Creating a Plastic Fantastic Lover

Creating a Plastic Fantastic Lover, How can I build an android?

Squinky View Member Profile	Jun 29 2006, 08:18 PM Post #26
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,479 Joined: 6-May 05 From: Idaho Member No.: 7,377	Nobodys really commented on the "Fantastic Lover" part of the title. Since skill wires only go up to like 4 (?) the crazy loving skill won't quite be that good. I would personally allow the "creature" to simply be made from drone parts if the character had the right tools. I don't see why it would cost more than 20k, but I would give it 2's across the board. I don't think paying cyber costs is really appropriate, since those are made to connect to human systems. Programs instead of skill wires.

Shrike30 View Member Profile	Jun 29 2006, 09:22 PM Post #27
Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,556 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Member No.: 98	The "Plastic Fantastic" is a slang term referring to things that are newfangled, a little finicky, and made of plastic rather than something more traditional (like flesh and bone, in this case). "Lover" is the noun, in this case.

Gustave View Member Profile	Jun 29 2006, 10:30 PM Post #28
Target Group: Members Posts: 17 Joined: 24-June 06 Member No.: 8,774	One could most likely hack the software out of a virtual person(pg. 322) and put it in the android. If Marty has a lot of time on his hands he could probably program in a reliable personality(as apposed to just downloading one of the popular sim people).

X-Kalibur View Member Profile	Jun 29 2006, 10:36 PM Post #29
Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,579 Joined: 30-May 06 From: SoCal Member No.: 8,626	Does this "Marty" happen to like Firefly/Serenity? ;)

Geekkake

Jun 29 2006, 10:39 PM

Post #30

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QUOTE (X-Kalibur)

Does this "Marty" happen to like Firefly/Serenity? ;)

Funny, my first reaction was "McFly", rather than "Firefly".

maeel

Jun 29 2006, 11:20 PM

Post #31

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QUOTE (Ankle Biter)

The problem with this is that if you can build eve, the homebound human love doll, then Captain Munckhing can build Caine the Antrho death mech o doom. Game balance is the big problem with robotic anthroforms.

The reason I think that humanoform drones have so little info is that a drone rigger with high levels of gunnery and control autosofts would have a big advantage over meat runner opposition, with minimal personal risk. Especially when they start dropping gamma scoploamine and 7-11 grenades (or whatever that nasty goop was called).

They can be used as very effective suicide bombers, cos you can load them with all sorts of nasty and they will walk up to the mark and detonate without even reaching for a trigger. Using them as a waldo allows a Rigger to use all of their hardware abilities at range, and possibly with better eyes and more nimble fingers than their own, not to mention the silly initiative they get from being full VR. All in all it gives too much opportunity for game breakage.

i wouldnt be sure about that, one of my 3rd ed. characs had such a monster, he used it as an exosuit/ powerarmor. with the limitations of Rigger 3 this thing was very well amored but the average troll was stronger. our gm actually managed that my char would only use it in certain situations, when stealth was really no issue and when of course bigger and nastier things were around...

to the topic: why dont make the machine and let a sprite live in it.. sure he is no technomancer, but the book does not say that there are no free sprites and it also doesnt say that those will only interact with technomancers..

hyzmarca View Member Profile	Jun 29 2006, 11:45 PM Post #32
Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456	Make stuff up, handwave/handwave/handwave. Basicly, there are no rules dealing with this specific scenario (outside of an April Fools joke). Start with an anthroform drone and a virtual person, make stuff up from there.

De Badd Ass

Jun 30 2006, 02:20 AM

Post #33

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QUOTE (FanGirl)

I've been struck by a brand-new character idea—a shy young hacker named Marty, who spends his hard-earned cred on upgrades and maintenance for his robot "girlfriend," which he built himself. I intend for Eve (as I'll call her until I can think of a better name) to be a fairly sophisticated gynoid; Marty designed her as a doting and supportive helpmate, and I think she’d meet the task well. Of course, she would be incapable of real thought or emotion, but she would look, speak, and act fairly realistically, and she’d always act in a convincingly sweet and attentive manner towards him.

I therefore have two inter-related questions:

Any input would be very much appreciated. Thanks much!

I had a similar idea - not the girlfriend part, the android helper part. I looked at how various drones were converted from Rigger 3 to Shadowrun 4 and came up with the following stats for a myRobot SDK.

myRobot
..Handling..............0
..Accel.................--
..Speed.................20
..Pilot.................3
..Body..................4
..Armor.................2
..Sensor................3
..Cost..................2,000¥

..Anthroform............Medium
..Height................1.8 M
..Weight................80 Kg.

