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Posted by: BlackJaw Aug 21 2013, 06:49 PM

While looking over other Matrix details, I started to get confused by some of the new rules surrounding digital Files. Let me know if I'm missing any important details here.

Basic
So files are one of the 6 general kinds of Matrix "things", along with Devices, Persona, and Hosts, PANs, or Marks (page 218). Page 215 defines them as "A program or set of data that is collected as a single package; this runs the gamut from annual reports and kitten videos to autosofts and Attack programs." Files can also be a collection of other files, as noted on page 219: "It can even be a collection of other files (a “folder”)."

The default appearance of a file is basic geometric shape, but most people change the icon to look more interesting: "All file icons have a default appearance in the Matrix—a glowing cube or other polyhedron that can be opened to reveal its contents—but few Matrix users are so lazy and uninspired as to leave their files’ icons with such a boring look. " (page 219). On page 217 they are noted as being distinctly smaller than Persona Icons: "Files and devices are smaller than personas (so you’ll never see someone reading a book the size of a great dragon for example)".

Files on a device are visible to other matrix users that can see the device, unless the files are stored inside a Protected Folder (which itself would be a file Icon that is visible). Page 222: "These files are visible to people who can see your commlink in the Matrix, so most people keep all of their files in a protected folder." Files in a Host are visible to those inside the host.

Files do not have ratings or attributes of their own, as per page 227: "Files do not have ratings (although protection on files does, The Edit File action, p. 239). Instead, they use the ratings of their owners when defending against Matrix actions." They do not, however, have a Matrix Condition Monitor, as per page 229: "Hosts and files can’t be attacked with Matrix damage, so they don’t have Matrix Condition Monitors."

So far so good.

Viewing Files
No express Matrix Action is listed for viewing files. Protecting, Cracking, and Editing Files are all complex actions (page 164), but no action is listed for opening a report, starting up a new song, or looking at an image.

The ability to do so, however, is considered a basic function of a Commlink. No programs are needed to open or even edit a file. Page 221: "A commlink is combination computer, smartphone, media player, passport, wallet, credit card, Matrix browser, chip reader, GPS navigator, digital camera, and portable gaming device. And possibly a few other things, if you’ve got a really nice one. It’s got all of the necessary software already loaded, but unlike a cyberdeck it has no space for cyberprograms or other hacking tools."

Also lacking is how many marks are needed to open a file you have access to. Based on page 222: "These files are visible to people who can see your commlink in the Matrix," it may be 0 marks, making them open able to anyone that can see their icon. Alternatively, viewing a file and editing a file may be more related, which means you need 1 mark. (page 239.)

Editing (and Copying) Files
Edit File is the generic Matrix Action for editing data, ranging from decker altering video recordings of his team breaking into a facility to a corporate drone that writes reports all day. Page 222: "If you’re going to do any text, audio, or video editing, or you just like to write reports, you might want to know about the Edit File action, p. 239."

Edit File is a Matrix Action with Data Processing as it's limit (page 239). Because Data Processing is not Attack or Sleaze, Editing a File is not an Illegal Action: Page 231 "The list of illegal actions is pretty simple: all Attack and Sleaze actions are illegal." That means you can use your Commlink to edit a file, and in fact corp drones probably do that a lot. To edit a file you must have at least 1 mark on the file. "Marks Required: 1" (Page 239). Of course the owner of a file is considered to have 4 marks on the file. (page 236).

Editing a file is also how you make a copy or delete of a file, and copying a file gives you ownership of the new copy. Page 237: "Changing ownership of a file is somewhat easier. Your best bet is to use Edit File to copy it (the copy’s owner is you) and then delete the original, again with the Edit File action."

Editing Tests: The Really Confusing Part
Editing a file is an opposed test instead of a threshold based on complexity, or simply calling for a Performance/etc skill test. Seriously, page 239: "Test: Computer + Logic [Data Processing] v. Intuition + Firewall" And worse, if the file is a host, it gets to use the Host's attributes. Page 239 again "The defender against this test is either the host holding the file or the owner of the file (if it’s not on a host). " That means the corporate drone trying to spellcheck his reports in the Rating 6 accounting host has to roll his computer + logic vs up to 15 dice (rating + firewall)? Why is the host fighting users that are doing their job?

