<s>
Exapunks	B-Application
is	O
a	O
programming	B-Language
game	I-Language
developed	O
by	O
Zachtronics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Exapunks	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
timeline	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fictional	O
world	O
of	O
Exapunks	B-Application
is	O
heavily	O
computerized	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
disease	O
called	O
"	O
the	O
phage	O
"	O
is	O
ravaging	O
the	O
population	O
,	O
turning	O
the	O
bodies	O
of	O
those	O
affected	O
into	O
computerized	O
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
takes	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Moss	O
,	O
a	O
hacker	B-Application
who	O
breaks	O
into	O
computer	O
systems	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
afford	O
a	O
$	O
700/day	O
drug	O
to	O
slow	O
the	O
progress	O
of	O
his	O
phage	O
affliction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
hacking	O
missions	O
are	O
given	O
to	O
him	O
by	O
a	O
mysterious	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
known	O
as	O
EMBER-2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
programmable	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
called	O
EXAs	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
accomplish	O
each	O
given	O
task	O
by	O
writing	O
computer	O
code	O
to	O
cleverly	O
manipulate	O
the	O
data	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
's	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EXAs	O
 '	O
instruction	B-General_Concept
set	I-General_Concept
features	O
a	O
few	O
simple	O
opcodes	B-Language
for	O
movement	O
,	O
data	O
processing	O
,	O
network	O
messaging	O
,	O
and	O
interfacing	O
with	O
files	O
and	O
registers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
puzzles	O
challenge	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
hacker	B-Application
battles	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
must	O
pit	O
their	O
EXAs	O
against	O
an	O
opponent	O
's	O
agents	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
altering	O
a	O
television	O
station	O
's	O
program	O
to	O
broadcast	O
Moss	O
 '	O
content	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
are	O
generally	O
free	O
to	O
write	O
code	O
for	O
EXAs	O
with	O
as	O
many	O
EXAs	O
as	O
necessary	O
,	O
those	O
are	O
often	O
limited	O
by	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
opcodes	B-Language
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
free	O
Redshift	O
player	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Zachtronics	O
allowing	O
any	O
player	O
,	O
even	O
those	O
who	O
had	O
not	O
purchased	O
Exapunks	B-Application
,	O
to	O
play	O
other	O
players	O
 '	O
Redshift	O
creations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zach	O
Barth	O
,	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
Zachtronics	O
,	O
was	O
inspired	O
to	O
create	O
Exapunks	B-Application
after	O
reading	O
about	O
the	O
Stuxnet	O
viruses	O
that	O
had	O
impacted	O
a	O
nuclear	O
facility	O
in	O
Iran	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
developed	O
Exapunkss	O
lore	O
on	O
the	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
culture	O
envisioned	O
by	O
William	O
Gibson	O
,	O
though	O
with	O
more	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
"	O
punk	O
"	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
1990s	O
-	O
small-time	O
hackers	B-Application
fighting	O
against	O
large	O
corporations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
took	O
inspiration	O
from	O
2600	O
:	O
The	O
Hacker	B-Application
Quarterly	O
and	O
attended	O
various	O
DEF	O
CON	O
events	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
writer	O
,	O
Matthew	O
Burns	O
,	O
also	O
considered	O
cyberculture	O
works	O
like	O
Wired	O
,	O
Transmetropolitan	O
and	O
Tom	O
Clancy	O
's	O
Net	O
Force	O
Explorers	O
influential	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barth	O
also	O
considered	O
how	O
films	O
like	O
Hackers	B-Application
made	O
the	O
hacking	O
culture	O
cool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
developing	O
the	O
EXA	O
's	O
opcodes	B-Language
,	O
Barth	O
borrowed	O
concepts	O
common	O
to	O
many	O
real	O
operating	O
systems	O
like	O
Unix	B-Application
for	O
file	O
operations	O
and	O
links	O
,	O
and	O
envisioned	O
the	O
EXAs	O
as	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
Magic	B-Application
Cap	I-Application
metaphor	O
for	O
computing	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zachtronics	O
announced	O
Exapunks	B-Application
on	O
July	O
18	O
,	O
2018	O
;	O
the	O
studio	O
said	O
it	O
would	O
follow	O
a	O
similar	O
release	O
approach	O
they	O
had	O
done	O
for	O
previous	O
games	O
Shenzhen	B-Language
I/O	I-Language
and	O
Opus	B-Application
Magnum	I-Application
by	O
using	O
an	O
early	O
access	O
period	O
for	O
a	O
nearly	O
feature-complete	O
game	O
to	O
gain	O
and	O
implement	O
feedback	O
from	O
players	O
before	O
releasing	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
version	O
of	O
Exapunks	B-Application
out	O
of	O
Early	O
Access	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rock	O
Paper	O
Shotgun	O
included	O
Exapunks	B-Application
on	O
its	O
list	O
of	O
"	O
10	O
Best	O
Hacking	O
Coding	O
and	O
Computing	O
Games	O
"	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
an	O
...	O
accurate	O
portrayal	O
of	O
the	O
decade	O
(	O
the	O
90	O
's	O
)	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
