Questions about bouncing and tracing

[Nixitur]

So, yeah, the subject basically tells you everything. Here be questions:

1. Is there any downside to bouncing through tons and tons of servers? InterNIC has so many available that I could bounce through at least 20 (maybe there's a cap on it?) at the start of the game. And getting the InterNIC password is the easiest thing ever.
2. Are there certain servers you shouldn't use for bouncing? Maybe they trace you even when you just use them as bouncing points?
3. Should I always use InterNIC as the first bouncing point? I guess it makes sense since I can delete all files except for the "127.0.0.1 disconnected" one rather easily without getting a trace.
4. What is passive and what is active trace? I still don't get it...


Edit: I have another question about deleting logs. There is one log deleter (I think 3.0) that replaces the logs you delete with fake logs. However, those are always the same, so I sometimes get "[INSERTIPHERE] connected" like 4 times when I delete 4 logs. That seems suspicious to me. Is it suspicious to the game, too?

[NeatNit]

1. Is there any downside to bouncing through tons and tons of servers? InterNIC has so many available that I could bounce through at least 20 (maybe there's a cap on it?) at the start of the game. And getting the InterNIC password is the easiest thing ever.

There is no downside, but for certain jobs (I think for framing people) you need to get an active trace almost to the end.

2. Are there certain servers you shouldn't use for bouncing? Maybe they trace you even when you just use them as bouncing points?

Not that I know of, but banks and higher security servers give you more time than others. Still, any server would give you more time.

3. Should I always use InterNIC as the first bouncing point? I guess it makes sense since I can delete all files except for the "127.0.0.1 disconnected" one rather easily without getting a trace.

Yes.

4. What is passive and what is active trace? I still don't get it...

An active trace happens while you're still hacking the server. If you have the correct HUD upgrade, you can see an active trace's progress on your minimap. If an active trace reaches you, you're caught. A passive trace starts after you've disconnected from the server. It starts from the last server traced in the active trace, and uses the server logs to find where the connection came from. You can stop or mislead passive traces by deleting or changing the logs in one of the servers you bounced through, however if the trace already passed through the server you changed, it will make no difference.

Edit: I have another question about deleting logs. There is one log deleter (I think 3.0) that replaces the logs you delete with fake logs. However, those are always the same, so I sometimes get "[INSERTIPHERE] connected" like 4 times when I delete 4 logs. That seems suspicious to me. Is it suspicious to the game, too?

Actually I don't know, but anyone around here will tell you to always always always buy the highest version of the software. Don't use lower versions.

If anyone finds a mistake in what I wrote, please correct me.

[Nixitur]

The highest version of the software? But the bypass ones are so expensive and you need to bypass Proxy (and Monitor, too, if you want more time) so freaking early in the game.

Oh, well, we will see. Thank you very much! I think I will use this thread when I have more questions. No need to spam the Hints and Tips forum with threads.

Edit: Actually, I have one more question: Trace Tracker.
You need it and you can't exactly afford the most expensive one at point 0 in the game, so... yeah, is that an exception or what should I do to get the highest version ASAP?

[microchip08]

Edit: Actually, I have one more question: Trace Tracker.
You need it and you can't exactly afford the most expensive one at point 0 in the game, so... yeah, is that an exception or what should I do to get the highest version ASAP?

It depends on how much accuracy you desire. If you're wanting just a vague estimate, you can get away with lower versions. If you'd prefer more information, get the higher versions. From what I recall from playing a few years ago, I normally used v3, as v4 didn't add (in my mind) information that was worth having (i.e. I was more interested in the time-to-trace than the percentage-of-trace).

Of course, the HUD upgrade obsoletes the Trace Tracker, so going for a low Trace Tracker with buying the HUD upgrade in the near future is always an option.

[Nixitur]

What does "Untrustworthy" mean? Does it mean I'm screwed and gonna get caught in the near future? Because I only did stuff on low-security servers, the Academic Database and the Social Security thing and always deleted all logs on both the target server and InterNIC except for the most recent "connection established" one with the highest version of the Log Deleter.

How did this happen?

Edit: I also never got disconnected or got a message from a corporation saying they caught me.

[microchip08]

What does "Untrustworthy" mean?

Every job in the game has a 'morality rating', as it were. The more "good jobs" you do, the higher your rating. The more "bad jobs" -- such as framing another agent, for example -- you do, the lower the rating you get.

If I recall correctly, it impacts the advances you can get: you aren't trusted by the clients, so they're not going to give you all your money in advance. I believe that some won't want anything to do with you if you have an awful rating.