prepare README.md for archival

2022 edits

README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
 # Adaptive game assistant
+
+> [!WARNING]
+> As of 2024, I'm archiving this repository and removing the adaptive game try-out section from the README.md.
+> The information in this README.md was correct as of 2022, but as Vagrant, VirtualBox, Ansible and the applications
+> used in individual games change, I can't guarantee that things will continue to work the way they did.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> If you're a lector or an assistant of the PA197 course, you're probably looking for the the PA197 resources in the
+> university Gitlab instead of this repository.
+
 The adaptive game assistant is a Python program allowing easy deployment and playing of adaptive cybersecurity games.
 
 When bundled with a compatible game (and a few config files), the assistant
@@ -25,6 +35,7 @@ Basic commands:
 - (L)og   - saves data from the game into a file.
 
 The project's wiki has a user guide with examples: [Assistant guide](https://github.com/SleepyLili/adaptive-game-assistant/wiki/Assistant-guide)
+
 ## Requirements
 The assistant requires Python 3.7 or higher to run.
 
@@ -46,6 +57,13 @@ The adaptive game module contains:
 - `hint_giver.py`. The `HintGiver` class keeps tracks of taken hints and gives new ones.
 - `level_selector.py`. The `LevelSelector` class helps decide which level to go to next.
 
+## Game requirements
+### Ansible tags
+The assistant expects some things of the Ansible playbooks.
+- All tasks should be tagged
+- Tasks for game setup and the first level are tagged `setup`
+- Tasks for level past the first are in the format `level + [number] + [branch, optional]` i.e. "level3", "level4a"
+
 ### Game config files
 Besides tagged ansible playbooks, each adaptive game needs a few config files to work.
 The config files are mostly YAML lists and dicts.
@@ -59,18 +77,32 @@ The needed files are:
 - `tools.yml`
 
 More about the config files and their format is on the wiki: [Config files](https://github.com/SleepyLili/adaptive-game-assistant/wiki/Config-files)
-## I want to try out the assistant, but I don't have an adaptive game
-The simplest way to try the assistant out with no access to another adaptive game is:
-
-1. Download the [thesis archive](https://is.muni.cz/th/mnrr8/thesis-archive.zip) of my Adaptive Cybersecurity Games thesis.
-2. In the archive, replace the `assistant/` folder with the folder of this repository.
-(The assistant included with the thesis is an earlier version.)
-3. Extract `game.zip` from the archive. (So that you have a `game/` folder.)
-4. From the file `game/provisioning/roles/attacker/tasks/main.yml`, delete lines 34-39.
-5. Run the assistant.
-
-The assistant should run the game included with my thesis using the sample resources files.
-The level instructions for that game are included in the `wiki/` subfolder of the thesis archive you downloaded.
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 All known common problems are in the [troubleshooting](https://github.com/SleepyLili/adaptive-game-assistant/wiki/Troubleshooting) doc on the repository wiki.
+
+## Possible improvements
+Since the assistant needed to be ready and functional by a deadline,
+there are some features that would have been nice to have, but weren't necessary
+at the moment. Those features include:
+
+- **A "manual mode" where the user gets to decide next level**
+
+This would be similar to the original assistant prototype, where the user had the
+teacher tell them what branch they were choosing. It would also simplify some testing
+scenarios.
+
+- **A "dry run mode" for testing**
+
+Sometimes, it'd be nice to turn off the assistant's underlying calls to Vagrant,
+to speed up testing of features, config files, etc.
+
+- **The ability to turn off certain modules**
+
+In a game without flags, or where flag checking isn't important, the flag
+checker could be turned off, for example.
+
+- **Better support for branching levels -- arbitrary names, shorter and longer playthroughs**
+
+The assistant as it is right now expects the levels to have a naming convention, and it also expects that for every possible playthrough, there will always be the same number of levels.
+Removing these constraints would make it possible to support games of variable length, or with entire "replacement" branches, etc.

