BobTD
11-28-2011, 02:12 AM
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6412/banneruplink.png
So first lets just clarify that this game was released in 2001. But has recently been added to STEAM March of this year, and was part of the latest Humble Bundle. (http://www.humblebundle.com/)
How would I describe this game hmm. Its a cheesy movie hacker simulation that has you sitting at a retro looking computer screen. You play the part of a hacker who finds missions through a front corperation that provides you with the tools you need to work your way op a progression of upgrades in the form of software, hardware, and gateways (or basically a computer case in a secure location with an internet connection). It gives you very few guidlens and after the brief the tutorial will not hold your hand but rather watch as you try to figure out how to keep from hitting the inevitable game over screen when your character is arrested. With a steep learning curve and hash conciseness.
It is also incredible fun for some reason.
Its absurd really, you would think this is the most boring game just by looking at it:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8828/uplink1.jpg
(the four windows here shown: built in IRC channel! Routing path, falsifying a criminal record, and hacking a stock market log)
No fancy graphics, lots of numbers, requires you to learn stuff. God doesnt that sound terrible? Why would anyone want to..
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7417/tutorial1x.png
Wait... what? Why are we talking about the real world vs the...
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4140/tutorial2f.png
We... are talking about the.. game right?
Wow, slow down. Clearly this has nothing to do with hacking. There is no legal way to explain the fundamental concepts behind hacking to the public. People get arrested for that kind of stuff. Unless it where a cleverly disguised parody? Nah, that's nonsense. This is just an addicting game full of numbers... boring old numbers.
Now, in order to play this game its going to have to get you comfortable with the idea of proxies, active traces, password hacking, dictionary hackers, passive traces, LAN probing, more proxies, bypassing a monitor/proxy/firewall and so on. And then practice them! Speed and typing proficiency as well as a sharp memory and flexible morality are also useful tools to have in game.
To demonstrate how you hack in the game:
1. look up the address on the internic (basically a public access phone book for IPs)
2. Starting with your gate way, route through (the internic first*) several connections to slow down a trace
3. With a trace monitor running, begin a password breaker for the admin login, your trace tracker is going to go off
4. pay attention to your trace tracker, its going to show an estimate until they locate you (around 60sec usually)
5. Your in, now find or destroy what you came for and disconnect as fast as you can!
6. You foiled the active trace by disconnecting, now you have to foil a passive trace by altering records that show the path you routed through! (a much slower trace, sometimes days)
7. hack into an insecure location from your path (this is why we connected to the internic first) and delete all the routing logs but the one showing you logging in this session. (because it will log you leaving, and half a log is obvious)
Your completely fake and unrealistic in game missions will range from data removal/retrieval, falsifying documents, falsifying criminal records, planting incriminating data, monitoring bank accounts, tracking banking transactions, falsifying banking transactions, altering router logs, deleting router logs, tracking routing logs, and so on.
If you make it far enough in the game you can upgrade your gateway with a motion detector and a bomb!
But again. This is an unrealistic parody. Just boring numbers. Im not even going to rate it. Im suddenly feeling lazy.
So first lets just clarify that this game was released in 2001. But has recently been added to STEAM March of this year, and was part of the latest Humble Bundle. (http://www.humblebundle.com/)
How would I describe this game hmm. Its a cheesy movie hacker simulation that has you sitting at a retro looking computer screen. You play the part of a hacker who finds missions through a front corperation that provides you with the tools you need to work your way op a progression of upgrades in the form of software, hardware, and gateways (or basically a computer case in a secure location with an internet connection). It gives you very few guidlens and after the brief the tutorial will not hold your hand but rather watch as you try to figure out how to keep from hitting the inevitable game over screen when your character is arrested. With a steep learning curve and hash conciseness.
It is also incredible fun for some reason.
Its absurd really, you would think this is the most boring game just by looking at it:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8828/uplink1.jpg
(the four windows here shown: built in IRC channel! Routing path, falsifying a criminal record, and hacking a stock market log)
No fancy graphics, lots of numbers, requires you to learn stuff. God doesnt that sound terrible? Why would anyone want to..
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7417/tutorial1x.png
Wait... what? Why are we talking about the real world vs the...
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4140/tutorial2f.png
We... are talking about the.. game right?
Wow, slow down. Clearly this has nothing to do with hacking. There is no legal way to explain the fundamental concepts behind hacking to the public. People get arrested for that kind of stuff. Unless it where a cleverly disguised parody? Nah, that's nonsense. This is just an addicting game full of numbers... boring old numbers.
Now, in order to play this game its going to have to get you comfortable with the idea of proxies, active traces, password hacking, dictionary hackers, passive traces, LAN probing, more proxies, bypassing a monitor/proxy/firewall and so on. And then practice them! Speed and typing proficiency as well as a sharp memory and flexible morality are also useful tools to have in game.
To demonstrate how you hack in the game:
1. look up the address on the internic (basically a public access phone book for IPs)
2. Starting with your gate way, route through (the internic first*) several connections to slow down a trace
3. With a trace monitor running, begin a password breaker for the admin login, your trace tracker is going to go off
4. pay attention to your trace tracker, its going to show an estimate until they locate you (around 60sec usually)
5. Your in, now find or destroy what you came for and disconnect as fast as you can!
6. You foiled the active trace by disconnecting, now you have to foil a passive trace by altering records that show the path you routed through! (a much slower trace, sometimes days)
7. hack into an insecure location from your path (this is why we connected to the internic first) and delete all the routing logs but the one showing you logging in this session. (because it will log you leaving, and half a log is obvious)
Your completely fake and unrealistic in game missions will range from data removal/retrieval, falsifying documents, falsifying criminal records, planting incriminating data, monitoring bank accounts, tracking banking transactions, falsifying banking transactions, altering router logs, deleting router logs, tracking routing logs, and so on.
If you make it far enough in the game you can upgrade your gateway with a motion detector and a bomb!
But again. This is an unrealistic parody. Just boring numbers. Im not even going to rate it. Im suddenly feeling lazy.