Nexus

Three game modes, fine-tuned settings

The NEXUS Terminal offers three complete game modes. Our design choice: rather than multiplying modes, we maximised the settings of each one. The result — three modes, each extremely configurable. Settings are saved automatically: every time it is switched back on, the terminal restarts with the last mode and settings used.

Mode 1 — Conquest

Each team has a point counter that only counts down while it holds the terminal. To take control of the terminal, a player holds the button down for the set capture time. If an opponent presses in turn, the previous team's counter freezes and theirs starts counting down. The first team to empty its counter wins the objective — the terminal locks in that team's colour, steady and no longer blinking. The organiser sets:

• ⏱ Team time — in 5-minute steps up to 4 hours, or infinite mode
• 🔘 Capture time — from 1 second to 1 hour
• 🔊 Alarm on capture — audible or silent capture
• 🗝️ Capture key required — capturing can require the key (sold separately)
• 💻 Hacking Device — allowed or not
• 🏳️ Number of teams — 2, 3 or 4 teams (blue, red, green, yellow)

Mode 2 — Spy

A team of spies must hack points placed around the field, protected by a team of guards. Ideal at night — the spies avoid firefights and sneak their way to the terminals. The game is scored on the number of points hacked, with the option of a return match to compare scores.

Key mechanic: unlike Conquest mode, hacking progress is kept if the player releases the button. A spy can add up button presses over several visits — for example 10 seconds + 5 seconds = terminal hacked with a 15-second capture time.

A safe terminal blinks green at a regular pace. A hacked terminal blinks red erratically — immediately recognisable.

The game ends either after a set time (scores are counted, then a return match is played) or when all the spies have been eliminated (the spy team fails).

Spy mode settings

• ⏱ Hacking time — how long the button must be held: from 5 seconds to 5 minutes
• 🔴 Hacked state duration — how long the terminal stays hacked before becoming operational again
• 🗝️ Malware via capture key — allowed or not: when a spy plugs in the key, it loads malware into the terminal that delays the hack. The spy can leave the area — if the guard notices nothing, the terminal ends up hacked after the delay
• ⏳ Malware delay — time the malware needs to hack the terminal (configurable if malware is allowed)
• 💻 Hacking Device — allowed or not

Mode 3 — Extraction

Simulate a tactical extraction: players must call in the (imaginary) helicopter and hold the point while the extraction takes place. If the area isn't held until the end, the extraction is cancelled.

Locating the terminal and audio signals

The terminal emits a beep every 30 seconds so players can locate it on the field, even in the dark.

When a player triggers the extraction:

• 🔊 The 110 dB alarm sounds once to signal the start of the extraction
• Then the alarm sounds for half a second at every 10% of the extraction time — for example, for a 30-second extraction, the alarm sounds every 3 seconds
• 🟢 The front LEDs gradually fill up in green as the extraction progresses

The opponents can hear and see the extraction in progress — they know they must move in fast to stop it.

Extraction mode settings

• ⏱ Extraction time — how long the point must be held: instant, then 30-second steps up to 60 minutes maximum
• 🔢 Number of extractions — several options:
  • Fixed: from 1 to 100 extractions
  • Random: between 5 and 10 extractions (drawn at random — even the organiser doesn't know how many)
  • Infinite — the game doesn't end automatically
• 🗝️ Capture key — if enabled, plugging in the key starts the extraction automatically without pressing the button
• 💻 Hacking Device — if enabled, plugging in the Hacking Device halves the extraction call time
• ⏳ Delay between two extractions — pause between each extraction: from 30 seconds to 1 hour, or disabled

🎖️ Bonus scenario — DMZ mode

This mode combines Spy and Extraction to create one of the most immersive experiences in airsoft. Ideal at night as well as during the day.

The field

• 1 or 2 extraction terminals — in Extraction mode with a random number of extractions (5 to 10), so nobody knows how many are left
• Several spy terminals — in Spy mode, capture time: 5 minutes, delay before the same point can be hacked again: 15 minutes

The squads

No traditional teams. Players are split into small squads of 4 to 5 players who play together at all times. No respawn — the only way back into the game is to be healed by a teammate (two hands on the player for 10 seconds). Leaving your squad is forbidden: you always stay within reach so you can heal each other.

The objective

Each squad must hack as many spy terminals as possible, then extract to bank its points. Two possible strategies:

• Hack one point → extract → start again
• Stack up several hacked points → extract to bank them all at once (risky but rewarding)

If the squad is wiped out before extracting, all unbanked points are lost. It can re-enter the game from a corner of the field far from the terminals.

Key rules

• 🚫 You cannot hack the same point twice in a row — until every spy terminal has been hacked, you cannot go back to a point you've already taken. With points Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta: if I've hacked Alpha and Bravo, I must hack Charlie and Delta before I can go back to Alpha or Bravo
• 🏥 The only medical rule: two hands on the hit player for 10 seconds
• 📍 Any player outside your squad is a threat — no identification problems

End of the game

The game ends when all the terminals' extractions have been used up. Scores are then counted on a fair-play basis to rank the squads.

Players love this mode: they are in charge of their own decisions — which point to hack, when to extract, whether to avoid the fight or charge in. Squad play creates strong cohesion and constant tension between action and stealth.