Unwired Questions, Now with Merge-y Goodness Options

[apple]

And of course, the rules are missing a very improtant part: Legal software degrades as well if there is no possibility to access the Matrix.

This means of course that there are no true "offline / high security isolated systems" ... everyone has to be online at least every two month. This means that there is no possibility to have legal software in dead zones, too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

SYL

[Rotbart van Dain...]

But hey, not everything that is FUBAR in Unwired is bad for characters:

Using Encryption, you can make you Comlink near-impossible to hack. Because to hack an encrypted Node, you need to decrypt it first. Just, after encrypting it with Strong Encryption, the Intervall of the Extended test is now up to 24h.
Which means that hacking it, it the absolute best case, will take 12 hours if the security hacker rushes the job - not going to happen in combat.

[Mäx]

...a weapon focus or whatever. You pay your money, you get your toy. Any toy for anyone; players choice whether to create focused or unfocused characters as they wish.

I really want to pley in you game if anyone can get a weopon focus (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[hobgoblin]

so im starting to wonder, where exactly does it spell out that autosoft, activesoft and similar ones degrade?

or is it a case of exanding the "common use" statement into near absurdity?

[apple]

so im starting to wonder, where exactly does it spell out that autosoft, activesoft and similar ones degrade?
or is it a case of exanding the "common use" statement into near absurdity?

In the Unwired of course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

In game-terms, legal registered software is equipped with both the Copy Protection and the Registration program options. Note that all Common programs[...], agents, autosofts, skillsofts, and commercial operating systems [...]) are considered legal software that include these options by default.
[...]
Legal restricted software [...] that is used by spiders and Matrix security specialists in addition to hackers is usually sold via special online vendors.
[...]
Pirated software—i.e. programs whose copy-protection and activation/validation anti-piracy mechanisms have been bypassed through cracking—[...]
In game terms, illegal and pirated software—and also programs that a character has coded himself (p. 118)—degrade over time,

However, there is a rule contradiction

Registration
Program Types: Common, Hacking, Autosoft, Simsense
Copy Protection (Rating)
Program Types: Common, Hacking, Autosoft, Simsense

So, agents and OS cannot be made with copy protection or registration. Which means they don´t need to be updated or are updated without an identification process. But on the other side they are mentioned under legal software. FUBAR at its best. I hope Errata 1.6 (or Errata 1.0 for Unwired) or a clear FAQ enty will arrive soon and the authors will not wait until the next print. There are some major holes in the rule system now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

SYL

[FrankTrollman]

so im starting to wonder, where exactly does it spell out that autosoft, activesoft and similar ones degrade?

or is it a case of exanding the "common use" statement into near absurdity?

Hacking and malware programs degrade at the rate of 1 rating point per month; all other programs degrade 1 rating point per 2 months.

-Frank

[Mäx]

I still don't see why you need to use cracked acti-,know- or linguasofts. Just buy those legally and they won't degrade.

[apple]

I still don't see why you need to use cracked acti-,know- or linguasofts. Just buy those legally and they won't degrade.

Depending on the type of active skillsoft you have to authentificate yourself (weapon skillsoft for example). Then of course there is the price ... and then of course there is the principal question on how much does it make sense that after 10 month a high quality english lingua chip is no longer able to translate the language. Or why after 8 month a car cannot be driven anymore from a legal chipped driver without matrix access.

SYL

[Nightwalker450]

I still don't see why you need to use cracked acti-,know- or linguasofts. Just buy those legally and they won't degrade.

The only way these would ever be flagged for illegal use (and even then its questionable) if if the same SIN you used to buy them was linked to a crime. But I don't forsee companies keeping an eye on most wanted and shutting down their programs. In fact I'd think Lone Star would want them to keep them running because it makes them easier to track. These programs aren't actually ever used "Illegally" the way actual Matrix programs are. I think only Hacker programs could ever be flagged as illegal use, common use ones wouldn't be (they'll just make it easier to track you).

But the reason people would crack them would be to give copies to all of their friends. If anyone wanted a copy of my program of this though, I'd want them to pay at least 25% of the price, considering I'll then have to patch my program that before was taken care of. I'm not going to give them something for free that will then start charging me every other month.

