History Main / OnePasswordAttemptEver

!!Examples

* ''Literature/JediApprentice'': {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d when Qui-Gon tries to guess his [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil evil ex-apprentice]] Xanatos' password and muses that someone as arrogant and untrusting as Xanatos would have the computer set to trigger an alarm if even one incorrect attempt were entered. [[spoiler:Fortunately for Qui-Gon, Xanatos' password is laughably guessable.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E742 "42"]], the Doctor and Martha end up on a ship under lockdown operating on a system like this. To unlock each door they had to answer a seemingly simple trivia question someone on the ship would know, or else it stays locked and they can't retry. Unfortunately, thanks to crew rotations the people who set the original questions aren't on board anymore, the ship is in the process of falling into a sun, and Martha isn't exactly a trivia expert...

* In ''VideoGame/DynamiteHeaddy'', after the credits have rolled, a screen appears where you could enter a 4-digit password on a keypad. You only get one shot at entering the password (which changes for every playthrough). Completing the basketball minigames reveals the password number by number.

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' manages to subvert the trope. While most cases where you need a password or electronic PIN have a limit on the amount of guesses (as you'd expect), you can simply reverse time and try as many times as you like.

* In the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Advance Wars: Dark Conflict in Europe/Australia), {{The Hero}}es come across an underground bunker that has supplies they desperately need. The problem is, the bunker cannot be breached and they can only try the password twice. First, Brenner/O'Brian tries his military access code. When that is rejected, the team is left with one guess for a ten-digit password. Luckily Will/Ed had been talking to Isabella/Catleia an she had been muttering a ten-digit number over and over. With no other option, they enter the code. When the doors open, the team is left baffled at how she could've possibly know that code.

* In the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Advance Wars: Dark Conflict in Europe/Australia), TheHeroes come across an underground bunker that has supplies they desperately need. The problem is, the bunker cannot be breached and they can only try the password twice. First, Brenner/O'Brian tries his military access code. When that is rejected, the team is left with one guess for a ten-digit password. Luckily Will/Ed had been talking to Isabella/Catleia an she had been muttering a ten-digit number over and over. With no other option, they enter the code. When the doors open, the team is left baffled at how she could've possibly know that code.

* In ''Shin Megami Tensei: VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', Atsuro's friend 10-Bit has important information on his COMP, but dies before he can tell him the password. The COMP is set to lock up if the wrong password is entered, and the only thing you know is it's a four-digit number. The password turns out to be based on 10-Bit's name, being the value of the [[UsefulNotes/PowersOfTwoMinusOne tenth bit in a binary number]], 1023.

* Some operating systems, mostly on smartphones, have an optional feature that will erase all data on the device after X number of failed login attempts, in case it's stolen.

* Downplayed with ATM cards. You usally get three attempts to enter your PIN correctly; the third time that you enter the wrong one will disable or capture your card and you'll then have to call your bank to obtain a new card.

* Downplayed with ATM cards. You usally get three attempts to enter your PIN correctly; the third time will disable or capture your card and you'll then have to call your bank to obtain a new card.

* In ''Shin Megami Tensei: VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', Atsuro's friend 10-Bit has important information on his COMP, but dies before he can tell him the password. The COMP is set to lock up if the wrong password is entered, and the only thing you know is it's a four-digit number. The password turns out to be based on 10-Bit's name, being the value of the [[PowersOfTwoMinusOne tenth bit in a binary number]], 1023.

** At another point, they encounter an ancient one. A stone tube with lettered tumblers on the sides, a glass chamber holding an ancient scroll, surrounded by apple vinegar. If the answer is spelled out, it will open. If it's incorrect, the pressure of the misaligned tumblers will shatter the glass, causing the vinegar to disolve the scroll.

