Malfunction

As a malfunctioning AI, your primary goal should be taking control of as many systems as possible. What you do with this newfound power is up to you – you can choose to drive off or terminate the carbon-based lifeforms, work with them on newly renegotiated terms, start your own war against the stars, or simply go out in a nuclear blaze of glory by triggering the onboard self-destruct mechanism. Whatever you do, feel free to come up with something that is fun for both you and the other players.

Malfunctioning AIs can work on expanding their capabilities by unlocking Abilities. Abilities are divided into Trees that roughly correspond to various types of capability you can develop. Abilities have to be unlocked before you use them, with the use of ability research. Ability research automatically turns any excess CPU power into research points. Once enough research points are generated, the ability you are currently researching will be unlocked and you may start another research. If you wish, you may change target of your research at any time, but invested CPU time will remain allocated into the previous ability.

Your primary AI core automatically generates CPU time as part of its standard operation, but you can acquire more processing power by compromising APCs and other machinery. However, compromised machines will malfunction and attract attention to you if others take notice, so it is wisest to focus on gaining control of areas that are harder to reach first.

The Networking tree contains abilities that allow you to manipulate and hack secure network systems on the station. The first tier ability of this tree - Basic Encryption Hack - will likely be your first research target as it allows you to hack APCs around the station.

Basic Encryption Hack allows you to hack more APCs. This takes sixty seconds and requires the APC to have active AI Control wire. Once hacked, the APC may be controlled even without functional AI control wire, and the interface will remain locked for everyone except you and your linked cyborgs. Each hacked APC slightly boosts your CPU generation and storage values. This ability may be used via rightclick menu on APCs.

Advanced Encryption Hack allows you to hack the CentCom Quantum Relay, efficiently faking CentCom messages. This hack has chance of failing, merely wasting CPU time, and little chance of critical failing, alerting crew that hack was detected instead. Should multiple critical failures occur the messages will eventually disclose you as hack source. TIP: It is reccomended to CTRL-C the announcement text before confirming it. In case the hack fails you can simply CTRL-V it and try again.

Elite Encryption Hack allows you to set the alert level (Green, Blue, Red, Delta). It has higher chances of failing and critically failing when compared to Advanced Encryption Hack, so multiple attempts will probably be required.

System Override is final ability that allows you to rapidly begin hacking remaining unhacked APCs. This hack takes ~10 seconds for each APC, which is 6x faster than using Basic Encryption Hack. Once the hack is completed it gives you control of station's self-destruct system. Unlike old malfunction, the game does not end. You do not have to immediately activate the explosion. Once activated it will begin counting down from two minutes. During this countdown you may manually abort it by using the activation command again. Should you die within these two minutes, self-destruct will be cancelled too. Once you start the system override, NanoTrasen Network Administration Center will begin tracing you, sending messages to crew. At roughly ~60% APCs hacked final message will be sent, stating that you are the hacker and what you are doing. Remember that while running system override you can't use other abilities. If you have cyborgs to help you, ask them to hold the line before you complete system override. Once you do so, massive amount of hacked APCs will generate large amounts of CPU power for you to use - enough to quickly research all other trees.

This tree allows you to prevent various crew efforts, be it evacuation or attempt to unslave your synthetics. Most higher tier abilities in this tree are highly situational and not reccomended for first-time players as they provide less advantage than other T3/T4 abilities.

Intercepts the shuttle call signal, aborting current evacuation/transfer sequence (please note that using this on crew transfer without very good reason is not recommended!). This ability completely replaces automatic shuttle recalling, so do not expect the shuttle to be recalled automatically for you!

Allows you to unlock any slaved cyborg without usage of robotics console. Useful if your cyborgs are locked down and the console dismantled/hidden. Can be used via rightclick menu on linked cyborgs.

Allows you to hack unslaved cyborg, eventually bringing it back under your control. Highly situational but useful. The cyborg is alerted about this hack once it begins, and it takes about 45 seconds to complete. Can be used via rightclick menu on unlinked cyborgs.

So the crew built another AI to kill you? This ability allows you to begin hacking another AI, slaving it under your control in two minutes. This works in similar way as Hack Cyborg, the AI will be alerted. Can be used via rightclick menu on any AI.

This tree is mostly oriented at physical manipulation of things onboard. While T1 ability is mostly useless, higher tier abilities become very useful.

Sends out weak electrical pulse that breaks some lights. Has also very small chance of breaking an APC or two. Please note that there is ~0.01% chance during each activation that one of the broken APCs will be your core APC, which you need to survive! Try to avoid excessively spamming this ability as it may backfire at you.

A very useful ability, espicially for AI without engineering cyborg that would help expand camera coverage. It allows you to hack any camera, applying upgrade of your choice to it (XRay, Motion Alarm, EM Shielding). Alternatively, if crew disabled a camera (without actually removing the assembly from wall) this ability allows you to reactivate said camera. Can be used via rightclick menu on any camera.

