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QUICKSTART — The Kernel Trail

Get the game running in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Tool Minimum Version Check
Node.js 18.0.0 node -v
npm 9.0.0 npm -v

Node 18+ is required for Vite 5 and native ESM. If you need to manage multiple Node versions, nvm is recommended.

1. Install dependencies

cd kernel-trail
npm install

This installs React, Vite, Zustand, Tailwind CSS, and all dev tools (~180 MB in node_modules).

2. Start the development server

npm run dev

Open your browser to http://localhost:5173

The dev server supports hot module replacement — edits to any .jsx, .js, or .css file reload instantly without losing game state (as long as you haven't changed the store).

3. Play the game

  1. Enter your callsign on the intro screen (or leave blank for "ANON")
  2. Press [ BOOT TERMINAL ] or hit Enter
  3. Read the scenario, type your Linux command, press Enter
  4. Use [ SHOW HINT ] if stuck — it resets your no-hint streak
  5. Use [ SKIP ] to skip a question — costs integrity equal to difficulty × 5%
  6. When a History Warp appears, answer the IT history question for a big bonus

4. Build for production

npm run build

Output goes to dist/. The build is fully static — no server required. Deploy to any static host (Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, Nginx).

npm run preview    # serve the production build locally on port 4173

5. Lint

npm run lint

Uses ESLint with React, React Hooks, and React Refresh plugins.

Common Issues

Port 5173 already in use Change it in vite.config.js:

server: { port: 3000 }

node_modules missing / corrupted

rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

Fonts not loading The Google Fonts CDN link in index.html requires internet access. Offline: download Share Tech Mono and VT323, place them in public/fonts/, and update src/styles/index.css with @font-face declarations.

Questions not advancing Make sure you're pressing Enter or clicking [ EXECUTE ] — not just typing in the input box. The input is a regular <input> element, not a form.

Environment Notes

The project has no .env file or environment variables. Everything is hardcoded for a zero-config local setup. For a deployed version behind authentication or with a backend leaderboard, you would add a .env.local with your API endpoints.