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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ So 'softs affect response?

Posted by: Glayvin34 Jun 20 2006, 07:33 PM

This is carried over from that Drones Drones Drones thread, McMurray posed an interesting question.
I had always assumed that Autosofts did not affect response, they are not under the program descriptions and I didn't think the other 'softs affected response. But Autosofts are called "specialized programs" in the rigger section.
I always assumed they didn't because then you can't put ECCM on your new Doberman without upgrading its pilot. And there's no rules for activating and deactivating an Autosoft. Is it like a normal program, complex action to activate? Because it's a free action to activate an ECCM program while rigging.
For that matter, do datasofts, mapsofts or linguasofts affect response on your comm?

Posted by: James McMurray Jun 20 2006, 07:51 PM

I've always played it that they were softs. Skillsofts used via cybernetics have their own rating based on your skillwires, but softs used elsewhere are programs. If they aren't programs, what would they be?

So my answers are:

1) You can put ECM on your doberman without upgrading it, but you might find yourself with too many active programs and your response dropping because of it. This isn't actually that bad, since all it does for drones (until they're being hacked) is lower their initiative.

2) Softs on a commlink lower response just like other problems. Using those softs generally doesn't reference your response though, so as long as you don't do so high that you shut your commlink down you'll be ok (again until hackign happens).

System and Response are fairly cheap to upgrade. I've upgraded them to 5 on my combat drones so they can run defense, gunnery, clearsight, stealth, maneuver, and 4 ICE programs simultaneously.

Posted by: Glayvin34 Jun 20 2006, 08:06 PM

QUOTE (James McMurray)

Are you sure you're doing that right?
Dobies come with Clearsight 3 and Targeting 3, so one ECCM program puts you at 3 programs, which is the pilot/system rating, so response drops by 1.
Drones don't use standard System upgrades, they have Pilot ratings instead, which cost five times as much as an equivalent rating System, and you can only get up to rating 4 at character creation anyway.
I thought 'softs were more like data libraries programs draw on as opposed to actual programs themselves. For Autosofts, the Pilot knows how to activate a weapon, it just needs ballistics specs to acquire a target. For linguasofts, you know how to speak, you just need your words replaced. For skillsofts, the skillwire system moves your muscles for you, but the skillsoft lets it know what combination.
But that's an assumption. And everyone knows what happens when you make an assumption.

Posted by: Serbitar Jun 20 2006, 10:38 PM

Play it that way:

The drone pilot is an agent using clearsight and targeting, which counts as one programme

ECCM is not used by the agent but by the node.

THus:

3/3/3/3
Pilot 3
- Targeting 3
- Clearsight 3
ECCM 3

All in all 2 programmes

Posted by: James McMurray Jun 20 2006, 10:43 PM

QUOTE

Dobies come with Clearsight 3 and Targeting 3, so one ECCM program puts you at 3 programs, which is the pilot/system rating, so response drops by 1.

This is all without a book in front of me, but from what I recall of making the character, that's right. If you want more than the defaul programs for a doberman you have to run with a lower response or up your system rating.

QUOTE

Drones don't use standard System upgrades, they have Pilot ratings instead, which cost five times as much as an equivalent rating System, and you can only get up to rating 4 at character creation anyway.

Do you have a page reference for this? IIRC almost every electronic device with processing power has a system and response rating. Some are just given a Device Rating, in which case the stats are equal tot he device rating. No book in front of me though, so I can't be positive.

I'm finally going to knucle under (i.e. upgrade) and get the SR4 pdf, so I'll be able to answer more fully later.

Posted by: Glayvin34 Jun 20 2006, 10:56 PM

QUOTE (James McMurray @ Jun 20 2006, 05:43 PM)

Yar, page 214:
"Pilot is used in place of System for vehicles, drones, and agents, but otherwise has the same function as System."

I

my pdf.

Posted by: James McMurray Jun 20 2006, 11:03 PM

Then I should have upgraded pilot instead of system, but the end result would stay the same. What's interesting is that loading up a lot of softs now actually has a downside beyond -1 init die, which my screwup didn't. If you load as many as your pilot you lose a die to most tests.