With no prices and no availability, they're just fluff, not an actual item. So, that rating 7 program isn't going to be useful until they come up with rules for getting a Response 7 commlink.

Given that rationale, so are rating 7 programs. What's your point, then?

They actually give availability for Rating 7 programs. In fact, the rules allow you to write your own program with a rating of 6+. The problem is, holding out a rating 7 program as some sort of holy item doesn't work-- you'll never be able to run it, unless the GM decides to hand you a Response 7 commlink.

In fact, they don't.

These rules allow you to build your own Response 7, too.

Unfortunately, they don't. The necessary cost chart stops at Rating 6.

That doesn't mean it's not possible.

Anything's *possible*. The GM can hand out Response 30 MacGuffins if he felt like it. That doesn't mean they're going to be available to PC's anytime soon, or that rules exist for building Response 30 MacGuffins.

Why can't you just optimize those high-rating programs? Just one level of Optimization would be enough to let you run a rating 7 utility on a System 6 device at rating 7. The description for that program option doesn't mention it being subject to the Max: Rating->System->Response rule non-Optimized software is subject to (though, admittedly, it also doesn't say it's exempt), and, in fact, would seem to be largely pointless if it were (who would load 4GB of memory to run Win3.1 and then try to play Spore?). Adding Optimization only costs the developers time, so it seems a no-brainer addition if you want to produce high-rating software in a world where the equivalent hardware is so exceedingly rare.

Or was this explained away on one of the twenty-odd earlier pages of this thread that I haven't slogged through?

Sure.

But hey, don't let the facts disturb a good argument. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

What are the Standard Upgrades of the Micro-Tapper Bug drone?

Special Machinery (Optical Tap) is a given, as is Walker Mode - are Gecko Tips so, too?

VPNs/BotNets

As I understand it, you could create a Botnet full of agents for a swarm attack on someone/some node. However, the book is vague on what resources it takes to actually do this, either that or I fell off the bus.

So, if I get this right, one commlink with a rating 4 system could host 4 rating 4 agents, each with a payload of 4 programs each? Or would I need one commlink for each agent?
Also, does the botnet software count against the agents payload, or against the commlink's system maximums?

Once I establish that, lets say they are all clones of each other. If I run a spoof on them, can I have each one spoof its own access ID, so even though cloned, each has a unique ID?

I'm also a touch fuzzy on the hacking part.

Do you have to be inside a node to attack it's programs? Can you attack its programs and/or OS without having to hack in first?

What mechanics do you use in game to block out an access ID?

Sorry for the noobish questions but this complexity is surpassing my ability to contend with it as a player and a GM both. And I survived 1st Edition! Maybe I'm just getting old! LOL!

Thanks in advance!

Hope it didn´t hurt! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) (Sorry.)
The Botnet coordinates agents, all agents need the usual ressources. You can either mass-probe for useable nodes to exploit, or provide the hardware yourself. Since you want to maintain anonymity, the later option is somewhat dangerous.


That would be 20 programs running on your comlink, so you would want to have more commlinks. You want to avoid System dropping under your Agent rating.


Each agent will have the botnet program in its payload, and the commlink will run all of them. Agent Payload 1, Commlink System load (# of agents on commlink).


You can only do that until the Unwired errata is out. Then you´ll have to reprogram copies of your agents to have a different "native" IDs.



Using a program on another node requires a subscription.