Droids, Where's my pleasure-bot? |
Droids, Where's my pleasure-bot? |
Jul 17 2007, 03:16 PM
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#1
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
The anthroform thread got me to thinking. We have good computers with excellent programs. We have the groundwork for anthroform drones. We have Semi-autonomous knowbots and more AIs than ever before. We have the tech to make the artificial look and feel like real flesh (non-obvious cyberlimbs). I swear we're going to have full conversion borgs any day now (put a brain in a drone that it dedicated-rigs, heck why not). How long before you can get a fully artificial escort, guarenteed 100% disease free and willing to do anything to please you? How long before shadowrunners show up to a meet and later realize that the reason their J seems to have ice-water in his veins is that he doesn't have a pulse. How long before players get chased by fully robotic security guards who are faster, stronger, better shots, and have no fear? Actually, that last one I'm not really looking forward to. I like difficult, not a TPK. Just saying. |
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Jul 17 2007, 03:31 PM
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#2
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
p.88, Runner Havens.
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Jul 17 2007, 03:35 PM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
also, iirc, there was something of this nature in one of the old SOTA books or something, i seem to recall hearing...
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Jul 17 2007, 03:50 PM
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#4
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
I doubt the pleasure bots will sell very well. A tube of trode-paste and a fully functional VR girlfriend will be a lot cheaper, easier to clean, and can have higher program ratings than anything running on autosofts. It'll also be able to change shape into anything your freaky little heart desires rather than require the purchase of a new robot every time you get a new hankering.
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Jul 17 2007, 03:59 PM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 633 Joined: 23-February 06 Member No.: 8,301 |
It's a niche thing. For folks who get simsense vertigo. Or folks with a robot fetish.
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Jul 17 2007, 04:04 PM
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#6
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Right, which is why it won't sell well (at least not compared to the alternative). You can still make money on it, it just won't be oodles and oodles of money hand over fist. For people that demand real world sex persona fixed runaways are cheaper than drones. For people that are ok with virtual sex, programs are cheaper. Basically you're looking at people who have moral qualms about prostitution and can't get laid without it, or have some sort of kink that makes a robot better than a person.
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Jul 17 2007, 04:15 PM
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#7
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
except that the robot can also take care of all the household chores, be your bodyguard, and within reason can change appearance (a simple holo projector should do the trick adequately, it takes a perception + intuition (2) test to notice it as fake... which means that unless you're observing in detail, you are probably defaulting (-1) on a perception test while not observing in detail (so -2) and are therefore likely taking a -3 dice pool on a test where your starting dicepool is 2 or 3...)
of course, changing how it feels is a bit more tricky, but i would expect some limited changes are possible. smart materials are getting smarter all the time, after all ;) |
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Jul 17 2007, 04:22 PM
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#8
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
Basically, you want to build Guri.
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Jul 17 2007, 04:27 PM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 95 Joined: 23-June 07 Member No.: 11,998 |
Hmm..
I have no pleasure bots in my Shadowy version of St. Louis, but I do have "droid" bartenders at some swanky clubs and in the homes of a few wealthy private citizens. Anthroform butlers are still a rarity and expensive, but possible. But sex droids? Interesting. I've honestly never considered it because of the rampant sex trade in both reality and the Matrix - I figured that would feed most of the appetites of the deviants in my little world. This .. this is like bunraku without the guilt, where's the fun in that? ;) |
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Jul 17 2007, 04:43 PM
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#10
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
I'm thinking massive changes: animals, midgets, trolls, or even an orgy including all of the above. There's no way a holoprojector can duplicate that because it can't make you feel the new bodies. Taking care of housework is definitely a plus. |
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Jul 17 2007, 04:55 PM
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#11
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 |
oh, i agree completely with you on that one... no way can a droid make anywhere near the extent of the changes of a simsense program. just pointing out that it's not 100% impossible to change appearances either (in fact, if you outfitted it with a full-body version of the disguise mask and gave it a disguise autosoft, you wouldn't even need the holo projector, and the change could be physical... ) but yeah, i would expect the droid to be more along the lines of a bodyguard/servant who happens to be usable for sex, rather than being purely designed as a sex droid (that is, it's more like a really high-end servant drone, and would be marketed as such, since like you said, it can't really compete with the simsense equivalent in other areas) |
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Jul 17 2007, 05:31 PM
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#12
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
If I want a bodyguard/servant who is also usable for sex, I''d install some combat cyber in my brainwashed slavegirl and send her to culinary school on weekends. There is little reason for robots when flesh-slaves are better in every possible way and the UCAS Constitution doesn't have a Thirteenth Amendment (or rather, it does, but not one that prohibits slavery).
