Starfield:Security (Tech Skill)

It governs the ability to hack locks.

In-game description: While the standardized digital locking mechanism is renowned for its security, any code can be broken with the proper training.

Skill Usage


Locks come in several difficulty levels: Novice, Advanced, Expert, and Master. To enter the lock hacking mingame, the player must have digipicks, and, if the lock is Advanced or above, have the corresponding rank in the Security skill.

The minigame screen is divided in two parts. The left part shows the lock, and the right part shows keys which have to be slotted into the lock.

The lock is comprised of a number of concentric rings with holes; there are 1 to 4 rings depending on the lock's security level. The minigame's goal is to fill all holes in both rings. To do this, the player can select a key on the right side of the screen, then rotate it until all of its pegs are aligned with holes. Confirming will delete the key and plug the holes. A digipick is expended when the first key is slotted, and when the minigame is reset, for instance if the player notices they've reached an unwinnable state. Not all keys are always required to hack the lock, especially on higher difficulty locks.

Tips

 * Not all keys always need to be used.
 * You can generally solve the problem by only considering one ring at a time (the outer ring).
 * Count the number of slots in the ring, and the number of pegs on each key. This can help you determine which combinations of keys are possible. For instance, if the ring has 5 slots, and the keys have 2, 2, 3, and 4 pegs, you know the key with 3 pegs must be used, as well as one of the keys with 2 pegs.
 * Each key can be rotated without being slotted, and its position will be remembered if you switch to another key and come back to it. This way, you can position all keys needed for a given ring before committing.
 * If you have a security rank of 2 or above, the circles will become dark blue if the selected key can fit. Use this to quickly eliminate keys.