You're a hacker with a terminal, four terrible scripts, and an anonymous contact who needs files from places they really shouldn't be. The scripts were free. You can tell.
Your port scanner checks all 65,535 ports. That's thorough. It's also going to take longer than the heat death of the universe. Your password cracker uses brute force - bold strategy, shame about the intrusion detection system it just woke up. These tools will technically get the job done, in the same way that a spoon will technically dig a tunnel.
So you do what any self-respecting hacker would do. You read the code. You rewrite it. Your new probe only scans common ports - done in seconds. Your new cracker reads the admin's own password hints from the filesystem - in on the first try. Nobody told you to do this. You just got tired of being bad at it.
That's Blackdoor. You write code. The code hacks servers. Better code hacks them faster, quieter, and before the trace catches up.
Not a hacking-themed clicker. An actual terminal.
There are no buttons. No "press X to hack." No minigames where you rotate pipes or match symbols. You sit at a command line with tab completion, a built-in code editor, and the full set of commands you'd expect - and you write scripts in a custom Python-like language that was built to be fun to learn and satisfying to master. Every script executes line by line. You watch it work. You watch it fail. You watch it get faster, because you rewrote it.
If you've never programmed before, the early missions introduce concepts one at a time - variables, loops, functions - through scripts that already work but could work better. If you have, you'll skip past the basics quickly and start writing proper tooling. The language is close enough to Python that your instincts will carry over. Either way, the regulars will accidentally teach you things by arguing about it in IRC.
The Job
Your contact goes by second_hand. They operate through #blackdoor, a small IRC channel populated by hackers, script kiddies, and at least one person who thinks printing "hello" counts as a proof of concept. second_hand doesn't do small talk. They send you a server IP, a brief explanation of what's on it, and "good luck." Payment on delivery.
The work escalates. Unlocked test servers become corporate networks with intrusion detection. Single-user boxes become multi-user environments where you crack a weak account and escalate privileges from inside. Simple downloads become encrypted files behind filtered ports on servers that change their passwords when they get suspicious.
Each job harder than the last. Each solvable in multiple ways. And a story underneath it all about why your contact needs these files so badly - and what they plan to do with them.
Your code, your rules
There is no right answer. You get targets and tools. How you combine them is entirely up to you.
Write a surgical probe that scans five ports and quits. Or write something that downloads every file on the server and sorts through it later. Or find the admin's password in a text file some intern left in their home directory and skip cracking entirely. All valid. The scripting language is simple enough to learn in minutes, deep enough that you'll still be optimising scripts hours later.
Spend your earnings on hardware upgrades - faster processing, more memory, better network. Or buy software tools that unlock new capabilities. Or just write better code and keep the money. Both paths work. We won't judge.
You're not alone in here
You're never alone in #blackdoor. Hackers chat while you work - sharing tips, posting side jobs, placing bets on whether anon42 can find a port (he can't). Your contact DMs you mission briefings. The channel reacts when jobs get done. Like any real IRC channel, most of the advice is unsolicited and some of it is wrong.
Share everything
Every script you write is a real file. Every server is a JSON config. Edit your scripts in the built-in editor, or open them in VSCode - the game detects external changes automatically. Steam Workshop lets you share scripts with other players and download theirs. Build entire campaigns and publish them. Scripts you subscribe to appear on your in-game drop server, ready to use. No menus. Just files on a server, like everything else.
Key Features
Write real code - A custom scripting language designed for hacking. Not buttons. Not minigames. Your code runs, line by line, and you see exactly why it's slow.
Hack servers - Probe ports, crack passwords, explore filesystems, escalate privileges, steal data. Every server is different.
Race the trace - Every connection starts a countdown. Make noise and it speeds up. Get traced and you're done.
A real terminal - Tab completion, command history, a code editor. It's not a themed menu. It's the actual interface.
Upgrade your rig - Faster hardware = faster scripts. Better tools = new capabilities. Or save your money and write better code.
Story campaign - An anonymous contact, escalating jobs, a corporate conspiracy, and a secret that might be worth more than the pay.
IRC - Hackers chat, argue, and accidentally teach you things while you work. Side jobs get posted. Tips get shared.
Your approach - No fixed solution. Write surgical tools or blunt instruments. Find passwords in config files or brute-force them. We reward creativity.
External editor - Scripts are real files. Edit them in-game or in VS Code. Your choice.
Workshop - Share scripts and entire campaigns. Download community tools. See how other people solved the same problems.
