Trivia

Trese Brothers Games

Trese Brothers Games was founded by two brothers, Cory and Andrew Trese. Cory and Andrew are the core developers. Elfword is the manager for marketing and social media. Liviana is the community manager, overseeing the wiki, discord channel, and Steam channel. Viktor is the third developer, joining the team in 2022.

Cyber Knights Classic

Cyber Knights Classic, or CKC, is the name now applied to Cyber Knights (or Cyber Knights RPG), an RPG developed by Trese Brothers from 2011 to 2017 for Android. The setting was the New Boston Zone in the year 2217. The game and setting was inspired by tabletop RPG campaigns run by Trese Brothers in the 1990s and 2000s. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint uses the same setting as CKC, 14 years later in the timeline. Some of the characters, classes, and items in Cyber Knights: Flashpoint derive from the Cyber Knights Classic game and the earlier tabletop games.

Kickstarter

After Cyber Knights Classic ceased development in 2017, the fans frequently asked for a sequel game. Trese Brothers Games started talking about a new Cyber Knights game in 2019. On February 3, 2020, the Kickstarter for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint opened with a funding target of $50,000. Supporters helped smash that goal within 12 hours and the brothers started adding stretch goals. On March 5, the final Kickstarter tally was $226,709, netting 453% of their initial target. The Trese Brothers held a post-Kickstarter campaign pledge window via Paypal for a few more months, adding to the pool for development.

Classes

Agent Ex

The original AgentEX was a player character created by a friend of Trese Brothers for their mutual tabletop RPG campaigns in the 1990s. He was the ex-executioner for the king, sent away because he was too public of a symbol of how the king had come to power. He was a maniac, he had a name but he insisted on everyone calling him "Agent EX" and he refused to wear armor because it was not very stylish.

A little while later, as Trese Brothers were building out the nano-hive classes for their own cyberpunk home-brew TTRPG, Agent EX was floated and universally loved as the class name. That class inspired the Agent Extreme character class in the Cyber Knights Classic game, which in turn inspired the Agent Ex character class in Cyber Knights: Flashpoint.

Hunder

The Hunder (handler for cybernetically enhanced dogs) is named after their animals, Hunds. The name Hunds is derived from 'hounds'. Hunder and Hunds previously appeared in Cyber Knights Classic, and before that in the brothers' TTRPG games.

Assassin

During the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint Kickstarter, fans were very excited to hear that the Hunder and cybernetic Hunds would be in the game. But many fans called for equal representation and asked for cybernetic cats to be added. The Trese Brothers granted their wish and added the Assassin Job + Cybercat stretch goal at the $225,000 level and New Cat Breed to add a second type of cat at the $235,000 level. This spurred a final push by fans to reach these new goals as the Kickstarter neared the end. The final result of the Kickstarter was $226,709, enough for the Assassin class and one breed of cat, but not enough for the second breed. As the Trese Brothers collected a bit more money from a brief Paypal pledge period, the brothers surprised fans with an announcement that they would grant a wish and add the second cat breed.

Drone Pilot

Late in the development of Cyber Knights Classic, the Trese Brothers started working on a new class, Drone Master. This class would control a small team of drones in a way similar to the Hunder class and hunds. They used the art they had developed for the Drone Master into the game in a new starting character Niara (Female IV). Unfortunately, development of Cyber Knights Classic was halted before the Drone Master was released. When Trese Brothers started talking about a new Cyber Knights game in 2019, they promised they would include a drone pilot class.

Factions

Brave Star

The name Brave Star was inspired by an 1980s cartoon, BraveStarr. Conceptually, Brave Star is modelled as a privatized version of the Boston Police Department.

Matsumoto

Matsumoto Corporation appeared in Cyber Knights Classic as Yakamoto. The name has been retconned to avoid any appearance of conflict with a real-world Yakamoto corporation.

UltraTek

UltraTek Corporation appeared in Cyber Knights Classic as AzTek. The name has been retconned to avoid any appearance of conflict with a real-world AzTek corporation.

Los Zagales

The Los Zagales gang appeared in Cyber Knights Classic as Los Valentinos. The name has been retconned to avoid any appearance of conflict with the Valentinos gang in Cyberpunk RED.

Fenian

The Fenian gang appeared in Cyber Knights Classic as Fennian, named after the Fens in the Back Bay area of Boston. The Fens is the remains of a saltwater marsh, or fenland, along the west side of the original peninsula where Boston was built. The Fens was later turned into a freshwater parkland and landfilled neighborhood (Fenway), and home of Fenway Park baseball field.