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Jul 17 2007, 05:32 PM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
Yes, they started them in Third, but I havn't seen them used in Fourth yet. And let's get away from the sex for a second. (Not that I don't like it...) Security guards and soldiers that aren't a PR problem when they get messily blown up? Remote rigging so people can have bodies (that look however you want them too) from half way around the world? It'd take a bit of the personal risk out of some shadowruns (although you'd still have to worry about the expense of losing a SotA toy and signal jamming). Hell, who's to say the shadowruns couldn't be performed by bots with the right 'softs? All the results, more capability, none of the lip, and cheap as free after the initial investment. I'm seeing a change in the near future of Shadowrun. A big one. I'm not sure that I like it. (I'm not sure I dislike it, either.) |
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Jul 17 2007, 05:38 PM
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#14
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
Right. You can slap a vagina or a penis on pretty much anything you want, so if you're going to be paying top dollar for a SOTA robot it's got to be useful for something else. |
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Jul 17 2007, 05:40 PM
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#15
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Softs hit rating 4 at the highest, and don't get specialization. While there are definitely some advantages to drones, mostly in the area of not dying and inhuman senses, there are also disadvantages. They're not smart enough to react to unknown situations, can be jammed, don't have the skill or Edge necessary to overcome a lot of obstacles, and are usually a lot more fragile than a well armored human (let alone troll).
I don't see bots replacing runners any time soon. Never unless they can overcome the rating 4 limit for autosofts. |
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Jul 17 2007, 05:44 PM
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#16
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...for the pre-programmed love bunny, One Name: Tyrell Corp.
...Better than Human Genetech has to seen some improvement in 6 years. For the Droid Bartender, I picture the one from spaceport scene in The Fifth Element. |
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Jul 17 2007, 05:47 PM
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#17
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
Replacing runners? No way, I agree. Replacing security? Maybe, under certain circumstances. Augmenting security? Probably, in many circumstances. Augmenting a runner team? Sure, if you can afford it I bet you can find some good uses for a robot. |
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Jul 17 2007, 06:27 PM
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#18
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Yeah, but I think most uses for robots in security and running are already handled by standard drones, which are generally more versatile than anthroform robots. If anthroform technology reaches the point where the right softs can let a drone/robot impersonate a metahuman then that could open all sorts of doors, but I don't know if we're there yet.
I want tech to be at that point though, so I can stat up my next rigger. :) |
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Jul 17 2007, 06:43 PM
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#19
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
Well, let's do a little test-build:
Let's pretend the OS for our example robot (let's call him Tobor) is Novatech Navi (even though Tobor would probably have something fiercer than that. That gives him a System/Pilot rating of 4. Let's pretend Tobor has all the Autosofts he'll ever need. Even if he can only use a certain amount of them at a time, let's assume he has them all. Let's pretend that Tobor is essentially a Steel Lynx in biped shape. I'm having trouble finding Body-to-Size ratios, but I've always thought of a Steel Lynx as working out to the size of a person, just shorter and wider. So, Tobor has a Body of 4 (The same as the example Street Sam, pg. 101), an Armor of 9 (Or 9/9), about the same, average as Full Body Armor without a helmet, Rolls 8 dice to shoot any weapon ever invented (or that anyone has ever made an autosoft for). Also, Tobor can hack as well as someone with maxed Cracking Group and the best off-the-shelf equipment. On top of that, he has 3 Init passes (either from being a program or from having Wired Reflexes/Drive-by-Wire, your choice). I don't know if Tobor could be counted as having an Agility, but if he did, we could probably Autosoft/Skillsoft him some Infiltration at 4 (his Pilot) or 5 (Maxed out Skillwires level). Because I don't want to find out what it is, I'll assume the lower, which is that he rolls Pilot+Infiltration Autosoft for 8 dice. That's one short of the covert ops specialist on pg. 91. Besides that, Tobor doesn't need to breath, eat or sleep. He's not effected by gasses, or poisons. He probably doesn't have as much of a heat signature as his meat counterpart. And he can probably cram all kinds of gizmos in him, from a latex face maker and fingerprink maker, to gecko tape hands, to monofiliment chainsaw and extra weapons. Oh, and chameleon suit, much? So, as a Johnson, you're telling me that I can have a team of reasonably sharp shooters skilled in everything that hacks as well as most Shadowrunner Hackers, sneaks like a Cover Op Specialist, won't have questions of loyalty, and I can re-use more or less indefinably (barring mishaps) for only a one-time payment, and the only meat I have to pay is the mage and someone to make sure their programming doesn't jump the rails and they do the job? And those last two could be the same person? I'm just saying. |
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Jul 17 2007, 06:53 PM
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#20
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
Or, let's take a new Example: Robbie the Robot.
