Bugs

Bugs are glitches in AERIE's digital mainframe. Agents (and Hackers in disguise) can patch these mistakes for rewards.

Monetary
As debugging is part of an AER Agent's job description, players receive variable amounts of credits for each patch.

Data Leaks
Sometimes while in the process of patching a bug, players become privy to snippets of data from the breach. These clues can indicate player locations, player actions, player status, deployable locations, or random (and sometimes less useful) transcripts of information from the AER world. They can be timestamped, or have pieces of corrupted info missing.

Examples of action data: a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_ >activated  >TIMESTAMP_02:20

a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_ > transaction >TIMESTAMP_04:56

a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_ >engaged  >TIMESTAMP_03:45 Examples of player status data (i.e. current holodev ion power level): a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_ >HDion.power=40% >TIMESTAMP_06:43 Example of location data: a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_ >location.ping  >range <40M> >TIMESTAMP_11:12 Example of deployable location data (i.e. Yeoc's lil'bots): a//mainf.data.breach >ALERT_UNIDENTIFIED SYSTEM BREACH >deployed by AGENT_ >location.ping  >range <5M> >TIMESTAMP_10:55 The bug can reveal the image of the exact map location or area of effect of the deployable instead of a line of code, too.

Location and deployer data is most frequently corrupted for this type of leak, thanks to Black Market meddling.

Transcript Data

Little to most citizen's knowledge, AER has most of their world wired, and stores transcripts of thousands of day-to-day interactions. Bugs can occasionally leak snippets of these conversations, from useful tips to random gossip to even player's own conversations with NPCs: a//mainf.data.breach >wire.transcript_ >"--Black Market's down south. They're giving you Agents almost as much trouble as PHANTOM, huh? Luckily all--"

a//mainf.data.breach >wire.transcript_ >"--don't get me bubbling on the new AERpup line, I just can't, they're too cuuute--" These transcript leaks can also be from official AER programming or other external sources: a//mainf.data.breach >world.transcript_ >"Fear mounts in the wake of a string of unauthorized resident deactivations; Phantom involvement suspected!"

a//mainf.data.breach >world.transcript_ >"Madame Gira releases her new Fall lineup for your fashionable indulgence."

a//mainf.data.breach >world.transcript_ >"Texture Artist Miranda Reeves shares her story of working with famed Avatar Creator Daria Xu."

Corrupted Data + Black Market

Occasionally, parts of the data can be corrupted. Same if the leak hints at a player's transaction in the Black Market. Yeoc mentions that is due to special safeguards her people have coded into the mainframe.

Examples: a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_CORRUPTED >activated <CHARGING STATION 3> >TIMESTAMP_CORRUPTED

a//mainf.data.breach >ALERT_SYSTEM BREACH >deployed by CORRUPTED >location.ping <NORTH> >range CORRUPTED >TIMESTAMP_11:12 Black Market example: a//mainf.data.breach >AGENT_<Sunvera> >ALERT <BLACK MARKET> transact_data unavail >TIMESTAMP_10:23

Origin
In a digital system as complex as the AERIE, some mistakes are bound to appear. However, as Aomi suspects, the proliferation of bugs recently suggests heightened hacking activity by PHANTOM, or more minor code tinkering on the part of the Black Market. The Phantom Trader also insinuates that some of the mysterious glitches in the system might be an aftereffect of the White Ravens flitting between two worlds.