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> Wireless Smart Weapons, How long do their batteries last for?
Mistwalker
post Oct 13 2006, 01:08 PM
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OK,

It hasn't come up yet, but how long do the batteries on smart wireless weapons last? and on smart weapons with wireless turned off (skin link)?

In a normal run, it wouldn't be an issue, but on a wilderness, or similar deprived area, it could be important.

How are they charged?

Anyone done any work on this?
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Ancient History
post Oct 13 2006, 01:14 PM
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They work until the GM tells you they go dead in the middle of a firefight.

Note to samurai: always tell the GM you're spending some downtime cleaning/repairing/reloading/recharging your weapons, vehicles, and other gear. Download the patch on the IC-breaker too, while you're at it.
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Ryu
post Oct 13 2006, 01:18 PM
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No rules that I know off, and impossible to say without knowing the actual tech.

As you only need the smartlink in combat rather than all the time, pretty much as long as you need it to work.
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Mistwalker
post Oct 13 2006, 01:18 PM
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On that subject, what kind of rating do smart weapons have for wireless nodes?

That is, what is the level of program that I can load into it?
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BlackHat
post Oct 13 2006, 01:20 PM
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As far as I know, this has been abstracted away to the point where the answer is "long enough". Aside from some electricity weapons that hold "charges", I'm glad that everything else doesn't make you micromanage power supplies. Or fuel for that matter.

I remember in SR3 when I played a rigger who, for some reason, was expected to buy batteries for his cyberdeck (and micromanage how many hours of power they still had), but not for his control deck (or whatever those things were called back in SR3 ;-)). It similarly sucked paying attention to the levels of fuel in my various drones and vehicles.

The thought of having to put my weapons in "power save" mode, and manage power-levels, makes me shudder. :-D
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Mistwalker
post Oct 13 2006, 02:11 PM
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I wasn't looking to micro-manage or have players micro-manage their power usage or fuel use. I was mostly looking for a guide line for wilderness adventures or other powerless regions.

For drone usage, I usually let them go for 24 hours before they need to be recharged, if they can't find a power hook-up where they are.
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DireRadiant
post Oct 13 2006, 02:38 PM
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Glitches, critical glitches.

Glitch = Low power!

Critical Glitch= Battery blow up!
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BlackHat
post Oct 13 2006, 02:55 PM
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That's not a bad way of handling it - except that for some reason an unskilled gunslinger's pistols drain batteries like a gameboy, and the skilled gun-bunny's guns work effectivly forever...

But that could sort of be explained by sayign that the skileld hcaracter would know how to care for his weapon better - when to put it in power-save, and would be more likely to habitually recharge it.
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Zen Shooter01
post Oct 13 2006, 03:23 PM
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I own a wristwatch that runs off solar power.
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Thanee
post Oct 13 2006, 03:59 PM
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It's like those watches, that 'recharge' constantly by moving them. :)

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Mistwalker
post Oct 13 2006, 04:23 PM
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I can just see it.

You have a little solar panel on the top of your Pred IV. You have to have it out and waving it around to recharge it. :cyber: That might draw a little attention.

Actually, they just might, as an additional way to recharge the batteries.
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lorechaser
post Oct 13 2006, 04:35 PM
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"ARGH! Why did I buy a solar powered gun when I run the shadows?!"

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DireRadiant
post Oct 13 2006, 04:50 PM
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Tap tap... this chrome dome full cyber replacement skull you see here... well it's also a solar power collector! Never run out of juice.
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GrinderTheTroll
post Oct 13 2006, 05:17 PM
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QUOTE (Mistwalker)
OK,

It hasn't come up yet, but how long do the batteries on smart wireless weapons last? and on smart weapons with wireless turned off (skin link)?

In a normal run, it wouldn't be an issue, but on a wilderness, or similar deprived area, it could be important.

How are they charged?

Anyone done any work on this?

I was thinking about this for things like Low-light, Thermo and SL enabled contact lenses, but decided that who cares as long as it works. Plus, who really want's to care about changing batteries in their contact lenses? :cyber:
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Mistwalker
post Oct 13 2006, 06:18 PM
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I could see the contact lenses being powered off of your body (heat, motion-blinks, electical field, etc..). I figure most cyberware works like that.

Shudders to think about changing batteries in a cyber commlink.

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Shrike30
post Oct 13 2006, 06:21 PM
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The character with the low skill flat-out FORGETS to change the batteries (hence the higher glitch chance).
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eidolon
post Oct 13 2006, 06:45 PM
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To me, this is the kind of stuff that you can use to really flesh out the fluff side of your game, but that I would probably never actually use in a mechanical way.

So as a player, I might say stuff like "Well, while we're just sitting here waiting for the attack to come, I'm going to check my gear, you know, change batteries, check levels, etc."

As a GM, responding to that, I might do something like "cool, you start running over your weapon; just as you pop out the battery pack to swap it for a fresh one, you hear what you think might have been somebody stepping on a branch about 25 yards into the woods to your left". (I'd never say "hahaha! you got shot cause you didn't have a battery" or anything, but I might use it to create atmosphere.)

