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BreakEscape/planning_notes
Z. Cliffe Schreuders 92db4b3cfe Complete Mission 2 'Ransomed Trust' Stages 0-4 development
Stage 0: Scenario Initialization
- Complete mission overview with hospital ransomware crisis
- Ransomware Incorporated cell integration
- Hybrid architecture plan (VM ProFTPD exploitation + ERB narrative)
- Concrete stakes: 47 patients, 12-hour deadline, $87K ransom
- Ghost as true believer antagonist (calculated patient deaths)
- 3 LORE fragments planned (manifesto, CryptoSecure, ZDS invoice)

Stage 1: Narrative Structure
- Complete 3-act structure (18 scenes)
- Act 1: Infiltration (Dr. Kim, Marcus, guard tutorial)
- Act 2: Exploitation (VM challenges, safe puzzle, LORE discoveries)
- Act 3: Impossible choices (ransom dilemma, hospital exposure)
- Emotional beat timeline with intensity mapping
- Tutorial integration for new mechanics (guards, PIN safe, ROT13)

Stage 2: Character Development
- Dr. Sarah Kim: Desperate CTO with guilt over budget cuts
- Marcus Webb: Defensive IT admin, scapegoat victim
- Ghost: Unrepentant ENTROPY operative, true believer
- Agent 0x99: Supportive handler, growing ENTROPY concern
- Voice examples with 3-line dialogue rule
- Character arcs defined (Marcus varies by player choice)

Stage 3: Moral Choices and Consequences
- Choice 1: Marcus trust building (sympathize/professional/blame)
- Choice 2: Marcus protection (warn/plant evidence/ignore)
- Choice 3: Ransom payment (pay/independent recovery) - NO RIGHT ANSWER
- Choice 4: Hospital exposure (public/quiet) - transparency vs pragmatism
- Optional: Ghost confrontation (argue/acknowledge/silent)
- All choices have meaningful campaign consequences (M6 financial trail)
- Utilitarian vs Consequentialist ethical frameworks
- Debrief variations reflect all choices (4 ransom+exposure combos)

Stage 4: Player Objectives and Tasks
- 5 required aims, 3 optional aims
- 23 required tasks, 4 optional tasks (27 total)
- Hybrid objectives: VM flag submissions + in-game tasks
- Success tiers: 60% minimal, 80% standard, 100% perfect
- Progressive unlocking validated (no soft locks)
- Ink tag integration (#complete_task, #unlock_aim, #give_item)
- Optional achievements: Ghost Hunter, Code Breaker, Ethical Hacker

Technical Challenges (Detailed Breakdown):
- New mechanics: Patrolling guards (60s predictable), PIN safe puzzle
- Reinforced mechanics: Lockpicking (4 doors), social engineering, Base64
- New encoding: ROT13 (Caesar cipher introduction)
- VM: ProFTPD CVE-2010-4652 exploitation, SSH brute force, Linux nav
- CyBOK coverage: Malware, Incident Response, Cryptography, Human Factors

Key Design Decisions:
- Ransom dilemma has no 'right' answer (both ethically valid)
- Ghost remains unrepentant (true believer, no redemption arc)
- Marcus's fate controllable by player (justice possible)
- Guard patrols beginner-friendly (forgiving, predictable, alternate paths)
- PIN puzzle accessible (multiple clues, hint system, fallback device)
- Campaign integration: M3 ZDS connection, M6 financial trail

Ready for Stage 5: Room Layout Design
2026-01-14 09:46:31 +00:00
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