Genetic Key

* See also Genetic_Research_Camera
* See also Bio-Electronics
* See also Security_Systems
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Genetic Locks Maybe Are Less Than They Were Said To Be :
Why would Ryan have his Security 'genetically coded' with that mechanism *IF* it was known that it was faulty/insufficient/insecure ?? ( ***CONTRIVED PLOT DETAIL ALERT*** ) Ryan would NOT be the only one who used this coding system, and perhaps simply obtaining a 'genetic sample' from any one of Ryan's Authorized minions ( or THEIR relatives ) would likewise BREAK that system.
Usually such systems also employ a second security measure ( like a code input ) to increase the 'security' ( particularly after that 'genetic' component WAS KNOWN to be insufficient ). 
There's a separate issue of : What a workable SECURE 'Genetic' Scanner device has to be, so that it can be installed in the many hundreds of security 'Locks' (including IN Bathyspheres). How also was this system undone later for Sofia Lamb's unsecured escapades.
Fontaine as Atlas would have faced the security measure too. So how did he get around so easy ??? ( He DOESN'T have that needed "Ryan's Genetic Code" ... does he ???? ) If he could do that why need a 'Jack' assassin ?? Smells a bit fishy to me.
SO The Encoding may have largely been a plausible countermeasure against 'the stupid'.
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Well, that would "put the kibosh" on that whole central plot thing'Ace in The Hole' as it was later labeled was 'More complicated than a Japanese Naval Battle Plan' -- With the potential to FAIL at the least problem developing. ( the reason given for Fontaine creating Jack and WYK in the first place ... )
SO in the MMORPG's cleanup of some of this illogic : It was a sign that Ryan knew exactly what was going on, and Ryan had simply overridden any security which Jack needed to get past, arranging for their eventual meeting ( and so Ryan conned Fontaine by faking his own death and Ryan Didn't Die ).
'Genetic Key ?
Apparently they had these things in Smart Phones to help you uniquely identify yourself. No it doesn't take a genetic sample -- which is what they are talking about in the game for 'genetic keys' ( which, BTW, is technically impossible still today -- and THAT can ANYWAY be sidestepped as a 'sales pitch' for a different technology which creates unique or hard to duplicate key-lock pairs and electronic implementation of the Key and the Lock ).
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Genetic Key(s) :
There seems to be more than one type of lock mechanism involved with these so-called 'Genetic' locks.
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One kind (apparently) which were deployed on The Bathyspheres ( and Vita-Chambers ) were said to be 'genetically locked' ( and "any close relative can use them" ... how convenient ... ). That implies the use of some kind of real genetic scanner 'lock' which reads a person's DNA/Genetic Code to unlock and give access. 
Jack has no Physical Key, so these locks are (somehow) 'sampling' him genetically ... That is really a fairly complicated mechanism. Genetic sampling done from a distance is much much harder/impossible ( Bathyspheres/Vita-Chambers could/might have a simpler contact sensor ON the controls that PHYSICALLY obtains a sample --- "PLEASE SPIT INTO THIS TUBE TO UNLOCK THIS VEHICLE" ... ). A system which then determines genetic patterns from even a physical 'sample' is quite large/expensive/complex/failure-prone. You wouldn't have alot of them so mundanely employed ( and the plot really didn't really need this ). Even Today a lab full of machines at least the bulk of an entire Bathysphere would be needed to get results after several hours. 
So you wouldn't/couldn't have it on every Bathysphere, instead it might be a single unit, like AT the AE Train Station control consoles. There are many other ways to achieve the same game-required "People Can't Leave Because ..." or "People can't use without Authorization" story restrictive situation for the game plot.
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There seem to be many control 'locks' in Rapture which use Physical Keys ( objects which we have seen, ie- Grace has one ) to which the term 'genetic' probably refers to their mechanism being some complex ( very hard to be replicated ) Electronic/Bio-Electronic based lock, with a key that contains a horribly complicated unique matching 'pattern'. Additional security could have been a database lookup (radio/data link) in a secure central pattern/cipher database, to increase the complexity and thwart somewhat any direct access to/hacking of the lock.
