Ability to break datalink taps from probe teams

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Author Topic:   Ability to break datalink taps from probe teams

marc420w posted 02-16-99 12:49 PM ET
I've got an idea for a new mission for Probe Teams. This would be a counter-intel mission that would search for taps into your datalinks and break them.
The success chance of the mission could depend on the skill level.
You could also get rid of the message telling you that another player has tapped you. You probably don't know that you are being spied upon. Unless of course your spies could tell you that someone has tapped you. But usually you'd just have to blindly send a probe team hunting for taps.
This way, a tap would work for a while, then eventually be broken. And you'd have to reestablish the tap. Somewhat akin to real-world where codes change, and the new code must be cracked. Or your source gets busted and you have to find a new source.

marc420w posted 02-16-99 12:51 PM ET
Another idea that came while typing the first. How about the quality of the tap depending on the quality of the probe team that created it.
That way, your green probe team might create a tap that only gives you info about 20% of the time, while your elite probe team gives you a tap that gives you info 90% of the time.
Jonji posted 02-20-99 03:32 PM ET
A couple of basic questions:
1) Do you always get warned if someone taps your datalinks? This seems unrealistic to me--most people don't know they're being spied on.
2) Is a tap permanent? Or does it only give you a snapshot of the datalink at that one point in time?
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Author	Topic: Ability to break datalink taps from probe teams
marc420w	posted 02-16-99 12:49 PM ET I've got an idea for a new mission for Probe Teams. This would be a counter-intel mission that would search for taps into your datalinks and break them. The success chance of the mission could depend on the skill level. You could also get rid of the message telling you that another player has tapped you. You probably don't know that you are being spied upon. Unless of course your spies could tell you that someone has tapped you. But usually you'd just have to blindly send a probe team hunting for taps. This way, a tap would work for a while, then eventually be broken. And you'd have to reestablish the tap. Somewhat akin to real-world where codes change, and the new code must be cracked. Or your source gets busted and you have to find a new source.
marc420w	posted 02-16-99 12:51 PM ET Another idea that came while typing the first. How about the quality of the tap depending on the quality of the probe team that created it. That way, your green probe team might create a tap that only gives you info about 20% of the time, while your elite probe team gives you a tap that gives you info 90% of the time.
Jonji	posted 02-20-99 03:32 PM ET A couple of basic questions: 1) Do you always get warned if someone taps your datalinks? This seems unrealistic to me--most people don't know they're being spied on. 2) Is a tap permanent? Or does it only give you a snapshot of the datalink at that one point in time?