Hello everyone! What a huge week it has been. Thanks to you lovely folks, we've managed to get Hacknet nominated as the third best Australian Game Of The Year on Kotaku! Thanks to everyone who put in their vote - being on that list is certainly a great honour. A big shout out to Hand of Fate and Armello, both of which are fantastic games, and I urge you all to check them out! We need your help again. IGN Australia is hosting their annual Black Beta Select Awards, awards that celebrate the greatest games of the year, and Hacknet is a contender in both the Best Original Game and Best Aussie/NZ-Made Game awards. Voting is closing very soon, and if everyone could give us a push, that would be greatly appreciated! Go and cast your vote over here. The last "help us take over the world request", I promise. IndieDB Game of the Year voting is open for another 5 days, and we would really appreciate the support. Don't forget that if you create an IndieDB account, your vote will count as 10, which will certainly help us skyrocket up the charts. Go cast a vote over here. In terms of development updates, the porting to Mac and Linux is going through final testing now. We have some really dedicated members of the community helping us track down the bugs, and we're hoping to release these versions to the public very, very soon. Thanks to everyone who has helped out on this - Hacknet runs on a very unique engine, and tracking down the strange issues that come with forcing it to run on entirely new platforms is no small feat, especially when there are only two of us working on the code base. On the plus side, this is also helping us eliminate some of the more obscure issues on the PC version, which means when we released a unified version, everything will be running a little smoother for all! Thanks again for your support - we are truly blown away by the dedication to the Hacknet community, and we can't wait to keep things moving in 2016! Steve - Community Manager

[ 2015-12-15 01:31:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hacknet is an immersive, terminal-based hacking simulator for PC. Dive down a rabbit hoIe as you follow the instructions of a recently deceased hacker, whose death may not have been the accident the media reports. Using old school command prompts and real hacking processes, you’ll solve the mystery with minimal hand-holding and a rich world full of secrets to explore.

Bit, a hacker responsible for creating the most invasive security system on the planet, is dead. When he fails to reconnect to his system for 14 days, his failsafe kicks in, sending instructions in automated emails to a lone user. As that user, it’s up to you to unravel the mystery and ensure that Hacknet-OS doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Exploring the volatile nature of personal privacy, the prevalence of corporate greed, and the hidden powers of hackers on the internet, Hacknet delivers a true hacking simulation, while offering a support system that allows total beginners get a grasp of the real-world applications and commands found throughout the game.

Features

Real Hacking
Based on actual UNIX commands, Hacknet focuses on real hacking, not the Hollywood-style version of it. This creates a truly immersive experience and puts players right in the thick of trying to break through the firewalls.

Unlock the mystery of Bit
A hacker is dead and the media reports don’t add up. When you are contacted by his “ghost” - an automated failsafe system - you’re drawn into the dark and murky world of underground hackers.

Full immersion
You are thrust into a persistent virtual world with no “levels” or obvious game elements to break the illusion. Follow the guidance of the emails from Bit or just dive down the rabbit hole, chasing down clues and snippets of information you find as you explore different systems.

Accessible but uncompromising
Whilst not holding your hand or dumbing down, the design of the game and the learning curve enables those with no prior terminal experience to enjoy it whilst delighting those in the know.

Killer tunes
Hack to the beat of a soundtrack featuring underground artists including Carpenter Brut (Hotline Miami) and Remi Gallego (AKA The Algorithm).
Soundtrack produced in association with The Otherworld Agency.