..Response..............3
..Signal................3
..Firewall..............3

Attributes
..Body..................4
..Agility...............Pilot
..Reaction..............Pilot
..Strength..............6
..Charisma..............--
..Logic.................Pilot
..Intuition.............Pilot
..Willpower.............--

..Initiative............Pilot + Response
..Initiative Passes.....3

Standard AutoSofts
..ClearSight............3
..Maneuver..............3

Compare it to a Nissan Roto-Drone.

I punted on the whole Power Plant and Fuel section. There is nothing in SR 4 to compare.

You may think the price is low. This is a stripped model. Hardware and software options quickly raise the price.

QUOTE (FanGirl)

1. How much nuyen should Eve cost at Marty’s chargen?
Since there aren’t any androids that I know of in the gear listings, I need to figure out a price for a homemade android. I figured that I could buy an entire “body” made of cyber-parts and add in an expensive commlink (with lots of software), but somehow it doesn’t seem enough.

I spent a lot of thought on this, and looked at how prices changed between Rigger 3 and SR 4. Finally, I just went with 2,000¥, the price of a Nissan Roto-Drone. That's fairly close to what I computed, and it is a nice round number. I feel that a Roto-Drone is complex enough to be comparable.

QUOTE (FanGirl)

2. What kinds of upgrades could Marty give her to make her “smarter” and more realistic?
Adding more and better knowsofts is the most obvious choice, but I know that software alone won’t “humanize” her.

Heh heh. One reason for creating the myRobot was to give my Technomancer's machine sprites a way to "materialize". That probably won't register at all on the humanization axis.

De Badd Ass

Jun 30 2006, 02:45 AM

Post #34

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QUOTE (Lagomorph @ Jun 29 2006, 01:59 PM)

In sr3, I think in either SOTA64 or in Sprawl Survival Guide, they had a short blurb on athroform butlers. IIRC they were 3-5k. Since he's a hacker, he rewrite the software they use and get a contact to do the body work.

edit:

the whole purchasing cyber limbs and torso and head would work, but those are all designed to function while attached to humans, so a lot of the work and cost involved in those wouldn't really be representative of a human shell for a robot. Though I could see it end up being more lifelike that way.

The Butlers, Bartenders, etc. are in the Sprawl Survival Guide.

Rigger 3 suggests that a version of any cyberaccessory can be obtained for a drone at half price. I'd like to think that by 2070, these items would be "plug and play" ala Inspecter Gadget. Romove foot, attach skate.

As to the Plastic Fantastic Lover part: I wonder if an android girlfriend/boyfriend could compete with a BTL chip, a prostitute, or matrix sex. I'm not sure what the point would be. What would the 2070 edition of "The Sims" be like?

Kalvan

Jun 30 2006, 02:51 AM

Post #35

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QUOTE (De Badd Ass)

I'm not sure what the point would be. What would the 2070 edition of "The Sims" be like?

It would be just like The Thirteenth Floor

FanGirl View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 06:43 AM Post #36
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: 8-April 06 From: My dorm room Member No.: 8,438	I just want to clarify what exactly Eve is to Marty. Shrike pretty much hit the nail on the head: she is primarily designed as an Angel in the House. A sweet and virginal “girl next door,” Eve mostly cooks and cleans when Marty isn’t at home, and dotes on him incessantly when he is. She always agrees with his opinions and laughs at his jokes, congratulating him during his triumphs and consoling him during his tribulations. Although she is not actually sentient and does not feel real emotion, her affect is convincing enough to make Marty think that she truly loves and understands him. Of course, his judgment of her “understanding” is clouded by the fact that he’s fallen in love with her. He’s very devoted to Eve, and wants to see her happy more than anything else—which would be quite touching if it wasn’t so unsettling. Now I’ll clarify what Eve is not. She is not a sexbot: in fact, Marty has not had any kind of sexual relations with her at all. He’s a little old-fashioned, and so he’s postponing the act until “the time is right.” She is also not a killbot: she’s much too docile for that. The only thing she can really do to “defend” herself from an assailant is yell “Help! Help! Help!” until someone comes to her rescue. (I should point out that a sadistic GM could have Eve stolen, converted into a killing machine, and then sicced on Marty. Marty would be forced to choose between destroying the love of his life and letting himself be destroyed by her, which would make for Dramatic and Poignant Roleplaying™.) Anyway, Marty wants to preserve Eve’s purity as best as he can, so he definitely won’t be installing any bizarre sex toys or guns in her. He doesn't even let her leave the apartment, for crying out loud. Finally, I want to touch on why I gave the thread the title that I gave it. I was alluding to a song—Plastic Fantastic Lover by Jefferson Airplane. It was this song that gave me the inspiration for Marty and Eve. That's why Marty shares his first name with Marty Balin, who provided the vocals for the song; you can probably guess why my Marty’s last name is Jefferson. Anyway, I think that about covers my clarifications for tonight; if you have any further questions that need addressing, I’ll answer them tomorrow. I want to thank everyone who has posted so far for their input—it’s been really helpful. Good night!

