tepples wrote:
So it's essentially a special case of
Valve's "flower" input method for hex nibbles.
Yes, and no. Input method is the same, usage is different.
Password works as an instructions for what you'll have to press in order to enter the password. You don't have to know what value each direction-button combination represent.
blargg wrote:
It seems to trade efficiency in entry for tedium in recording and representation.
It would, if we were in the 80's or 90's. These days people just tend to take photos of the password using camera.
Even if player would decide to write password down on paper, I think this would improve the overrall efficiency of using the password system when compared to string passwords, since when writing down or entering the password player would have to look only in one place. The most tedious part when entering a string password is that you'll have to look at the password and the screen at the same time.
blargg wrote:
Also, do the entries have to be chords? Since it requires that the directional component be entered first, it seems it could just have you press them in sequence. Since you impose that odd entries are directional and even ones buttons, this bit of information is lost so it still only has 2 bits per press as with the chords.
Entering in chords is necessary for the user interface to be simple. In this way you can use A and B for moving the cursor, and start and select for accepting and returning to the previous menu.
If password would be entered in a sequence instead of chrods, you couldn't move the cursor when entering even entries. Unless you would in that case use d-pad for moving the cursor, but that would be just silly.