Hacker - Episode 2

The episode 2 of the great old style hacker simulation

It is hooked into the camera security network of the facility the player is asked to infiltrate. A handful of robots are available, hidden in the facility, in case some are lost. By using the camera system and in-game map that helps track guard patrols and the location of the robots, the player must explore the one floor facility and find the codes needed to open the vault and escape with the papers. To aid the player there is also a pre-recorded security tape of a typical day for every camera in the facility, which the player can bypass the actual camera feed with when they need to be in an area for an extended time although care is needed to ensure the time stamp matches with the actual time of the game.

Discovery by the guards must be avoided at all costs because once alerted, they will call in a huge machine that resembles a large plate hung from what looks like a metal frame on wheels. This machine pursues the player's defenseless robot and attempt to crush it with the plate. The player can try to avoid the drone, although it is relentless in its pursuit and is much faster than the player's robot. If all the player's robots are destroyed, the game is over. Things that can set off the alarms include being seen by the patrolling guard who has constant line of sight in the corridors, having one of the cameras see the robot, incorrectly disabling the vault security or failing to sync a bypassed camera feed with actual time giving evidence there is tampering going on.

The game also featured escalating problems as part of the player's interface begins to fail, the in-game map starts to lose progress of the player's robot, monitored security cameras, the guard and eventually the map itself as the player defeated the system, eventually to get into the vault the player may well be forced to control the robot blindly relying on maps that should have been made by the player.