AI War:Hacking

Credit for this is shared with forum member Tadrinth, who originally posted these ideas here.

What is Hacking?

As you scout, capture planets, and otherwise progress, you accumulate AI Progress (AIP), which in brief is a measure of how annoyed the AI is with you. The more exposure you get to the AI, the more familiar you'll become with the AI's capabilities and vulnerabilities, which means you'll learn various exploits you can use against it. Your ability to execute these exploits manifests as hacking points (HaP), which you accumulate at the same time and at the same rate as AIP. If you never spend any HaP, your HaP at the end of the game will end up greater than or equal to your AIP. These HaP can be spent on a variety of different hacking types; you can go negative on HaP but the AI response is very aggressive. Hacking gives you a number of ways to mitigate unfortunate random galaxy generation combinations, and functions as a sort of anti-RNG.

As of core game version 8.xx, almost all hacking gets done through the Hacker unit, which places immobile hacking devices in AI systems.

The cost of hacks increases by 50% per hack per type.

Hacking Device Name	Initial HaP Cost	Duration (minutes)	Game's Description	Players' Notes
Covert Knowledge Extractor	30 for 3000 knowledge	500 sec	This device hacks into the AI surveillance net and data archives in the local planetary system to steal Knowledge. Be prepared for an AI response against your units on that planet and nearby. Must remain stationary for 15 seconds before it can gather knowledge. NOTE: Gaining a full planet's worth of knowledge this way reduces your Hacking-Progress by 30. Each full hack after that costs 1.5x the previous.	Allows gathering of Knowledge on AI controlled planets. Gather 6 Knowledge per second, so requires 500 seconds for 3000 a full planet.
Research Redirector	35	10	This device hacks into an Advanced Research Station (while the planet and station are still under AI Control) if left stationary in the system with the ARS for 10 minutes. Once hacked, a selection of 3 types will be available when the ARS is captured (from the ARS tab of any science ship on the planet) instead of getting a random ship type.	Allows the player to select between 3 ship types when capturing the Advanced Research Station, rather than just being given a single ship type. If not hacked, the Advanced Research Station will automatically grant the left one.
Fabricator Hacker	30	5	Since AI fabricators do not store the full Master Data of their design, we can only build from that design while the fabricator remains intact. This device infiltrates the AI's local industrial network and corrupts the fabricator's design data. The AI's autocorrection then triggers a rebroadcast of the relevant Master Data. Our device will then helpfully intercept this transmission, enabling us to build that design from our standard Space Docks. This same device also works on Core Turret Controllers, giving you permanent access to that kind of MkV turret. Please note: once the AI loses control of a planet its security protocols will prevent any retransmission to any fabricator on it. Accordingly, if you wish to perform this hack you must do so BEFORE the AI's command station on the planet is destroyed.	Permanently allows you to build whatever unit is provided by the Fabricator, without the need to capture the system or defend the Fabricator. Requires an unhacked AI-controlled Fabricator in System. All fabs in system will be hacked. Works on Core Turret Controllers.
Advanced Constructor Hacker	100	15	Since AI Advanced Factories and Advanced Starship Constructors do not store the full Master Data of their designs, we can only build from that design while the facility remains intact. This device infiltrates the AI's local industrial network and corrupts the facility's design data. The AI's autocorrection then triggers a rebroadcast of the relevant Master Data. Our device will then helpfully intercept this transmission, enabling us to build those MkIV designs from our standard Space Docks (or Starship Constructors, in the ASC's case). Assuming we have the corresponding MkIII research, of course. Please note: once the AI loses control of a planet its security protocols will prevent any such retransmission to any facility on it. Accordingly, if you wish to perform this hack you must do so BEFORE the AI's command station on the planet is destroyed.	Allows building MkIV ships or starships (depending of the type of Advanced Constructor hacked) from regular space docks or starship constructors (provided the MkIII versions are unlocked) for the rest of the game.
Design Corruptor	30	5	If placed on the same planet as one of the AI's Design Backup Servers, this device can corrupt that AI's copies of the design(s) stored there and prevent further fabrication for use in this galaxy. Please note: if the command station is destroyed, the backup server goes with it. Also, hacking a server causes it to explode (which means you cannot Corrupt and Download the same design).	Prevents the AI from building MkI - MkIV versions of a particular ship for the rest of the game. Same reqs as Design Download.
Design Downloader	50	5	If placed on the same planet as one of the AI's Design Backup Servers, this device can download master copies of the design(s) stored there and allow you to build them yourself. Please note: if the command station is destroyed, the backup server goes with it. Also, hacking a server causes it to explode (which means you cannot Corrupt and Download the same design).	This type of hack lets you steal a ship design that you can then unlock through the normal Mk I/II/III tiered structure. There is a design backup for every ship type the AI has unlocked, but a given backup can only be downloaded or corrupted, not both. Requires a Design Backup in system.
Sabotage Hacker	5	1	Only works on a planet with an intact AI command station, but hacks into that station's network to destroy an important AI-controlled structure on the planet. Eligible targets include fortresses, forcefields, ion cannons, mass drivers, warhead interceptors, armor inhibitors/boosters, blackhole machines, Zenith reserves, interplanetary munitions boosters, raid engines, alarm posts, radar jammers, gravity drills, troop accelerators, and AI Eyes. Destroying a unit this way does not trigger AIP-on-death or similar consequences. If more than one eligible target is present on the planet, the one closest to the hacker will be destroyed. If multiple sabotage hackers are used, each will destroy a separate target.	Destroy the closest major enemy structure. Sabotaged structures do not raise AIP on death. Targets include Forcefields, Fortresses, Raid Engines, Eyes, etc.
Sensor Hacker	10	30 sec	Only works on a planet with an intact AI command station, but hacks into that station's network to disrupt the entire local AI sensor net. This grants all human ships on the planet the normal cloaking ability and suppresses all AI tachyon sources. All normal "must recharge cloak after firing" rules still apply. In addition, all AI cloaked/camouflaged units are revealed for the duration of the hack. The hack takes 30 seconds to start, and lasts for 35 seconds. Further sensor hacks during that time (by the original hacker or another one) simply refresh the duration, but also trigger the hacking-progress cost again.	After a short warm-up period (30 seconds), grants all player controlled ships in the system Stealth as per the standard ship ability and disables all AI Tachyon sources. Firing will still decloak ships as normal. Lasts for 35 seconds.
Nomad Beacon Hacker	100	5	Only works on a planet with a Nomad Beacon and an intact AI command station. Hacks into that station's network to disable the AI's failsafes that normally prevent capture of the Beacon	This hacking device is a special one, only available in games with the Nomad Planets minor faction enabled.
Exile Survey Hacker	10	1	Only works on a normal (non-nomad) planet that you have not surveyed previously, with an intact AI command station. Hacks into that station's network to try to trace the Exile signal's destination. If this planet is too far away from that destination you won't be given precise data.	This hacking device is a special one, only available in games with the Exodian Blade minor faction enabled.

