BOOO Shadowrun, Things we hate in the game Options

[SL James]

[ixombie]

What I hate is the fact that the whole crash was caused by some random novel character and weird cult. The first crash was mysterious and sudden and great. The latest crash was like... okay? It really feels like a cheap excuse to take the corny early 90's vision of the 2060's intertron and make it into a more realistic feeling standard.

Now, I do like the new matrix. I like it a LOT. Not only is SR4 technology no longer worse than new technology today, it has relevance to everyone, not just hackers!

But that brings me to my next gripe, which is that the net has only existed for five years! This basically stops us from making characters who include AR type stuff in their background... If I want a character who developed their adept powers while mastering Ares Miracle Shooter when they were just 8 years old... That makes them 13 now, since the game has only existed for five years tops -.-

Adults who are master hackers have had just five years of experience, at the most, with the new matrix. Yet their skills with the old fashioned matrix seem to transfer perfectly to the radically new and improved systems. FastJack is still the best, even though he's been playing with the new toys just as long as everyone else.

I guess what I would have preferred is a jump of maybe 10-15 years, which gives more opportunity to have a character whose background includes some of the fun new tech. And, of course, a less lame and contrived explanation for the crash.

[wilcoxon]

Generally, I like SR4 but these are my few serious gripes:

SR4 Matrix dice mechanics being completely inconsistent with the rest of SR4 (and unrealistic to boot)

SR4 complete loss of flavor of the Matrix (does anyone really think the SR4 Wireless Matrix has remotely as much flavor as the "old" Matrix?)

Improved Attribute (adept power) magic cost compared to essence cost of cyber/bio-ware (more expensive is fine but 5x (10x if over racial max) is rediculous)

No bonus whatsoever for using smartgun/laser when firing two weapons [minor compared to others]

[SL James]

The old Matrix made sense from the perspective of it being controlled by a small group of insanely powerful corporations who can charge whatever they want and dictate the rules by which you play their game on their Matrix with their toys.

SR4's Matrix is a crappy ripoff of Ghost in the Shell and Cory Doctorow's wet dream.

Pthbbbbbbt on that crap.

As for no AR, that's crap, too. We've been using AR on Shadowland for, like, five years IRL and since the late 50s in-game. It just wasn't the primary means of decking. We stupidly used it for, you know, daily computing and lifestyle functions. Anything that uses a glorified iPod UI is less than worthless for hacking.

[Zeitgeist]

BOOOOOOOOOO:

Giving us a totally new technology and the hacking section being 31 PAGES shorter than the magic section.

Fluff books coming out before the books with the actual rules in them (Yes, I'm bitching about Emergence coming out before Unwired :P)

The apparent high mortality rate of anyone learning ANYTHING new when using the dice system! Honestly, can you imagine the number of kids who've critically glitched while learning how to swim? Let's say 2 Str+1 for Swimming. That's pretty good odds that little Timmy is going to be floating face down because mom wanted him to learn how to swim. Man, can you imagine the insurance rates!?

Royally shafting Riggers in 4th.

Totally ignoring the East Coast (other than to say it's in ruins).

Getting more dice if I were to default on any rolls made involving a program than if I were to use the appropriate skill.

Not being able to hit enemies with spells (even elemental ones), but not being able to exclude targets either. Makes area-effect spells more harmful than anything else...

Not having ammo that can deliver toxins, but having a Super Soaker that you need an exotic skill to use.

The apparent inability people seem to have dealing with the fact that with cosmetic surgery being an outpatient affair, catgirls and much crazier would be relatively common place, if not passé.

Run-on sentences.

Hooray:

BEER!

[ixombie]

[Kyoto Kid]

[Jaid]

the super squirt works fine with contact toxins.

so, iirc, you could hit someone with pepper punch. it's not *completely* without ammo from chargen at least.

[Zeitgeist]

Yeah, I can see it now: The Biggest Troll You Ever Saw pulls out an Ultimax(atatched to a gyromount, as trolls can't fire anything larger than an assault rifle just because. You pull out your trusty Can o' Mace!

And don't get me started with some of the toxin prices...I'd be better off throwing hypodermics full of bleach at the guards and hoping for the best...