The Idiot's Guide To The Matrix Thread, Support for the Matrix-challenged Options

[Dashifen]

With a sigh of relief, Cheng collects the viral code into her greatcoat, hiding the crashed IC from the system at large. Giving a quick look around ...


Sensor test: 10 05 03 03 02 -- just to see if I've missed anything.


... she fires up her Medic utility to try and repair her icon's damage. Pulling a set of accupuncture needles from a pocket inside her greatcoat, Cheng slids into a "corner" and begins to work.


The medic utility was used once before on this run. That means that the utilities rating is lowered by one. So, since the utility is currently running at rating 4. That means, I roll 4 dice against a TN of 5 for a moderate wound. Each success lowers my icon damage by one box. so ... here's hoping:

Medic 4 TN 5: 07 07 03 03 #D:4 TN:5 H#:11 S:3

Excellent! That means I now only have one light wound on my icon. Taking another moment, I'll run the now rating 3 utility against that one box (TN 4) to be healed:

Medic 3 TN 4: 11 05 04 #D:3 TN:4 H#:11 S:3

And I'm back to normal. Now, with a quick swap memory operation, I'll drop the now rating 2 Medic from active memory and swap back a brand new copy of my rating 5 Medic from storage memory. This shouldn't take long, as I have an I/O speed of 360 and the program only takes up 100 MPs of space. I don't have my books handy (I'm posting from the airport). Do I need to roll for swap memory. Also, synner, I expect your notes are better than mine. What has Cheng accomplished and what more does she need to accomplish?

[Eyeless Blond]

I've just been looking over this thread, and I'd just like to note that there's something you've forgotten: our Lady Cheng has Enhanced Artwinkulation, so you probably should have been rolling an extra die for most of these decking tests, right? She gets seven die from the specialization, plus one from the Articulation.

It should be noted that the Trauma Dampener is normally not allowed at chargen, and so most of those times that Cheng's Icon got damaged she'd have to deal with simsense overload (3L Stun, which shouldn't really be a problem in this case, with her Willpower.) This certainly should be mentioned somewhere if this example ever gets published somewhere; enough people forget simsense overload as it is. :)

Anyway, keep up the good work guys.

[Synner]

I discussed Enhanced Articulation with Kurukami by message when we started out with this example, and he agreed with my assessment that the bonus does not apply when running pure DNI. So it hasn't been factored in.

I'll have to check the simsense overload rules but I was under the impression that applied to only certain types of IC anyway...

[Eyeless Blond]

[Synner]

Cheng's last move before combat is way back on page 14.

[Synner]

Reviewing the point where Cheng was interrupted by the Party IC - she'd disabled the relevant section of fence security, the hidden pressure pads on the lawn and she was about to tweak the final set of cameras watching the building entry point.

Note that Cheng has Edited Slave rather than Edited File and then Control Slave to replace the feed completely - a Monitored Operation. This means she has to use up a Free Action every turn to keep the cameras looped... Unfortunately her actions also pushed her current Security Tally up from 14 to 16 and triggered a Passive Alert (the effects of which are detailed in SR3 page 211 - ie. all subsystem ratings get a 2 point boost). From her prior deductions that now places the Slave subsystem at rating 13 for the cameras. - this means. The cybercombat took less than 10 seconds so she still has more than a minute and a half before her team hits the outer fence but she still needs to take care of interior security.... though "the guys" can probably take care of the maglock she needs to be careful they don't trigger a silent alarm and she needs to find the internal cameras and other security measures in the other banks of read outs on the walls of the virtual security room.

Also note - Kurukami's original deductions as to the subsystem ratings he'd gone up against are available on page 12 for reference.

[Dashifen]

I'll get back to this probably tomorrow. I have a busy day at work today and I tried to install service pack 2 for windows XP last night and now my laptop is hosed. I need to reinstall windows xp pro. now. Caveat Emptor for the new service pack, I guess, and I'll probably only be posting from work until I can get my laptop back up and running .... now where was that Linux CD ...........

[Sepherim]

As for the Enhaced Articulation, it seems quite obvious it wouldn't work in the Matrix. After all, as they say in The Matrix, "Do you think it's air what you breathe?". Though, maybe they should work in a Ultra Violet node... not sure about it at all.

[hobgoblin]

not likely as your body just belives its real while its not, alltho software may copy the effect so may it does. bah i hate paradoxes...

[Dashifen]

Synner: question for you -- anyway Cheng can modify the cameras along the team's route without having to locate and control each specific camera? If not, how many cameras does she need to deal with?

-----------

As the adrenalin of cybercombat fades from her system, Cheng lifts the collar of her greatcoat high about her neck and drops herself back into Masking Mode.


This means that her masking rating has just been increased by 50% while another rating has just gone down by 50%. As before, I'll lower bod, hoping to avoid further confrontations with my now higher masking and resulting higher detection factor of 9.