You can't edit a file without having a mark on it, but the game does a poor job of defining the real difference between a legitimate mark and an illegal one, and how the matrix knows one from the other. In theory it shouldn't' mater, or if it does, having more marks on a file should make it easier to edit. As it stands right now, no rules for any of that exist. For some reason, edit file, a legal activity requiring a Mark, has an opposed test vs owner/host instead of a simple threshold based on the complexity of the edit being performed. It makes no sense to me. Am I missing something?

Protection
Edit File can also be used to protect a file, making it even more difficult to access, and allowing you to protect it from unauthorized viewing. Page 239: "A protected file cannot be read, changed, deleted, or copied until its protection is broken." The test to apply Protection is a simple test with hits equaling protection. It, at least, is not resisted by the host.

Cracking protection is another, illegal, matrix action that breaks the file protection. In theory to steal a protected file you'd first have to have access to it (find the device on the matrix or enter the host, then break it's protection (if any), then place a mark on it (in theory you could mark it before breaking protection) and then use edit file to make a copy, which would be yours.

Oddly, Protecting a file does not state what is needed to legitimately bypass the protection. I theorize that the Owner (only?) can remove the protection if they want, but it might also be a like Data Bomb, where a code is used, which in theory could be given or stolen... or lost. Neither is specified. It is very unlikely that protecting a file is intended to leave it accessible to the owner, which is how it is now by RAW. Page 239: "A protected file cannot be read, changed, deleted, or copied until its protection is broken."

Noticing protection, instead of having an action just fail outright, is a listed use for Matrix Perception, including the actual rating of the Protection. page 219: "Whether a file is protected, and at what rating."

Data Bomb
Unlike file protection Data Bomb, the matrix action, is laid out with more detail, with the instructions for applying, removing, and setting off the bomb all clearly stated in the various Matrix Actions. Note that Set Data Bomb (page 242) is a Sleaze action, so it's illegal and requires a Deck. Oddly, Disarm Data Bomb (page 239) is not an illegal action, so it won't generate an OS and it doesn't require a deck. Of course it has nasty side effects if you fail, including the possible deletion of the file.

Edit Log
One feature of the Matrix Perception, page 235, is: "The most recent edit date of a file." For a detail orientated security spider, an odd edit date on a file may be a tip off to in appropriate activities.

Technomancers
One last bit of oddity for files is their interactions with Technomancers. (Note: I'm running low on time, so I'm not listing page references for this section, at least for now Sorry.)

First, Technomancers do not have a device for their Persona, so they can not store files on "themselves" but must instead bring a device a long for that. This gets complicated when a technomancer is inside a host, but their devices' icons, which are not part of their Persona, don't come in with them... so where would they transfer the file? I suppose they could use the "send Message" matrix action to send it to their commlink or to a friend. It's also possible to compile a Sprite for the purposes of couriering a file.

Second, the Editor Complex form is a Ressonance (Fade Inflicting) version of the Edit File matrix action. It does not appear to bypass Protection or Data Bombs. It's value is unclear compared to Edit File. It's not expressely any faster. It's only seeming advantage is that it isn't a matrix action so it may not update the edit log, and it does not count as your persona's most recent matrix action. It's not especially valuable... although it's possible it is actually intended to bypass protection and/or databombs, and just isn't clear in that regards.

Posted by: Smash Aug 22 2013, 12:34 AM

I won't get into to much detail but remember that the game is written from the hackers perspective.

Do we really need to know what a corporate drone has to do to edit a file? I think we can safely assume that he does it without the system fighting him. As a player if you want to edit a file of your own creation on your own device then probably a complex action is all that is required. We can then assume that the application of marks through hacking never truly replicate true user access and mearly provide a small window where a hacker can actually manipulate files.

Posted by: Trillinon Aug 22 2013, 02:22 AM

I think having a good understanding of how file permissions work is valuable to a game that heavily relies on data stealing and editing files. That, and it's interesting.

@BlackJaw, I'm glad you assembled this. When we've got this all figured out, a formal document on the subject would be useful.

My question: If matrix entities have to offer to let you apply a mark yourself, does that mean that system admins can't just grant a user marks on a subset of files? That would seem ludicrous, so I have to assume that a system that you've marked can determine internal permissions without interacting with you.

Posted by: BlackJaw Aug 22 2013, 03:25 AM

The way it looks to me right now, RAW, only the Owner can invite Marks on an Icon he owns (Spoofing being a hack of this). Of course most files in a Host might be owned by the host, with the corp users simply having marks on the files so they can access and edit them as needed. In that case the Host, and maybe the Sysadmin/spider running it, can adjust things, but again, it's not as simple as that.