Ryan's men would need to be able to access the Bathyspheres ( and many other such security locked things ) to do their jobs. THEY would need to be able to unlock/access them, AND security would dictate having separate Keys to unlock/access different (specifically controlled) things. There is no mention of all their Genetic Frequencies (whatever that is) also being 'on file', to give them universal access, so it makes sense to have had many Physical Security Keys for authorized personnel to carry, which could work alongside Ryan's/Jack's "genetically scanned" Master Key ( If it actually was this ) access.
The Physical Security keys actually could contain a complex genetic-based (cipher) pattern. Remember, we had to get Gil Alexander's DNA sample to build a Key that worked on the Persephone Entry Lock. It doesn't mean that the Key IS genetic material, but rather a pattern was extracted/obtained FROM it, and programmed into a Key's electronics to match the lock whose pattern was originally built the same way. How many different keys open that same lock?? Nothing says that Sofia Lamb's DNA couldn't have also later been used to build a replacement/additional key that would also work on THAT Persephone access door ( parallel locks installed ). In reality, any lock can be got past eventually, and it is more a matter of controlling/restricting the environment of that lock to prevent alternate means of getting past it.
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There also seems to be some more generic identification 'scanning', which the Security Devices do. In BS1, Splicers/Big Daddies initially are not attacked by the Security devices (?? a marker used for the Pheromone Controlled Ryanists ?? But then Atlas's minions also seem "Friended" - so that needs straightening out ), and we seem to be able to hack the devices to change their behavior -- change them to accept the Player as Friend and Splicers/BDs as Enemies ( simple disablement would seem to have been a simpler hack ). With whole changeable groups of Friends vs Foes, it CANNOT BE JUST be "Ryan's genetic code" for that system to work ( The Rapture Novel had active signal 'flashers' ( coded pattern of blinking lights ? ) which Ryan's people wore to handle this Friend-Or-Foe identification by the security machines -- a much more plausible mechanism ).
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Various different areas/systems of Rapture have local control mechanisms ( and there is the Master Control in Ryan's Office ). SO what securely-controlled method was used to originally create all these Keys ( and the corresponding locks ) ? That process has to be secure. We do build a new Master Key for Atlas/Fontaine in BS1's plot ( which is a special Universal Key apparently ) right there in Ryan's office ( just as in the Real World you have to secure/protect the key making process, and usually one system only issues the 'key' authorizations ).
It would have been would have been a logical safeguard for some additional manual password to be simultaneously entered ( or just some complicated sequence ) which only Ryan knew, to prevent/protect against the obvious methods of defeating the whole Security Lock System ( obtaining a stolen key, getting access to that room/machine, or taking tissue from Ryan ). But of course, Jack couldn't break that extra security measure, so it would not work for the plot. ( *** MMORPG SPOILER *** In the MMORPG, Ryan had NO intention of having Atlas/Fontaine have his Master Key, and the whole death scene was a sham, so such logical extra security wouldn't be a problem. )
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A possible 'out' to alleviate some of these unworkable contortions with the alleged 'genetic' scanning : That radio Jack carries to talk to Atlas might have a built-in Security Flasher ( arranged by Atlas ), and the Bathyspheres by then might have been largely hacked, so anyone could use them ( OR were pre-hacked for Jack -- again arranged by Atlas in the path he takes Jack ). The whole Genetic 'Lock Down' thing could have really just been rumor or a story intended to cover the actual mechanism (or something tested but was later reverted/abandoned). The Security Locks were likely all Physical object operated - with keys and lock modules, issued by Ryan's secured code machine, and installed on important doors, Bathysphere controls, and important machinery/infrastructure. Of course, post-Ryan, just about anything could have been hacked, if the systems weren't kept up ( which some of the MMORPG Factions may/could/would have done ).