[hobgoblin]

and here in lie the real issue i think. what can and cant be tracked, or what will and wont be tracked.

hell, by the looks of it one can do it this way:

have one day designated as patch day. at that day you open up so that all your softs can go online and update themselves. the rest of the time you stay in hidden mode or run with wireless of.

and when you go online to update, you do it via one or more layers of proxy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Cheops]

Depending on the type of active skillsoft you have to authentificate yourself (weapon skillsoft for example). Then of course there is the price ... and then of course there is the principal question on how much does it make sense that after 10 month a high quality english lingua chip is no longer able to translate the language. Or why after 8 month a car cannot be driven anymore from a legal chipped driver without matrix access.

SYL

Fluff wise, bad rule. Game wise, good rule.

There is zero reason game wise not to use a Registered activesoft. The only penalty is that when you purchase one in game you have to pass a SIN verification test. You are not going to be tracked via softs because the only record of your softs is on YOUR gear. Of course if your gear gets captured and you don't routinely wipe your own access logs then the LS has a record of all your crimes.

I think that the extra cost is a good balance to everybody getting free programs and softs.

On the earlier topic of SIN checks. There are two different tests as far as I'm concerned. The one is just the "Do you have a SIN and does our verification system say it is real?" This is the one that you go through in high security areas and when purchasing things. The cops/corps are just concerned that you have a SIN and the you are displaying it. Kind of a quick "flash of the badge" to ensure that you are okay to be there.

The second is the actual roto-rooter that some people seem to think happens every time. This one actually costs time and money. This is where there are people running background/credit/criminal checks on you.

In RL, here's what happened to me. At every job I've been to before I just had present my SIN to show that I am a legitimately registered worker. When I started working for the Mutual Fund company, when I would be handling lots of money, I had to not only present my SIN but submit to a Credit and Background check. In the latter case the extra time and expense was worth it to them to assure themselves that I wasn't going to rip them off.

[Nightwalker450]

Want to restate a question I asked pages back...

Complex Forms and Program Options for Technomancers: 2 Karma per option is per option, not per option per complex form correct... Meaning I buy it once and can apply it to any complex form I wish.

If this is per option, per complex form, then I think I'll be houseruling 2 karma per complex form level (instead of = new rating), so 12 karma would get you rating 6, not rating 4 (actually its 11 karma but close enough)

[Rotbart van Dain...]

I think that the extra cost is a good balance to everybody getting free programs and softs.

By extra cost you mean the players lifetime wasted by idle bookkeeping?

[Mäx]

By extra cost you mean the players lifetime wasted by idle bookkeeping?

Or you you can just calculate the cost and time pent(buying hits) and just add the cost to monthly lifestyle and pent the required time during downtime.
Not that much of a bookkeeping now is it.

and considering that hackers can now spoof their lifestyle, it's good that they have attleast some monthly exspencives.

[hobgoblin]

yep, any hacker worth the label should be able to hack a middle lifestyle, using the buying hits rule, in 3 days (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

i dunno, seems most of the problems voices here comes from how anal the GM wants to be about the rules.

or to put it another way, they be highly academic until some player wants to massively abuse the piracy rules...

[dionysus]

Hey, I just picked up on something. On UW p162 there's some shadowtalk about Matrix phenomena, and in the middle of the second column, Winterhawk says "Cerebus has been awful quiet lately." I couldn't find a reference to Cerebus on the shadowtalker list, but as I was working on my Emergence campaign, I noticed that there's a Matrix entity that works for Celedyr by the same name (EMR p107). Is an e-Ghost a regular on JackPoint?!

[Cheops]

Want to restate a question I asked pages back...

Complex Forms and Program Options for Technomancers: 2 Karma per option is per option, not per option per complex form correct... Meaning I buy it once and can apply it to any complex form I wish.

If this is per option, per complex form, then I think I'll be houseruling 2 karma per complex form level (instead of = new rating), so 12 karma would get you rating 6, not rating 4 (actually its 11 karma but close enough)

You can buy a program option or program option rating (so an option at rating 1) for your complex form at 2 karma (1 BP) in which case that complex form always has that option when you use it (136). Or else you can thread in which case each hit = 1 rating of options (148).

So at char gen you can get an Attack 4 (Area 2, AP 2) for 8 BPs. You can always use those options with it. Alternative you can thread them during play in which case you need 4 hits to add both of those options.

