- The Crypter, a new telecommunications device that handles encryption and decryption of communications between the station and central command.
- The Hardware Encryption Key, a small device that is used to encrypt communications between the station and central command.
A crypter requires a functional Hardware Encryption Key. Without it, all messages to and from central command will come out as complete gibberish. This is, of course, highly desirable item for the syndicate. If the station's HEK is destroyed or stolen, a new one may be purchased from cargo at an outlandish price.
I'm keeping the effects of the Crypter/HEK limited to just garbling central command messages. This way we have a high-value item that, if it goes missing, doesn't automatically screw over the round, but also has an incentive to protect/steal it.
Centcom messages, nuclear code requests, shuttle calls, etc would all be sent/received after being passed through the filter. Ghosts will be able to see the cleartext, and I'll log both the garbled and cleartext messages for admin purposes.
I need to decide how difficult removing the HEK from the Crypter should be. Right now, I'm considering:
- A simple [EJECT] button
- Some sort of PIN entry (similar to the nuke)
- Disassembling the Crypter entirely
From a code standpoint this will require:
- A new telecomms Crypter Machine + sprite(s) + circuitboard item
- The HEK item + sprite
- A secure container for the replacement HEK (requiring captain -level authorization to open)
- Adding it to cargo
- Extensive modifications to the communications console
- Possibly a new filter to garble the text if I can't find a suitable existing one