The terminal
Syntax, error behaviour, history and completion — how the prompt actually behaves.
Last updated:
The prompt is admin@nightshift:~$ and it is the only control surface in the
game. There are twenty-nine commands.
Syntax
Gamified Unix. Command names are real, arguments follow the shape you would
expect, and common flags are accepted. Every command carries a manual page:
man prints a one-line summary and a usage string for any
single command, and help lists all of them.
Command names are English in every language. The interface, the logs and
this wiki are translated; netstat is netstat in Turkish too, because a
terminal is English and one parser has to serve both languages.
When you get it wrong
| You typed | You get |
|---|---|
| Something that does not exist | bash: xyz: command not found |
| A real command, no arguments | the usage: line for that command |
| A close miss | a suggestion: did you mean: block_ip? |
| A valid command against an invalid target | an error naming the target |
| A paid action you cannot afford | an insufficient-budget error, and nothing is spent |
The suggestion comes from edit distance, so typos get caught but wrong guesses do not get rescued.
Three categories
| Category | Count | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | 10 | free and instant |
| Intervention | 16 | some cost budget, some cost time |
| Utility | 3 | free |
The utility three are clear (empties the terminal buffer),
history (lists what you have typed this shift) and
pause, which halts the simulation and is available on
campaign easy only.
Input affordances
↑ and ↓ walk your command history. Tab completes command names. On mobile there is a quick command bar of twelve common commands plus context-ordered suggestion chips.
What is deliberately never suggested: the arguments that are the puzzle. An attacking address, a process id, a query id — the game will complete the verb for you but never the noun you were supposed to find.