DireRadiant View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 12:42 PM Post #37
The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667	I'd go for the Eve as a contact idea then.

emo samurai View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 02:03 PM Post #38
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019	Hmmm.... the possibilities....

Abbandon View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 02:20 PM Post #39
Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,711 Joined: 15-June 06 Member No.: 8,716	I was gonna say she could be a mom or a little sister. But i knew he was gonna be banging that grade A piece of plastic. I think that whole thing about him being innoscent and falling in love with eve is very unrealistic. Unless he had his manhood chopped off and surgically reattached he would be thinking about sex every day. And how could he ignore a moving realistic woman. Would he be like " Ummm, Eve go in the other room i have to have some alone time" lol I can see him trying to hold back his desires until he is finally bursting at the seams to nail eve and then getting so into it he breaks her or he starts telling her all this wierd stuff to do and she gets totally confused and saying wierd stuff like " Is this some kinda new execersize program you would like me to learn" or "What is the purpose of this activity marty??" That crap about a guy holding back and gradually falling in love with a woman only happens in chick flicks. I guess im being hard on this idea of yours but its just rubs me the wrong way....or maybe its the lack of rubbing.

emo samurai View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 02:32 PM Post #40
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019	If she can play a technomancer, then she can play a chick flick stereotype. :P And before anything happens between them, something will happen to her. :D

Phobos View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 03:56 PM Post #41
Target Group: Members Posts: 95 Joined: 28-June 06 Member No.: 8,800	I guess the best way, then, would be to make her into a Dependent Negative Quality - Marty's attached to her, and even has to sink money into her to make her better - so she shouldn't probably even cost BP ... oh, and she might even be an embaressment to him should someone find out about his feelings. +10BP should be okay then. Oh, btw, Airplanes' 'Plastic Fantastic Lover' was love-hate-relatishionship with a TV :D ... and perhaps some broken-up-relationship, but that's only what Jerry Garcia's Ghost whispers :D The term's meaning than started changing into 'sex toy' in the 90s and 2000s (which accordingly to Jerry Garcia's Ghost is not that far from the original meaning). Funny how the Thread's title reflects through the posts within it ... Strange things with Names ...

ClickClash View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 04:15 PM Post #42
Target Group: Members Posts: 7 Joined: 30-June 06 Member No.: 8,810	I double-dog dare you to name her Mercy instead of Eve. I also recommend you take a look at the novel Virtual Girl. Brilliant guy builds girl robot to be his devoted friend, makes her fully functional but has a big ole hang-up about purity and sex, so she has no understanding of sex at all. It migth suggest some things for your character's psych profile...

Shrike30

Jun 30 2006, 05:58 PM

Post #43

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QUOTE (Phobos)

Oh, btw, Airplanes' 'Plastic Fantastic Lover' was love-hate-relatishionship with a TV :D ... and perhaps some broken-up-relationship, but that's only what Jerry Garcia's Ghost whispers :D
The term's meaning than started changing into 'sex toy' in the 90s and 2000s (which accordingly to Jerry Garcia's Ghost is not that far from the original meaning).

See, that's amusing to me because I picked up the slang as a shooter. There's a chunk of the community that thinks poorly of the trend in polymer-framed firearms (such as the Glock or the Springfield Armory XD)... they call 'em "Plastic Fantastic" or "Combat Tupperware," things like that. The double-entendré that now exists in my mind has me rolling.

Jaid View Member Profile	Jun 30 2006, 09:24 PM Post #44
Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813	personally, i would price the drone at 3k instead of 2k... sure, it may be like the rotodrone in terms of complexity, but let's not forget the rotodrone doesn't come with two rating 3 autosofts either... which, incidentally, the doberman does have =P

Lindt View Member Profile	Jul 1 2006, 01:27 AM Post #45
Man In The Machine Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,264 Joined: 26-February 02 From: I-495 S Member No.: 1,105	Funny, the first things htat came to mind was the Airplane song... I kinda like the idea as charging it like a contact. Its good role play.

Cynic project View Member Profile	Jul 1 2006, 01:44 AM Post #46
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,032 Joined: 6-August 04 Member No.: 6,543	Make her a quality. SHe is very clearly a plot device and nothing more or less. An interesting one but still just one. You could charge him 5 points, and say that she helps him deal with stress and such, maybe give him a dice or two when healing at home. Or other small bonuses that would be given based on logical choses of the GM.

Kanada Ten View Member Profile	Jul 1 2006, 02:24 AM Post #47
Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826	Wait... isn't this just covered by lifestyle costs? I assume most people have some form of this either virtual, domestic or a combo. It's so much fun when the repo men come... But I'd go with the 20-30k if you want ownership. I have an NPC rigger who loves his car... and her personality (Queen B!tch v6.1a).