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Keys/Locks for the MMORPG : There would be the old systems, while New Rapture's could be modified ( as Splicers seem to commonly hack older systems ). Reverting back to 'good old' mechanical locks and combinations systems would be obvious, for want of anything more complex. Locks can't stop determined attack - When you simply physically tear the door down, so the security measures always have limitations ( and only a few places could have the equivalent of 'bank vault' doors ).
Private keyed 'genetic' locks might have existed outside 'official' security ( and not just combination locks, or like the ones WE were allowed to 'hack' through a convenient hole in the barrier ). Genetic (complex) locks might be usable by Players ( their complexity would make them hard to come by/expensive ). New Rapture City Security might employ something like them for important things. Most of such security locks might be on systems found in the old parts of the city, which the players might have to defeat ( or bypass when they've stopped working ).
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The So-Called 'Genetic' Locks :
The Genetic nature of them perhaps being more a 'Sales' gimmick than reality -- making the things psychologically sound more secure - by use of the Rapture-hyped buzzword "genetic".
The Keys (and locks) - purely a electronic pair of devices encoded in a way to make them extremely hard to copy/replicate. Perhaps some long cipher key 'vanity' based on a person's genetic scan ( though wouldn't you just need to obtain some minor tissue sample to replicate that ?? )
Ryan's Genetic Frequency ( Vita-Chambers ) ... Huh ? The BS 'Quantum Entanglement' thing was added to the game just to explain the Reconstitution on Death game mechanic ( instead of the Player having to go back through an interface and reload a particular Save File -- avoiding auto-checkpoints and constant manual Saves ). (( I played in all the games' through many-many replays using the Vita-Chambers only once, and THAT was on Easy when I didn't even bother to do intentional periodic Saves and got stuck in a defect in the scenery - Pharaoh's Fortune Casino at a Safe) and didn't want to replay the whole level, so I committed suicide to get past the bug )).
Security Devices allegedly identifying YOU by your 'genetic' signature ? - Neat trick how they grab a blood sample remotely, or take a cheek swab, or somesuch with the sample Pneumo'd off to a genetics Testing Lab (or is it Teleportation ? ), which then runs some battery of tests for 'genetic' indicators/tags/markers ( and then a 'matching' up to your On-file genetic profile ... )
Like fingerprinting today - where most people are NOT fingerprinted (yet)), Rapture would NOT have had intrusive Genetic Pre-sampling to put everyone "On File". Private security might use something like this for 'members' ( but probably wouldn't shoot someone 'unknown' except in a few high security areas - certainly not for automatic devices ).
But, but, but .. IT worked for Jack !! Anything can be hacked (according to Navarro) so the various 'locks' of whatever kind (particularly along the path Atlas takes Jack in BS1) may no longer still be secured by the time Jack arrived. Remember also : Just about everything 'Atlas' tells Jack is a lie.
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"Ryan had us Install some Kinda Genetic device into the things so only Ryan and his inner circle will be able to 'use em without dispensation." - from  Sullivan Audio Diary  :
 "without dispensation" 
SO there could still be large number of 'authorized' Citizens making use of the Bathyspheres.  People still needed to work, and the 'trusted' ones were still needed to keep the City operating.  The Trolleys would still work to many unrestricted areas. For certain important people ( whom Ryan still needed the support and cooperation of ) the Bathyspheres use would be desired/allowed.   Flying Squads of his Security forces might move suddenly to additional locations in the security network using 'Authorized Bathysphere Use'.
The primary purpose of the city lockdown was to prevent Atlas's terrorists from making use of them, and to prevent desperate people from attempting to escape to the Surface ( which might lead to The Surface learning about Rapture's existence, OR cause alot of 'frozen to death' Citizens ).   Cameras and checked  IDs/Security passes ( "IDs required beyond this point" ) would thwart Rapture's enemies WITHOUT a complete Bathysphere shutdown. 
