How does skinlink work? do you hook it up to every piece of equipment that you want to use it, or do you just buy it once and put it on your comlink?

it's for each individual piece of equipment.

it basically allows you to use your skin as a network cable, but only stuff that is designed to use skinlink can connect.

You add it to everything you want to interact with. You also need to add it to something like a Datajack or Trode Net to actually interact with the gear.

Personally, I cap the number of pieces of equipment that work at once to one or two at a time. MAYBE three.

I describe it as turning the human body into a network cable and hub. Once you get too many pieces of equipment going, crosstalk will screw it up.

Luckily, I deal with computer guys who agree with me 100%.

I assume it works like optical fibre and has an ATM style transmission protocol. So the clocks synch, and you can multiplex 8 or more seperate channels together onto one medium (like optical fibre) and then you can multiplex multiple data streams into each channel (like ATM), giving you lots of device options.

I guess I'm a networking engineering guy and disagree with you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

That assumes the Human Skin works like a Fibre Optic line. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

And, as stated, that's just my own personal house rule. That's just me, you do your thing, and we argue about it on the IntraTubez! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Oh yeah, just pointing out that an uncapped number of devices is probably exactly as reasonable as capping it. Even with the hub concept, using something more efficent than a contention model - say preallocated segements like ATM - would allow for many devices.

It's just a question of what you think max potential throughput is, and I'm assuming it can be positively vast thus there is no meaningful constraint, and you obviously think its quite low, thus there is a meaningful constraint. Either interpretation is as good as the other I guess.

All depends on how you want to run your game, exactly.

...

Hey, we agreed to our differences, and solved things in a fair manner.

...

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE INTERNET??? Am I in Bizarro World???

... disagreeing opinions didn't turn into a 5 page argument?

Settle your debts, omae. The world's coming to an end!

well, there's only one way to solve this...

i think that shadowrun guns are completely realistic, and accurately reflect how guns are used in real life....


*runs away to find cover*

Skin link is a good idea, but the real question is, can you dikote it?

I am in shock and tried to breathe coffee!! You two go to your rooms this instance! And don't come out until you learn how to argue endlessly about every slight disagreement, real or imagined! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) Some people have Hez the size of Juggernauts to bring such behavior here!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif) Why, I feel dirty just reading it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotate.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotate.gif)

Skinlinke makes me sad. I like fiber-optic cables. They were so romantic. Even Ghost in the Shell had cables.

*Boggles*

Is... everyone feeling alright? Did the IPS error a couple of days ago actually insert some sort of proto psychotropic IC that has suddenly made people reasonable?! TELL ME! Do you suddenly have an urge to turn yourself in to Renraku? Strange metaphoric dreams?! There is help!

I really don't miss fiberoptic cables. I do miss the implanted smartlink though. Before SR4 it was pretty much my do everything generic interface. I always figured that people would have software that'd use the precoded smartlink commands (eject clip, designate target, etc) to do other cool things... like turn on your pocket secretary or set the fuse on specially modified grenades.

Ah the good old days.

[img]http://users.eastlink.ca/~dreadpiratecat/Shadowrun/duty_calls.jpg[/img]

Not the good old days or a totally retarded use of the implanted smartlink pad?

Linkage for the lazy.

Image posting has been permanently disabled on Dumpshock. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Hm. Is there any reason why there can't be a multi access protocol like CSMA/CD or CSMA/CA used with the skinlink protocol? CSMA/CA, which is used for WiFi access, seems to work just fine with a skinlink-like technology. Of course the bandwith of the skinlink will be shared by all devices. But considering 2070s compression and data transmission technologies that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I don't see balancing reasons for nerfing skinlink. There are obviously no "realism issues" with it. So why houserule it?

I do not want to start an argument. I'm just interested in any points I might have missed.

I'm nerfing it because I game with Computer Geeks that would utilize it in various techniques that would be very broken.

Or sick, twisted, devient methods that I don't even wish to consider. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Also, if you get EVERYTHING Skinlinked, there goes the Wireless PAN. They'd just burn the wireless unit out of everything they own (Save their commlink) and skinlink everything.

Which I've suggested for "DataBoxers", actually, but that's a different thread.

From a realism standpoint I don't see why it couldn't work. With all the technologies everyone has already listed, we can also add in Port Addressing Technology. I would assume that each type of device has a standard "port" much like network communications does today. Since pretty much all hardware now runs software, it could be assumed that each device uses a specific port on your commlink. If this is the case, the only issue left IS bandwidth. That is not going to be something easily decided on though. Since it specifially states that the touchlink implant is located in your lower back, it can be assumed that this is because it ties into the spinal column and connects to the central nervous system throughout your spine. At that point it would be safe to say you can have nearly unlimited devices. If you think about it, when you prick your finger, does your entire arm hurt? No. In fact, just about every square centimeter of your skin has it's own nerve receptors. You could have as many devices as you could come into physical contact with. Couple that with PAT and you could have clear communication between all the skinlinked devices and your commlink without coming close to clogging your bandwidth. Your commlink would be dead and useless from all the registered connections before you ran out of skin to use.

This is, of course, all non-official, just the opinions of a network admin.


EDIT: Clarified the fact that I was refering to the touchlink implant.

Basic Ethernet allows more than 3 devices on a hub.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) and I really doubt they'd go back to hub technology... skinlink should work more like a switch.

You can still wire everything up underneath your clothes (or over, if you're a techno-fetishist), I don't see skinlink as more useful than a good gargoyle rig except for the fact that it's less constricting.

I'd just run them on basic subscriptions. Your commlink can only communicate to so many, others might not need to go through your commlink (ie goggles -> smartgun)

If its a matter of skinlinking a DNI and using that to communicate with devices.. I don't know, but really I don't see any problem with having them all skinlinked, afterall you're limited to actions you can perform anyways.

Just a note: Please in Unwired can technomancers have a natural Skinlink to their internal commlink? I hate having to skinlink a trode net just to interact with other skinlink devices (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

hub, wireless or skinlink is more or less the same as all are broadcast systems.

a switch on the other hand is smart, as it only forwards the traffic to the port it should go to, not every damn port (potenially including the one that originally sent it).

Well... If I go to Starbucks... It's a good bet they have more than 3 laptop users plugged in and using the wireless matrix today...