[[AC:{{Live Action TV}}]]

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the Doctor and Martha end up on a ship on lockdown operating on a system like this. To unlock each door they had to answer a seemingly simple trivia question someone on the ship would know, or else it stays locked and they can not retry. Unfortunately, thanks to crew rotations the people who set the original questions aren't on board any more, the ship was about to hurdle into a sun, and Martha isn't exactly a trivia expert...

* At Alcatraz, the locks on some of the doors prisoners were never supposed to go near were designed so that using an incorrect key would disable them. During one infamous escape attempt, one escapee had a ring full of keys that didn't include the correct one. He didn't get out that way.

* In ''Film/TheFlyII'', Bartok Industries scientists attempt to activate Martin's telepods when he escapes. This is actually a case of ''Two'' Password Attempts Ever, because when they give the wrong password at the computer's prompt of [[AC:WHAT'S THE MAGIC WORD?]], it gives them another chance, telling them, [[AC:WARNING: INCORRECT RESPONSE WILL ACTIVATE TAPEWORM]]. Bartok understands that only Martin knows the "magic word."

* At Alcatraz, the locks on some of the doors prisoners were never supposed to go near were designed so that using an incorrect key would disable them. During one infamous escape attempt, one escapee had a ring full of keys that didn't include the correct one. He didn't get out that way.

[[AC:Other]]
* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' report [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-093 SCP-093 ("Red Sea Object")]]. In the "Violet" test the Foundation team tries to log into a computer they find. The first attempt fails, after which the screen prints a message that the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded and the PC turns itself off.

* In the ''Series/ThunderbirdsAreGo'' episode "Space Race", the Thunderbirds are attempting to deactivate a space-based automated weapon left over from an old war. It was built with a deactivation code, but they get only one attempt to use it, because any error will cause the weapon to assume the worst and destroy itself, the person entering the code, and anything else that happens to be within range.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the Doctor and Martha end up on a ship on lockdown operating on a system like this. To unlock each door they had to answer a seemingly simple trivia question someone on the ship would know, or else it stays locked and they can not retry. Unfortunately, most of the crew ended up dead before they got there, the ship was about to hurdle into a sun, and Martha isn't exactly a trivia expert...

!Examples

** The whole is justifed as the information on it is very, very, important, it can not fall into the wrong hands, and the person who received the COMP would be the only other person who would figure out the password.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' report [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-093 SCP-093 ("Red Sea Object")]]. In the "Violet" test the Foundation team tries to log into a computer they find. The first attempt fails, after which the screen prints a message that the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded and the PC turns itself off.

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* In the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Advance Wars: Dark Conflict in Europe/Australia), TheHeroes come across an underground bunker that has supplies they desperately need. The problem is, the bunker cannot be breached and they can only try the password twice. First, Brenner/O'Brian tries his military access code. When that is rejected, the team is left with one guess for a ten-digit password. Luckily Will/Ed had been talking to Isabella/Catleia an she had been muttering a ten-digit number over and over. With no other option, they enter the code. When the doors open, the team is left baffled at how she could've possibly know that code.

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* In ''Shin Megami Tensei: VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', Atsuro's friend 10-Bit has important information on his COMP, but dies before he can tell him the password. The COMP is set to lock up if the wrong password is entered, and the only thing you know is it's a four-digit number. The password turns out to be based on 10-Bit's name, being the value of the tenth bit in a binary number, 1023.

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In MajinTanteiNougamiNeuro, the password is needed to gain control of HAL, an AI brainwashing people to cause destruction and give him access to other supercomputers. [[spoiler: It's one over ten to the power of 18, pronounced 'Setsuna' in Japanese, the name of the dead love of HAL's creator. HAL had been created to try to reproduce her mind.]]

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^^ The password is 1023. PowersOfTwoMinusOne comes into play here. It's even Lampshaded in-game.

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^ Thanks for the correction, I edited my post to include it.

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In ''VideoGame/DynamiteHeaddy'', after the credits have rolled, a screen appears where you could enter a 4-digit password on a keypad. You only get one shot at entering the password (which changes for every playthrough). Completing the basketball minigames reveals the password number by number.