Genetic Detection/Reading isn't even possible TODAY ( unless you want to wait for the $100 million dollar lab results to come back 'in a week' after sending in your physical samples ). Doing such a thing 'remotely' would be far more difficult ( some kind of genetic 'sniffer' like a dog does perhaps ).
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BTW how did Atlas/Fontaine get around if the Bathyspheres didn't work for him ?? Must've been many other ways around Rapture then ( for those who know them ).
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 Genetic Key : "The Key to Rapture is a special stylized card like device which presumably contains Ryan's genetic code and gives the bearer a certain level of control over the underwater city."
Why would Ryan ever in a million years make one of these ??  HE contains his own genetic code, so needs no key ( scanners elsewhere show genetic IDing to work with no 'key' needed ).
Who would/could Ryan trust with it.  There might be limited access keys with non-genetic passcodes in them ( ie- Grace's station key you get to get past Paupers Drop ).
Again, more of "the plot says so" BS ( the writers couldn't think of anything better ).
When Jack used the key to stop the self-destruct in BS1, how exactly did THAT give total control to Atlas/Fontaine ???
Assuming such a key existed, there should have been a scene with Jack 'hypnotized'/knocked out ( "Would you kindly, go into a deep sleep" ) and had Atlas slip in to take the key  ( or simply order Jack to bring it to him in a safe well lighted place..... )   "Would you kindly, Pneumo  Ryan's "Key to the City" to this mail address....."
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== Other Things that Supposedly use 'genetic' detection :  ==
* see Genetic_Research_Camera
Genetic Key Technology :
How would this Technology Work ?
We already had the Research Cameras which uses some kind of 'genetic' tech ( 'sort of' - though how you sample DNA from a distance ?  Hmm, a retractable sampling dart ? That might get the attention of the target. The BS2 research camera is not quite same though).  Maybe it was Brain Waves and different Splicers/machines have different signatures ??? A 'sniffer' that samples the skin cells that go floating off all humans constantly ?  That's all a subject for another article).   Not sure how you get 'genetic' data-whatever from/for a machine ( security cameras/turrets ) - did all of them have bio-electronics ?
Reader unit that can read Basic DNA markers  - that has limited use (the 'relatives' issue...)
Not sure why you would HAVE to have a physical 'Key', as the idea is that the machines genetic reading 'Lock' is supposed to take the sample of the user and decide if it passes ( like the ones allegedly on the bathyspheres, but probably much more secure ).   It does restrict use and the card itself would serve as a second ID component ( internal electronics containing complementary 'key' data ).
Third data component should have been biometric data of some kind at the reader ( hand geometry biometrics are pretty easy ).  The combination of three of 'key' components would make it harder to break/hack.
Different keys ?? Could have different (limited) permissions (ie- Graces Key).  We never hear that Sander Cohen or Steinman have their own keys.  It would be logical for some of Ryan's Constables and security forces to have various 'keys' to be able to operate Bathyspheres (and other things).
The key to get into Persephone was just a generic key loaded with Gil Alexander's DNA sample ...
Of course as Pablo Navarro said : "Sure, the boys in Ryan's lab can make it hack-proof. But that don't mean we ain't gonna hack it.".  SO years later after BS2 any/all such locks could have been hacked by that time.
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* see Security Systems
* see Flybot
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Locks and Keys :
What good is it if 'any old imbecile', who only just read about lockpicking (Note - never actually did it for real) in a book, CAN open your locks ? Pretty lame locks then. Inferior. But then unauthorized picking a lock in Columbia probably got your hand cut off ( or hung if you were one of the lesser races ).
Even those numeric locks we saw in Rapture should have had some Electric Shock if you got the combination wrong ( really it should be after 3 fails, and stop accepting attempts for 5 minutes to ) so that someone doesn't just systematically cycle through the 10000 combinations, and eventually get it over time. ( Upping the combination mechanism to 5 or 6 digits of course would be a logical measure, though you need something to remove/prevent the 'Someone Watching You Unlock Your Lock to Get the Combination' way of breaking that system. In the BioShock games, there was nobody to stop us Tearing the lock open to 'Hack' it ).
