Kernel Kiosk

Kernel Kiosk is a Godot 4 platformer where you play as Hackrio, a tiny terminal runner trying to keep a strange network online. Jump across terminal blocks, approach signal bubbles to reveal Linux-command challenges, then launch yourself into the bubble with the right answer before your health disappears.

What You Do

• Move with A / D or the arrow keys.
• Jump with Space, W, or Up.
• Get close to a signal bubble to reveal its challenge.
• Jump into one of the answer bubbles to make your choice.

There are three levels. Each one has its own 30-question Linux deck, but a run only picks 10 questions from each deck. That means every game has 30 challenges, while the order and questions can change between runs.

The first level asks whether a command is valid or broken. Later levels ask which flag or command fragment makes a command work. Correct answers add score and restore health; wrong answers cost both. Clear all three levels for the root-access ending, or let health reach zero for the connection-terminated ending.

Features

• Side-view platforming with gravity, jumping, collisions, and increasingly awkward routes.
• Green terminal UI, signal bubbles, platforms, and Hackrio drawn directly in Godot code.
• Three randomized challenge decks with 30 questions per level.
• Firewall-reconfiguration transition between levels.
• Separate victory and defeat scenes made in Godot.
• Optional public rankings with player-chosen display names.
• A lightweight Go server that stores only the top 50 scores.

Quick Start

Run from source

You need Godot 4.3+, Go 1.23+, and make.

GODOT=godot make export-web
make run

Open http://localhost:8009. Rankings are available at http://localhost:8009/rankings.html.

Use the setup script

On macOS or Linux, the setup script can install missing Go, Godot, and make, download the matching Godot web export templates, export the game, test the server, and build a binary for the current computer.

./setup.sh
./bin/kernel-kiosk

Use ./setup.sh --skip-export only when web/index.html already exists.

Useful Commands

make run          # Run the Go server from source
make test         # Run Go tests
make build        # Build for this computer
GODOT=godot make export-web
make build-all    # Build Linux ARMv6/ARM64/AMD64 and macOS ARM64/AMD64 binaries

The web export goes into web/. It is deliberately kept outside version control because it is generated. The server needs the whole exported web/ directory beside it when deployed.

Scores and Privacy

Playing the game does not send anything to the server. At the end of a run, the player can choose whether to publish a score. If they choose yes, the game sends only their selected public name and final score in one GET request.

The rankings page is read-only. It displays and stores only the top 50 scores in data/scores.json. The server validates display names and score ranges, uses atomic score-file writes, and includes request limits and security headers.

Low-End Deployment

The game runs in the visitor's browser. The Pi only serves static Godot files and handles the optional leaderboard, so it is suitable for lower-powered devices.

For a Raspberry Pi Zero-class machine, build the ARMv6 binary:

make build-all

Copy bin/kernel-kiosk-linux-armv6 to the Pi as kernel-kiosk, along with the complete web/ folder. The included systemd service starts the server automatically and restarts it if it stops.

The default server binds to 127.0.0.1:8009. For a LAN server, run it with -addr :8009. For Cloudflare Tunnel, keep the loopback address and point the Tunnel hostname at http://127.0.0.1:8009.

Project Layout

main.gd                     Platforming, rendering, questions, and game flow
Main.tscn                   Main Godot scene
WinScene.tscn               Root-access victory scene
DeathScene.tscn             Connection-terminated defeat scene
result_scene.gd             Result buttons and optional score publishing
cmd/kernel-kiosk/           Go web server
internal/scores/            JSON leaderboard storage and tests
rankings.html               Read-only public leaderboard
setup.sh                    Unix/macOS setup helper
deploy/                     systemd service template

Assets and Credits

All game visuals are original. The terminal grid, platforms, bubbles, UI, and Hackrio avatar are drawn using Godot's Canvas API. No asset packs, stock art, or external game artwork are used.

The project uses Godot for the game and Go's standard library for the server.