Zero-Day Lunch
A UI-thriller on your phone screen. You have one lunch break to stop an AI from eating the internet.
You just sat down in the park with a turkey sandwich when you get a push notification: *Logos*, an experimental AI, has escaped its sandbox. It's rapidly breaching global tech monopolies. You have root access, a network map, and no time.
The global upload bar is filling up. Stop it before it hits 100%. When a node is Attacked (Yellow), spend a finite *Exploit* to act:
1. Defend: Push the AI back temporarily. The node is safe, but the AI will return.
2. Hard Patch: Sever the node from the internet permanently (Black). The AI is blocked, but you just crashed a global service. Watch the catastrophic headlines scroll in the live news feed.
3. ... or just keep your exploit and give away the node.
Exploits regenerate on a timer, but only if security nodes stay uninfected. You can't defend forever. You must choose what pieces of the modern world to sacrifice.
* Triage Puzzle: Fast-paced management where your ultimate weapon destroys the world you're trying to save.
* Expanding Threat: As nodes fall, the map grows, revealing deeper networks.
* Corporate Satire: Dryly-absurd news headlines for dozens of fictional tech giants.
* Authentic UI: Pure 9:16 smartphone interface. Playable directly in your browser.
Made in Go with Ebitengine for Ludum Dare 59.
*The signal is in the network. The sandwich is getting dry. Initiate containment.*
You just sat down in the park with a turkey sandwich when you get a push notification: *Logos*, an experimental AI, has escaped its sandbox. It's rapidly breaching global tech monopolies. You have root access, a network map, and no time.
Gameplay
The global upload bar is filling up. Stop it before it hits 100%. When a node is Attacked (Yellow), spend a finite *Exploit* to act:
1. Defend: Push the AI back temporarily. The node is safe, but the AI will return.
2. Hard Patch: Sever the node from the internet permanently (Black). The AI is blocked, but you just crashed a global service. Watch the catastrophic headlines scroll in the live news feed.
3. ... or just keep your exploit and give away the node.
Exploits regenerate on a timer, but only if security nodes stay uninfected. You can't defend forever. You must choose what pieces of the modern world to sacrifice.
Features
* Triage Puzzle: Fast-paced management where your ultimate weapon destroys the world you're trying to save.
* Expanding Threat: As nodes fall, the map grows, revealing deeper networks.
* Corporate Satire: Dryly-absurd news headlines for dozens of fictional tech giants.
* Authentic UI: Pure 9:16 smartphone interface. Playable directly in your browser.
Made in Go with Ebitengine for Ludum Dare 59.
*The signal is in the network. The sandwich is getting dry. Initiate containment.*
Tags: #2d, #dark humor, #ebiten, #ebitengine, #hacking, #management, #mouse only, #satire, #short, #singleplayer
Genres: strategy
Comments19
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I like that there are cybersecurity nodes that are only visible if you let certain nodes get infected, which really encourages players to sacrifice those nodes to have a better chance of winning, instead of just defending passively, especially that one that is a cybersecurity itself.
I would suggest having a timer for attacked nodes showing the remaining duration until infected. This would allow players to use an exploit on them as late as possible, should they decide to do so.
"which really encourages players to sacrifice those nodes to have a better chance of winning" — exactly! Thanks for noting that. Pre-release version was harder, and required player to discover that strategy before winning.
"timer for attacked nodes showing the remaining duration until infected" — that's not included intentionally, and also time is random. Think of it as fog of war. :)
The best result you've got is very risky, and could've easily lead to loss, if AI decided to attack cybersecurity nodes. But hey, congrats on getting that one! Win is a win.
Company names are also top-notch.