Finally found 0451

[sidneyc1990]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2974752086

Code 0451 is a tribute to the immersive sim genre.

[Tiarv]

Wut?

[Rivenlynn]

Originally posted by Tiarv:

Wut?

0451 is a very frequently used pin in immersive sim games, think Prey (2017,) Dishonored, Deus Ex or System Shock. 0451 is usually the first code or just a commonly used code in games similar to those. Initially the inclusion of "451" was thought to be a reference to Fahrenheit 451, the Ray Bradbury novel, but it was actually just based on the real pin for the Looking Glass Studios office.

TL;DR - 0451 as a pin number is usually a reference to the immersive sim genre, originating in System Shock back in 1994.

[[E] Caladus]

This thread made me feel ancient

[Cryptic]

Same. I saw it last night

[Narf2029]

I was disappointed that 0451 wasn't the player's combo. That would have been more in keeping with the tradition as the code to the first device you came across.

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by Narf2029:

I was disappointed that 0451 wasn't the player's combo. That would have been more in keeping with the tradition as the code to the first device you came across.

Wouldn't be that great, because it's hard to remember for players who doesn't know its origin. But the tutorial could've easily used it, given that most of it is scripted anyway^^

[sidneyc1990]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Originally posted by Narf2029:

I was disappointed that 0451 wasn't the player's combo. That would have been more in keeping with the tradition as the code to the first device you came across.

Wouldn't be that great, because it's hard to remember for players who doesn't know its origin. But the tutorial could've easily used it, given that most of it is scripted anyway^^

It would have been too cheesy, definitely. I remember groaning when I saw it featured on Tacoma (from the same guy who did Gone Home).

It's pretty cool though that 451 still shows up in the game as a rare easter egg.

[Maya-Neko]

Well, it's probably just fully randomized except for the players code, so i would hardly call it an easter egg at this point^^

And i've already found 1234 three times in my current city. Good to see, that so many people use the strongest code^^

[Psyringe]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Well, it's probably just fully randomized except for the players code, so i would hardly call it an easter egg at this point^^

I'm not so sure about that. There are clearly codes in the game that aren't just a sequence of random digits, like the "9876" codes that have hints reading "Count downward from 9". That hint couldn't be worded that way if the sequence of digits were random.

0415 could be another of these not fully random codes (as in, randomly assigned to a citizen, but the number sequence isn't randomly generated itself). But it _could_ also be just a coincidence, I'm sure that the RNG can occasionally spit out numbers that have some meaning ascribed to them.

The only way to check this (if the developer doesn't tell us), would be to keep a tally on all codes that you encounter, and then check if the frequency of 0415 is low enough to match that of randomly generated codes, or high enough to match that of pre-generated "meaningful" codes. But I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to go through that effort. ;)

[Rivenlynn]

One very noticeable 0451 can be seen during the startup sequence of any of the computers, assuming you turn them on and stick around to watch the boot sequence. It'll read off "SBL>LOADBOOTTOOLS[0451]>CRUNCH" which is definitely intentional, so even if that 0451 was randomized, there is at least one example of a deliberate 0451 within the game.

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by Psyringe:

I'm not so sure about that. There are clearly codes in the game that aren't just a sequence of random digits, like the "9876" codes that have hints reading "Count downward from 9". That hint couldn't be worded that way if the sequence of digits were random.

Randomness doesn't mean, that these things are impossible though. Obviously the game rolls for "normal, sequence or birth date" first and then proceeds with the respective code generation after wards, but it is still randomly choosen.

If things are manually implemented, then i would rather expect a very specific text to it, which can't be found on any other generic code notice, like how it's the case with the players code. And even if other characters have the 1234, it still uses the same texts as the other codes, which can either be the normal text showing the number directly or the sequence-text

[Psyringe]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Randomness doesn't mean, that these things are impossible though. Obviously the game rolls for "normal, sequence or birth date" first and then proceeds with the respective code generation after wards, but it is still randomly choosen.

Yes, that's what I said in my second paragraph. A code with deliberately chosen, manually selected digits would count as an easter egg regardless of whether it's randomly assigned to a citizen or not, though.

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

If things are manually implemented, then i would rather expect a very specific text to it, which can't be found on any other generic code notice, like how it's the case with the players code. And even if other characters have the 1234, it still uses the same texts as the other codes, which can either be the normal text showing the number directly or the sequence-text

Fair point, but it could also be argued that it's fitting for an easter egg which references a fairly obscure (for people who don't know its history) code to not be so on-the-nose that it gets presented with a specific text. Easter eggs are often presented in a way that is recognizable for players who know the reference, but don't look like anything special for players who aren't.

But again, I have no fixed opinion in this matter. I believe that valid arguments can be made for both "It's an easter egg" and "It's a random coincidence". I'm just saying that I don't see enough evidence to rule out either. And the only way to test it in a somewhat conclusive way (at least as far as I can see) is the procedure that I mentioned in my third paragraph.