Of course in a game with a smidgen more realism, you can batter your way through a lock, or the door itself, with enough effort (if noone cares - and in the MMORPG there the doors won't be fake).
Those magic key card locks (BS1/BS2) could probably be hacked, but what kind of Solo/Linear Plot game would it be when you could easily skip those 'Fetch-It-to-Get-to-the-Next-Part-of-the-Game' Missions ?
Genetic Key I've mentioned as being more realistically (Sci-Fi) encrypted electronics INSTEAD of some weird 'genetic scanner thing' ( in which case if it worked that way then Fontaine could NEVER have used Ryan's ALL RAPTURE 'Master Key' ).
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Genetic Locks For All in MMORPG ??? :
Technology once reserved for the high and mighty, ( like Ryan's security locks on the Bathyspheres and Vita-Chambers and those plot-important 'genetic keys' ) has had a few break-throughs and will allow locking down your in-game apartment, to protect all the goodies you will accumulate. The Gun Turrets had some kind of simple system (easily hacked) that could selectively pick (or ignore) targets, but that may not have been a proper 'genetic' recognition system. Nothing so primitive here.
In BS2 you have to get a DNA/genetic sample from the behemoth Gil Alexander to make a 'genetic key' to get you into Sofia Lamb's lair, but that kind of key would be more like a complex cipher, versus a simpler coded lock system which people would have on their apartment doors ( that need to be cheaper and simpler ).
A Genetic door lock - is this any better than the number locks??? ( which should be extended to 7 digits to make them a bit more secure -- Odd that those Combo Locks didn't have the 'hack' Shock, and we never got any 'first 3 digits are XXX' that we then would rather simply have to try the 10 possible last digit to break. ) I think I would tire ( game-wise ) of having to remember/enter 7 digits, instead of the door auto-magically unlocking for me every time. WE COULD HAVE Telephone Style Mnemonics - USE Words using the 1=ABC 2=DEF 3=GHI etc... 
Part of a web of 'justification' for some of the MMORPGs 'anti-griefing' provisions that prevent 14-year old mentalities from abusing social conventions - Like stealing/attempting to steal everything not bolted down ( ... instead of having automatic 'guards' Kill them, and then their having to wait a week to generate a new character ).
The various genetic technology components are still to be found laying about the City, waiting to be salvaged by intrepid adventurers. Imagine what a ADAM genetically enhanced 'Epstein the Swami' machine could do for you ... ( ' What is the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow' ??? )
Similarly the Camera scanners ( seen several times in Fontaine Futuristic ) are also very useful tools for Security Checkpoints - are a bit more complex in their systemry ( ex- at City Hall all Ex-Splicers/Citizens are on file in a 'database' ). A partial genetic scanning ability makes them useful in spotting Splicers infiltrating The City ( the game should have some Missions/Quests dealing with that scenario, as New Rapture's goodies would be a draw for every Sneak Thief Splicer still living ).
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The Genetic Lock Stuff NOT 'Too Well' Thought Out By The Writers :
Jack supposedly was about ~4 years old when he came to Rapture ?? ( Having s passable psyche but of limited utility ).
The game has him SPECIFICALLY be Ryan's Son (versus any-old easier-to-obtain assassin pawn) to break certain security measures ( which likely weren't even developed yet -- 4 YEARS BEFORE THE KASHMIR INCIDENT THREW RAPTURE INTO AN EMERGENCY SITUATION -- remember how they had Ryan mention how he limited his power and impositions on the populace ).
ref
So logically if you backdate from BS1 in 1960/61(?) that 4 years (56/57) PLUS the time the 'Ace in the Hole' development work WHICH HAD to happen to begin to produce him (1 -2 years ??? 53, 54, 55 56)
(Note - seem way too early *AND* 'ADAM' technology really isn't very sophisticated yet).
ref When did Suchong go on Fontaine's payroll ??? ( Novel has it as >>>>> )
It is explained that City/Ryan security implementation across Rapture hadn't even happened yet ( That was a much denounced product of the %27civil war%27 LOCKDOWN, which is supposed to have happened mostly AFTER the Kashmir Incident ). SO how could Fontaine then foresee it ( illogical and unexplained as there would be no good answer ).
