Smart link? Options

[manimal]

Hello,
I have just started trying to learn shadowrun 4th edition after having played 1st edition many years ago. I have come across many rules that are unclear to me. One of them being the smartlink and how you can use it. I know you can have them installed in cyber eyes or have them put in goggles or eye ware. But there is also a choice to have them just implanted as its own cyberware. Does that mean it somehow manages to use your actual eye ball to display the smartlink info? That doesnt make any sense to me. I appreciate any enlightenment on the subject.
thanks

[Cain]

All the cybereye mods are available as individual implants. It's just that they cost Essence instead of Capacity. Other than that, try not to think of it too hard. Just imagine that it comes with a limited Image Link, and run from there.

[Sombranox]

Hello,
I have just started trying to learn shadowrun 4th edition after having played 1st edition many years ago. I have come across many rules that are unclear to me. One of them being the smartlink and how you can use it. I know you can have them installed in cyber eyes or have them put in goggles or eye ware. But there is also a choice to have them just implanted as its own cyberware. Does that mean it somehow manages to use your actual eye ball to display the smartlink info? That doesnt make any sense to me. I appreciate any enlightenment on the subject.
thanks

I think in its description, it says that it needs an image link. So if you implanted it separately, it wouldn't do anything unless you also implant an image link on the raw eyeball (to display the crosshairs). Which, combined I think is the same cost as just getting the eyes with all the goodies to begin with.

That said, the cheapest way by far is to just get contacts with an image link and smartlink mods and a gun with a smartlink built in or as an accessory. then you run the risk of losing the contacts potentially or having them taken away though.

Regardless of whether you go the cybereye, raw cyber, or contacts route though, smartlinks give a +2 bonus to shoot with any smartlink gun by painting an estimated target in your vision for where the gun is pointing.

[MaxHunter]

and maybe it is obvious, but you need a smartgun to use the smartlink. Any gun fitted with a smartgun link will do -it connects wirelessly to your smartlink ware and provides info about where you are aming at-

And IMO you do not need an image link for the smartlink to work. If you have one, so much better for you, but it does not help or hinder the smartlink 's performance.


Cheers

Max

[CanRay]

Nah, the Image Link only gives you that really cool info-HUD like you get in FPS games.

Ammo Remaining, barrel wear, if it's jammed, so on...

[XON2000]

According to the Smartlink's description (top of pg. 324), an image link is required (unless you're house-ruling it out).

[Sombranox]

BBB 323-324:

Smartlink: This accessory interacts with a smartgun
system (p. 311) to project the weapon’s angle of fire into
the user’s vision, centering red crosshairs where the user is
pointing and highlighting perceived targets. The smartgun’s
laser rangefinder also calculates and displays the distance
to the target. Additional data from the weapon, such as the
ammunition level, heat buildup, and stress can also be displayed.
Requires an image link.


This is from the first printing pdf though, and it's happened before that there have been differences between this and later printings, but this is why I've always required the image link (which is built into cybereyes for free, thus not needing them in those)

[DocTaotsu]

THat's always been my understanding of the smartlink rules. Without an image link you really aren't using the smartlink system to it's full capacity.

And there's just so much cool shit you can do with a image link! Which you can do with contacts or goggles... but still! I'd love to have an image link IRL.

[Cardul]

Smartlink may require the imagelink, but, thanks to your comlink(you DO have a commlink, right?), you do not need to have the image link implanted. You can get it in contacts, goggles, your motorcycle helmet, whatever, and the smartlink routes to from the gun, to the smartlink, to the goggles/whathaveyou, thanks to the magic of your PAN. Of course, I recommend the cybersafety accessory that only allows the gun to fire from the smartlink, put some black IC in your Commlink to anything not subscribed to it trying to access it wirelessly, subscribe all your other bits to the commlink...

[ornot]

What about trodes or sim? If the simsense replaces/enhances parts of your sensorium, why do you need an imagelink stuck in front of your face?

Personally, I think it works well enough as is, and will continue to require imagelink for smartlinks to work. They're cheap enough as it is.

[MaxHunter]

my mistake. As the cyberware description is a link to the non-implant version on page 323 I overlooked the "requires image link" bit as a requirement for the cyberpart. It really does not matter because all the runners in my groups who have smartlink also have image links, they are so useful.

It is amazing how those little details keep coming up... You think you know the game and...

Cheers

Max

[Divineshadow]

What about trodes or sim? If the simsense replaces/enhances parts of your sensorium, why do you need an imagelink stuck in front of your face?

Actually I'm quite curious about this. Even if you need the image link, could you have it connect to your Simsense mod rather than goggles or glasses?

I mean, if simsense can be used for AR from your Comlink, wouldn't it make sense for it to be able to draw a cross hair and display gun info also? Seems to make sense, but can't find anything on the rulebook to support it.

What do you think guys?

