[X] My Assistant

[Ryu]

As Frank is not arround for some time:

[Fortune]

But not every single thing in the Matrix runs an active Stealth Program.

[Raij]

[Ryu]

[Cheops]

Attacks making you visible in the Matrix has gotten me thinking about a couple of interesting questions.

Everything you do in the Matrix is logged and tagged with your Matrix Access ID right? So when the IC attacks you shouldn't there be a log:

#123456[IC] attacks #987654[Persona]

somewhere? So theoretically, if this is the way that it works, it is like someone springing out of a physical ambush and shooting you. You can now basically "see" the icon. For the IC to be able to benefit from its Stealth program again it would have to spoof its datatrail (thereby changing its AID and making the above log useless). Most IC/Agents/Sprites probably wouldn't bother spoofing since this slows you down in cybercombat horribly but sneaky opponents could.

The alternative is that Stealth always works in which case you have the Matrix equivalent of a sniper fight.

Of course my second thought would be: Does having the AID allow you to see the target? No where in the rules does it say so but it makes sense that it would work.

Personally I prefer the idea that AID = LOS and that Stealth doesn't work if you have the AID. That way it makes cybercombat a little more interesting and makes IC/Agents/Sprites a little more useful.

[Seven-7]

[Dashifen]

@Seven-7
Why do you need a rating 8 sprite? with 15 dice, just compile/register sprites in the 5-7 range and you'll be fine. I'm not even sure the TM in my campaign has tried to register anything much higher than a 5 and he's kicking ass all over the damn place.

@Cheops
I would like to comment on two of your points. You indicate that if an IC attacks something, a log of that attack would be placed somewhere. Why do you say that? To me an attack by one icon on another is not really a system's concern and, thus, it may not be logged by a system.

Granted, I tend to ignore the concept of logs and simply say that if you're running a Stealth program, then you're not being logged, but that's my games.

Secondly, assuming for the moment that an attack is logged, then why would being attacked automatically get you information from that log? Unless the icon attacked were accessing the log and using analyze to notice changes therein would I give them any information about the contents of a log file.

---

Frank and I have butted heads before on the matrix and I hate to do so why he's unable to access the boards, but I guess I should also say that, for what it's worth, I disagree with his interpretation above.

If you're rolling Computer + Analyze, which for anything but a persona (living or otherwise) is going to fall back on Pilot/System + Analyze, I do allow a default of Computer-1 or Pilot/System-1 if you don't have the Analyze program. In my opinion, thus something can always attempt to notice icons around itself.

I also think that icons in the matrix interact with the metaphor, it's not simply for the personae which log on and interact therein, but that's probably a debate for another time.

[Ryu]

@Cheops: It could be seen that way, but is not supported by the rules so far. It is within the operational wiggle room Unwired has to explain such things. It is also amongst the things that need to be explained.

[Cthulhudreams]

@Dashifen Isn't that a house rule - I mean an entirely reasonable house rule given the circumstances, but its still a house rule? Which then invalidates your opinion?

Another common house rule that would give fault sprites the power to perceive is skill + attribute with hits limited by program, because you'd have to define attribute as equal to rating, pilot or system. But there you go.

[Fortune]

[Ryu]

You can justify defaulting to one of those, but in this case you actually have neither.

The analogy fails because Pilot is equivalent to "all matrix skills", while only a few Sprites have Computer skill. An easily fixed oversight, allthough one might prefer to hand out the more limited Analyse CF instead.

[Jaid]

[Dashifen]

And I'm fine with that. Sprites are semi-sentient matrix constructs that have been in existence (as far as we know) for probably no more than approximately 5 years. Should they have figured out all the ins-and-outs of metahuman techonology? Perhaps not.

[Fortune]

Why not? Their entire existence is spent inside that technology. The are supposed to be to the Matrix what a Spirit is to the Astral.

[Dashifen]

And we know that Spirits can't understand some aspects of Metahuman life. Ergo, it seems to me like Sprites shouldn't be all-knowing with respect to how Metahuman technology works. Some are, but some aren't.

The real hole in the logic comes from the fact the Sprites couldn't even see other Sprites using a Stealth Complex Form .....

[Fortune]

There's a wide space (currently empty of Sprites) between "all knowing" and "clueless".

[Dashifen]

Perhaps, but I've had two different TM's in my games and neither of them ran into problems with respect to this. Clearly not a statistical sample, but I'm not sure there's really a problem here.

[Cheops]

[Dashifen]

I didn't think mine was either ;)

[Ryu]

[Cheops]

But again with it being like Disguise if you take the Physical analogy for it then once Disguise is broken it stays broken until the attacker takes some actual actions to regain the disguise.

I'm really not fond of the idea of having to always Matrix Perceive each turn to make an attack. Especially since if you don't take a Simple Action to Observe in Detail you are technically -2 dice to your Matrix Perception.