Echolocation, Can a mage target with the bioware? Options

[Ol' Scratch]

Actually the text says "...that is laid over (or replaces) the user's normal visual sensory input." Which is prefectly accurate. In normal circumstances it's laid over your normal vision. Find yourself in total darkness, and it effectively replaces your vision as there's nothing to ovrelay except darkness. Same philosophy applies to invisible targets and so on. There's a reason they put it in parenthesis rather than normal text. It context (a word people hate around here apparently) it's a conditional statement.

[BullZeye]

It's not really an issue of technology, it's an issue of information. We have technology now that can monitor and display ultrasound in realtime, but that doesn't change the fact that we can only process so much (visually) at a time. In your example above, the truck driver would actually have a penalty to his visual perception tests due to 'visual noise,' but a bonus to his 'deforestation check' (or whatever) due to the additional knowledge the overlay gives him.

Actually it helps the driving as you can see how the land is shaped and can avoid holes and such but has no effect on the cutting as then the machine is stopped anyway. On a forest there can be lots of "hidden" holes, ditches, covered tree stumps and stones that you want to avoid while driving but because of moss, bushes and small plants you can't see them before you actually drive over them and then it's already too late to avoid them. There comes the effectiveness of the (I guess it is ultrasound sensor, didn't bother checking what system it uses) fact that you can see a simplistic overlay of obstacles and land shape that you can avoid driving into stuff you should avoid (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Odsh]

What I'd suggest for errata (since its fairly obvious they only want the normal vision to be used) would be to make the sentence something like, "Mages can only cast with normal, low-light, or thermographic vision, whether natural or implanted. Mages can use external vision enhancements, but they must be optical. (Example, Optical Devices, Pg 324). Mages can also target using astral perception."

I agree this would clarify the rules.
Maybe add an exception for touch spells, spells cast on yourself (you don't need to see yourself, do you?) and ritual spellcasting.

[TKDNinjaInBlack]

also remember that while the greyscale or wire frame (however you wish to see it or imagine it, I've seen both in real life) lays over your vision, it wouldn't necessarily be a hinderence. There are levels of opacity and transparency one can adopt for optimum usage. Even basic AROs aren't fully opaque and have some level of transparency to them. Could you imagine having fully opaque AROs blocking your vision to the point you couldn't see where you are going? (I can imagine this being a tactic in heavy spam zones) It wouldn't be good practice.

[Tarantula]

Odsh, The sentence before it covers for touch spells, though, I wouldn't be against having it be "Mages can only cast LOS range spells..." instead. As far as ritual spellcasting, it has its own section a few pages later, that describes how it works.

[Platinum Dragon]

Actually the text says "...that is laid over (or replaces) the user's normal visual sensory input." Which is prefectly accurate. In normal circumstances it's laid over your normal vision. Find yourself in total darkness, and it effectively replaces your vision as there's nothing to ovrelay except darkness. Same philosophy applies to invisible targets and so on. There's a reason they put it in parenthesis rather than normal text. It context (a word people hate around here apparently) it's a conditional statement.

My bad, I was arguing from memory and got the text wrong. I was thinking it was 'laid over (replaces)' not 'laid over (or replaces).' So yes, you're right, in context it's a conditional, but the way I thought it was phrased it would be a clarification. Like I said, my bad.

[TKDNinjaInBlack]

I love good sports. Recommended bonus Karma to Platinum Dragon for accepting a mistake and keeping things cordial.