Maps, Storylines and Missions

Haven Smokeout

An early version of the Underworld Haven map was released to the Alpha playtesters. It was used to playtest a theft job almost identical to Haven Smokeout, the first mission in the Syndicate Debts origin story. Many of the unique features of the original Alpha version of mission and map remain, which causes some issues for both players and developers.

Forward Op

One of the earliest missions that Alpha playtesters recieved was Req Site Raid. The map was an early version of the Req Site map and comprised a raid on lockboxes. In form, Req Site Raid was almost identical to Forward Op except that there was no Matrix Host - the Matrix had not yet been added to the game. That playtest raid is the direct ancestor of the current Raid, or Scav Raid, type of proc-gen mission.

Sagging Avenue

A new job called Ward Run was added to the Alpha playtest a few months in. This job was the direct ancestor of the Bodyguard proc-gen mission type. The mission was to escort a VIP from one end of the map to the other. The job played out on an early version of the Sagging Avenue map. The map was somewhat smaller then and the current bridge over the center was instead a barrier with choke points on either side.

Dead Drop Hit

The first pure-combat mission that Alpha playtesters received was called Dock Trouble. It used an early version of the Dockside 008 map and was the direct ancestor of the Dead Drop Hit mission and the later Alpha Strike proc-gen missions. Since Alpha, the map has been expanded and enemy spawns and behavior has changed but the essentials are very similar to the original Dock Trouble.

Cube Run

In the earliest days of Early Access, the first mission in the Brother Dearest storyline (Cube Run) was the initial mission offered before speaking to Octane. In Update #11 (11/2/2023, only 2 weeks after EA launch), the new mission Forward Op replaced Cube Run as the first mission and Cube Run moved later in the timeline. Eventually, Cube Run was changed to require team Power Level 3.0.

Slagga Smash

A couple months into the Alpha playtest, a new mission was added named Undercutter Job. The purpose was to test the 'hold the zone' objective. Undercutter Job used an early version of the Foundation Ruins map and was very similar to the Slagga Smash mission in the Runner Shakedown storyline. The map underwent many changes between Alpha and Early Access.

Wreckspire

The Alpha playtesters ran a job on an early version of the Wreckspire map. The mission was a variation on the 'hold the zone' objective in which the enemy did not start out Alerted. The mercs were able to use stealth to approach the zone, or rush fast to seize it. The zone was the top of the bridge in the middle of the map covering most of its length, so grabbing it fast was viable - the altitude and low walls gave a distinct advantage while holding one end of the zone. Unfortunately, enemies could come up the stairs on the far side and enter the zone, resetting progress unless they were killed immediately. Holding both ends would give up some mutual support. This variation on 'hold the zone' does not exist in the game currently.

Restricted Fab

The ancestor of the Q-Gap Spike proc-gen mission type appeared in the middle of the Alpha playtest. The mission ran through an early version of the Restricted Fab map. The target Matrix Host was in the center room where the Matrix Host still appears on the current version of the map.

Sector 01 Exchange

An early version of the Sector 01 Exchange map appeared in a job in late Alpha playtesting. The purpose was to test an exit at a landed hovertruck, and also to test a new security device - the gunshot detector. Lessons from the hovertruck exit informed later map development involving hoverpads. The gunshot detector was in the center of the map and would report all gunshots within a large radius of the detector, no matter how silenced it was. The gunshot detector was deemed a failure and was removed from the game.

Gene Vault

One of the very first missions in the Alpha Playtest was Biospike Hit, running on an early version of the Gene Vault map. The job offer came from a Taylor Strizek and the dialog referred to supposed previous jobs for Strizek helping them escape their former corporate masters. Only the one job from Strizek actually appeared in the Alpha playtest, a sabotage attempt against Strizek's former boss. Biospike Hit may be the model for a future job in Cyber Knights: Flashpoint for the Boosted Scientist storyline. The unique part of the job (in Alpha testing) was that there were two possible exits, one of which was locked behind a key which could be found in a lockbox. Originally the key was a Red Key but that was changed to Blue Key after rules for keys were standardized. When Hacking was implemented in the Alpha, a Matrix Host was added to the Gene Vault map to provide an alternative method of getting the Blue Key.

