

..The Outer Limits..

                         Neuromancer Code Wheel

         First, a short explanation of the evolution of code wheels.  The code
wheel is a form of protection against piracy of a particular game.  They first
appeared (to my knowledge) in the Electronic Arts game Amnesia in the form of
a "street index".  The next appearance was much later, in Legacy of the
Ancients, also EA.  The third (and most complicated one) was included in Bards
Tale III.  And, as you may have guessed, the latest use is in Neuromancer. The
first two also included disk protection, but the companies seem to be relying
on just the code wheel for their protection against piracy, as the last two
have had no disk protection whatsoever.  The protection comes when, at certain
points in the game, you will be given a set of two, three or four (depending
on the complexity of the wheel) words or locations or whatever, and, using the
code wheel, you must provide the required answer, or you will not be able to
proceed with that function.  Without the wheel and without altering the
programming of the disk, you are stuck.

         What is a code wheel?  It is two or three concentric paper circles,
each one smaller than the one beneath it, so that only the outer ring of the
larger one(s) shows.  It is on the outer ring that one set of words are
printed.  On the outside edge of the smallest circle can be found the second
set of words. One or several small windows are also cut out of the smallest
circle (and in the case of three wheels, windows may also be cut out of the
middle wheel at random points) so that the requested code numbers or words may
be seen through them.  If there is more than one window, each window will have
its own name printed above or below it.  In the most simple application, the
use would be something like this: the player is given the conditions of A and
B.  He would rotate the code wheel until A on the outer circle lines up with B
on the inner circle and observe the code through through the window.  In the
case of multiple windows, he would have been given A, B, and C, rotated as
before to line up A and B and look through window C for the answer.  Such is
the case with Neuromancer.

         The code wheel in Neuromancer is used to operate the PAX machine
found at various locations throughout the game.  You will be given three
access codes and asked for a verification code.  There are 16 possible A's,
B's and C's.  The codes are broken down into two tables.  The first tables
gives A (outer ring) and B (inner ring), to be cross referenced to each other
to get a position number. This position number will be cross referenced with C
(windows) to give the 3 to 6 digit verification code.  The access codes you
will be given are listed below with THREE LETTERS IN UPPER CASE (usually the
first three, but not always, so I have tried to draw your attention to the
ones that do not have the first three in caps).  These will correspond to the
abbreviations in the tables.  Good luck!


       A                        B                         C
---------------          ---------------
NIGht city news          EMPeror norton            ASAno computing
CHAtsubo                 CYBerjack                 SPAcedock
CYBerspace               RATz                      SPace Colony <--
GEMeinschaft             HOLografix                FLAtline
CRAzy edo                LARry moe                 ZIOn cluster
MICrosofts               PAX                       MARcus garvey
CHEap hotel              SKIll chips               CRYptology
JULius deane             SHIn's pawn               AI (only two letters)
DONut world              GENtleman loser           BANk of berne
LAWbot                   MAAs biolabs              BAnk of Zurich <--
DATabase                 JUStice booth             CHIba city
SHIva                    CYberDeck <--             FUJi electric
FREeside                 COMlink                   HOLy joystick
SOFtwarez                ICEbreaker                COMpu-judge
MATrix                   ROM construct             HITachi biotech
MAtt Shaw <--            COWboy                    ONO-sendai


                                Table 1

                                   A
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         | N | C | C | G | C | M | C | J | D | L | D | S | F | S | M | M |
         | I | H | Y | E | R | I | H | U | O | A | A | H | R | O | A | A |
         | G | A | B | M | A | C | E | L | N | W | T | I | E | F | T | S |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |  EMP  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16|
 |  CYB  | 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15|
 |  RAT  | 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14|
 |  HOL  | 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13|
 |  LAR  | 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12|
 |  PAX  | 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11|
 |  SKI  | 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10|
B|  SHI  | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
 |  GEN  | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
 |  MAA  | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
 |  JUS  | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
 |  CYD  | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
 |  COM  | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
 |  ICE  | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 | 3 |
 |  ROM  | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 | 2 |
 |  COW  | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 1 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                 Table 2

                                    C
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     | ASA  | SPA  | SPC  | FLA  | ZIO | MAR | CRY | AI  | BAN| BAZ| CHI| FUJ|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 | 1 |113667|162324|152777|056201|71312|43267|61255|34755|5517|4102|1337|4327|
 | 2 |060734|073611|040327|054127|44321|21400|07362|23671|7107|0170|4300|0703|
 | 3 |131265|061254|004713|114352|76631|65110|61645|71724|4102|5116|0072|6040|
 | 4 |063124|127170|051435|126443|61543|61723|36112|00206|0170|6160|4120|5150|
 | 5 |162324|067144|157223|030654|70012|51666|50127|22372|5116|5165|1316|6162|
 | 6 |073611|031776|056201|014527|34770|31270|74655|42074|6160|0017|3601|2174|
P| 7 |061254|031770|054127|132077|43267|45771|67237|71226|5165|1053|3347|6124|
O| 8 |127170|121777|114352|067123|21400|41317|34755|61627|0017|5423|1777|1337|
S| 9 |067144|117372|126443|036160|65110|61456|23671|01326|1053|3173|2730|4300|
 | 10|031776|011772|030654|013026|61723|44312|71724|61255|5423|0423|4327|0072|
 | 11|031770|115721|014527|152336|51666|71312|00206|07362|3173|5120|0703|4120|
 | 12|121777|021655|132077|152777|31270|44321|22372|61645|0423|6116|6040|1316|
 | 13|117372|113667|067123|040327|45771|76631|42074|36112|5120|3121|5150|3601|
 | 14|011772|060734|036160|004713|41317|61543|71226|50127|6116|0177|6162|3347|
 | 15|115721|131265|013026|051435|61456|70012|61627|74655|3121|5517|2174|1777|
 | 16|021655|063124|152336|157223|44312|34770|01326|67237|0177|7107|6124|2730|


                                 Table 2 (cont'd)

             C
----------------------
     |HOL|COM|HIT|ONO|
----------------------
 | 1 |512|533|236|473|
 | 2 |700|673|714|614|
 | 3 |254|333|024|672|
 | 4 |017|434|424|321|
 | 5 |533|300|473|072|
 | 6 |673|410|614|507|
P| 7 |333|054|672|725|
O| 8 |434|313|321|571|
S| 9 |300|733|072|430|
 | 10|410|616|507|775|
 | 11|054|167|725|103|
 | 12|313|213|571|045|
 | 13|733|512|430|236|
 | 14|616|700|775|714|
 | 15|167|254|103|024|
 | 16|213|017|045|424|



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