Robbie has the same body as Tobor, but a custom built head. His System/Pilot is 6. For matters of Autosofts, Robbie rolls 12 dice. So he hacks at 12 dice, shoots at 12 dice, slices, dices, and cooks julienne fries at 13 (Robbies Knife Hands count as Superior Tools for cooking.) For matters of Skillsofts/Actisofts, Robbie rolls 10 dice. So he shoots and hacks at 12 dice, while sneaking and fast-talking at 10 dice? And he has a changeable face when he's not using his sexy brush aluminum casing? Does he vibrate, too? |
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Jul 17 2007, 06:54 PM
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#21
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
You're giving him a lot more than he can have. For instance, what autosofts allow for hacking? Drones can't use skillsofts, and can't have skillwires. They're vehicles, not people.
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Jul 17 2007, 07:04 PM
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#22
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,311 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 2,062 |
"In game terms, the Pilot attribute stands in for Computer, Cybercombat, Data Search, and Hacking skills, as called for." SR3 pg. 214.
And while I'll concede that drones can't use skill wires, I was using them as best analogy for how well built one could expect to find programs for tasks as performed by a humanoid. I realize it's not exactly RAW, but if you have the programming (in the form of Skillsofts) and you have all the right physical parts... |
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Jul 17 2007, 07:43 PM
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#23
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,598 Joined: 24-May 03 Member No.: 4,629 |
The big failing, there, is that VR doesn't feel real. It's *close*, but not the real deal. Ths is why UltraVilet hosts are so big a thing when they're run into. All of a sudden, you're not in the Matrix anymore, you're in friggin' *Kansas*. The leaves on the trees feel like leaves, don't suffer from "Jaggies", and smell right. Who progams smell?! Only in a UV host. Virtual Girlfriends are similar ... good enough, but not *real*. Stimulating, and backed with BTL bosts, that can be enough, but they're flawed. This is where Bunraku parlors or robots come into play. The first mention of Bunraku is in SR 1, back in 2050, where 'bots I *think* are mentioned as early as 2052. By the time of Corproate Shadowfiles, they're well established. |
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Jul 17 2007, 07:45 PM
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#24
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,430 Joined: 10-January 05 From: Fort Worth, Texas Member No.: 6,957 |
Just because they're in canon doesn't mean they make sense. :)
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Jul 17 2007, 07:58 PM
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#25
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,598 Joined: 24-May 03 Member No.: 4,629 |
The problem, here, is the SOTA ... Skillsofts cap at 4, so Robbie's not going to get the full use out of that SOTA head. The price is also rather huge, with the body near 100,000 Y, the "Brain" another 10,000, and Skillsofts running 12,000 a pop. I'm not saying that it can't be done, I'm saying that it's VERY expensive. For drone use, your big enemy is a jammer, followed by Wi-Fi paint. Having your quarter-million drone lopping after someone, round a corner ... then shut down... that's kinda bad. Worse if they then turn it off and steal it! Mostly, you're looking at fairly low-end 'bots with a good body but dog brains, doing boring or dangerous jobs. Think of current industrial bots, but ambilatory. Now they can work in construction, build ships, serve as automechanics, do WageSlave secretarial jobs, or serve as a house cleaner. If the price could be lowered due to low specs to, say, a year or two's salary for a normal worker, then things get interesting. You cold pay a live-in maid 12,000 a year, plus room and board, or pick up the new Maria Mark 7, who lives in a broom closet, eats only electricity, and does, in fact, do windows. And she's only 25,000? A steal! Most 'bots are going to look humanoid, but not human, due to the Uncanny Valley effect, of course. Big metal lifting guy is alright, since he's clearly a robot. Maria Mark 7's fine since she doesn't have a real face, just some optic sensors and a light that flashes where a 'mouth' would be when she talks. Hachiman robots ar edesigned to look like 7' Samurai for intimidation purposes and never leave their station for bathroom breaks. There's potential. |
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