 Agents, ... for the tech-impaired Shadowrunner |
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  Jul 23 2007, 04:12 PM
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#1
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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  |
So let's say that Bruno the Bruiser saves the ass of Vern, a world-class hacker, and in gratitude Vern wants to give Bruno a Commlink loaded with one or two handy-dandy Agents to do the nasty on the 'trix, because he knows just by looking at him that Bruno doesn't know a datastore from a donut.
Assuming Rating 6 across the board, what programs should be loaded be loaded into an Agent to best protect the Commlink? How is this ... Analyze 6, Armor 6, Attack 6, Medic 6, Spoof 6, Stealth 6? This one's trickier ... What programs could be used for a spy-type Agent ... usable to either gather (non-protected) data or detect crap in the immediate area? Something like ... Analyze 6, Browse 6, Decrypt 6, Sniffer 6, Stealth 6, Track 6? Would Analyze and/or Spoof be necessary? Does Bruno need to have the Command program (and know how to use it) in order to to utilize this Agent outside his Commlink? Suggestions? |
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Jul 23 2007, 04:20 PM
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#2
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
This will be fun.
Spoof and Exploit are required for the "spy" type, and Scan. Amongst others. There'll be also the question of whether to not you "Send' out the spy agent, or let it work from your commlink. The easiest way to deal with this without thinking about it is to look at the programs needed to do the particular tasks you expect your "spy" agent to do and load those. After that there will be a grand debate as to whether or not it all makes sense. |
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Jul 23 2007, 04:34 PM
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#3
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Awakened Asset Group: Members Posts: 4,464 Joined: 9-April 05 From: AGS, North German League Member No.: 7,309 |
Why spoof on the offensive agent? I´d rather take blackout to get rid of hackers.
The spy-agent has better use for encrypt than decrypt IMO (If encryption has a chance of being secure in your game). I´d also "suffer" the penalty and load edit, too. |
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Jul 23 2007, 05:22 PM
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#4
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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 |
To Spoof Bruno's datatrail. Basically the 'guard' is there to take care of Bruno's Commlink ... and everything that entails. The spy would be there, not for breaking into nodes or devices, but to find and intercept commcalls in the area (like Mr. Johnson's outgoing call), search out and retrieve (non-protected) data on the matrix, decrypt any files Bruno might find, trace any hacking attempt, and that sort of stuff. I only added Spoof and Stealth to the spy to hide while searching and spoof its own datatrail (is this necessary?). I assume it needs Analyze to use Track. |
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Jul 23 2007, 05:25 PM
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#5
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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'm not quite sure about the difference. I assume it automatically has to leave the Commlink in order to find data, and also to use both Sniffer and Track. If it does have to leave the Commlink, does Bruno need to have and use Command? |
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Jul 23 2007, 08:20 PM
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#6
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
The answer is that the Agent does not have to leave to find data or Sniff, or Track. But it can. |
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Jul 23 2007, 08:37 PM
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#7
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
think of it this way:
when you search for something using google or similar, you get to know where it is, but if you actually want to access it thats a different story. so if the agent is only ordered to find where something is in the matrix, it may not have to leave at all. but if its told to find where it is and bring it back its a different story. also, today the act of reading a webpage is equal to downloading its content. not so with a matrix node and its content. hmm, now that i think about it, it seems that any kind of interaction in the matrix is built on top of the simsense/asist protocol. so outside of electronic warfare, your working within the "constraints" of said protocol. a protocol that probably have some slack in it given that its designed to interact with a very flexible media, the human brain. ill need to spend some time thinking about the consequences of that... |
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Jul 23 2007, 11:33 PM
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#8
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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 |
So then the spy wouldn't need stuff like Spoof and Stealth, right? What about Analyze? About the 'searching out data' stuff ... I kind of wanted the spy to find the data and bring it back to Bruno (he's not a Hacker), so then that would mean the Agent would have to leave, right? I hate the Matrix ... I'm still confused! :( |
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Jul 24 2007, 03:54 AM
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#9
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
Yep. A LOT of people are. Spoof sends out a false identity, you need it. Stealth helps hide the agent in the first place, you need it. As for the matrix stuff in general, usually the agent and programs run on your commlink and make connections/subscriptions to other commlinks and devices to "do" stuff. For a data search think of that as running in the background, like a google search today, you don't "go" anywhere, yet you search the net for what's available. Now, the "spy" Agent is useful for a couple of things, one of them is to load it onto a drone and have it protect that device, or have it run on your commlink and act defensive, running analyze etc. It can also be sent to attack a drone, or attempt to take one over for you. This can be extended to any other device, like stealing a car for you. You might still send your Agent out on a data search by itself, sending it to load itself onto other systems. This is a great way to protect yourself in case it screws up and gets detected when it attempts to break into a secure node. |
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Jul 24 2007, 05:52 AM
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#10
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
i dont know if it helps, but approach the programs as if they are skills, not computer software. also, approach the matrix as if was a parallel dimension... |
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Jul 24 2007, 08:54 AM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 393 Joined: 2-July 07 Member No.: 12,125 |
I added a section to The Matrix Explained... sort of... thread on the topic of Agents. It is on the 2nd page and addresses several of the issues located on this thread.
Included on the post are several examples of Agents and what these particular agents "do". Hopefully this will help some? - der menkey "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter." ~ Ernest Hemmingway |
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