Rigger/Decker, How would you do it? Options

[Lilt]

OK: I'd like to make a character who is a big brother decker/drone rigger. I'm pretty 1337 with the magic rules, and I've done a bit of vehicle design/modification, but I was just wondering how plausable this is.

Is it possible to control drones captain's chair style from the virtual? What about piping a matrix feed through a drone on-location? IE: drone gets in, plugs a jack into a port, and I deck-in through a high-speed link of some sort (ideally, avoiding some of the security). Incorperating battletac would be useful too.

Is it doable as a starting character?

[edit] Oh yes, my main reason for asking this is that I don't have any Matrix books and i'm wondering if it'd let me do what I was considering before I bought it[/edit]

[Connor]

I don't know of anything that would keep you from doing that, except for resources as a starting character. Decking and Rigging are the two most nuyen intensive professions and when you combine them...it gets costly :-)

[Lilt]

What programs exactly would I expect to need? I'd want to start-off with all the big-ticket items I could (deck, VCR, maybe a coupple of drones) and make the rest of my gear (programs ETC) somewhat standard. Then I could replace the other bits piece by piece as I do runs.

[Connor]

Well, the only Rigger/Decker character I've played started off as just a Rigger, and then branched out later on and not really in a planned way either.

You might want to read/skim through the Matrix Newbie thread which should be listed below here a ways, it'll definately tell you more about what to expect/need for the decking side than anything else.

For the Rigger aspect, just pick up a few drones that fit whatever style of runs you're going to be going on. Having a couple of attack drones doesn't make sense if you're doing overwatch/infiltration type stuff and vise versa.

[Sphynx]

My personal preference is done like our PC: Tank. You buy enough 'parts' to build an MPCP-8 Deck, a cyberleg to hold everything, and no starting vehicles. It kinda counts on getting a few more than 50 karma under your belt, or you'll never get to finish the deck, buy/build vehicles, etc. I also buy programs ahead of time and just store them until I have a deck to put them in.

Sphynx

[Siege]

Depends on the relative power level of the critter:

vehicles are relatively cheap -- the rigger version of the volkswagon bug, for example.

The decker's gear is a half-assed radio shack deck and some programs.

Granted, he won't be running with the SEALs but it's a valid critter.

-Siege

[Kurukami]

I think it's eminently doable. Naturally, your first priority has to be in resources, or you have to put 30 points in that direction from the Build Points System... but yeah, I think it's quite doable.

One of the threads you might wish to consider checking out would be the "Infiltration Challenge" that Talia Invierno posted a good while back. There was an interesting technique mentioned in there. They had an ultralight or a mini-blimp drop a pair of arachnoid walker-drones, along with a laser or microwave array to allow high-speed connectivity. (I believe there was a covert ops physad dropped in as well.) They linked the walkers to a central relay via fiberoptic cable, and sent the drones into the ventilation systems to provide mobile surveillance while the laser link was patched into the building's datasystem.

The actual thread is here.

[Kagetenshi]

GM Mr. Fix-It

Hand 4/4, Speed 10, Accel. 2, Bod. 1, Armor -, Sig 9, Auto 0, Pilot 3, Sensor 1, Cargo 3, Load 170, Fuel E (40 PF), Econ .5 KM/PF
¥27,000
Modifications:
Laser Link (¥3,000)
Electronics Port for Laser Link (¥1,000) (1 CF)
Datajack Port (¥2,500)
Fiberoptic Cable (1 Meter) (¥1)
Revised Drone:
Hand 4/4, Speed 10, Accel. 2, Bod. 1, Armor -, Sig 9, Auto 0, Pilot 3, Sensor 1, Cargo 2, Load 169, Fuel E (40 PF), Econ .5 KM/PF
¥33,501
Gotta love that ¥1.

Fuchi Lightstring Laser Retransmission Drone
Chassis: Small rotorcraft (110 DPV)
Power Plant: Fuel Cell (60 DPV)
Increased Cargo Space (+1 CF) (5 DPV)
Electronics Port w/Laser Link (-1 CF), (10 DPV)
Laser Link (+¥3,000)
Hand. 4, Speed 60, Accel. 5, Body 1, Armor 0, Sig. 8, Pilot 1, Sensor 1, Cargo 0, Load 9, Fuel E (50 PF), Econ .2 KM/PF
Other Features: Remote-Control Interface, Rigger Adaptation, Electronics Port (1 CF, Laser Link)
Cost: ¥7,625

All you need to pipe an onsite connection offsite. Well, you need a lot of the Lightstrings. Then stick a larger drone with a fixed satellite dish on the end of the relay and you can deck from home.

~J

[dEdDaWg]

This poses a question for me: Is it possible to deck and rig at the same time? Maybe using two datajacks?

