Skillwires |
Skillwires |
Apr 18 2006, 06:54 PM
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#1
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
My current character (Ork Samurai with Rigger skills and drones) uses skillwires for almost everything. I haven't had time to upgrade yet, so I'm stuck at the rating 3 level right now. It's been a blessing and a curse, although I admit I did go a less than power gamed route by having infiltration, pistols, etiquette, melee, and a few other "use them a lot" skills on wire, so I usually can't fight in melee and ranged at the same time unless I'm expecting to need to.
Anyone else using skillwires for stuff that should be basic, or is it just this one character that's a doofus? |
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Apr 18 2006, 07:51 PM
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#2
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Target Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: 18-April 06 From: midwest Member No.: 8,478 |
yes. suck a thermite and save me the ammo cost. :eek: (hehe at least that way you can screw any chance of someone else prof'ing off yer deadbits)
but seriously, i used to be a fan of skillwires. though i only ran supplimentary skills through them... auxillary transportation skills n such... nothing in those skillwires were absolutely necessary insomuchas without them i'd barely qual as a 'Runner. if your entire capability is based on those Wires, i wouldnt invest much respect in you (in game). sure, you may seem handy... you may seem capable. but boil it down and you are simply handicapable. you are best to invent in yourself first, then use tech to augment yourself. that, of course, is my opinion. |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:05 PM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
I agree wholeheartedly most of the time, but it doesn't fit the character concept. I knew I was gimping him by taking base skills wired ones, but it fit the idea of a techie who was forced into the shadows without a lot of combat experience (i.e. almost none). He could spend years starving and training, or minutes trading favors for a few extra skillwire programs. Food is good.
I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a normal character. |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:19 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 158 Joined: 10-April 06 Member No.: 8,448 |
I recommend them for skills you need often but you have time for. Combat skills usually are a bad choice to have wired. Technical, vehicle and social skills go best. You always can cough, put your wires on and start negotiating, and since technical skills usually have extended test, those added 3 seconds rarely make a difference.
The only coughs you will be able to make in combat situations when trying to buy yourself time for activating your wired combat skills will be those combinated with spitting blood out. And dying, probably. |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:21 PM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
I'm still alive so far. :)
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Apr 18 2006, 08:24 PM
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#6
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
I've allowed people to make Perception tests in the past to see if they noticed that their opponent was using a chipped combat skill. This was obviously most useful in pre-SR4's hand to hand, where knowing that the other guy isn't allowed to use his combat pool made the people with the actual skill change their strategies a bit.
This time around, sadly, there doesn't really seem to be a major disadvantage to the use of wires (asides from the sort-of-caps from chargen and cost difficulties, and the max level you can get them at), but I'd still allow that kind of thing. Who knows, maybe an alert hacker would notice that the guy is using a chipped skill, and go after his deck? |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:33 PM
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#7
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
You can't use edge with skillwires.
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Apr 18 2006, 08:35 PM
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#8
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,150 Joined: 19-December 05 From: Rhein-Ruhr Megaplex Member No.: 8,081 |
Which is why skills like demolitions or climb aren't that usefull when chipped.
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Apr 18 2006, 08:39 PM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: 18-April 06 From: midwest Member No.: 8,478 |
haha if it works for you. you are satisfied with it. your group and GM accept it. then rock the faux know.
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Apr 18 2006, 08:42 PM
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#10
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98 |
Ah, there ya go, then. Honestly, I've always gotten a kick out of skillwires. It's fun to see what players will load up on next. Probably the most entertaining, though, is when they have one of the characters in the crew tasked to handle something because he's got it chipped, and nobody else knows how to do it at all... and then wonder why sometimes things don't go so hot. |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:49 PM
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#11
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
With the wireless matrix, the Matrix (the movie) trick of getting a skill when you realize you need it is very possible.
A run goes bad and suddenly you find yourself needing a pilot program for a helicopter you can have the skill bought, paid for, downloaded, and running within three seconds. |
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Apr 18 2006, 08:53 PM
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#12
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
There are other threads based around the infeasibility of buying software instantly online (specifically skillwire software). Hopefully that won't flare up here as well. :)
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Apr 18 2006, 09:02 PM
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#13
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
Oh, I know. I've read and participated. I don't mean for it to flare up here, either.
Suffice to say, if your GM lets you buy software instantly online, skillwires become much, much more appealing. If your GM doesn't, well, that's a different debate. |
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Apr 18 2006, 09:07 PM
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#14
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Yeah, I haven't broached that subject yet, but I doubt it would eb an instant action in our games. At the least I'd have to spend 5 minutes filling out forms and deleting the spam I received because I forgot to uncheck the "do you like dogs?" box. ;)
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Apr 21 2006, 09:14 AM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,401 Joined: 23-February 04 From: Honolulu, HI Member No.: 6,099 |
I was looking over skillwires again today, wasn't such a fan in sr3 cause they seemed such a hassle to install and maintain, in sr4 they seem ridiculously cheap to get rating 5 in.
What I was wondering was if an active-skill skillchip was a "I know kung fu" kinda realization, or you go through the moves, but more unconsciously. I was leaning towards unconsciously because they mention skillwires aren't really good for trying to learn the skill itself, so no bonuses I assume, but to me that also implied that it would have to be information you'd immediately forget when you unchipped it. |
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Apr 21 2006, 09:51 AM
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#16
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
Actually, you don't 'forget' - as long as you run the skillsoft, you 'know' the skill... if you unplug it, you simply don't.
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Apr 21 2006, 12:31 PM
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#17
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
I've always thought that skill wires would be cool to put in to a corp suit that was in danger of being extracted. Combine it w/ a bit of muscle toner and some enhanced articulation, and he can do reasonably well as his own bodyguard.
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Apr 21 2006, 03:49 PM
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#18
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
they're cheap to get at rating 5, but you can't have active skills with them over rating 4 and don't get to use edge with them. Cheap, but not overpoweredly so.
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Apr 21 2006, 04:04 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 565 Joined: 7-January 04 Member No.: 5,965 |
alphaware rating 5 skillswires- 20,000 (.8 essence)
10 rating 4 skillsofts (at 12,000 each)- 120,000 muscle toner 4- 32,000 (.8 essence, or .4 if cyber is more than bio) smartlink contact lenses with flare, lowlight/thermo, and ultrasound- 1800 the look on the runners face when the target can throw 13 dice of firearms from that little wimpy guy they need to grab? priceless. 8,000 for the standard ware to use a rating 4 skillsoft, 12,000 for the program itself (each!). ware is far cheaper than softs these days. and skillsofts are fairly cheap for the corporation, as they can copy programs (they probably sell a few), and cheap wires you can afford to implant in gaurds. |
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Apr 21 2006, 05:28 PM
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#20
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Hoppelhäschen 5000 Group: Members Posts: 5,807 Joined: 3-January 04 Member No.: 5,951 |
Yeah, skillwires in SR4 give the term 'wage-slave' a whole new meaning.
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