Code Wheels

Overview

Code wheels (or “feelies”) were rotating cardboard discs used as copy protection, primarily in adventure and RPG games. Players would align symbols on the wheel and read off the resulting code. Used famously in The Secret of Monkey Island (“Dial-a-Pirate”), they were more creative than intrusive, though ultimately defeatable by photocopying.

Fast Facts

Era: Late 1980s-early 1990s
Users: LucasArts, SSI, Origin, others
Method: Physical rotating disc
Famous example: Dial-a-Pirate
Weakness: Photocopiable
Legacy: Fondly remembered

How They Worked

Step	Action
1	Game shows challenge (e.g., pirate face)
2	Player finds matching element on wheel
3	Aligns inner and outer wheels
4	Reads code from window
5	Enters code to proceed

Famous Examples

Game	Wheel Name	Theme
Monkey Island	Dial-a-Pirate	Pirate faces
Pool of Radiance	Translation wheel	Runes
Starflight	Star finder	Coordinates
Wing Commander	Ship identification	Silhouettes

Design Philosophy

Code wheels were designed to be:

Thematic - Part of the game world
Physical - Hard to digitise (pre-scanner)
Acceptable - Less annoying than other methods
Collectible - “Feelie” value

Why They Worked (Briefly)

In the pre-scanner era:

Photocopying round objects was awkward
Colour wheels harder to copy well
Most users didn’t try
Physical object felt valuable

Why They Failed

Eventually:

Scanners became common
Flat scans worked well enough
Complete code lists shared online
Emulators included cracks

Player Reception

Unlike Lenslock, code wheels were:

Generally tolerated
Sometimes enjoyed
Seen as creative
Fondly remembered today

Legacy

Code wheels represented copy protection done (relatively) right—integrated into the game’s theme, not overly intrusive, and sometimes genuinely fun to use. They’re now collectors’ items, valued for nostalgia rather than resented for inconvenience.

Analog DRM