nexus-quest 1.6.0

A cyberpunk terminal RPG for learning Bash, Git, Docker, Postgres, Vim, SSH, Python, Regex, Linux, Kubernetes, and AWS.

NEXUS Quest

 _   _  _______   ___   _ _____
| \ | ||  ___\ \ / / | | /  ___|
|  \| || |__  \ V /| | | \ `--.
| . ` ||  __| /   \| | | |`--. \
| |\  || |___/ /^\ \ |_| /\__/ /
\_| \_/\____/\/   \/\___/\____/

 _____ _   _ _____ _____ _____
|  _  | | | |  ___/  ___|_   _|
| | | | | | | |__ \ `--.  | |
| | | | | | |  __| `--. \ | |
\ \/' / |_| | |___/\__/ / | |
 \_/\_\\___/\____/\____/  \_/

"The terminal is not legacy. It is the only honest interface the machine has. Everything else is theater."

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You wake up with a contract on your screen. No client name. No callback address. Just:

NEXUS CORP MAINFRAME  //  INTERNAL FRAUD SUSPECTED
EVIDENCE BURIED ACROSS MULTIPLE INFRASTRUCTURE LAYERS
EXTRACT BEFORE THE MORNING ROTATION
    — ANONYMOUS

You are Ghost — a contract operative with one rule: no exploit kits. No zero-days. Just your terminal, your knowledge, and eight layers of systems between you and the truth.

The catch: every skill you need, you have to learn for real.

Keywords: terminal RPG, learn bash, learn git, learn docker, learn vim, learn SQL, learn Python, command line tutorial, hacker game, cyberpunk learning game, DevOps training, terminal game

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What You'll Learn

Chapter	Domain	The Mission
1	Bash	Infiltrate a NEXUS workstation — filesystem, processes, pipelines
2	SSH	Pivot through seven jump hosts to reach the inner network
3	Vim	Edit config files on servers with no GUI, no undo history
4	Git	Reconstruct eleven years of tampered commit history
5	Docker	Audit containerized infrastructure for hidden misconfigurations
6	Postgres	Extract 417 fraudulent transactions from the primary database
7	Python	Script the evidence packager — automate the delivery chain
8	Regex	Defeat the pattern filter between you and the drop site
9	Linux	Own the delivery server — users, permissions, processes, logs
10	Kubernetes	Navigate the container orchestration cluster — pods, RBAC, Helm
11	AWS	Breach the cloud layer — IAM, S3, RDS, Lambda, VPC

760+ challenges across 109+ zones. Real commands. Real syntax. Real production skills.

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Install

The easy way (recommended)

Mac / Linux:

pip install nexus-quest

Windows — open PowerShell and run:

pip install nexus-quest

If nexus-quest is not found after install: Open a new terminal window. If still missing, run python -m nexus_quest.main as a fallback.

Best experience on Windows: Use Windows Terminal (free, Microsoft Store). The default cmd.exe may display characters incorrectly.

One-liner installer (no pip? start here)

Mac / Linux:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thorski1/nexus-quest/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thorski1/nexus-quest/main/install.ps1 | iex"

Then open a new terminal and run nexus-quest.

Auto-updates

The game checks for updates automatically at startup. When a new version is available you'll see:

╭──────────────────────────────╮
│      SOFTWARE UPDATE         │
│                              │
│  Update available!           │
│  Installed : v1.0.0          │
│  Latest    : v1.1.0          │
╰──────────────────────────────╯
  Install update now? [y/N]

Type y and the game installs the update and restarts itself.

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Running

Command	Description
nexus-quest	Full 8-chapter campaign — start here
terminal-quest	Bash chapter — standalone
ssh-quest	SSH chapter — standalone
vim-quest	Vim chapter — standalone
git-quest	Git chapter — standalone
docker-quest	Docker chapter — standalone
postgres-quest	Postgres chapter — standalone
python-quest	Python chapter — standalone
regex-quest	Pattern Recon — standalone
linux-quest	System Infiltration — standalone
kubernetes-quest	Container Orchestration — standalone
aws-quest	Cloud Layer — standalone

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Gameplay

Each challenge teaches one concept through a short lesson, then asks you to demonstrate it:

• Knowledge Check — type the command, flag, or answer
• Live Challenge — run a real command in a sandboxed environment
• Flag Quiz — identify the correct option or syntax
• Fill in the Blank — complete the command or concept
• Matching — pair commands to their descriptions

  [h] Hint  [b] Bookmark  [d] Difficulty  [?] Help  [s] Skip  [q] Menu

Features

Feature	Description
Daily Challenge	One challenge per day with 2x XP bonus and streak tracking
Timed Drill	5/10/15-minute blitz — wrong answers first, then spaced repetition
Difficulty Modes	Easy (0.75x XP, free hints) / Normal / Hard (1.5x XP)
Speed Records	Per-challenge personal bests — new records flash on screen
Bookmarks	Flag any challenge for later review with [b]
Zone Preview	See challenge list before entering a zone
Completion Certificate	ASCII grade certificate (S/A/B/C/D) on campaign complete
Star Ratings	Zones rated 1-3 stars based on hints and skips used
XP & Levels	Rookie -> Operative -> Shadow -> Ghost -> Phantom -> Specter

Progress saves automatically. Resume any time.

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• A terminal emulator (Terminal.app, iTerm2, Windows Terminal)
• 80+ column width recommended

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Built On

Quest Engine — a generic terminal RPG framework.

Narrative style inspired by Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk fiction.