Systems: QTE-based hacking?

[FIREk]

I know a lot of you folk are accustomed to the rusty, obsolete gameplay mechanics of PlanetSide, to the extent of being afraid of headshots, but it's 2011 already, and I had a thought on how to give hacking a bit more thrill and depth.

Hacking could require that the player complete a QTE (Quick Time Event) sequence in the form of pressing WASD buttons when required, just like fistfighting in The Witcher 2 (the most convenient QTE implementation I've seen in a PC game).
It's not exactly a logical puzzle like in some RPG or action-adventure games, but it goes a long way towards adding the human factor into the otherwise boring, not even statistical hacking.
A simple QTE, unlike a progress bar, makes the process more demanding on the player, thus more engaging and eventually fun.


Here's how I see the rules:

• Hacking would still have a progress bar (or circle, to make the UI more interesting). Every few seconds, the sequence would be paused and require you to press an appropriate button to proceed. This forces you to rush it, at the cost of making mistakes.
• As usual, the higher your Hacking cert, the shorter the actual hacking. In this case, it shortens the delay between the button you just pressed and the next one that will be shown and wait to be pressed. So, a higher Hacking rank will actually require extra player skill (reflexes and hand-eye coordination) to use properly.
• If you miss a button, the sequence is interrupted with a "static" effect for, say, 5 seconds. Not too much, but enough to let the enemy gain ground if you screw up.
• If you miss too many buttons (3 for a tower, 6 for a base, if PS2 has these), the whole sequence is interrupted and you start over.
• A higher Hacking cert, in addition to making the whole hacking sequence go faster (less buttons to press), would allow you to make more mistakes (one per skill level) without the whole sequence being interrupted.

Imagine having to hack into a security system while under fire. Your comrades are covering your ass and are counting on you. Whether or not you claim that tower boils down to whether or not you work fast and smooth.
The QTE would simulate the suspense of risking a screwup, with guns blazing all around and your buddies' lives depending on you doing the job quick and without too many mistakes.

Now imagine you're just holding a button and watching progress bar, along with your health dial, just in case. Is that boring or what?

QTEs for reviving would be a bit excessive, though, but it might be a thought worth exploring.

What do you think? Just in case, "QTE=consoles", "consoles=evil" or "I'm too old to do QTEs right" are not arguments, they're just whining.

[DviddLeff]

I suggested something similar before the glut of news, but the idea got shot down by various people who didn't want it for some reason.

I think it would add actual skill to what otherwise is a boring predictable progress bar.

[Soothsayer]

Fallout 3's lockpicking was good(ish) but their hacking wasn't so great.

I'd much rather have something more like that than a match the colour to the button thing if there needs to be something like this.

Some sort of hack progression flow map where you can pick a direction to progress down would be cool.

I wouldn't want it to be mandatory for all hacks, but if you ace the QTE you get a bonus to the speed of the hack or the speed of the capture. They want a faster paced game, they should give options for speeding up capping.

[Bags]

If it's anything like the one in Alien Swarm no. That was far too easy once you did it once or twice.

[FIREk]

Logical puzzles are nice, but I think simple QTEs would be far more accessible to the average player. I'm mostly interested in adding the human factor into hacking.

Also, it's a lot easier to implement a simple QTE system than a 100% blocker-proof logical puzzle generator. I'm using the word "generator" as a set amount of predefined puzzles would get boring fast.

[Vancha]

QTEs need to die a firey painful death.

I'm all for making hacking more engaging, though.

[krnasaur]

Yes. I like the idea. It makes being a good hacker mean something more than just having a high cert.

[Dark Atlantis]

I remember the Hacking in Face of Mankind which was totaly awesome in my opinion, it was a pain in the ass when you failed since the alarm goes off and you was like "oh snap, no more stealthy O.O"

[MasterChief096]

This could add a lot to someone who wants to specialize down the hacking route.

