Yeah, I figured out the pipe one quickly enough (just missed the chance to get past without logging the attempt), but the other one was trickier. Sure, I probably could've figured it out on my own, but that process was somewhat hampered by the hundreds of evil psychic zombie alien bug-men from Mars charging at us. A huge firefight (that you're losing) is generally not helpful in regards to thinking clearly and quickly.
In offline mode, if you dont want to hack, just go to the "tech only" spots with somebody other than the hacker and press the use key. The tech will just walk there and dew it. Oh and, sentry gun always helps for those hack spots. Unless you adrenaline hack it. But even then I like to bring one.
oh and, I already posted it, if you want to, you can:
asw_show_all_singleplayer_maps 1 <- allows you to play all maps in every difficulty in offline practice. still, no xp, but I bet that can be changed, too.
And btw, not that anybody cares, but I thought that hacking minigame with the ones and zeroes was pretty self explanatory after you clicked one friggin button and saw the direction change. I wish it was more than that, however, because, really, that is kinda way too simple. I mean, is that guy supposed to be the hacker or a kindergartener? They might as well have given us that toy with those funny shaped blocks you have to put in the according holes.
I almost DIDN'T figure it out, because I thought there would be some ubar complicated decryption game hidden in those ones and zeroes
edit: oh and I forgot, NVG are awesome because they make EVERY enemy glow in bright green. It's like nightvision + IR combined. I think the duration is a bit short, however. I can't imagine how it's possible to create those power armor suits the marines are wearing but in the same time being unable to create a battery for the NVGs that lasts for a whole mission.
Unless, however, we have some weird backstory, in which almost every piece of technological knowledge is lost, and the humans alive at that point just use remaining tech and have somehow managed to figure out how to USE that stuff but not how to build it... it's kinda thin, that story, isnt it?
fake edit: I VOTE FOR FLASHLIGHT NOT USING A FUCKING EQUIPMENT SLOT AFTER 3rd PROMOTION!!!!!OneelevencapsiscruisecontrolforDOITNAO