@Rotbart:

It takes 1 Combat Turn (3 seconds!) per test to look for programs in the Cracker Underground. A Rating 12 Hacker program with no options has a Threshold of 24. Assuming 1 hit per test that's 1.2 minutes! If you get all 26 programs at this rate it takes you 31.2 minutes to find everything! Fucking hell, a restricted agent can run all the searches for you!

Grand Total = 31.2 minutes and 1880 nuyen.

If your GM forces you to roll all that out instead of just adding that amount to your monthly costs you should punch him in the face and call him a "Sick Fucking Bastard," and never play again.

Not a bad price considering that no one in the group ever has to pay for Lifestyle...ever.

[hobgoblin]

only issue with buying hits on warez searches are the glitch and critical glitch events...

[Cheops]

only issue with buying hits on warez searches are the glitch and critical glitch events...

Just figure out the odds of rolling either on each check and multiply through by the number of tests. Or just roll d% against a TN of the odds.

[Stahlseele]

don't know if that's been asked/answered allready or if it has been errataed for the latent awakening quality, but why does a latent technomancer get the MAXIMUM of his resonance attribute chopped down so the character in question can become a technomancer as long as the characters essence is >=1 but a character with the latent awakening quality and an essence of <6 can't ever be an awakened, because it lessens the actual magic attribute instead of the attribute maximum?
and in the same line of thought, if they had less than 1 point of essence at one point and through gen-therapy got it back above 1 point of essence, could they still awaken to magic/technomantic abilities?

[Jaid]

don't know if that's been asked/answered allready or if it has been errataed for the latent awakening quality, but why does a latent technomancer get the MAXIMUM of his resonance attribute chopped down so the character in question can become a technomancer as long as the characters essence is >=1 but a character with the latent awakening quality and an essence of <6 can't ever be an awakened, because it lessens the actual magic attribute instead of the attribute maximum?

i'm sure you can find your answer to this question by reading the latent awakening quality more closely.

i don't promise you'll understand what it is that made you think latent awakening doesn't give you 1 magic point provided you have at least 1 point of essence though.

[Irian]

Don't know about the first question, but no to the 2nd one: The magic/resonance attribute stats down permantly. I doesn't raise when gaining back essence. See Augmentation for that.

[Ryu]

don't know if that's been asked/answered allready or if it has been errataed for the latent awakening quality, but why does a latent technomancer get the MAXIMUM of his resonance attribute chopped down so the character in question can become a technomancer as long as the characters essence is >=1 but a character with the latent awakening quality and an essence of <6 can't ever be an awakened, because it lessens the actual magic attribute instead of the attribute maximum?
and in the same line of thought, if they had less than 1 point of essence at one point and through gen-therapy got it back above 1 point of essence, could they still awaken to magic/technomantic abilities?

Because Latent Awakening works the same, you get a magic of 1 when you awaken, only the maximum is changed?

[Jaid]

Don't know about the first question, but no to the 2nd one: The magic/resonance attribute stats down permantly. I doesn't raise when gaining back essence. See Augmentation for that.

the second part is a little more tricky than that; the person has not yet gained the magic or resonance attribute when they lose the essence.

personally, i would rule that you can still awaken/emerge, but i couldn't really point to any solid rule that backs me up there. in fact, i think there might even be language that says if you drop below 1 essence, you lose your chance to ever awaken/emerge, but i suspect that wasn't taking into consideration the possibility of regaining said essence.

[Nightwalker450]

don't know if that's been asked/answered allready or if it has been errataed for the latent awakening quality, but why does a latent technomancer get the MAXIMUM of his resonance attribute chopped down so the character in question can become a technomancer as long as the characters essence is >=1 but a character with the latent awakening quality and an essence of <6 can't ever be an awakened, because it lessens the actual magic attribute instead of the attribute maximum?
and in the same line of thought, if they had less than 1 point of essence at one point and through gen-therapy got it back above 1 point of essence, could they still awaken to magic/technomantic abilities?

This issue has already been covered (namely both are being treated the same).. but how about why do they get 3 complex forms for free? Thats 6 karma, or 3 BP that standard technomancers don't get (and anyone who's messed with a technomancer knows how ridiculous increasing complex forms is)

I realize that this is almost a negligible amount, but if they felt complex forms were too expensive for someone to be a Technomancer, why not figure up some way we can normally get a discount. (FYI Latent Technomancy is not worth it at all, due to the price in Complex forms)