Dimensions And Popularity, Er... well... how big is a Steel Lynx? Options

[DocTaotsu]

Steel Lynx=Big enough to mount a wide variety of automatic weapons and fit through most office doorways? For reference most door frame are a little less than 1 meter wide

or

Steel Lynx=Small Tank, usually has to make it's own doorways.

Also, what's the most common drone in your campaigns? I don't necessarily mean the drone your rigger buys the most of but what's the camry of drones? Totally ubiquitous and about as exciting as a drink machine?

[krakjen]

Quick answer: clicky
(from Fields of Fire)

Edit:
To answer the second question, the most common drones in my campaigns are Dobermans (cheap, less lethal version of the SL)
And of course Rotodrones because death from above is always fun.
Ho and as a bonus, some vicious iBall & FlySpy (now replaced by the dragonfly, the minidrone killer from Arsenal) to up the paranoia factor...

[DocTaotsu]

Aww Fields of Fire, how I miss you so...

[krakjen]

By the way, I have pretty much the same question for the Rotodrone.
Can it go through a door or a window? I had some argument about this with my players.
I ruled it to be small enough to go through it (it would have become lee fun otherwise), bu I'd like the Canon answer.
I know there is a picture of it in one of the Riggers' book and I have the card from the CCG, but there is nothing to compare its size...

Edit: Here is the card.
He looks bigger from what I remembered from rigger3 :/

[DocTaotsu]

Hm... I've always thought roto-drones more or less existed solely for the purpose of flying through open windows. At the very least they should be able to navigate most hallways and door frames regularly.

[krakjen]

Yeah, exactly. I always used them like some sort of SWAT-like fast attack units. coming crashing through the windows guns a-blazing.

Furthermore, it's only a 3 body medium drone, it shouldn't be that big.
Definitely smaller than a metahuman anyway.
Which goes pretty well through any window I must say.

[krakjen]

I knew there was something about the size of the drones in arsenal:

Microdrones (Body 0): These insect-sized drones are typically under 10 centimeters in length.
They receive a Concealability modifier of –6 (see pp. 301–302, SR4).

Minidrones (Body 1): The size of a large insect or mouse, minidrones range from 10 to 25 centimeters in length and fit in the palm of one’s hand (or a pocket).
They receive a Concealability modifier of –2 (see pp. 301–302, SR4).

Small Drones (Body 2): These drones range from the size of a commlink or toaster up to the size of a large dog.
They have a Concealability modifier of +4 to +6 (see pp. 301–302, SR4).

Medium Drones (Body 3): Medium drones range from large dog to human or motorcycle-sized.
They are unable to carry an adult metahuman, though they could potentially carry a child or small dwarf.

Large Drones (Body 4): These drones range from the size of a motorcycle to a small car.
With the exception of medical drones, they are typically not designed to carry metahumans and lack passenger compartments,
though a metahuman (other than a troll) could potentially ride on top of one or be carried by one.

[DocTaotsu]

Yeah I'd say a medium small then (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jackstand]

The problem with that, though, is that, while a rotordrone may be of about the same size as a motorcycle, that could well mean that its rotor blades are long enough that it'd be like trying to push a motorcycle through the doorway sideways. I think there's a good reason that the card can't be used against indoor challenges. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[DocTaotsu]

I tend to think we're talking about total size here, I mean... a drone the size of a motorcycle that only mounts... an SMG. I'd be kinda pissed off at that.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

I always viewed its size to be able to fit though a window WITHOUT its rotors extended. But to get the appropriate lift they are much bigger. I think that is where the "motorcycle" size comes from. the length from rotor tip to rotor tip.

[Cadmus]

I thought a rotodrone was teh size of a trashcan basicly,

[Rotbart van Dain...]

To answer the second question, the most common drones in my campaigns are Dobermans (cheap, less lethal version of the SL)

Less lethal? Equip one with Chameleon Coating an Gecko Tips and think again - it still can carry a LMG.

[HeavyMetalYeti]

I thought a rotodrone was teh size of a trashcan basicly,

Body wise maybe but you have to take into account the size of the rotors.

[krakjen]

Less lethal? Equip one with Chameleon Coating an Gecko Tips and think again - it still can carry a LMG.

