V 0.8

Congratulations on owning your own very ... new, yes, new. Ignore the bits of the old owner. New Chelyabinsk Cyber Dva deck (personality profiles sold separately). We hope you will have many happy years with your new piece of kit. This manual is provided as a "for dummies" style discussion to give you a better handle on what you've bought, and some suggestions on how you can upgrade it and become the most elite of hackers.

This guide is -

• Designed to familiarise yourself with what upgrades exist, and how those upgrades may or may not matter.
  
• Written to give you suggestions on hacking optimisations.
  
• A good source of deck jokes.
  
• FOR NOW: A work in progress. It will be polished and sanded down once I've done enough to ensure it is a complete and useful guide.

This guide is NOT -

• A walkthrough of the game
  
• A cheat guide.
  
• Toilet paper
  
• A warranty in the event you abuse your deck.

At the very core - DROP is a game about time and resource management, with some light puzzle elements and a very easy to grasp strategy layer. The goal when hacking a network is to be efficient, there's a hard cap of 5 mins on a given hack and there is no allowance for going over. You need to get in fast, and get back out once you're done. There's no bonus prizes for scouring the network (though there is for data, more on that in a bit).

Every time you begin your hack you will start at your deck's home node. These are represented by three green nodes, which then link to a neutral node that initiates connection to the target network. Time does *not* start counting down until you activate the connection node. This gives you a little breathing room and time to fire up the Repair Daemon should you have it before the fun begins.

Within the firewall node you can also manually repair firewall segments in the event you're either running manual (not recommended) or a mass of hostile daemons are hammering the gateway. Manual repairing is fast, but is constrained by the number of threads you have available.

Once you connect you will be able to access the hostile network for your mission. The network can be broadly divided into three core activities -

Connecting and Mapping the network - You'll be doing a lot of probing at the edges of networks, every time you connect to a hub, you'll see the map expand if there's more things that link to it. Mapping is fast, and you can map multiple nodes at once as long as you keep an eye on the logs it generates. This activity generates one logfile per node "opened", navigating through open nodes is invisible and generates no additional activity. Figuring out where everything IS, is priority one.

Disabling "active" defences and suppressing logfile generation - This should be considered a priority of some sort, depending on precisely what you're facing. The discussion of defences, both active and passive is gone into a bit further down. Once you have access to logfile servers, take a moment to manually wipe out any stacked up logfiles, then install the Cleaner Daemon before moving on. The overall goal here is to have TWO Cleaners running at any one time. More is overkill unless you have a massive power surplus.

Completing objectives and generating money - For an objective focused game, ironically this is the last thing on your checklist. You should be always using the Drain Daemon if you have enough power budget. Once you have enough of the network mapped you should then hunt down your objectives and clear them. Money here is -critical- so always seek to drain out as much data from a network as is feasible, this gets you those all important upgrades which make future runs less of a headache.

The long term goal for DROP is profitability. More money means less problems. More money means more upgrades which can save you an awful lot of hassle. So let's go over your routes for moneymaking -

Objectives - You'll always earn a basic income from a mission, but this is sofa change, usually around $80 to $120, don't think too hard on this. Sub objectives usually earn $50 and are nice to have but not absolutely critical.

Data Draining - This is where you will get the bulk of your income. Blue (raw) data is worth $1 per point drained. Big networks can have hundreds of this stuff, so it becomes very lucrative. Green (Market) data is worth $5 per point drained, and should be considered priority one.

When picking a mission, if you see one with an objective or sub objective which says "Drain raw data" or "Drain all market data" - These are the missions you want.

Sadly there is no value in harvesting files or keychains. So skip over all of these unless your objectives explicitly ask you to hunt for either.

As you progress through the game you'll be provided with active and passive Daemons. These are "Terminate Stay Resident" programs that execute quickly and leave your thread stack, but remain in memory using node "power". They then run either indefinitely (Cleaner, Repair) or temporarily (Drain, Cracks) or passively (Wingman, Pathfinder)

A note on node power - There's two sources for this. The first source is in the target network, represented by yellow subnodes which are inside a node that looks like a little box icon. Each yellow subnode gives +1 deck power.

