In the mid-90s, the battle against software piracy wasn't fought with always-on internet connections or complex digital keys. Instead, it was fought with physical artifacts. For fans of the 1995 MS-DOS cult classic Knights of Xentar , that artifact was the legendary, and often frustrating, . What Was the Knights of Xentar Code Wheel?
Today, this process seems archaic, but in the era before widespread internet access, it was a clever deterrent against software piracy. A software pirate would need to copy not just the game's floppy disks but also reproduce the physical code wheel to sell a functional product. The manual for Knights of Xentar explicitly states this: "You need the code wheel to play the diskette version. If your game does not contain a code wheel, return it immediately to the place of purchase". It also added a stern warning: "Take care not to lose or damage the code wheel! Replacements are not free". knights of xentar code wheel
Because Knights of Xentar checks for this wheel every time you start a new adventure, a missing wheel effectively bricks original, legal copies of the game. This has made the preservation of the code wheel a priority for retro gaming enthusiasts. Modern Solutions: How to Bypass the Code Wheel Today In the mid-90s, the battle against software piracy
While many RPGs of this era used "word lookups" from specific pages in the manual, Knights of Xentar What Was the Knights of Xentar Code Wheel
Do you need help finding a or a DOSBox configuration that skips the check?