[Kagetenshi]

Perfectly possible, just remember to add the ungodly TN modifiers to everything.

~J

[Lilt]

Hmm. Interesting, but the stuff I'm most interested in is stuff that lets you mix the two. I recall seeing something about a program that operated as a tactical computer, or one that would act as a remote control deck if you had a connection to a transmitter, did I just dream this stuff or is there something out there that can do it.

Rethinking it a bit; I want be primarilly a decker who can supply drone support (and can use drones to aid in combat or as info feeds).

[Kagetenshi]

You can do that. Rigger Protocol Emulation Modules are your friend. No jumping in, but you've got plenty of captain's-chair goodness.

~J

[Lilt]

Well: I'd be going for 1M nuyen. I know that my character would have a deck, a van, an RCD, a battletac computer (Probably the one on P54 of CC, I doubt I could afford the 400k cyber one), and probably VCR.

The problem is that I don't know exactly how I can mix the decking, rigging, and tactical comms. How I envision it is that link the RCD and Battletac system (presumably possible using the ). The twist I want to apply is that I'm sitting in cyberspace at the time, and can delve into the matrix when needed. I'm thinking I'd log-on either through local net access (tap a local line), a satellite link (depends on cost/concealability), or through a net port/dataline tap in the building (deployed by a drone and linked to me by a link of some sort). The problem with the last one is: What sort of link do I need to deck through it? Are there rules in the Matrix book for that?

I'll admit that the idea of a virtual command space was 'inspired' by Jane-In-A-Box. If it's not a plausable idea as it requires some 1 Million :nuyen: software/hardware bundle then I'll not bother. I could just as easily say "I leave captain's chair and connect to my deck"

[edit] I edited it, sorry[/edit]

[Kagetenshi]

It'll be expensive, but you can fit a fixed satellite dish into a van.

~J

[Lilt]

Ack. Just read page 55 of CC. You can't deck through a satellite link.

[Kurukami]

Actually, I'm pretty sure you can-- there's something in the Matrix sourcebook which indicates that, anyways. Unfortunately, I don't have my sourcebooks with me right now or I'd provide you with a page reference.

[Kagetenshi]

[Lilt]

Ah Ok. Can you see any way I could get a drone to smuggle a dataline tap into the target building for me to access? (without using a really long fibreoptic cable...)

[Kagetenshi]

The two drones I posted above. GM Mr. Fix-It chosen for presumed ubiquity (it was detailed unmodified in SSG), otherwise I could try to rig up something new if you wanted.

~J

[Cain]

[TinkerGnome]

The big question is time. Deckers are so time intensive that it isn't even funny. The key will probably be in limiting the way you spend your cash. The last time I did this (badly, I might add), about 40% of my starting cash (1,000,000) went toward cyber, about 30% toward drones/rigging and about 25% toward decking (the rest went to various other money sinks).

What you quickly find out is that if you try to "kit" a good deck, you're going to end up spending months and months doing the programming for the hardware stuff. Taking a few pieces of cyber (micro-vision) and some programming stuff (stack up the programming mods with a high memory desktop computer and a descent programming suite with the self coding adder). If the game has a lot of downtime (1 run a month, tops) then you should do fine. Otherwise, you're going to need to start compromising somewhere.

[Lilt]

@TKG: What exactly do you mean by time intensive? I was contemplating doing a bit of programming, but not an excessive amount unless it was absolutely necessary.

@Cain: I was considering building my own Drone-Jack. Essentially it'd be a walking network interface port. I hoped to do it on a micro-walker chassis, but I can't fit a big enough transmitter on the thing, especially if I want to ECCM the signal (I don't want dump-shock after someone jams me). It has 0.4CF. That's enough for a rating 3 (flux 1) personal comms unit which has flux 0 in the urban environment (I want to be more than 250M away). I can get the CF up-to 0.8 if I stick an external cargo pod (a big ass) on the thing. That's enough for a flux 2 comm unit. If I add another drone with a rating 2 power amp and have the two drones 'interface' then I think I could reach base (flux 4, -1 for the environment, -2 for ECCM = flux 1 or 1km). Any ideas/Comments? (directed at more than just cain)

@Kagetenshi: I probably will get some form of MR fix it style drone. Maybe even try to design my own with a better (rating 4) pilot for better B/R skills and a medium anthroform base.

[Lilt]

Oh yes; and how exactly do I let my drone crawl around/up surfaces like a spider? Is it built into the micro walker chassis or do I need to buy something special?

[Digital Heroin]

[Lilt]

Bah. So many questions:
What do people think are the chances of decking over the RC network, using the simsense channel, without a separate tactical comms suite? Does the matrix book have a specific set of requirements for what you need to send matrix information over?