Matrix Question: File Sizes, How do you determine the MP size.... Options

[Nephyte]

How do you determine the MP size of a file.


I've been reading a few threads and from what I remember from various published sources it seems to me that file sizes tend to be well .... rather large.

For instance, I was just reading the posts from Synner and Satcong about a simple matrix run where the file Satcong was after was a wopping 550 MP. Assuming the Corporation (or Law Firm) in question payed a discout rate of 10 :nuyen: per MP for there computers (which I assume are the hardware responsible for storing the information available on the Matrix) they payed a wopping 5500 :nuyen: just to store that one file. Considering that an average Law Firm would be storing hundreds if not thousands of files at a time this seems to me hugely cost prohibitive.

If you go by actual prices in the BBB, they would have payed 11000 :nuyen: just to have the memory capacity to store this single file.

Seems outrageous to me! :eek:

Now Cyberdeck Off-Line Storage is much cheaper. This comes in at 5 :nuyen: per MP, which will run the Firm 2750 + 50 for a grand total of 3000 :nuyen:. That however seems to apply to Cyberdecks only as it's a seperate system. I'm just speculating that a Law Firm is more likely to have normal hardware rather then Cyberdeck Offline Storage.


Now, storage costs vary all over the place. I understand a need for game balance but it just seems like they're throwing higher and higher numbers out there with absolutely no thought of actual economy behind it.

It all has me rather confused now that I've begun thinking about it....

[mfb]

it's easier if you decide that the Mp ratings for computers out of the BBB are active memory. then, you can buy as much storage memory as you want, and hook it up to your computer.

[Fortune]

[hobgoblin]

this of most files like a package, most likely its not only the content (image, text, whatever) but allso the software needed to run it. hell it could ven be a database if your hitting a lawfirm or somewhre else,companyslove databases today and that will not change. and those databases have a bad habbit of getting out of hand fast!

offline storage, while listed under deckes should be usefull in other areas to (alltho you can probably hook a deck upto a pc and just copy over the files, unless the gm or riaa slaps you with drm) as thre are no real disks or portable medium in sr (most are wrist, head and pocket computers)...

[mfb]

yeah, offline storage would be pretty useless if it were only useable with cyberdecks. i mean, how would you get the data in your offline storage to the guys who are buying it? just hand 'em a hard drive that contains not only the 50 Mp file they want, but also your 800 Mp of Nadja Daviar's photomanipulated dark brown nipples? much easier to assume that there are universal data cables, which can be used to connect the offline storage drive to your pocsec, headware memory, or whatever.