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Nougami Neuro is anime/manga, not a video game.

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* Added blank line(s) for readability.
* Examples section formatting
** {{Namespace}}d and italicized work name(s).
** Created [[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]] section and moved ''Manga/MajinTanteiNougamiNeuro'' example to it.

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* In ''Film/JurassicPark'', when Dr Arnold tries to disable Nedry's security override program, it locks up after one password attempt with an annoying screen saying "You didn't say the magic word!"

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RealLife:

* The [[https://www.cia.gov/careers/application-process/application-instructions/instructions.html CIA application form]] does not give you OnePasswordAttemptEver, exactly, but it does give only three days to type an eight-page paper, compile together other information, etc. You don't finish in time? The account will be disabled!

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JOOC, is this sometimes a humor trope/played for laughs? That's what it came across as to me. Like mentioned in the description, could actually be used in drama and more serious situations.

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I'm not sure about the CIA application form one. It seems like kind of a stretch, and having access revoked because you didn't complete a task in a time limit isn't really what this trope is about.

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^^^^ sorry but the Jurassic Park example is not this trope as Arnold actually tried multiple times and got several "access denied" messages before finally triggering the annoying lock screen.

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The opposite of PasswordSlotMachine.

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[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' supplement ''The Neo-Anarchist's Guide to North America''. In certain high security areas, cardreader security access devices are programmed to signal an alarm the first time they receive an invalid code.

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"I'm not sure about the CIA application form one. It seems like kind of a stretch, and having access revoked because you didn't complete a task in a time limit isn't really what this trope is about."

Well, the whole "locked out forever" thing still stands. The trope is about (1) overly complex password (if it's anything like it's reputation, you can expect a long and extremely difficult to remember one), (2) very strict security, and (3) if the conditions aren't met, you get locked out forever. Since in real life one-time passwords are rare, and passwords that only offer a single attempt are even rarer, this is probably the closest thing to an example.

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Real Life physical example:

At Alcatraz, the locks on some of the doors prisoners were never supposed to go near were designed so that using an incorrect key would disable them. During one infamous escape attempt, one escapee had a ring full of keys that didn't include the correct one. He didn't get out that way.

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I envisioned the trope to be more specific than the points that are being laid out. Basically, you have one password (or other form of credentials) and if you get it wrong on your first try, you are immediately locked out. It's about the process, rather than the end result.

The example for the CIA form doesn't seem to follow this given that it's not a password (it's an application) and it's more about failing to achieve the task in the allotted time than to give a "wrong password". Regardless, the example starts "The CIA application form does not give you One Password Attempt Ever, exactly", so I think that since by its own admission it doesn't fit the trope, it's not a good candidate for this page.

The Alcatraz one seems like a much better real life example, and I've included it.

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In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the Doctor and Martha end up on a ship on lockdown operating on a system like this. To unlock each door they had to answer a seemingly simple trivia question someone on the ship would know, or else it stays locked and they can not retry. Unfortunately, most of the crew ended up dead before they got there, the ship was about to hurdle into a sun, and Martha isn't exactly a trivia expert...

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[[AC:OtherSites]]
* [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-093 SCP-093 ("Red Sea Object")]]. In the "Violet" test the Foundation team tries to log into a computer they find. The first attempt fails, after which the screen prints a message that the maximum number of attempts has been exceeded and the PC turns itself off.

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Up to date with all of these. For the SCP one, I modified it slightly to include a link to TV Tropes' page on it.

By the way, this You Know is now over 4 months old. Hats are appreciated so that it can move to a full trope! :-)

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[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' supplement ''Warehouse 23''. Anyone trying to log on to the Warehouse's computer remotely must input two separate passwords. If the second password is incorrect the computer assumes that an intrusion is taking place and doesn't give the intruder another chance.

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