SuperTerminal Hacking

Superterminal 1 per tick This hack doesn't require a hacker device. Lower AIP by 1 per tick, raises AIP floor by .2 per tick. This hack is triggered when the SuperTerminal system is captured and can only be stopped by destroying the SuperTerminal. Usage of the Hacker is not required.

One player's opinion about the value of various hacks

• Fab hacks are very popular, since hacking a fab means you don't have the capture the planet AND you don't have to defend the fab. They're also super reasonably priced.
• Factory and ASC hacks are pretty expensive, but potentially worth it if they're in particularly indefensible spots. Hacking both once require 250 HaP, which can be quite expensive. Also remember that the B Core Shield Generator network is only on planets with Advanced Factory or ASC, so you will need to capture at least one, but with hacking, you won't need to defend it for long.
• Design Download hacks are solid gold, if there's a very strong ship type available and you have the K to unlock higher marks, as they get you an entirely new ship type. They're not cheap, though.
• Design Corruption hacks are nice if there are any ships that you just don't want to deal with. Most useful against ships that are a threat in waves; the hack will not stop Mark V versions from showing up on the *AI homeworlds. Eyebots are a good example, as a wave of eyebots is a pain in the butt.
• Sabotage hacks are nice for getting past otherwise unwinnable defensive combos. Guard post that wrecks bombers under a FF? Sabotage the FF. It's also great for AI Eyes, since the hack response will up the number of ships in system, and the eye itself is a valid target.
• Haven't found much use for Sensor hacks yet.
• K(nowledge) hacking is a great place to spend spare HaP, you can always use more K.
• ARS hacks can let you change a mediocre ARS unlock into an awesome ARS unlock, but they don't give you more ships. Very situation based on the unlocks. Bring a Science II vessel to the system to see what's available; the leftmost ship in the ARS tab is what you'll get if you don't hack.

What Happens During a Hack?

Hacking, in general, will lead to the AI deploying forces in or around the system where the hack is taking place to stop it. The strength of the AI response is affected by the following:

• Each hack increases the response
• Past 100 HaP, having excess HaP reduces the response, but not below a minimum that increases with each hack
• Hacking at negative HaP causes the response to scale dramatically with how far in the red you are.

Some of the AI's options include:

• Spawning a set of Raid Starships with an Exo-Wave style goal (Hitting some key-component of your infrastructure).
• Spawning ships at the command station or randomly at the edge of the gravity well.
• Spawning on a connected AI World and attacking via a wormhole.
• Spawning Guardians.
• Firing a Tachyon Pulse to show all cloakers.
• Launching waves at the planet or adjacent planets.

The list of possibilities here is large, and will probably grow with time as more options are included. Many options aren't listed or described in detail here simply because part of the 'fun' of hacking is to be forced to react to the new environment. You always have the option of digging around to find all the options if that's your choice.

Most hacks also accumulate strength for a final pulse when the hack completes. The hacking response alert warns you how much strength to expect; be careful not to write a check you can't cash! Warheads may be called for.