Security codes, color wheels, etc... for old PC games?

[BoneSnapDeez]

I have some Tandy Color games that I can't play because they're disk-only copies and I lack the "access codes". Is this type of stuff archived anywhere on the internet? I can't even seem to find scans of the instruction manuals. I've tried multiple Google searches with no luck.

[Luke]

I have some Tandy Color games that I can't play because they're disk-only copies and I lack the "access codes". Is this type of stuff archived anywhere on the internet? I can't even seem to find scans of the instruction manuals. I've tried multiple Google searches with no luck.

I used my Google-Fu and came up empty as well as far as access codes. If you know the name of the game, I would suggest using a long tail search within quotations.

Sorry I couldn't help.

[lwcook]

Names of the games would help immensely.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Thanks for looking Luke. Tandy information on the internet is pretty scarce - it doesn't have the same sort of cult following as the Commodore 64. I can find literally zero information on some of these games (most weren't even in the RFGeneration database yet).

Names of the games would help immensely.

Haha, yeah sorry 'bout that. I created this thread on a whim at work. I know that Pitfall II is one of the games - I'll have to look up the others later.

I found some YouTube videos of some of these games, but the users began recording when the gameplay actually began, not during the boot-up screens.

What's frustrating is that I actually had instruction manuals for a couple of these, but I tossed them because they were immensely filthy and smoke-scented.

[Hobie-wan]

Manual and code wheel security should be the same across platforms if they are the same release of something. I'm pretty sure the code wheels for Bard's Tale III were exactly the same between my C64 and my friend's Apple II copy.

[Luke]

Call me nuts, but when I was a kid entering access codes to access a game like:

"Turn to page 24 of manual, second word, third paragraph"

I felt like a computer mastermind. And what a great way to halt piracy.

Call me nuts again, but I would fully support having to enter a "pin" or "code" in order to play next gen games. That feature would make it "your" game and possibly more valuable.

[isiolia]

Call me nuts again, but I would fully support having to enter a "pin" or "code" in order to play next gen games. That feature would make it "your" game and possibly more valuable.

To me, that's pretty much how things are now with some services, with the game being tied to your account. Log in to Steam, or Battle.net, Origin, or whatever to gain access to your games.

Could also consider the authenticators/security tokens that a fair number of MMOs offer as additional account security.

I know you probably mean an offline kind of thing, but I just don't see it making sense to publishers next to the already-functioning online DRM systems.

[Hobie-wan]

I see it making a lot of sense for publishers instead of using sometimes-functioning online DRM systems.

FTFY

[isiolia]

I see it making a lot of sense for publishers instead of using sometimes-functioning online DRM systems.

FTFY

Uptime for Steam tends to be quite good

An offline unique PIN or password would be a nightmare to support. Think how many times people around the world click "forgot password" links.

[Hobie-wan]

Uptime for Steam tends to be quite good

And others, not so much sometimes when it counts.