Hacking help needed, pls respond Options

[warpi9]

Hey I have a couple of I assume basic questions on the matrix and hacking.

1. It seems like it can be a lengthy process, and if a group has just one hacker, then what the heck does the rest of the group do? Sit and wait? Or I could be wrong and it could be not as long as I think and could be fairly straightforward. But then I think about attacks and matrix combat. At least in reality every PC can somewhat participate in combat.

2. Can a hacker hack anothers weapons, cybernetics, disable commlinks, etc? And possibly disably them or cause them to go "heywire"?



I suppose these questions could almost apply to the spirit world as well. At least the first one.



Please help and respond ASAP. I am really looking to play SR but had these questions. (I say this because with some other games I would post questions and people would look at it but never respond. Eventually I quit those games because there was something I couldn't figure out and didn't have an answer to.)

Thanks

[Jaid]

well, that depends. if you're talking about pre-run hacking in full VR, then the rest of the group is doing legwork, or just has some downtime.

if you're talking about hacking from a distance as overwatch, well, the rest of the group is breaking in, and the hacker is (hopefully) taking over security systems as the group moves along. if the hacker is physically there, then the hacker is (probably in AR) trying to take over the system as fast as he can, as they move along, while staying with the group. just intermingle their actions when stuff is happening at the same time; everyone else moves up to the door, the hacker opens the door, everyone moves through the door while the hacker erases any record of the door opening when it shouldn't have, etc.

in combat, there isn't much a hacker can do without prior preparation of some kind. in general, it just takes too long. your best bet as a hacker is not to try and hack the security guard's gear, but to use your (hopefully previously gained) access to the environment (ie take over the security systems and turn them against the guards. block the guard's communications passing through the local nodes, open and close doors when your team needs it, etc). in theory if you had previously gained access to the guard's cyber, smartgun, or whatever, that could work... more likely you will have control of security systems from your already hacked access to the node, such as gun placements, combat drones, security cameras, and any traps the corp may have put in. if you have to gain access to the guard's gear, even in VR that's likely to result in you getting access by the time the guard has been killed. you don't have time to break into new stuff; combat is usually over much too quickly in shadowrun for that.