The system for dealing with marks is actually a little more wonky than basic permissions. The main issue being that you can't just remove a mark. Marks last until they are expired (a time set when the mark is invited), until they are erased using an illegal matrix action that is opposed, until the owner of the mark reboots their persona/device, or until the device with the mark reboots. Files are not devices so that last option doesn't apply to them. In general you can assume that a legitimate mark has a short lived invitation (maybe a week, maybe a day) but that invitation remains open as long as the owner/sysadmin sees fit. If a Host/Sysadmin decided that Joe-In-Accounting shouldn't have access to a particular file, he can end the invitation, and when the Mark expires Joe won't be able mark the file again. If it's really important that Joe not access the file any more as of NOW, the Spider would need to take the Erase Mark action to remove Joe's mark from the File, and the mark would resist that action using Joe's attributes.

Posted by: Moirdryd Aug 22 2013, 09:17 AM

From the POV of a Corp Wageslave working on the File I would imagine with the correct legitimate codes they count as the owner of the File (4 marks) and therefore don't have to make rolls ect to Edit anything.

The Erasing of marks looks just as it should be. Most people have no idea how to place illegal marks on an icon and only do so via the Invite Mark thing (also it would be reasonable to assume the Invite Mark can be limited and/or restricted to certain Icons and so forth.)

The Matrix rules are, surprisingly, flexible and a degree of common sense or story factor should be used when applying them to the game.

Posted by: BlackJaw Aug 22 2013, 01:49 PM

I disagree, and not because the game isn't written towards shadowrunner, but because i don't think it worsk very well even with that reading.

Edit File isn't' an illegal/hacker action. It's based on Data Processing, so it's a legal action that you can take with a commlink. This isn't some hacker action for messing with a file when you don't have permission. It requires a mark on the file to even attempt it and the hits the owner or host gets defending the file don't contribute to OS, and in general it doesn't fit the "assumed to be hacking illegally" vibe.

Compare that to the Control Device action, which does have special rules for when hacking a device you aren't supposed to have access to. In those cases you use Sleaze and it's an illegal action that can generate OS. Now compare it to Hop Grid, which is a legal action that requires (an often illegal for a hacker) Mark but isn't resisted.

Also, the lack of a legal way to access a Protected file is odd, considering they did bother to include one for the Data Bomb. It's also something that could be interesting in game play: do normal users have to unprotect a file to access it (IE: decrypt it) meaning it's viable to steal while in use, or does it remain protected? That affects Data Steal schemes. Also: is it so odd to think a Decker or other PC might want to protect files they are carrying? Do I, as a Decker, need to Crack the protection on a File I own? What if I want to send a protected file because it's the Pay Data I picked up on a run? Can the Johnson or Fixer I'm sending it to open it with a code I give them or can only the Owner open the protected file? I don't see these aren't questions that won't come up in game play because only some corporate drone would use Edit File this way.

Even just the basic function of the program, to edit documents, is something that a PC might need to do somewhat regularly. If I own the file and it's not on a Host, then I can make edits unresisting because I'm the owner, right? Well that makes generating fake images and documents a lot easier. Want to edit your team out of a video surveillance recording? Copy the recording to your deck (you're the owner now and it's on your deck not a host) and now you can alter it easily. Even if the GM decides to apply some penalties for the difficulty of the edit, your still rolling against yourself. Again, I'd like to draw a comparison to Control Device, where the activity your doing dictates the skills you use, but the device's Data Processing acts as the limit. If I'm writing a fake sales report as part of a con? Maybe I should be rolling Etiquette (Business) or Profession (Accountant) or something instead of Computer?

Posted by: kzt Aug 22 2013, 03:00 PM

Indeed. If you are trying to write up a fake cash flow statement it would be really kind of helpful to know something about what a real cash flow statement looks like and how it's supposed to be calculated.

Posted by: Smash Aug 23 2013, 10:55 AM

Well for this particular example I don't think it matters, or better yet who's to say the Edit file action isn't the exact process you just described? Editing out your team from a video file after the fact probably isn't that useful unless you're sure that no alarm will be triggered and no spider is on duty. Otherwise you probably HAVE to do it on the fly. Even if the former is the case what's stopping the file from recording data while you edit a copy offline. You're still going to have to copy over that file or delete it first and then place it back. That sounds like an edit file action to me, possibly 2 depending on how you want to view your file system. If it has any form of redundancy then over-writing the file will just back it up somewhere and create a time stamp of when it was done and by whom.