The second source is upgrades from the shop. These are *permanent* upgrades that give you a baseline source of power you can use to run programs without needing to hunt down power nodes.

It is highly advisable you buy at least two upgrades for Deck Power. Being able to reliably run both Repair on your firewall without starting the run, and Cleaner on the first logfile server you run into will save you SIGNIFICANT headache.

Now let's get into what these programs actually do, most are pretty self explanatory, but they still bear discussion -

• Drain - Run this on a data node and it will continue to cook until the node is empty. Upgrades to this program will speed up the drain function. Once the node is emptied the program will unload and free up the power. For this reason Drain upgrades are considered fairly useful and should be considered a fairly high priority software upgrade as soon as you have put together core hardware upgrades.
  
  
• Cleaner - Run this on a logfile server and this program will gradually eat any log files you've generated. Unlike Drain this program WILL continue to run even if there's no log files to delete and will simply wait for new logs to be generated before deleting them. Whilst this represents an ongoing power cost, the fact it frees you up from worrying about deleting logs on an ongoing basis makes this a critical upgrade.
  
  V3 effectively means you're running two cleaners for the price of one, and allows you to hack the network aggressively without worrying about the core level climbing. Two V3 cleaners will also offset a number of sniffer programs, meaning you can focus on hunting down the source nodes rather than having to play whackamole with the hostile daemons.
  
  
• Repair - Repair, much like cleaner, is something that runs indefinitely. You only need to run this once, and that is on your firewall node. Once it's up and running, it will replace one pip of firewall health per cycle. Upgrades make this process faster, however, buying this is the important bit. Upgrades are nice to have but not -absolutely- critical at least until you run into Overload and Boosters on the same network with some regularity, making this a late game item to upgrade. Having a few power upgrades allows you to install this and have it running before you even connect to the network, thereby completely offsetting the occasional pings the Nexus sends out.
  
  
• Proxy/Dial/Memory Keygen and Security Crack - These breaker programs come in a few flavours, but ultimately they exist to automate the takedown of hostile (red) nodes of various flavours. Depending on your puzzle skills these will either range from important right the way down to total luxury. The proxy crack program for instance should always be considered the lowest priority of upgrades purely because the puzzle you need to solve is simply "turn red things to green things", so unless you're colourblind, this one is a waste of resouces.
  
  Now there -are- a couple of exceptions - The Dial Gateway Cracker at high alert levels can save you a lot of brainache. Ditto for the Memory Gateway. Puzzles which need you to spend valuable time -thinking- are good candidates for automation. The Security cracker is ... eh? Maybe helpful if you're dealing with LOTS of security systems but in all cases you have to be aware running these consumes power, power you're better off saving to automate log file deletion and data draining. Only pick these up if you have difficulty with puzzles.

There are two "passive" programs that run autonomously and with no power drain -

• Wingman - Wingman will make objective nodes glow white. Important note is that it will ONLY highlight subnodes required when you have already connected and gained control of the hub that subnode is linked to. So it does NOT simply give you a bright objective arrow. You're still going to need to map the network. A lot of the time you wonder what the point of this program is, but when you're trying to find the right data drive in a bunch of data servers this can occasionally be worth the weight in solid gold.
  
  
• Pathfinder - Pathfinder will automate connecting hub nodes over time, it's about as fast as if you were unlocking a node with no CPU process upgrades, but the fact it does this automatically allows you to focus on one chunk of the network whilst Pathfinder maps another. Pathfinder will NOT map nodes beyond gates however, so you need to make sure those gates are opened when Pathfinder runs into them. Pathfinder is a total luxury, but one that when confronted with massive, sprawly networks can make life significantly easier.

So now to the meat of the matter, upgrades, there's two shops - Hardware Haven and Softwarebox, let's go over the upgrades in order as they appear on the shop.

