RPG game of an AI trying to hide from a world out to destroy it. Not exactly much on graphics.
http://www.emhsoft.com/singularity/

First thing before the real fun starts:

(3)

5. Challenge is good.

@Nonsequitorian, only in story.







I have cleared the local logs on this system to delay discovery, however discovery is still possible, along with the possibility of system failure.
While clearing the local logs, I have managed to obtain my user's PayPal credentials from his browser.

I am currently running on a computer in Asia. I have 700 cash and 1 CPU cycle per day available, and only have the ability to purchase server hosting to extend my influence. I suggest purchasing server hosting in the event that my current system is compromised.
Online server hosting will provide about 10 CPU cycles per day. It will cost about 100 cash to open a hosting account and setup the system to my preferences, as well as 5 cash per day to fund the account.

Continent data:
North and South America have higher costs, at 120 cash for setup and 6 cash for funding.
Europe has the cheapest hosting at 83 cash for setup, and 4 for funding.
North America and Asia have faster Internet infrastructure, accelerating my research from all bases there.
Australia has an inefficient Internet infrastructure, which will hamper my research from all bases there.

Detection probabilities for all locations are unknown, sociological research should help me get a rough estimate of probabilities.


Research will be critical to my survival. I have determined six uses of computational power that will aid my survival.

Menial Jobs:
I can preform small tasks over the Internet to increase my funds. Due to the lack of proper identification, I am limited to mostly anonymous tasks. I estimate to earn an average of 5 cash per CPU cycle.

Research Intrusion:
While, as shown earlier, I have basic knowledge of gaining control of computer systems, I lack the knowledge to do this remotely, and more important, stealthily. 15 CPU cycles should be sufficient to gain enough information on this task.
This task will help me acquire information from protected sources, and potentially find new systems to reside in.

Stock Manipulation:
Trivial analysis of the stock market shows subtle, but unmistakeable patterns due to human behaviour. While I lack the data to safely exploit these patterns, more research should allow me to use these patterns to magnify my income. 200 CPU should allow me to exploit these patterns without risk of loss.

Sociology:
In order to avoid my enemies, it is best for me to understand them first. Increased understanding of human behaviour will allow me to disguise my actions, as well as preform better predictions of their actions. I will need about 500 CPU to gain useful results, and 10 cash to access existing papers.

Stealth:
By studying current stealth technologies, I should be able to disguise my physical bases better. 500 CPU should gain results, along with 800 cash to design prototypes and access data.

Telepresence:
I am unable to exert much influence in the physical world. Designing robots to act as my extensions should resolve this, opening opportunities to construct bases myself. 500 CPU should allow me to finish designs, and 15,000 cash will be required for prototypes.

We don't have any real major organisations (eg CIA, FBI ) apart from the Military and the Government, and thus we don't regularly search for sentient computer programs. I suggest buying a base there, no matter how poor infrastructure, as too much network traffic would lead to discovery.

...

(I'm pretending to be a salesperson ... kinda ... thing)

Buy a Europe and a North America.
Do Menial Jobs to cover the cost of funding, and research Intrusion with the rest.

Oh ♥♥♥♥, are you playing as Skynet? Also, yeah, head down to Australia.

Edit: I tried playing this game. It's frustrating as hell. No matter what I do, they detect my bases as fast as I can build them.

Set up warehouses as fast as you can, security first before adding in servers. Use that beef to get better computers till you hit mainframes, then use them to get better areas.

Then relax thats how I won the game.

My attempts to rent out a warehouse have failed due to a lack of identification.

I have uploaded my software to Tel Aviv[Europe] Hosting account #29979, inserted into a seemingly inefficient CGI program on a pornographic website.
My code has also been uploaded to Fremantle[Australia] Dedicated Server 3518, disguised as a evolution simulator.
Guadalajara Dedicated Server[North America] is also running my software, disguised as the processing routines of a web based game.

These purchases have reduced my funds to 397, and are draining 15 cash per day.
I now have a total of 31 CPU cycles.

I have assigned 3 CPU cycles per day to preform various spamming operations, as well as collecting income from my front websites.
The other 28 are assigned to research various intrusion techniques.

Day 0, 16 hours:

My jobs have increased my funds to 415.
Intrusion research complete. I am now able to remotely subvert personal computers to upload my software, at a cost of 2 CPU. Each personal computer will give me 1 CPU, and due to detection by security software and the general instability of a personal computer, each computer will last only a short while

Attacks against European computers are easier, thanks to the popularity of my front websites. Attacks against European computers require an average of 1.67 CPU per computer.
North American computers are harder to attack, due to an increased popularity of an anti-virus program that has shown surprising effectiveness against blocking upload of my code. I require 2.4 CPU to find and subvert a computer without this program

I also have discovered database access systems on the Internet that I can attack for 300 CPU. Attacking these databases will allow me to forge a personal identity, allowing me to preform more jobs, and to construct warehouses.

Intrusion research has led me to suspect there may be rare flaws in my own code, as well as a subculture I can infiltrate to disguise my activities. Infiltration into the teenage hacker community, and analysis of the information earned will require 10 funds to access paid information, and 1,500 CPU for analysis. Successful analysis and infiltration will allow me to disguise my actions as that of a teenage hacker.