 Need a computer term |
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 Dec 11 2006, 07:32 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517  |
Okay I was thinking that part of the problem with all this hacking cyberware could be solved in a different way. I want to introduce a type of internal computer but I want a different term then commlink. This computer would not work as a communications device. It would act as a CPU for a character with lots of cyberware. It would coalate information from all of it and provide diagnostics and damage reports. It would contain internal harddrive space for head ware memory. It would have the ability to hold lingasofts and such. It could coordinate all kinds of internal systems and programs.All cyberware would be connected to it through fiber optic cables under the skin. It would have some of the same systems as a commlink but it would not act as a communications device.
Basically it would work as the internal support brain for a cybered character. They could also have a commlink doing all the normal stuff but it would not be connected to the internal one. Maybe have a datajack dedicated to connecting with the internal one. You could access it yourself but it would have it's own firewall and defenses and would be designed and modified for you. This way there is no wireless cyberware signals. If you are a cyberdoc then you can connect a cable to it but there is no way to hack it from a distance. What I need is a good name for it. It shouldn't be called a commlink because it is not a communications device. Any ideas? |
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Dec 11 2006, 07:35 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 934 Joined: 26-August 05 From: Earth - Europe - AGS - Norddeutscher Bund - Hannover Member No.: 7,624 |
In fact it is a limited commlink. It is a communications device, but for internal communication only.
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Dec 11 2006, 07:36 AM
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#3
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
RFID :P
or just go with integrated computer. a comlink is just one of many kinds of computers in SR. about the only thing they all have in common is that they "create" a node when connected to the matrix. at least thats my understanding of it all... |
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Dec 11 2006, 08:26 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
The point is for it not to be connected with the matrix.
Why would an RFID tag be useful here? Integrated Computer is too vague. They have those in everything already. Is there a name from SR3 that would apply here? I don't have my man and machine with me at the moment. |
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Dec 11 2006, 08:51 AM
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#5
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
The cyberbrain? Then you can have cyberbrain sclerosis the perfect excuse for the borrowed time flaw.
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Dec 11 2006, 09:41 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
tempting but then it would kind of go against what I am trying to do with it. Ghost hacking or brain downloads would considerably change Shadowrun.
good thought though |
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Dec 11 2006, 09:45 AM
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#7
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
Well, the old Encephalon was a vaguely similar kind of implant.
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Dec 11 2006, 09:56 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
what all did it do?
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Dec 11 2006, 10:03 AM
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#9
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,598 Joined: 15-March 03 From: Hong Kong Member No.: 4,253 |
It gave you a bonus to Intelligence (which also increased your perception) and gave you a task pool which was basically bonus dice for decking and B/R tests.
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Dec 11 2006, 10:08 AM
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#10
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
I don't have copy of Street Bunnies Catalog at hand, but there might be something a little closer in there.
Not that I think all this is necessary in the first place. |
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Dec 11 2006, 10:21 AM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
Well it is one of those things that if I don't find a way to resolve it I will not be able to flow with the game. It's kind of like when you see something out of place in a movie and you can't focus on the movie anymore.
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Dec 11 2006, 10:26 AM
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#12
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Shadow Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 3,737 Joined: 2-June 06 From: Secret Tunnels under the UK (South West) Member No.: 8,636 |
In the old Mage game, Iteration X mages had a DEI - Digital Enhancement Implant which was mostly what you've described. You could just call the thing a co-processor. Or in SR common parlance, a CO-PRO. Or as its an uncommunicating non-link, you could call it a UNL. ;) |
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Dec 11 2006, 10:29 AM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
I found a word that sounds cool and works for me:
Cyberkinetics Array It has something to do with early real attempts to connect computers and brains. |
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Dec 11 2006, 12:04 PM
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#14
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
ugh, i misread what was looked for. anyone recall the good old router?
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Dec 11 2006, 01:19 PM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494 |
The best thing would be to have a DNA (Direct Neural Interface) which can be found in ShadowTech (SR2/SR3). It is a direct connection from a piece of cyberware to the users brain so that he/she can control it with just his/her thoughts. It was designed for articulated arms that normally are not controlled by traditional cyber means (because they are not a traditional limb).
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Dec 11 2006, 01:50 PM
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#16
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
DNI is pretty much standard in SR4 for anything cyber-related that needs it. As far as I am concerned, a DNI connection alone is enough to do the job, and cannot be hacked unless other Wireless signals are present, making this type of thing superfluous. Those pieces of cyber that need to interact with the outside world for diagnostic purposes can easily be routed though the datajack (or RDIF) when the need arises, and shut off at all other times. |
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Dec 11 2006, 02:11 PM
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#17
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Awakened Asset Group: Members Posts: 4,464 Joined: 9-April 05 From: AGS, North German League Member No.: 7,309 |
If I remember correctly, running diagnostics without need for surgery was a major function of the data jack (allthough not required by the rules). As everything can have processing power now, extended functionality is no problem at all.