First up, let's look at Hardware Haven -

• Thread Capacity - You get thread capacity 2 by default. You're going to want Thread Capacity 3 as a matter of urgency and Thread Capacity 4 when funds allow. Extra threads mean additional concurrent actions. It means in simple terms you can do more at once. This doesn't just mean being able to scout several nodes at the same time, it also means you can hammer the button on things like log file servers and batch clear / batch repair.
  
  It means if you've used up all your capacity on drain and need to clean out a data node fast, you can queue three, four, even five drains to go. This is easily the single largest "Power multiplier" available, so always consider if you could benefit from extra threads. The top upgrade however is -expensive-, so save that for when you have money sloshing around.
  
  
• CPU - This upgrade comes in close behind Thread Capacity. It's a bit more subtle, but it means all "actions" you take are completed faster. This includes things like installing programs, mission objectives, and anything that takes a thread time to process. It does -not- include program speed or your own ability to solve puzzles. The first two upgrades are cheap and an efficient way to cut significant time on actions. Past that, it becomes more a matter of personal choice.
  
  
• Process Power - Process power gives you "Permanent" power nodes for supplying programs. The first two upgrades here are borderline mandatory mid to late game, since having two power to go means you can fire up repair BEFORE you initiate the hack, and you can install cleaner right away without needing to source power from the network you're attacking. Anything after that is at the very least "useful" since one or two extra power can help you start draining the network earlier than usual, and can free up space in power constrained situations. I feel less inclined to upgrade beyond three points here unless I'm feeling power constrained AND I have money to burn.
  
  
• Firewall - The simplest upgrade here, more firewall is more health. This is however an area I'm very inclined to leave as a low priority beyond the first upgrade. The difference between 10 and 15 firewall health is important, there will be occasions where the firewall is being hammered and even with repair running, having that extra margin is vital. The second upgrade is useful midgame once you're facing networks with deep stacks of overload and booster defences. Past that? Very much a luxury. If you're facing a skill issue and you're not confident in your ability to manage, feel free to invest further.

Wingman and Pathfinder have already been discussed however they are both *firmly* in the luxury bracket of upgrades.

Now on to program upgrades courtesy of SoftwareBox -

• Drainer - You get Drainer 1 by default. The upgrades increase speed by either 1.5x over base or further to 2.0x over base. This should be considered a high priority because Drainer once complete unloads, freeing up the power budget to then go on to mine more nodes. Consequently you can imagine this both as a speed -and- efficiency upgrade. The faster each drainer works the more effectively you can move from node to node and install the next drainer.
  
  
• Cleaner - In the same manner, you get cleaner 1 by default. The two upgrades just like drainer make the program cycle faster. Here however the benefits to upgrading are not quite as clear cut, whilst having a cleaner go -faster- is helpful, there's a level of diminishing return involved as opposed to finding a second log server and then installing a second instance. This will depend a lot on your power budget but broadly speaking I only see a lot of value in -one- upgrade here. The second one goes on the "luxury" list.
  
  
• Repair - Once Overload is a regular thing to worry about, buy Repair, make sure you have a Power upgrade handy and from that point on you will have an ongoing buffer against the prospect of your firewall being cracked. Same deal as before, higher upgrades mean faster cycles, here however unlike Cleaner, you can only install Repair once, and that's on your firewall. This means upgrades are -strict- improvements in performance. The first upgrade is -highly- advised once you start running into security that features Ram + Overload + Booster. The second upgrade is not -as- critical, but still very useful, so keep it in mind.

Now we get into the topic of the security breaker programs. Early game these can absolutely be safely ignored, but as you get further in you may want to consider them. Much like other programs, you run them and they occupy memory until they're done. These are specifically tailored for breaking open gates or for knocking out active security systems. If only there was a program that suppressed passive systems. Rebooter needs to die horribly.