I meant the way I use them, not their best potential.
If I just wanted to kill my players I'll just use Rotor-Drones with Barrett 121 (and AV ammo for the lulz) firing from maximum range.

By the way, If you intended to make some Tachikoma-wannabe, a steel lynx with the walker mod is more adequate...

[Zen Shooter01]

This is a damn problem in SR. There are two types of drones - those that fit through standard doors, and those that don't. And Body 3 drones are the most particular problem, especially the roto. And there's no good answer in canon.

[Ed_209a]

I have always thought that the size of a drone is just the main body of the drone.

Aerostats are a good example. A dwarf-sized blimp (including envelope) would have less than a pound of payload.

I interpret that as a dwarf-sized _payload_ with a transparent envelope the size of a commercial shipping container.

Likewise, a dwarf-sized minicopter would likely have an 3m rotor diameter.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

By the way, If you intended to make some Tachikoma-wannabe, a steel lynx with the walker mod is more adequate...

But slower. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[sunnyside]

With size 4 stuff you have to wonder, but certainly the body of any size 3 stuff could get through a door.

From the pics a rotodrone doesn't have blades all that much wider than it's body. I'd allow it though doors and many windows. At the least you could have a slightly different model of rotodrones that can.

The trick is that if it drifts a little to the side or isn't careful indoors it'll clip something with a blade and then it's hosed. Everything counts as tight terrain inside and going through doors/windows requires a test like trying to make a jump with a motocycle would.


Anyway at the OP the doberman is the everyday indoor drone that your runners should see about as often as flesh and blood guards once and alarm goes of, and outside it's the rotodrone. Though don't always have it actually be a doberman. Nobody has that much market share. At least change the name if not the layout a little. If you're worried about breaking RAW just switch up the software and pay for it if needed, and go with a range of different weapon options.

With me a lot of corps go with a Taser model to avoid trouble should there be a misunderstanding involving the drone.

Note that I don't believe Dobermans or other crawlers can really do stairs. They can still get everywhere usually due to the popularity of elevators. But it's something to note.

[Blade]

With SR4 I've seen a sudden increase in the number of drones used by non-riggers. Fly-spy and other surveillance drones are quite common. Doberman and Steel Lynx are still rigger drones, though.

[krakjen]

Or, if you want to make a Ghost-In-The-Shell themed campaign, you could make a heavy use of Otomo (and maybe a few Akiyama).
Anthropomorphic drone body are the new black.

[Shiloh]

I tend to think we're talking about total size here, I mean... a drone the size of a motorcycle that only mounts... an SMG. I'd be kinda pissed off at that.

Then again, it *is* a flying drone. If a wheely motybike can carry an LMG (and fire it on full auto), then the flying equivalent shouldn't be able to carry as much weight or handle as much recoil.

[hobgoblin]

one option for rotodrones are the ones seen in metal gear solid 2, or ducted fan ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducted_fan

[sunnyside]

one option for rotodrones are the ones seen in metal gear solid 2, or ducted fan ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducted_fan

I suppose one could put something around the drone blades to keep them from clipping walls and the like (It would still be tight terrain indoors though). Maybe even the metal cage you see on the sorts of fans you keep on your desk.

Realistically there should be a performance hit for that though. There's a reason they don't do that in real life.

That said there are also vectored thrust type drones.

With SR4 I've seen a sudden increase in the number of drones used by non-riggers. Fly-spy and other surveillance drones are quite common. Doberman and Steel Lynx are still rigger drones, though.

Nah. For the price and with the free targeting, clearsight programs and decent pilot/sensor you really don't need to jump into those drones or do anything fancy. Just subscribe the drones to one of the corpsec guys, have them all operate in hidden mode, and maybe require security level access to use them at all.

They can just handle the drones via the Issue Commands option. Usually something like "attack those guys".

Dobermans really do make decent goons. And they'd act more like the retards most GMs have goons act like, giving the players something to shoot at. But with multiple initiative passes and compensated wide bursts drones can actually pose a threat and get some hits.

[hobgoblin]

one quick google:
http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM/DroneProject.html

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/iss...arch/Demand.htm