THUS, the above dates/timespans together don't really support this 'Assassin created to get through Security' plot idea.
Other "Genetic" Locks (seen in game) took a Key mechanism pix ( it is simpler, versus it being some SOPHISTICATED miniaturized INSTANT Bioscanner we don't even have today ), and the more-secure higher-security locks ( like on Ryan's private stuff ) would have ADDITIONAL manual Codes --- which Jack wasn't shown to have ( and would be unlikely to get, and if prepossessed by Atlas/Fontaine could have been DIRECTLY used instead of this horrendously complex cloned assassin thing in the story ).
The Everything can be Hacked 'clue' in an Audio Diary ( ref found here ) would also pertain to any Genetic Lock too, no ?
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NOTE it is said : IF Jack passing through parts of Rapture HAD NOT had Ryan's genetic pattern then the automated security would have killed him immediately. SO why isn't Atlas ( or his few remaining minions ) likewise dead ? He moves about and should be EVEN MORE at hazard than Jack was.
Smells a bit fishy, and its not just the stench from Neptunes Bounty there. Just more lies from Atlas ( and the game writers misleading story ).
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Sullivan Case #313 (Security Breach Investigation) :
The case of Ryan's Barber using hair clippings to fool (some of) the 'Genetic Security' - An obvious hack that meant there were ( WOULD EVENTUALLY ALSO BE ) manual codes/keys NEEDED for anything more than Low-Security use of those "Genetic" Locks ( an unfortunate gamewriter's buzzword-driven 'neat idea' for Rapture technologies we DON'T EVEN HAVE TODAY - Oh Yes you can read/match significant genetic patterns, but you have to STILL wait days/weeks for results - even now ).
Near-precise-match 'Genetic Lock' ( improved after the failures ) mechanisms are likely FAR too complex ( and big, cumbersome and heavy ) and bothersome (maintenance-wise/cost-wise) to put on a routinely-used 'Bathysphere' ( better on the Station doors, ya think, maybe ).
Such a system would NEED a Settable List Library of ALL Authorized personnel - not just Ryan ( and such a system 'calling home' to authorize unlock is yet another Security problem ). Voice Print Lock, with as many limitations, at least might be simpler to implement ( as in its Sensor input mechanism ).
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UPSHOOT OF ALL THIS : Any 'Genetic' systems were superseded or modified to generate the 'Security' originally intended.
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Ryan IS STILL ALIVE, SO THEN :
Genetic Key (( can't be too Simple except to Simpleton writers ))
There would be Security Codes used WITH such a 'Control' Key - Punched into an Access Console ( along with the presence of the 'Key' ). 
Ryan's Access System would have required these Codes, OR anyone who simply stole the key would be able to do alot of very bad things. (( Many Imbeciles using the Internet these days even understand such concepts ))
The Rapture Control Codes DIED with Ryan ( Or would have ). SO the intended fake'd use of 'The Key' ( without codes ) was a Charade that Ryan had set up to fool Atlas ( The Fake Control Key's use telling Ryan exactly where Atlas was, so Ryan could have the Atlas parasite finally exterminated in Rapture ).
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A Real Electronic Key. Programmable with a Cypher to be interrogated by a security system containing a similar Cypher. The key handle there contains the battery, and there is an IC chip containing the circuitry.
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Columbia Comstock House : Magic Hand Print Lock - Just too much Fantasy in this game ( that 1900 Era ).
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