Gated Enclave

Playtesters saw an early version of the Gated Enclave map during Alpha playtesting. The mission, Cadaver Sample, tested the use of what later became the Red Key. Players needed to find a key (it was called a Blue Key at the time) in order to enter the inner secured area and complete the mission. Rules for keys were later standardized, with Red Key unlocking an access which was required for the mission. When Hacking was added later in Alpha testing, a Matrix Host was added to the Gated Enclave map to provide an alternative method of opening the Red Key Door.

A12 Sea Platform

The map named A12 Sea Platform is a reference to a location in Cyber Knights Classic. One of the last additions to the original Cyber Knights game was a new zone called Work Isle A12. It was a base on one of the Harbor Islands supposedly owned by AzTek (renamed UltraTek in Cyber Knights: Flashpoint) but patrolled by the security agency Knight Horizon. Work Isle A12 was intended to be the center of a new Operation, a major multi-mission sequence. The Operation was never implemented in Cyber Knights Classic, but references to the fate of Knight Horizon and Work Isle A12 can be found in Cyber Knights: Flashpoint.

Cargo Field

The Cargo Field map was originally named WIP: Cargo Field Dmytro. This was actually a working name while the map was under development. The map was released with this working name unintentionally left on it. The name was eventually corrected in mid-Early Access.

Resupply Station

An early version of the Resupply Station map was tested by the Alpha playtesters. The map was used to playtest hacking to open a door.

Lockdown Station

Lockdown Station was the first map to feature a Gold Key Loot Area.

Tutorial Area

An earlier Tutorial during Early Access used a completely different map. At the time, the Vanguard (default name Emille) was the only character available for the stealth slot on the starting roster, so Plan B always opened with the starting Vanguard. The early Tutorial was framed as that Vanguard moving through a small map before reaching the rooftop in Plan B. When planning moved toward expanding the starting characters, and in particular the stealth slot, the Tutorial was completely rewritten with a new map and new characters who were not part of the squad.

Nanofacture Hub

One of the early missions in the Alpha Playtest was the Lifter Job. An early version of the Nanofacture Hub map provided the scene; the map contained only the lower level of the current version of the map. The job was to penetrate from one end of the map to the elevated platform, trigger the (non-matrix) terminal there, and escape out either of the side doors.

Stopgap Junction

The original name of the Stopgap Junction map was Militarized Waystation.

Skyrise Haven and Skyrise Data Site

The Skyrise Haven map and the Skyrise Data Site map were the first two maps in the skyrise setting, released in December, 2025. The Skyrise Environment was a stretch goal in the CKF Kickstarter at the $150,000 level. The associated Skyrise Soundtrack was a Kickstarter stretch goal at the $160,000 level.

Eastwind Raptor

One of the Missions in the Ward War storyline is named Eastwind Raptor. This is a reference to Operation Eastwind Niner in the original Cyber Knights Classic game. Eastwind Niner is the only Operation to make it into CKC, a series of investigations and events which is the equivalent of a major Storyline in Cyber Knights Flashpoint. Eastwind Niner followed the trail of a runaway citizen of Mars Corp.

Easter Eggs

B-Tuna

The contact B-Tuna is based on a Shadowrun character named TB Tuna, created by a friend of the Trese Brothers.

Atlanta

Atlanta had a passing role in the "Cyberknights Tabletop RPG (2020)". One Dr. Jaeger, who performed the Quantum Computer surgery for Yossarian in a hidden Jupiter medical clinic, fled to Atlanta at the conclusion of the campaign's story.

Neo-Prague

The Kickstarter for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint had a stretch goal at $350,000 named, "NEW CITY: NEO_PRAGUE". The description was, "If we hit this, we will enable transatlantic travel and allow your Knight to take your team to Neo-Prague." Unfortunately, the Kickstarter only reached $225,000, so this stretch goal was not achieved.

Molly

The starting character Disgraced Bodyguard is a Warmachine with a default name of Molly. This is an homage to Molly Millions, a character created by William Gibson. Molly first appeared in the short story Johnny Mnemonic and later in Neuromancer and Mona Lisa Overdrive. Molly was a 'razorgirl', implanted with 4 centimeter retractable blades in her fingers.

Dade

The starting character Digital Thief Ex-Con is a Hacker with a default name of Dade. Dade is also the name of the Hacker protagonist of the 1995 film Hackers.

All your files are belong to us

When grabbing the last file during a Matrix Hunt mission, the Hacker sometimes says, 'All your files are belong to us." This is a reference to an internet meme linked to the 1991 Japanese video game Zero Wing. The opening text of the game is badly translated, saying, "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US." In the early 2000s, that opening text became a widespread joke across the internet, resulting in gifs, memes, music videos, and numerous references and spoofs in internet media.