FanGirl

Jul 1 2006, 06:49 AM

Post #48

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QUOTE (Abbandon)

I was gonna say she could be a mom or a little sister. But i knew he was gonna be banging that grade A piece of plastic.

I think that whole thing about him being innoscent and falling in love with eve is very unrealistic. Unless he had his manhood chopped off and surgically reattached he would be thinking about sex every day. And how could he ignore a moving realistic woman. Would he be like " Ummm, Eve go in the other room i have to have some alone time"

lol I can see him trying to hold back his desires until he is finally bursting at the seams to nail eve and then getting so into it he breaks her or he starts telling her all this wierd stuff to do and she gets totally confused and saying wierd stuff like " Is this some kinda new execersize program you would like me to learn" or "What is the purpose of this activity marty??"

That crap about a guy holding back and gradually falling in love with a woman only happens in chick flicks. I guess im being hard on this idea of yours but its just rubs me the wrong way....or maybe its the lack of rubbing.

I’m big enough to admit that my first instinct was to say something snarky about how, unlike you, not all men are pigs who are incapable of having emotional intimacy. But then I got to thinking about it and I realized that you were right: Marty does correspond a little too closely to what seems to be the universal male ideal among women, and that expecting a man to correspond to this ideal by denying his own sexuality is perhaps irrational. Yet I still want Marty to be kind of nerdy and wholesome, because I feel that these qualities are central to his character. So I’ve decided that he does have strong sexual desire for Eve, but he just tries very hard to repress it. The main reason for this unhealthy repression stems from—you might have guessed it—mommy issues.

I figure that Marty’s dad mistreated Marty’s mom for years: smacking her around, cheating on her, and just generally taking her for granted before his death (possibly in some sort of foolish motorcycle stunt) when Marty was very small. His mom, of course, was full of anger and resentment towards her late husband, and she dealt with her emotional baggage by unloading it onto her son. Her determination not to raise another abusive man ironically spurred her to become an abusive woman: she had no tolerance for any signs of belligerence, disrespectfulness, or sexual appetite that she noticed in young Marty, and always justified her severe punishments by reminding him of the terrible fate that he would earn if he disobeyed her: “Do you want to end up like your father?” With a childhood like that, it’s no wonder that Marty keeps such a tight rein on his natural impulses.

Still, Marty does have a few outlets for his sexual desire. For instance: I have arbitrarily decided that Eve does not yet have the motor skills to dress or undress herself, so he has to do it for her. He usually does so twice in a day (she wears pajamas to bed), but sometimes he does it three times (she has a party dress for special occasions). Sometimes, immediately after one of these “changings,” he needs to excuse himself to the next room for a few minutes. Not all that satisfying, I know, but it's better than nothing.

QUOTE (ClickClash)

I double-dog dare you to name her Mercy instead of Eve.

Why Mercy? Why pick that name over all the other fictional gynoid names? I must know!

ShadowDragon8685

Jul 1 2006, 07:16 AM

Post #49

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QUOTE (ClickClash)

I double-dog dare you to name her Mercy instead of Eve.

*point, snort, snicker.*

Silly. Mercy's a gun's name! Just like Reason!

Drraagh View Member Profile	Jul 1 2006, 07:43 AM Post #50
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 308 Joined: 1-June 06 From: Nova Scotia, Canada Member No.: 8,631	There are a number of versions of this sort of thing appearing in Anime from Video Girl Ai to Ah! My Goddess and so forth, and all of that is pretty much non-sexual. Now, there are also some for the more adult out there, but that doesn't fit with what you're going for. In movies, we've got the virtual version like there was in 6th Day, the whole list of those in the Wikipedia entry and even various Matrix versions. I have to say I like the idea. The most recent project I had my character working on, even making use of gear they were stealing from runs, was to build a non-Matrix based video game system. Shaker table base to get the reaction of movement and then various other additions to it. Sort of a way to work the body while gaming, rather than just letting the mind do it. Now, as for the personality, I would say it would just be random decision pathways like a SK. I don't know how many people actually watched Star Trek Voyager, but the novelization of the pilot had some scenes from the 'view' of the holographic Doctor, showing the trail through his data-pathways before he would make a decision to do anything. Now, the programming would have to be appropriated from somewhere, since it takes a lot of time to program something like that, unless you start off with just simple collision detection and add new pathways as needed. Then to make it more realistic, upgrades could be cannabalized code to add more options, a seris of moods set upon stimuli (lie being gloomy when its rainy, but then you wanted someone to comfort Marty, so I dunno), perhaps some fuzzy logic upgrades, things like that.

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