🐂 The Oregon Trail — CLI Edition

A faithful CLI recreation of the classic 1990 MECC Oregon Trail, built in Node.js with terminal graphics.

"The trail is long and dangerous, but the promise of a new life in Oregon keeps you going."

                         ─── T H E ───
  ╔═══╗ ╔═══╗ ╔═══╗ ╔═══╗ ╔═══╗ ╔╗   ╦   ╔╦╗ ╔═══╗ ╔═══╗ ╦  ╦
  ║   ║ ║   ║ ║     ║     ║   ║ ║╚╗  ║    ║  ║   ║ ║   ║ ║  ║
  ║   ║ ╠══╦╝ ╠═══  ║ ╔═╗ ║   ║ ║ ╚╗ ║    ║  ╠══╦╝ ╠═══╣ ║  ║
  ║   ║ ║  ╚╗ ║     ║   ║ ║   ║ ║  ╚╗║    ║  ║  ╚╗ ║   ║ ║  ║
  ╚═══╝ ╩   ╩ ╚═══╝ ╚═══╝ ╚═══╝ ╩   ╚╝    ╩  ╩   ╩ ╩   ╩ ╩  ╚═══╝

A terminal game — best experienced in a terminal with color support.

Features

• 🗺️ Full journey from Independence, MO to Oregon City, OR (1,907 miles)
• 🎨 ASCII art scenes for landmarks, wagon, weather, and more
• 🐎 Real-time animated wagon travel with terrain changes
• 🦌 Interactive hunting mini-game with moving animals
• 🌊 River crossing choices with rafting mini-game
• 🏪 Fort visits (buy supplies, rest, trade, talk to NPCs)
• 🎲 Random events: diseases, weather, thieves, wagon breakdowns
• 🤒 Health system: dysentery, cholera, typhoid, measles, snakebite
• 💼 Profession choice affects starting money and final score multiplier
• 🏆 High score board saved locally
• 💚 Retro terminal aesthetic with color

Quick Start

npx oregon-trail-cli

Or install globally

npm install -g oregon-trail-cli
oregon-trail

Or clone and run

git clone https://github.com/engelde/oregon-trail-cli.git
cd oregon-trail-cli
npm install
npm start

Requirements

• Node.js 18+

Controls

| Key | Action | |---|---| | Arrow keys / j, k | Navigate menus | | Enter | Select / Continue | | Space | Pause travel to open trail menu | | Number keys | Quick-select menu options | | q / Ctrl+C | Quit |

Game Tips

• Start in March–May for the best weather window.
• Banker has the most starting money but the lowest score multiplier.
• Farmer has the least starting money but the highest score multiplier.
• Rest at forts to recover health.
• Watch your food supply — hunt to supplement when running low.
• Filling rations keep your party healthier on the trail.
• Don't push grueling pace too long — your party's health will suffer.

Development

git clone https://github.com/engelde/oregon-trail-cli.git
cd oregon-trail-cli
npm install

Scripts

| Command | Description | |---|---| | npm start | Run the game | | npm test | Run tests (99 tests) | | npm run lint | Lint with Biome | | npm run lint:fix | Auto-fix lint issues | | npm run format | Format with Biome |

Git Hooks

This project uses Husky with:

• pre-commit — runs linting and tests
• commit-msg — enforces Conventional Commits via commitlint

CI/CD

• CI — lint + tests on Node 18/20/22 for every push and PR
• Releases — automated via release-please with semantic versioning

Credits

Inspired by the original The Oregon Trail by MECC (1990).

License

MIT