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Dec 11 2006, 02:27 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 341 Joined: 3-October 05 Member No.: 7,802 |
And I could be wrong, but I believe in the cyber eyes/ears which include recording units for free they already have memory included. After all, there is no "headware memory" cyber in SR4.
The BBB went so far as to say you could lock it so that the data recorded could only be removed via data jack if you so wished. |
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Dec 11 2006, 03:02 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 271 Joined: 18-April 06 Member No.: 8,481 |
What you're describing is an implanted commlink with wireless mode turned off.
Cyberware wireless signals should not be a problem for anyone, because they have a signal 0! You need to get within 3 meters of them, or you can't hack them. And if the cyberware wireless is a problem for some half-sane, paranoid reason, you can turn if off. The problem with making a special computer that coordinates your cyber is that rules wise, it would be completely useless. You don't gain any bonus for knowing the status of your cyber, why would you? Having all that info is purely fluff related. I could see it providing a bonus to repairing the ware, but how often do you do repairs in a situation where there's a danger of hacking? If the ware needs to be worked on, you can just activate the wireless. I think the greater question is not what this device should be called, but rather why would anyone want it? What does it do that has a useful game effect? |
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Dec 11 2006, 09:59 PM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 261 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Massachusetts Member No.: 2,115 |
Doesn't simply having a datajack implanted do all of what you're looking for?
In SR3 your datajack had wired connections to all of your cyberware, so I assume it still does in SR4. |
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Dec 12 2006, 01:02 AM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 20 Joined: 18-November 06 From: Montgomery, tx Member No.: 9,898 |
never assume anything Chandon it seems a few if not a lot of things have changed from sr3 as sr4 repeats many times everthing is wireless....
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Dec 12 2006, 01:08 AM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 600 Joined: 31-August 05 Member No.: 7,659 |
Call it a cyberbrain, and specifiy it's not a replacement... :)
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Dec 12 2006, 01:11 AM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 22-November 06 Member No.: 9,934 |
the only thing that is not wireless is the datalock. it specifically says that it is not wireless enabled. |
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Dec 12 2006, 04:17 AM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
Okay, for one I think that the wireless cyberware is stupid for so many reasons but I have said them over and over already. I am trying to go back to the way the tech used to work and add a commlink to it. Individual pieces of cyberware in my game do not have wireless signals of any type. They are connected by wires along the DNI. Two - I have made clonal replacement the norm in my game. The average person does not use cyberware except for datajacks and such and even that is falling by the wayside. Injuries are replaced by your own cloned meat. This is not really new as clonal replacement was in SR2 and SR3. Most types of corrective surgery is done with bioware now instead of cyberware. There are some older people and some countries that still use cyberware for medical reasons though. Three - Most cyberware is military equipment. It is designed to augment a person. Some of the time this wil be used for a certain job but for most people there is no reason for them to have it. The older military equipment as well as robot parts make up most cyberware. It has become primarily paramilitary and street groups that use them. Four - There is a high degree of awareness towards communications safety and silence. There is no reason in the world to have a stupid little chip broadcasting your location and abilities. Not even for diagnostics reasons. The wires have not gone away because of the wireless technology. All large cyberware has a datajack. You can turn it on or off from the inside and it will only go to diagnostic systems for that piece of cyberware. That way you can do repairs in the field without giving away your position. Okay so I don't think what the normal consumer would do with cyberware. I think what the military would do and how would the street bastardize it. That said, I want to have a piece of cyberware that would be the norm for borgs. It would provide a secure processor for your own files. It would act as a router for your cyberware as well as a diagnostics system. Functionally it would lower the essence cost of several pieces of cyberware because there would be less need for functions that are not normally a part of a human being replicated. Man and Machine says
The way I think about it is that there is a certain amount of essence loss from the range of motion and control of the basic functions of the limbs. These are the same nerves as the old limb used. They just connect the nerves to the wires and the signal goes across. Then there is a certain amount of connections that are not a normal part of human bodies. This would be smartlinks and extra abilities of cyberlimbs. I think that some of the processing and activation of these extra abilities could be relegated to this internal system. Basically a smartlink would not need to be connected with your CNS. It would still have a wire running through your body under the skin. Then instead of having a smartlink processor you could have a program on the internal processor actually doing the work. |
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Dec 12 2006, 06:18 AM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 271 Joined: 18-April 06 Member No.: 8,481 |
What I'm interested in is what actual game effect your cybercomputer would have. Are you saying that one of these devices is necessary for cyberware to function correctly in your game? Because if not, I don't understand the use of it. The solution to vulnerable cyber is turning off its wireless - what purpose does this fancy computer idea have in mind?
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