take out...and they're also significantly more lethal, drop no loot, and have a much slower spawn rate.
The level 40 mobs kill me in two shots, and can fire a lot further than me. The only hope I have of killing one (and I stress one, if there's two there's no chance) is to run up to it and hold the fire button down, basically just praying that my spell doesn't misfire on the first half dozen casts.
Which brings me neatly to the combat system. As far as I can tell this consists of exactly what I described above. You approach the mob, you hold the button down, one of you dies first. As the spells misfire so often it's not even 100% certain you'll beat a 20/20 mob, despite being able to kill them in one hit.
I haven't tried any PvP yet, but as falling off = instant death I can't see this being much different. I sure won't be trying to circle strafe on a walkway that I can barely fit onto.
There's no mobs between level 20 and 40 (that I can find), you need to seriously gimp your real-world combat setup just to use the hacknet stuff - and really need to be pure hacknet to use it properly - yet there doesn't seem to be any return for your investment. I can't see a single advantage to leveling in hacknet over the real world, and there are many many disadvantages. Fundamentally, what's the point? Why have mobs there at all?
The last issues are more cosmetic/logical. Why is there up and down in hacknet? Why don't implants work? It's your brain 'in' hacknet after all, surely imps should be more effective not redundant. What exactly does the leg damage represent in a virtual world? Why does a head shot take off 75% of my health pool? How is it possible to 'fall off' hacknet?
Then there's the bugs. The spell cast thing - no idea if that's a bug or a feature, but either way it's insanely annoying. The health bug you get from all mobs seems to be magnified in hacknet...take a headshot that peels of 75% of your health, so you turn around and leg it, only to have your head magically repair and your legs fall off. Also the damage taken from the hacknet mobs is random in the extreme; a level 20/20 can do anything from 10 to 200+ damage in one hit.
As I said before I've no idea if the current state of hacknet is something KK are happy with, or whether they consider it a very early work in progress. Should I just accept that it's not finished and level in a conventional way, or should I be campaigning to get things changed/fixed?
Really I've no idea where things stand and would love some input from KK on this.
I have some pretty specific issues with the current implementation, which I'd love KK to comment on (not that I expect them to :rolleyes:).
Firstly, is it meant to be possible to level inside hacknet? At the moment it seems ridiculously hard to do so. You need 30 int to use the basic attack software, so that implies your character will have spent considerable time leveling with a tradition combat skill already. My spy for example leveled with pistols, gimping himself awfully along the way to plow points into hack and hightech combat. However once into hacknet, it's not possible to level there, even if you LoM to pure hack.
The level 20 mobs give significantly less money and exp than the aggies my pistol-gimp can already take out...and they're also significantly more lethal, drop no loot, and have a much slower spawn rate.
The level 40 mobs kill me in two shots, and can fire a lot further than me. The only hope I have of killing one (and I stress one, if there's two there's no chance) is to run up to it and hold the fire button down, basically just praying that my spell doesn't misfire on the first half dozen casts.
Which brings me neatly to the combat system. As far as I can tell this consists of exactly what I described above. You approach the mob, you hold the button down, one of you dies first. As the spells misfire so often it's not even 100% certain you'll beat a 20/20 mob, despite being able to kill them in one hit.
I haven't tried any PvP yet, but as falling off = instant death I can't see this being much different. I sure won't be trying to circle strafe on a walkway that I can barely fit onto.
There's no mobs between level 20 and 40 (that I can find), you need to seriously gimp your real-world combat setup just to use the hacknet stuff - and really need to be pure hacknet to use it properly - yet there doesn't seem to be any return for your investment. I can't see a single advantage to leveling in hacknet over the real world, and there are many many disadvantages. Fundamentally, what's the point? Why have mobs there at all?
The last issues are more cosmetic/logical. Why is there up and down in hacknet? Why don't implants work? It's your brain 'in' hacknet after all, surely imps should be more effective not redundant. What exactly does the leg damage represent in a virtual world? Why does a head shot take off 75% of my health pool? How is it possible to 'fall off' hacknet?
Then there's the bugs. The spell cast thing - no idea if that's a bug or a feature, but either way it's insanely annoying. The health bug you get from all mobs seems to be magnified in hacknet...take a headshot that peels of 75% of your health, so you turn around and leg it, only to have your head magically repair and your legs fall off. Also the damage taken from the hacknet mobs is random in the extreme; a level 20/20 can do anything from 10 to 200+ damage in one hit.
As I said before I've no idea if the current state of hacknet is something KK are happy with, or whether they consider it a very early work in progress. Should I just accept that it's not finished and level in a conventional way, or should I be campaigning to get things changed/fixed?
Really I've no idea where things stand and would love some input from KK on this.