The entire hacking system, in my opinion, has been a severe let-down--especially for that of the UC. My ideas include:


1. The NPC-trace feature is by-far ridiculously fast, and even with pinging off other systems, it is far too often blackmailing/detecting/causing problems for the player. Meanwhile, the player's tracking option for a hack seems vastly underpowerful. Either the trace feature needs to go, be able to be blocked or messed with, or needs to be slowed WAY WAY down.


2. The UC should be immune to blackmail, or able to refuse it at the very least (with penalties of getting caught doing it again)


3. The UC's hacking speed is ridiculously slow for a race that depends on it, and furthermore they should have access to far more than 4 hacking operations at the most. If only for the UC


4. There need to be far more options for hacking in regards to harming opponents in terms of their economies, happiness, etc. BUT PARTICULARLY: Their relationships with other NPCs (similar to forced peace, but forced war as well, between two factions not including one's self)


5. How in the world does it make sense that a single node can only be hacked by a single source? If I have backdoors surrounding an enemy system, I should be able to hack from all of them and tear that system's electronic world to shreds. If only as the UC.


6. The Firewall hacking buff needs to be able to defend sanctuaries from being hack-destroyed; it doesn't, which is just pure malarkey


7. Not really hacking, but fun last idea: The UC should have an ability, hacking/diplomatic, to erase themselves from the minds/board of another player once they are detected--but perhaps only in certain diplomatic conditions, or what-have-you.