Space Hat

One member of Six-Gun Val's Head Hunter team has the title Space Hat. This is a reference to a short-lived bug in the Trese Brother's game Star Traders: Frontiers. Until the bug was fixed, one of the contacts in the game was seen with a fedora floating in mid-air. It looked like a UFO. Players called it Space Hat and generated memes about Space Hat. Ironically, the Space Hat on Six-Gun Val's team does not wear a hat.

GanzTech

The pharmaceutical corporation GanzTech mentioned briefly in the game is a reference to a long-running series of jokes and memes in the Trese Brothers Discord during Alpha playtesting. It started with several widespread internet memes about geese. In the discord, this morphed into discussions of cybernetic geese. The German word for goose is Ganz, so GanzTech was born. People would occasionally post on the latest deadly GanzTech advances in GOOSE and H.O.N.K.

Mechanics

Character Levels

The reference table of Character Levels extends further than the maximum Character Level allowed in the game. This is because the internal mechanics of the game needs to know where the nominal "end" of the final level lies. It uses this information to display the Progress Bar and to determine how much Experience Points a Leverage will give - even though this is meaningless if the character cannot advance to the next level. However, if the cap on levels is ever raised (this has happened several times in the game's development), the accumulated Experience Points will be used to place the character into the correct new level.

Boston Easter Eggs

The Avenues

The Avenues in the New Boston Zone are named after locations in contemporary Boston. Commonwealth Avenue is large collector road connecting the center of Boston with its westernmost communities. Copley Square is home to the Boston Public Library and known for its nearby high-end restaurants and shops. Liberty Square lies between Government Center and the Harbor. The Fens is a neighborhood built on landfill, home to several colleges and a parkway known as the Fenway, best known as the site of the Fenway Park baseball field. All of these names also appeared as zones in Cyber Knights Classic.

Harbor Islands

The Harbor Islands in contemporary Boston are several dozen islands in and around Boston Harbor. All but two are part of Massachusetts State Parks and U.S. National Parks. Ferries and tour boats cruise the islands, which have several lighthouse, old forts, and parklands. Three former Harbor Islands no longer exist; as Boston expanded, they were connected by landfill to become East Boston and Logan Airport. Other "islands" are technically peninsulas, having been connected to the mainland by landfill.

Charles River

The Charles River has a long history of pollution. One of the main tributaries is named the Muddy River, and sometimes the same name was applied to the entire Charles River in acknowledgement of the color the river often showed. Starting in the 1960s, people falling into the river were advised to get a tetanus shot. The 1965 song "Dirty Water" by the Standells is talking about the Charles River. Cleanup of the river began about the time the song came out, and in the mid-1990s a major project began. By 2007, swim races were considered safe in the Charles River.

Proc-Gen Mission Names

The names of many proc-gen missions derive from the geography and history of Boston, including:

• B-Town - a rarely-used nickname for Boston
• Boston - "Bah-stun"
• Back Bay - a landfilled neighborhood along the lower Charles River, formerly a tidal zone and bay before a control dam was built
• Cambridge - the city of Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston, is home to MIT and Harvard University
• Charlestown - a neighborhood near Logan Airport and across the bay from the rest of Boston
• Chinatown - a typical Chinatown neighborhood near the center of Boston
• Charles - Boston was built on the mouth of the Charles River
• Coop - starting as a book purchasing cooperative, the Harvard Coop is now a student-oriented retail store at multiple schools
• Copley - a neighborhood which is home to Boston Public Library and many high-end retail stores
• Faneuil - Faneuil Hall is a meeting hall and marketplace near Government Center dating to the colonial period
• Fenway - a neighborhood built on a landfilled marsh (the Fens)
• Harvard - a notable university across the Charles River from Boston
• Irish - Irish immigrants are a significant part of the Boston population and its history
• Marathon - the Boston Marathon is the second oldest annual marathon in the world, known for Heartbreak Hill in the middle
• Mystic - the Mystic River merges with the Charles River to become the Inner Boston Harbor
• P-Town - a nickname for Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, site of the Mayflower landing
• Parkway - the Boston area has numerous roads called parkways with long narrow (1 block wide) stretches of state parkland
• Patriot - Boston revolutionaries during the war for independence
• Revere - name of a revolutionary-era Patriot and also a town near Boston
• Southie - a neighborhood on the south side of Boston
• Storrow - Storrow Drive is a major arterial road and parkway running along the Charles River