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CICADAMATA: How to Decode CCDA Text

CICADAMATA By Published

Use the matching reference below for the symbols you see, then test the result with and without vowels. CCDA text can be round, box-shaped, or written as five-pixel Dotsies. Some strings are also stored in working PDF417 or Data Matrix codes.

Start by identifying the format. Rotate or mirror the text if the glyphs do not line up, and use nearby objects as clues. Many strings serve as labels or signs, so a partial reading often becomes clear from its surroundings. Decoding is mainly an environmental detail and does not provide a particular gameplay advantage.

Circle typeface

The circle typeface is the more common CCDA alphabet. Each character is assembled from three or four corner pieces, though its exact appearance can vary. Different renderings can still spell the same sequence, such as CCDA.

The circle typeface reference shows letters A to Z and digits 0 to 9. Some characters do not otherwise appear in the game, but changing your Steam name can reveal them.

CICADAMATA circle typeface reference showing letters A to Z and digits 0 to 9

Box typeface

The box typeface uses a related structure, with roughly one third of each shape reduced to a thin line. That narrow section can make the characters harder to distinguish.

The box typeface reference shows confirmed letters, with Q and X marked as unconfirmed. Treat those two mappings as guesses. The reference is incomplete because the forms used for two letters and every digit remain uncertain among 16 possible shapes.

CICADAMATA box typeface reference showing confirmed letters, with Q and X marked as unconfirmed

Dotsies

Dotsies, a font made by Craig Muth, appears less often than the two CCDA typefaces on textures and HUD elements. Use the Dotsies alphabet reference by matching each letter to its five-pixel vertical pattern. Check the orientation first because the writing is not always horizontal, and watch for characters blending into other pixel patterns.

Dotsies alphabet reference showing each letter as a five-pixel vertical pattern

Barcodes

Some barcode-like graphics are decorative, while many can be scanned. The two common working formats are:

  • PDF417
  • Data Matrix

The contents often relate to the surrounding area. Known examples include a Data Matrix code containing CASCADE and the startup barcode containing ONAEIRE_STARSHOT. Other exceptions include I_LOVE_YOU! and a level 3-1 Easter egg associated with SCANTHIS.

Scanning can fail because of lighting and field-of-view distortion. Capture the cleanest view available, raise the contrast, and try inverting the colors. The Data Matrix code on the Peregrine is especially difficult to capture cleanly, so a failed scan is inconclusive.

Practical decoding method and caveats

  1. Classify the writing as circle, box, Dotsies, PDF417, or Data Matrix.
  2. For a typeface, compare one glyph at a time with the matching reference. If the forms do not fit, rotate or mirror the sample and try again.
  3. Read the consonants before filling gaps. Vowels are often removed when the remaining word stays understandable, although this is not a fixed rule. Examples include DNGR for danger and TRMNL for terminal.
  4. Check the nearby object or direction. CORE or CRE, for example, can appear near or point toward the core.
  5. Keep uncertainty visible. Q and X in the box reference are tentative, its number forms are unresolved, and some barcode graphics may have no data.

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