[paws2sky]

This sort of came up in another thread. The comclusion seemed to be that there's a lot of redundancy between the various sense links (image, touch, sound), trodes/sim module, etc. etc.

I don't think you can get away from the basic smartgun + smartlink processor combo; they're made to work together. One provides telemetry and other data, while the other does the computations.

As robust as a commlink is in terms of processing power, it doesn't have the specialized software needed to handle the data a smartgun would normally feed to a smartlink. I suppose your GM might let you code a program to emulate a smartlink, but then you'd be running another program on your commlink...

I'd consider allowing someone to skip the image link if they were using Trodes and a Sim module

Personally, I always wanted an ARE Program that simulated a laser sight. Since its AR, it wouldn't be limited to 50m range (or whatever). I'm sure there's a Miracle Shooter "unlock" somewhere that does this.

-paws

[Naptown Wendigo]

Very possibly a noob question:

So on the subject of purchasing cyber upgrades for your character, if I'm looking at the prices listed for an image link in my eye to go with my smartgun, is the price for just one eye or both?

[Stahlseele]

in SR3,
Image Link for Both eyes was 0,20Essence and 1600 nuyen
Image Link for one eye was 0,15Essence and 1200 nuyen
so i guess it's for both eyes as SR4 does not mention single cyber-eye systems anywhere as far as i remember . .
and remember, complete cybereyes ALLWAYS come with BOTH ImageLink and Cam WITHOUT them costing extra or taking up essence/capacity either . .

[Aaron]

We've always gone with "you need a sensory link thingy or DNI." Seems to work for us.

[Stahlseele]

why?
Smart/Dumb-Link never needed DNI . . and it did not need any kind of display or image link either in SR3 . .
it came as a whole package including display-link, limited simsense rig, smartlink processor and induction pad . .
but if you allready HAD an display/image link and maybe a simsense rig and induction datajack you only needed the smartlink processor and it would connect to the other two things and make up the whole smartlink . . yeah, it's mix and match and mucho hassle . . . but every single 0,01 essence counts right? *g*
and aside from that, all those other things are totally legal and can be gotten without any kind of permit . . so you only need to find some doc that will hide the processor somewhere in there and nobody can tell that you actually do have a distributed smartlink system inthere O.o

[Naptown Wendigo]

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

I figured the price was for a pair but I wanted to be sure before I sprung my character on some unsuspecting GM.

[Shiloh]

why?
Smart/Dumb-Link never needed DNI . . and it did not need any kind of display or image link either in SR3 . .
it came as a whole package including display-link, limited simsense rig, smartlink processor and induction pad . .
but if you allready HAD an display/image link and maybe a simsense rig and induction datajack you only needed the smartlink processor and it would connect to the other two things and make up the whole smartlink . . yeah, it's mix and match and mucho hassle . . . but every single 0,01 essence counts right? *g*
and aside from that, all those other things are totally legal and can be gotten without any kind of permit . . so you only need to find some doc that will hide the processor somewhere in there and nobody can tell that you actually do have a distributed smartlink system inthere O.o

Smartlink has always needed some way to display the crosshairs, whether that be on a cybereye or a set of goggles.

Be wary of wireless, though. Get a skinlink for every piece of electronics that you want to connect to your PAN, unless you want the opposition ejecting your clips...

If you want to use the *active* elements of the smart link (clip eject, firing without pulling the trigger, fire mode changes etc) you'll probably need an DNI, so a datajack or 'Trodes.

[Stahlseele]

Smartlink has always needed some way to display the crosshairs

no, came with everything needed, including a simple display-link to show the cross-hairs . . is why one could substitute a real display/image link and save some essence by not having to buy a whole package o.O
the only important part was the smart-link(2) processor, which would interface with your brain utilizing a built in DNI . . everything else could be swapped out. subdermal induction datajack for the induction pad, simrig for the limited sim-rig, image/display link for the part that let you see the crosshair *g*

[Irian]

Yes, but that was in 3rd Edition, where the smartgun was the 0.5 essence deal. Now it's only 0.1 essence and needs a display link.

[Stahlseele]

so the implant version does NOT come with that anymore? O.o
ok, seeing as how it's now eye-stuff and eyes come standard with image link more or less understandable . .

[CircuitBoyBlue]

so i guess it's for both eyes as SR4 does not mention single cyber-eye systems anywhere as far as i remember . .

Augmentation

[Stahlseele]

which i just now brought home . . thank god for german shops selling american/english products . .
just so i can in future indeed try and base my statements on things actually in the book(s) and not on my own mind thinking:"this is right"

[Pyritefoolsgold]

I'm still a little disturbed and confused about the idea of getting, say, an image link as cyberware without getting the eyes. what is it, exactly, modification to the eyeballs themselves? small lenses implanted in front of them? some sort of node clamped on to the optic nerve or a modification to the visual portion of the brain?

I've never liked to let things like "where is your cyberware, exactly?" be abstracted away.