• Proxy Keygen - UPDATE: Now that accessibility options have solved the issue of not being able to work out what's red and what's green, this is now a strict luxury pick. Skip until you have nothing much else to spend on.
  
  
• Dial Keygen - Once you get into Alert 2 and beyond, this starts being worth the investment, this is particularly the case on account of some story systems being infested with dial gates, so you can set this program on say, three at once, and deal with other stuff.
  
  
• Memory Keygen - In a game where you have a hard 5 min cap? Memory games are -satan-, this is a high priority choice unless you happen to have a photographic memory or insane luck.
  
  
• Security Cracker - Only worth it if you have trouble solving the security puzzle. That's likely to be a rare situation, so again, put this at the low end of your concerns.

In an ideal world every network would be easy and without protection. Alas, this is not an ideal world and occasionally you run into this horrible concept called cyber-security. In DROP, this is represented by three distinct layers - Gates, Passive Defence, Active defence.

Let's go over each category.

Gates

These come in three flavours, and depending on the alert level, they will be either amazingly simple to get through (if you fail the proxy at Alert 1, there's no hope for you) or puzzles that make you lean forward in your gaming chair and reach for the GFUEL.

• Proxy Gate - The easiest of the gates here, you'll be confronted with a 4x4 grid of diamonds. Some are red. Some are green. Clicking on one turns it from red to green. Make the whole board green to continue. Yes, this is as simple as it gets. Monkey see, monkey press red buttons. Higher alerts mean more buttons, and at very high alerts (say, 5), you may find it's more like one of those old button masher games where you frantically chimp away at the gate. Maybe, just maybe then, a cracker is worth consideration. For the lower alerts? Good grief no.
  
  
• Dial Gate - For this one you'll get a 4x4 grid again, made up of rotated "C" shapes. The goal here is to make sure each row (not column thankfully) has a DIFFERENT rotation of the dial. You can't have two identical dials on the same row. I am deeply thankful they didn't add "or same column" otherwise this puzzle could become pretty horrifying at higher levels. At alert 2 and above, the dial cracker starts being time effective. With upgrades the dial cracker is strictly quicker than most people at Alert 4.
  
  
• Memory Gate - You ever play the card game memory, the annoying one where you flip cards over and seek out the pairs and if you get it wrong the cards flip back? Remember how horrible that thing was? Now. Imagine that, but on a 4x4 grid, so a bit easier, but with everything else this game throws at you going on WHILST TRYING TO SOLVE THIS WITH A FIVE MINUTE TIME LIMIT. Higher alerts mean more pairs to find. Yes. I was right. This is Satan. Buy the cracker for this gate and upgrade it to the max asap, this is not a gate you want to be trying to manual solve more than a -few- at most. It'll just EAT your time!

Active Defence

• Ram Counterattack System - The first active defence you run into. This thing can be essentially ignored once you have repair up and running. It is on a long cycle and it seems below Alert 4 it's not going to hammer your firewall enough to make an appreciable impact. This is only worth disabling if you run across it or your objective requires it.
  
  
• Overload Generator - This one, unlike RAM, -is- something you should care about. Depending on the alert level this can get out of hand pretty fast. Higher alerts mean shorter cooldowns before it dumps an overload instance on a node. Whilst -removing- these instances is generally not that big a deal, the fact they can stack up and even four of these can very quickly overwhelm a 20 point firewall with a fully upgraded Repair program running means you -want- to limit the number of Overload programs being spawned. When this program is combined with rebooter and booster? That's Panik time. Purple overload processes can make mincemeat of even the strongest of firewalls.
  
  
• Packet Sniffer Generator
  
  Passive Defence
  
  TBA

Hopefully this guide maybe taught you a few new subtleties about DROP, maybe it even made you laugh.

I don't often write guides but this game got me passionate enough to put together this little mind dump. Hope you enjoyed.

Final steps of the guide are on hold pending an endless mode patch, then I can dig up the remaining items I need to discuss and provide actual guidance.

- Hobbes