Showing posts with label online hacking simulator. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Free Online Hacking Games

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The world of a hacker has always been a subject of fascination for many gamers. While many films and TV shows have glorified the role of the mysterious code warrior few video games have tried to approach this role in a realistic manner.

There are some free online hacking games worth playing, games that try to emulate the feel of being a hacker, constantly roaming the Internet looking for the next opportunity for a big score and always looking over one's shoulder for signs of pursuit.

The Hacker Project

The Hacker Project pits players against the evil mega corporations that dominate a distant future. Through the use of viruses, password crackers, IP tracers and other forms of malicious software players siphon funds and secrets as they search to gain more power for themselves and remove it from the mega corporations.

hacker project

New players are guided through the basics of the game and their first few missions by a helpful online AI tutor named Lisa. Lisa will explain what all of the menu options mean and how to crack and login to your first system in order to earn your first few HPD (Hacker Project Dollars). Lisa can be turned off in the account options menu once the player has a feel for the game.

Each player starts off with their own basic Gateway which is what is used to connect to the world wide network. As HPD are earned by completing missions and running various viruses, players in the Hacker Project can upgrade their gateway with better CPU, Memory, Hard Drive and Bandwidth. Many tasks in the Hacker Project take several minutes, if not hours, to complete so upgrading your system to reduce that time becomes crucial for being competitive.

The game resets periodically once enough players have worked together to initiate a doomsday attack on the world network, destroying not only the mega corporations infrastructure but the hacker's machines as well.

Cypher

Cypher is an online hacking game that features a turn based format. Currently in its beta stages, Cypher allows the player to assume the role of a hacker and compete in a virtual world where they perform missions and compete against others in multi-player missions. The user starts off with a basic system that they upgrade by purchasing modules bought with credits. Credits are earned by completing missions and programming warez.

cypher

As players complete missions and earn experience, they can also gain levels which allows them to increase various skills. These skills enhance a players ability to hack by either making them faster, harder to detect, or even giving them the ability to program their own hacking software. Missions can be run multiple times, with each attempt costing the user a set number of turns.

Like many online games, Cyper uses a "turns" and "tick" system. Each mission run in the game costs the player a number of turns. Once all turns are expended the player cannot perform any more missions until their turns replenish. During the current round of beta players start off with 5000 turns and 2 new turns are awarded every "tick", which is currently set at 2 minutes.

Cypher also features Multi Player Missions where users all compete to see who can perform a hack the fastest. Awards are payed out based on how well the user did in the competition. Multi-player missions lock the player out of other missions until the end of the current tick.

Finally, the game also includes a virtual console, adding even further depth to the hacking experience. Players can use this console to run various commands to inspect their nodes, other players, and access the game worlds virtual Internet. The console commands can be tricky, so newer players are encouraged to read the wiki on how to use the console and on the game concepts in general.

SlaveHack

SlaveHack is a free online hacking game played entirely through a web browser. The player attempts to hack into servers and make them into slaves. Once a server has been hacked the player game install various forms of viruses that will make money over time. These include things like mass emailers and cracked software. These slaves continue to make money for the player until another player removes them or the server resets its IP address.

slavehack

While hacking into other systems the player has to be mindful of his actions because other players might be attempting to hack into the same system. Players are free to attempt to hack each other, but it requires that one player has the other player's IP address. Whenever a player hacks into a server or performs actions on that server, the log file is updated with the player's IP address. Therefore players must always remember to edit or delete log files when hacking otherwise their IP address will become known and they will be attacked by other players.

Players hack into other machines using various cracking programs and attempt to protect their own machines with firewalls, waterwalls, etc. The player always has to be vigilant, there is always another player out there who would have no qualms with logging into your own personal server and installing a virus deleting all the software you spent days acquiring.

The SlaveHack online hacking game also features a "riddle trail" which is a set of clues left around on various servers leading the user along on a mini quest. Following the riddle trail can lead the user to better software that can be obtained by normal means. The riddles take the form of fairly simple math, logic, or word puzzles.

Conclusion

Online hacking games are mostly developed by lovers of the genre working independently of large development studios. These games allow players to support the game through donations which often also give the player additional advantages in the game. Without the voluntary support of the players, these games could not survive, so player who find themselves spending several hours a week logging in and playing should consider donating to help keep the games alive.