After all, you are hacking an ENEMY territory, terminal, vehicle, or what have you. Shouldn't they have security software and preventative measures to try and stop this from happening?

This could replace the "advanced hacker hacks quicker" method. Advanced hackers would still hack quicker than granny hackers, but not because a progress bar goes quicker, but rather because the advanced hacker can more easily navigate through the enemy's database and security programs, thus making it easier to hack the territory or what have you.

You could even have a "Software Specialist" cert route down the hacker tree, that allows you to install better security measures in friendly territories, vehicles, terminals etc, that make it more difficult to hack.

This would make it so outfits actually have a need for that guy who specializes full time hacking.

As for the actual method of by-passing enemy security software, I am unsure on how to implement this so that it is not impossible for new players nor too overpowered in general. I'll leave that to you guys.

[Sirisian]

I don't really like quick time events. I actually preferred the progress bar system since it's a fixed time requirement for hacking. I also find puzzles/QTEs to be more boring than a progress bar. I don't play an FPS game to play DDR if that makes sense.

[Kechiro]

I like the idea, though I think I'll wait until I see what they've actually done with hacking in PS2 before I say yay or nay. Apparently they've made changes since vehicle hacks are out (shameful, but not a total loss).

Either way, I've found far too much use for my Adv Hacker cert to not have it again in PS2 no matter what they do. So I'll be taking it up asap regardless.

[Huma]

I'm sorry but I'd have to say this is a bad idea. It would spell the death of any cloaker trying to even just get in a door. All that movement would light them up like a christmas tree. Besides your acting like hacking anything takes long at all. If you have ADD so bad that you cant stand watching a progress bar for 10 seconds then you might not want to do hacking.
I understand the reasoning behind it but your also talking about adding a mini game into the game itself. I know someone else has said this about mini games before but anything that detracts from the main game shouldn't be put in. And for the record, if they did that QTE stuff for reviving I would hunt you down and shoot you myself. Both put you at enough risk as it is without making you have to dance around at the same time.

[Kouza]

Also, we could add a Terminal on the other side, so Enemy hackers could use it to challenge the hack. The two players could play Pong for access to the door..... The 50 TR and VS waiting on either side.... Can wait......

I want to focus on getting into the door and fighting, Not opening the door.

That being said, something like this to Hack a Control Console of sorts would be ok. It would make it so that person has to play the small mini game (actually longer then planetside 2?). The idea of planetside 2 being a quick pace could make this fun. If you assume The HEX takes 5 mins to capture (?), the minute or so you spend hacking actually becomes critical. It becomes a matter of the faster you do it the less your guys have to hold. Thus the team is depending on you, thus Your having fun because, instead of a progress bar, you know what you are doing at that Terminal has a direct effect on the 15 guys defending you during that time.

[exLupo]

While I'm a big fan of QTEs or, better yet, puzzle style hacking in single player games, I don't think it fits the headspace for multiplayer games. Being beholden to someone else's shooting and maneuvering/driving ability is one thing. It's the core of the game. Being stuck behind some yahoo without the reflexes or logic to puzzle through a hack is something else entirely.

Nice idea but keep it in single player games. There's enough to worry about when people are shooting at you.

[Kouza]

Originally Posted by exLupo

While I'm a big fan of QTEs or, better yet, puzzle style hacking in single player games, I don't think it fits the headspace for multiplayer games. Being beholden to someone else's shooting and maneuvering/driving ability is one thing. It's the core of the game. Being stuck behind some yahoo without the reflexes or logic to puzzle through a hack is something else entirely.

Nice idea but keep it in single player games. There's enough to worry about when people are shooting at you.

This.

That being said I`m ok with a mini game to hack the CC.... Not some crazy in-depth hacking but, some sort of easy mini game. That gets harder as you get closer to the opfors Sanctuary. I think it adds to the fun for both the hacker (due to the pressure), and the defenders (Have to defend until he is done)