Virtual Reality Scale? Options

[Maelwys]

Right, so its been a while since I looked at SR4, and a debate has cropped up.

What exactly is the scale difference between VR and Reality in SR4?

I know for Cybercombat, everything is considered concurrent, so even though the Hacker is in VR, his actions are happening at the same time as the people in the meat world, if they wind up with the same initiative. This presumably also applies to people using AR, which means you could run into an issue with someone with wired reflexes and using AR hacking just as quickly as the guy in Hot Sim VR.

So there atleast there's no difference in scale.

But what about other times? Is it considered done at handwavium speed, or is everything in the matrix done at the similar scale?

[Lionhearted]

Well a hot as drek decker can hit 5 IPs in VR (using a simsense booster), meanwhile the max you ever can achieve in meatspace is 4.
Also I havent touched the hacking rules in a while but im pretty sure there is a flat bonus for being in hot sim to all tests no?
But basically yeah the benefit of being in AR is that you can watch out for your meat body and dont have to worry about getting your brain fried. But you also might get distracted by all the outside stimuli. The benefit of being in VR is that you do everything better and faster but you can get your brain fried if you run hot sim.

Edit: actually it looks like the simsense booster puts you at 4 IP, but Im pretty sure there is ways to get 5 IP in the matrix not sure about the specifics though, someone more rule savvy can probably correct me

[Maelwys]

I think maybe technomancers could get to 5.

So sure, you get speed bonuses in the form of extra IPs, and some pool bonuses, but its not like you're racing along at 5 or 10x what everyone else can get. You're on the same scale as them, if maybe with an extra action or two over meatspace.

Atleast in combat. I'm not sure if that always applies.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Well a hot as drek decker can hit 5 IPs in VR (using a simsense booster), meanwhile the max you ever can achieve in meatspace is 4.
Also I havent touched the hacking rules in a while but im pretty sure there is a flat bonus for being in hot sim to all tests no?
But basically yeah the benefit of being in AR is that you can watch out for your meat body and dont have to worry about getting your brain fried. But you also might get distracted by all the outside stimuli. The benefit of being in VR is that you do everything better and faster but you can get your brain fried if you run hot sim.

Edit: actually it looks like the simsense booster puts you at 4 IP, but Im pretty sure there is ways to get 5 IP in the matrix not sure about the specifics though, someone more rule savvy can probably correct me

Simsense Booster + Simsense Accelerator = 5 IP in Hot VR.
Technomancers can also get to 5 IP in Hot VR. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Lionhearted]

But what about other times? Is it considered done at handwavium speed, or is everything in the matrix done at the similar scale?

Bearing in mind that a combat turn is 3 seconds and the previously hot as drek decker can do 5 full initiative actions including attacking/defending, hacking nodes and browsing 15 tabs... I'd say you wouldnt need much handwavium because that is pretty darn fast.

[Maelwys]

Oh, I'm not saying that they're necessarily slow, just that they're on the same scale as everyone else. So while that hacker may be doing 5 actions in the the turn, the Adept or Street Sam might be doing 4 at about roughly the same time.

Still, good to know, thanks. Sometimes I have to bounce ideas off of people (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)