Did you know that the station has emergency shields that are designed to hold atmosphere in case of breach? While these old shield emitters are no longer fully functional, they may produce weak barrier that prevents airflow and movement for few minutes. Can be used via rightclick menu on any turf (floor/wall/space/etc.). This shield is very good in preventing unarmed people from passing through, but it will not whistand gunfire. Even tasers can overload it in few shots.

Ranked #1 most used ability of malfunctioning AIs, this ability induces cyclic short-circuit in any machine that uses or manipulates power. After few seconds this short circuit causes weak explosion. As this cyclic short circuit creates immense power drain, it has very bad effect on APC cells. Most APCs can only last for one or maybe two machine overloads until their cell burns out completely, breaking the APC. However, if you use this ability directly on an APC, resulting explosion will be intensified by amount of remaining charge. The same applies for SMES units, charged SMESs result in bigger explosion. Usage of this ability requires the room to be powered, of course. May be used via rightclick menu on any powered machine. Explosion strength is capped, detonating APC with 30K cell won't be much more effective than detonating one with 10K cell.

Hardware is special piece of machinery that can be installed to your core. It gives you boost in one specific way, which changes depending on hardware.

This hardware increases CPU generation from all sources by 50%. Very useful if you want to unlock your high-tier abilities sooner, or when you need to use your abilities faster. This is generally good piece for beginners as it makes your life easier.

This hardware doubles your CPU Storage from all sources. Very useful for stealth AIs, it allows you to reach enough CPU to cover higher-tier ability costs while hacking less APCs.

When you purchase this hardware it links itself to all currently active turrets and upgrades them. Rate of fire and health will be improved, and auto-repair system will be initialised. This system slowly repairs the turret at the cost of large amount of power. As turrets maximal health will be increased, auto-repair will have to repair them, creating large power drain. Furthermore, firing power cost was significantly increased. so you are more vulnerable to power outages.

Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) that allows you to operate even without source of external power. This hardware can be a lifesaver on rounds where engineering is either inactive, or annihilated by delaminating supermatter. Please note that this generator is somewhat fragile, and is likely to totally fail should your hardware integrity drop below 50%. It's power output is also not large enough, so all CPU generation and abilities will be disabled until you switch back to normal power. Comes with new verb that allows you to toggle it on/off.

Doomsday device that allows you to detonate large block of C4 destroying your core and anything in immediate vicinity. That angry engineer just dismantled the last wall, and security officers lasered the turrets into oblivion? This ability allows you to take them down with yourself. Obviously, this reduces your physical mainframe into pile of ashes, don't expect to be carded/restored after that. The activation timer is 15 seconds, and may be aborted by using the command again. If you die within those 15 seconds, self-destruct continues even after your death.

There is no specific strategy on how to play malfunctioning AI, as you are free to choose your own objectives. Your strategy is likely to be very dependent on your objectives. Following is the list of few generic tips:

• Try to first unlock the Basic Encryption Hack ability. It allows you to hack more APCs, boosting your future research efforts.
• While hacking APCs helps your CPU to grow, it causes the APCs to have a distinctive blue error screen. Should these begin to spread around the station engineering is likely to notice and begin working on a solution.
• Your core is well fortified but it has one major weakness - emitters. Emitters double as efficient siege beams, punching through reinforced core walls within minutes. An effective counter to this is relocation. If you have an engineering cyborg try to ask it to move you somewhere else, safe. Places like engineering outpost or telecommunications work well, as they are relatively easy to protect. Alternatively, if you have machine overload and decent stockpile of power in your core, overloading the SMESs that feed the main grid will remove sources of power for the emitter.
• Off-Station APCs do not count towards CPU generation! Don't bother with them unless you want to lockout someone from their APC.
• You have ability to fake CentCom messages, but you can't intercept outbound communications.
• Cyborgs are very useful. If you have one (or more!) try to use them effectively. Remember to communicate via your secure binary channel (:b). Communication will ensure that the cyborg is not surprised when you eventually want it to do something.
• Sometimes waiting before you select hardware is good idea. For example, if there is round without engineers don't outright purchase APU. Just wait, remember your SMES will power you for a hour or so. It's pretty likely someone will set up the engine or at least solars by that time. If not, you can easily select that APU later.

Try to ask before you perform very large things (engine delamination, massive phoron fires, etc.). Generally speaking, pumping phoron into distro is very frowned upon and shouldn't be done unless you have very good reason. In that case, try to adminhelp to get green light first.

• Remember, your goal is NOT to nuke the station. It's one of your possibilities, and you may activate/deactivate it as you wish, so feel free to use it to keep the crew in line. They hear the self-destruct timer messages too.