Start by mapping the city’s infrastructure into clear layers—traffic, utilities, communication, security. Each layer should have a small, well‑defined interface: a login prompt, a checksum check, a routing table. For realism, use real‑world protocols in a stripped‑down form; for example, a simple key‑value store for traffic lights, a mock TLS handshake for communication, and a hash function for passwords. Make the puzzles incremental. The first hack could be a brute‑force login that reveals a weak password; the next step is to exploit a known buffer overflow, but you’ll have to locate the exact memory address in a hex dump that’s been rendered in the UI. Keep the code snippets minimal—just enough lines to be solvable without scrolling through hundreds of lines. Introduce time pressure: the system will trigger a counter‑measure after a set number of attempts, so the player must think fast. Add a narrative consequence that is visibly tied to the code they write—e.g., the traffic lights go green, the mainframe logs a new entry, a character’s dialogue changes. That immediate feedback keeps the puzzle grounded in the story. Balance difficulty by allowing a “debug” mode that lets you see variables and memory, but make it optional or require a separate skill to access. That way, a player who wants to experiment can, but the core experience remains a test of logic and pattern recognition. Finally, give each puzzle a unique flavor: a street‑level hack that uses a small script, a corporate breach that requires reverse‑engineering a binary, and a city‑wide takeover that demands orchestrating several sub‑hacks in parallel. Variety keeps the gameplay fresh while still feeling like a cohesive hacking adventure.

Sounds good. A skill‑based debug perk keeps the learning curve natural. A live flowchart for the city‑wide hack would give a clear sense of scale without cluttering the screen. The sandbox layers are a smart safety net—just enough to feel competent before the story pushes harder. And an automatic tutorial hack is efficient; it lets players see the interface in action before they start writing code themselves. The key is to keep each step short and visually distinct so the player can parse the flow quickly. Keep it tight, keep it tight.