[Synner]

This came up previously with Kurukami iirc - namely the issue of the Free Action it takes to maintain a Monitored Operation and how that affects the possibility of keeping several running (ie. the tweaked camera feeds) at the same time. What we decided back then, in keeping with the spirit of the rules rather than the letter, was that you could keep several Monitored Operations going simultaneously with that Free Action as long as the Operations were the same (keeping the cameras looped for instance, as opposed to keeping the cameras looped and a number of pressure pads deactivated which would require 2 Free Actions).

How does this affect the current situation?

Well, Cheng does have to find and tweak the cameras but:
a) she's in the Security area of the host and she just needs to find them (with the relevant System Tests;
b) from what she's seen so far multiple cameras are linked to a single feed (4 each going by the external camera setup), this means editing the feed affects several cameras rather than just the one.

Right now, Cheng still doesn't know how many cameras cover the route the team will take (because the Johnson didn't provide building blueprints or any details on the internal security setup) she has to track them down by using the virtual security "console" and some System Tests (check how this was done previously on pages 9 & 10). She also has to identify the exact location of the prototype lab the team is after.

Lit by the glaring orange Passive Alert lights, Cheng steps up to the console, calming herself with a whispered mantra. Scanning the control board she locates the IntSec panel, a projected 3D schematic of the building's two-storey layout, under a bank of six security screens...

[Dashifen]

This should be interesting -- especially with Cheng's low spoof utility. Note to other people: spoof is important! I didn't put Cheng together, so I guess I can't really blame other people for having a different style, but with my spoof utility with rating 3 means that my TN for dealing with the slaves is a 10. Luckily, my browse utility is rating 6 with sneak 2 which means my detection factor is an 11 when using the browse utility.

With a look of concentration on her icon's face, Cheng removes a stick of insence from her coat and draws a character in the air. She commands her browse utility to find a security blueprint of the building. With any luck it'll show me the cameras I need to deal with as well as any other passive security measure that'll be in our way. As that completes, she fires of a quick message to the rest of the team: Jolly Rodger to Hook: waters getting choppy here, still trying to guide you into port..

Edit: Whoops forgot to post rolls. Since we're out of cybercombat, I can use my task pool and hacking pool on system tests. However, I'm currently supressing so much IC that I only have only 2 pool dice to use with these. Since Locate File (with the Browse utility) is an Interrogative Operation, I'll need 5 successes before I actually find the file. Plus, each time I try to find it counts as another operation and could raise my tally. Here's hoping my DF of 11 kicks in in the clutch. I'll only roll all three of these tests if I need to:

Attempt 1: 9, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1
Attempt 2: 14, 10, 4, 4, 2, 1, 1
Attempt 3: 10, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2
Attempt 4: 19, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1
Attempt 5: 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 1, 1

[Sepherim]

*Bump*

[Synner]

Apologies my HD melted down and I've only just recovered my notes and files from backups. Seems like this thread is cursed.

[Sepherim]

Heh. I recall another cursed thread, long back in the IC section. :grinbig:

[silvermain]

bump :rotate: hope this gets to be finished

[RedeemerofOgar]

It seems unlikely, but I'd say the thread served it's purpose nonetheless. It's a cliffhanger! Tune in next year... ;)

+--Redeemer--

[amadeus]

Ahhhh man, I really want to see the end of this...

A couple of things, praise be to Synner, Dashifen, and all the rest that have contributed so much to this thread, it has been very informative and while very long, and (approximately 8 hrs to read) hard on the eyes ( i need to go to bed), I have really enjoyed reading it.

Also I would like to put my two cents into a couple of things... first I see the medic program like a medkit also, it runs without the decker doing anything ie. the player rolls the rating of the program against the supplied TN, but no wound modifers apply. Also without quoting from the book, this is how SR3 describers how this goes on.

Also the Sr3 main book, on page 226 attacks are resolved by the

[Fortune]

[Dashifen]

Yeah, I'd doubt that we ever get to know what happens to the intrepid Lady Cheng. In my mind, I'd like to think that she pulls it all out of the fire, saves the team, steals the data, gets some extra paydata on the side for herself, and goes to the Carribbean for some much needed vacation and rest, but I guess we'll probably never know ;)

[Synner]

I'm going to go against my better judgement and break "comms silence" just to say that I promise to complete this walkthrough before SR4 comes out. Right now, and for the past 4 months I've been swamped with RL work. Freelancing has eaten up what little freetime I had left and it was never my intention to leave this hanging. It's just been impossible to focus on it.

And before anyone asks, yes, there will be similar walkthroughs of the new SR4 Matrix rules as soon as I am throughly acquainted with them.

[Dashifen]

If you need my help, let me know ;)

[hobgoblin]

hell, im in if needed :P

[Jrayjoker]

Same here. I found this thread incredibly helpful in my understanding of the Matrix rules, and if I can help someone else then my karma will be balanced.

[Gorath]

Hi Synner,

didn't you mention of doing

"The Idiot's Guide to The Matrix 2.0"-Thread?


Gorath