The reality of this distributed game system is quite harsh. There are serious problems with building a system like the one proposed in this document. As such, this is mainly a concept document rather than a technical discussion. However, it makes sense to at least think about the technical side a little bit.

Just to be clear, the rest of this document is referring to real world concepts now, rather than in game. When I say "format the users hard disk" I mean the users real hard disk in the real world - not their Uplink memory banks.

One of the biggest problems with distributed systems of this kind is the lag suffered at the client end - since their data goes through so many links before it gets to the target. Clients would need to be able to connect directly to their target servers, even if they are bouncing in game.

There is also the major issue of security. Any game of this nature will attract real hackers intent on bringing it all down (quite ironic really) and any bugs discovered will be exploited. The client would need to be secure against attacks on the users real computer - so somebody running Uplink:Online isn't vulnerable to another player formatting their hard disk. On a less extreme scale, people exploiting the game could make themselves invulnerable or give themselves a powerful weapon, which makes the game suck for other players.

The main issue with Uplink:Online currently is that there is still too much reliance on a central system of some kind. In the case of this game it is a Central Database, for storing people's profiles. Ultimately we want to design a system which does not require any central management. It is very hard to think how this could happen currently.

Finally, there are significant legal issues with this game. Suddenly it is possible for people to copy data from your system to theirs, without your consent. I'm sure the courts of law would become very confused when somebody tries to claim their brand new Uplink:Online tool was stolen by a hacker in game, and they want damages.

All in all, it's quite a challenge. But it would be fun.