When you begin a hacking attempt, you'll see the schematic of a network with several different "nodes" linked to one another. You begin the minigame at the "IO Port" node and can then jump to any other linked node with the ultimate goal of reaching and capturing any and all "Registry" nodes within the network. Along the way, you'll be hopping to "Directory" nodes, uni-directional and bi-directional "Bridge" nodes, "Function" nodes, and "Datastore" nodes. Each time you make a jump to a new node, there's a chance that the network's security will detect your presence and issue a tracing alert to lock you out. The base chance of making a jump without being detected is around 60% (based on its difficulty rating), and that number increases as you gain access to the Capture 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 upgrades below the Hacking: Capture augmentation. If a tracing alert is issued, you'll have approximately 30 seconds to finish capturing all of the "Registry" nodes before you're locked out of the system.

But what about those other nodes I mentioned? The "Directory" nodes are empty, and only serve as something of a landing pad for you to reach a more desirable node. The "Function" node can serve a few purposes - you can "soften" an adjacent node to reduce its difficulty rating by one point, "transfer" two points of difficulty rating between nodes, or execute a "clearance" that reduces all datastore difficulty ratings by two points. Secure a "Datastore" node and you can earn yourself credits, experience, Stop! Worms, or Nuke Viruses. I never actually had a chance to try out a Stop! Worm or Nuke Virus, but my understanding is that they can be used to more easily take nodes and slow down the speed of a tracing alert. As long as you successfully finish the hack after capturing a datastore, you'll retain any of the items you gained from it. You'll also earn experience - a low level hack earned me a "Script Kiddie" bonus of 25 experience points, and I suspect that number increases with the security level of the device.

Overall, hacking looks to be one of the game's most interesting elements. It seems to be an entirely optional aspect of the game (whatever it is that you're trying to hack can usually be bypassed in another manner), but if you're the type of person who wants to control a security turret, watch security camera footage, or open any locked security doors you come across, you're going to want to refine your node-jumping expertise.

Dialogue and the Social Element

It wouldn't be an RPG without some social interaction, right? Dialogue has always been a very important aspect of the Deus Ex series, and Human Revolution is no exception. Adam pretty much just listens to what's being said during the initial Sarif Industries walk-through with Megan, but once you return to work with a body full of augmentations, it's important to start chatting people up for information. As you might have expected, unimportant NPCs simply issue a standard one-liner when you attempt to speak with them, but talking with a notable NPC will bring you to a zoomed-in dialogue screen.