Then, as the player responding to that, I might say "okay, I slap my weapon back together as fast as I can while still making sure to do it right, and I hunker down and look in that direction".

That lets you add the element as part of the world, for realism and "cool", but it doesn't create situations where you're worried that you're micro-managing or penalizing players for stuff that really isn't all that important.
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dog_xinu
post Oct 13 2006, 09:21 PM
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QUOTE
That's not a bad way of handling it - except that for some reason an unskilled gunslinger's pistols drain batteries like a gameboy, and the skilled gun-bunny's guns work effectivly forever...


Well a highly skilled gun-bunny will spend the time cleaning and maintaining their weapons. And unskilled dweeb wont. so it makes a lot of sense. I think I am going to start using this in my current game.

dog
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Draconis
post Oct 13 2006, 09:49 PM
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I would think with the amount of electronic stuff the person of 2070 carries on them that there would be some universal charger. Can you imagine maintaining and plugging in a dozen different widgets? Oh crap now where did I put that adapter....
Also with power consumption and recharge notices why would skill factor in? I'm looking at my laptop's power bar right now, I don't think there's much of a difference if I notice it or joe average as long as they understand what it means.

Also in 2070 your gear is smart. Remember your toaster can give you the weather report while your fridge is ordering more groceries. You should see what the important stuff can do.

Hell my gear practically takes care of itsself. My predator IV vibrates when it's getting low on ammo so I know when to change a clip even if I ignore the ammo count displayed on my cybereyes. No cybereyes? Have it output to your commlink, your wristwatch, your smartgoggles whatever. I'm sure it occasionaly sends messages to my eyes or commlink about status, maintenance, hell maybe it just wants to talk.

So in short with the prevalence of efficient battery powered items and with their auto notice features, power supply shouldn't be much of an issue.
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kigmatzomat
post Oct 13 2006, 10:04 PM
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Well, my bluetooth headset (range ~20ft) lasts for around 24-72 hours of standby. It'd be more but it goes into a power-hungry seek mode when it gets separated from my Treo, like when I go to a meeting while the Treo is on the charger. It can provide something like 4 hours of talk time and this is in a package the size of your little finger.

If it goes into a sleep mode anytime you aren't holding it/disengage the safety and the batteries would probably last several weeks.

As to the universal charger, at least one company was pushing for an induction charge pad that would charge any device that was set on it. I doubt it will get off the ground just b/c of the profit margin on chargers and other simple electronic devices.
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Zeitgeist
post Oct 14 2006, 02:20 AM
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The thing is that we encounter problems when we analyze SR tech to closely. To hell with the batteries on a smartgun (actualy, any gun), where does the power for your cyberlimbs come from? Are there people wandering around in 2070 totaly blind because they got drunk and forgot to charge up their peepers? We can't figure out how such-and-such works because it don't exist!

Now to contradict myself...Considering the amount of heat and kinetic energy a gunshot produces, I'm sure recharging isn't an issue. Also, what with nanotech and it being 64 years in the future, I'm pretty sure that the batteries in our characters' guns will outlive the characters themselves :P
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Garrowolf
post Oct 14 2006, 08:48 AM
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The way I always thought about was that the clip on a smart gun has a small rechargable powercell in it. You not only reload the clip but you also recharge it kind of like walkie talkies.

On the cyberware front: Only really tiny things in my game run off your bioelectric field. Your regular cyberware requires monthly upkeep which equals 5% the cost of the cyberware and requires a cyberdoc contact to do the work. That covers powercells and such as well as normal (or even moderate) levels of damage. If they stop paying it for two months then they gain the gremlins quality with their cyberware.
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Draconis
post Oct 14 2006, 10:32 AM
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QUOTE (Garrowolf)
The way I always thought about was that the clip on a smart gun has a small rechargable powercell in it. You not only reload the clip but you also recharge it kind of like walkie talkies.

Not a bad idea. They use that concept for the guns in the film Aliens.
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Draconis
post Oct 14 2006, 10:52 AM
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QUOTE (Zeitgeist)
The thing is that we encounter problems when we analyze SR tech to closely. To hell with the batteries on a smartgun (actualy, any gun), where does the power for your cyberlimbs come from? Are there people wandering around in 2070 totaly blind because they got drunk and forgot to charge up their peepers? We can't figure out how such-and-such works because it don't exist!


Not yet but they're working on it. Oh and do you really want to know where the power comes from? I suspect ATPases coupled to electroactive polymers for limbs. So basically proton gradients are supplying the power. No charging or batteries required just like your real muscles.

You did ask. :)
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Fortune
post Oct 14 2006, 03:34 PM
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QUOTE (Garrowolf @ Oct 14 2006, 06:48 PM)
On the cyberware front: Only really tiny things in my game run off your bioelectric field. Your regular cyberware requires monthly upkeep which equals 5% the cost of the cyberware and requires a cyberdoc contact to do the work.

So, a character'd be paying 60% of the overall cost of all his implants per year in your game ... just for upkeep? Um ... nice. :please:
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