assistant.py

@@ -302,49 +302,63 @@ def game_loop():
     print("Basic commands are:")
     print("(S)tart, (N)ext, (H)elp, (C)heck, (E)xit")
     while True:
-        print("Waiting for your input:")
+        try:
-        command = input()
+            print("Waiting for your input:")
-        command = command.lower()
+            command = input()
-        if command in ("a", "abort", "(a)bort"):
+            command = command.lower()
-            abort_game(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
+            if command in ("a", "abort", "(a)bort"):
-        elif command in ("e", "exit"):
+                abort_game(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
-            abort_game(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
+            elif command in ("e", "exit"):
-            print("Exiting...")
+                abort_game(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
-            return
+                print("Exiting...")
-        elif command in ("s", "start", "(s)tart"):
+                return
-            start_game(game, level_selector)
+            elif command in ("s", "start", "(s)tart"):
-        elif command in ("n", "next", "(n)ext"):
+                start_game(game, level_selector)
-            try:
+            elif command in ("n", "next", "(n)ext"):
-                if game.level == 0:
+                try:
-                    print("Can't continue, (S)tart the game first!")
+                    if game.level == 0:
-                elif game.level == 5:
+                        print("Can't continue, (S)tart the game first!")
-                    print("Can't continue, you are on the last level!")
+                    elif game.level == 5:
-                    print("Make sure to run (F)inish and (L)og your progress before exiting.")
+                        print("Can't continue, you are on the last level!")
+                        print("Make sure to run (F)inish and (L)og your progress before exiting.")
+                    else:
+                        if check_flag(game.level, flag_checker):
+                            try_next_level(game, level_selector)
+                except NoLevelFoundError as err:
+                    print("Error encountered: {}".format(err))
+            elif command in ("f", "finish", "(f)inish"):
+                if (not game.game_in_progress and not game.game_finished):
+                    print("Can't finish game, game was not started yet.")
+                elif (not game.game_in_progress and game.game_finished):
+                    print("Can't finish game, game was already finished earlier.")
                 else:
                     if check_flag(game.level, flag_checker):
-                        try_next_level(game, level_selector)
+                        finish_game(game)
-            except NoLevelFoundError as err:
+            elif command in ("i", "info", "information", "(i)nfo", "(i)nformation"):
-                print("Error encountered: {}".format(err))
+                game.print_info()
-        elif command in ("f", "finish", "(f)inish"):
+            elif command in ("h", "help", "(h)elp"):
-            if (not game.game_in_progress and not game.game_finished):
+                print_help()
-                print("Can't finish game, game was not started yet.")
+            elif command in ("c", "check", "(c)heck"):
-            elif (not game.game_in_progress and game.game_finished):
+                check_prerequisites()
-                print("Can't finish game, game was already finished earlier.")
+            elif command in ("l", "log", "(l)og"):
+                player_logging(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
+            elif command in ("t", "hint", "hin(t)"):
+                give_hint(game, hint_giver)
             else:
-                if check_flag(game.level, flag_checker):
+                print("Unknown command. Enter another command or try (H)elp.")
-                    finish_game(game)
+        except EOFError:
-        elif command in ("i", "info", "information", "(i)nfo", "(i)nformation"):
-            game.print_info()
-        elif command in ("h", "help", "(h)elp"):
-            print_help()
-        elif command in ("c", "check", "(c)heck"):
-            check_prerequisites()
-        elif command in ("l", "log", "(l)og"):
-            player_logging(game, hint_giver, flag_checker)
-        elif command in ("t", "hint", "hin(t)"):
-            give_hint(game, hint_giver)
-        else:
             print("Unknown command. Enter another command or try (H)elp.")
+            print("If you want to exit the assistant, please use the `exit` command.")
+        except KeyboardInterrupt:
+            print("You sent a keyboard interrupt to the program.")
+            print("Would you like to exit?")
+            print("This will NOT save your log or end the game. yes/no")
+            confirmation = input()
+            confirmation = confirmation.lower()
+            if confirmation in ("y", "yes"):
+                return
+            else:
+                print("Not exiting. Continuing normal operation.")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":

resources/hints.yml

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ level4:
     "Password cracking": "The password appears to be encrypted with a simple MD5 hash. A tool like John the Ripper, which is already installed on the computer, could be used to crack the password."
     "Command line options": 'The arguments you will need to crack the password are "--format=" and "--wordlist="'
     "Database interaction": "Use the [SQL] button in the web shell to interact with log into local databases and interact with them using SQL queries."
-    "Solution": "Place to hash in to_crack.txt. Run `john --format=raw-md5 --wordlist=passwords.txt to_crack.txt` to get the password."
+    "Solution": "Place the hash in to_crack.txt. Run `john --format=raw-md5 --wordlist=passwords.txt to_crack.txt` to get the password."
 level5:
   level5:
     "Database interaction": "You can communicate with local databases using SQL queries."