 Satellite Links, Signal? |
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 Jul 1 2010, 12:20 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 205 Joined: 7-January 07 From: Sydney, Australia Member No.: 10,558  |
So one of my players asked me why satellite link is only 500 nuyen for signal 8 as compared to the cost of upgrading your commlink and I told him what I believed to be a reasonable assumption, that satellite links are not as portable as a commlink. He pointed out that a microdrone can get a satellite link per Arsenal so why wouldn't it be portable? I had no answer for that.
What do other people think about this? |
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Jul 1 2010, 12:32 PM
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#2
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
They are *less* portable. And they have lag. Ignore the drone behind the curtain; if you wanted consistent, you're playing the wrong game.
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Jul 1 2010, 12:34 PM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,088 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
QUOTE (Tomothy @ Jul 1 2010, 12:20 PM)  He pointed out that a microdrone can get a satellite link per Arsenal Standard upgrades don't fit on micro and mini drones (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Also at satlink has signal rating -10 as soon as you enter a building (it's not in the rules, but use some common sense people) and then you are stuck with the "terrestrial" signal rating again. |
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Jul 1 2010, 12:35 PM
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#4
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,717 Joined: 23-March 09 From: Weymouth, UK Member No.: 17,007 |
I think the high signal is meant for jamming purposes, etc, but I'm AFB.
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Jul 1 2010, 12:37 PM
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#5
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
Ohh SNAP, Standard Upgrade rules to the rescue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
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Jul 1 2010, 12:51 PM
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#6
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Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,088 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
QUOTE (Yerameyahu @ Jul 1 2010, 01:37 PM) Ohh SNAP, Standard Upgrade rules to the rescue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) To be fair I only remembered it because I recently toyed around with possible Bust-A-Move exploits (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) |
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Jul 1 2010, 01:10 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 303 Joined: 26-May 10 Member No.: 18,622 |
Point him that the 500 nu cost in the arsenal is the cost of the ressource to modificate the drone, not the cost of a working satellite link. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
Having the drone modified will add cost for manpower, plans, skills (Hardware) and tools required (a simple kit here). It is quite normal that a Satellite Link in spare part is a lot cheaper than a mounted one. |
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Jul 1 2010, 01:14 PM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 205 Joined: 7-January 07 From: Sydney, Australia Member No.: 10,558 |
Thanks for the save guys.
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Jul 1 2010, 01:25 PM
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#9
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
In other news, I *love* the word 'modificate'. mod-IF-i-cate. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Tomothy, subtract 5 karma from your guy for a failed rules challenge. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) |
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Jul 1 2010, 01:31 PM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 633 Joined: 16-March 05 From: 51° 16' North 7° 11' East Member No.: 7,168 |
QUOTE (Tomothy @ Jul 1 2010, 02:20 PM) ... I told him what I believed to be a reasonable assumption, that satellite links are not as portable as a commlink. A satellite phone's barely bigger than an ordinary cellphone. |
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Jul 1 2010, 01:37 PM
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#11
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
Not in SR. "Includes a portable satellite dish."
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Jul 1 2010, 01:40 PM
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#12
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
The satlinks they're talking about in SR are a bit heavier duty than a satphone. You're talking a link that's going to be able to transmit a lot more data than just voice - hook your comlink into it and access the Matrix, download imaging from the sat for a realtime map of the area. It would require a dish and a power source.
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Jul 1 2010, 01:42 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 21-June 10 Member No.: 18,737 |
Sat phones include a portable satellite dish too, lol. Built inside the phone =P
I imagine the SatLink has just been copy and pasted since SR1 or something? |
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Jul 1 2010, 01:44 PM
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#14
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
The important thing is a standalone power source - otherwise the data transmissions are going to kill the power supply in a matter of minutes.
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Jul 1 2010, 01:50 PM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 21-June 10 Member No.: 18,737 |
The power argument is a stretch I think, given other ridiculous setting efficiencies like cyberlimbs that operate on the bodies bioelectricity, but wouldn't a 300 nuyen power pack (used in lasers and the gauss rifle) supply an incredibly long operation time for little to no space? Ten shots from a laser or gauss rifle is a lot of energy.
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Jul 1 2010, 01:51 PM
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#16
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
It should, but then we get to the point where we wonder if it could be fitted on a microdrone. =P
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Jul 1 2010, 02:29 PM
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#17
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
iirc, the smaller sat phones base their existence on a system if low flying sats.
the SR version seems to use geostationary sats however, making them less likely to be able to trace where on the planet the signal is coming from. |
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Jul 1 2010, 03:07 PM
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#18
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Shooting Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,989 Joined: 28-July 09 From: Somewhere along the brazilian coast Member No.: 17,437 |
QUOTE (Lanlaorn @ Jul 1 2010, 10:50 AM) The power argument is a stretch I think, given other ridiculous setting efficiencies like cyberlimbs that operate on the bodies bioelectricity, but wouldn't a 300 nuyen power pack (used in lasers and the gauss rifle) supply an incredibly long operation time for little to no space? Ten shots from a laser or gauss rifle is a lot of energy. Well, there are optional rules in Augmentation where the players must pay 1% of the cyber's cost as maintenance, this could probably include batteries. |
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Jul 1 2010, 03:41 PM
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#19
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,190 Joined: 31-May 09 From: London, UK Member No.: 17,229 |
QUOTE (Xahn Borealis @ Jul 1 2010, 02:35 PM) I think the high signal is meant for jamming purposes, etc, but I'm AFB. Much easier than that: this is what it takes to reach the satellite. |
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Jul 1 2010, 04:18 PM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 21-June 10 Member No.: 18,737 |
Weren't there rules in Unwired (I think) where you got to choose to connect to low earth orbit or geostationary satellites, and the former gave better response time but where easier to trace your position while the latter reduced your response but for your location was more hidden?
Anyway small drones are from the size of a commlink to the size of a dog right, so anything that mounts into one is still going to be something you can carry in a pocket or a pouch with no problems. I really don't expect it's satellite dish to be an actual parabolic dish either, more like a fractal wire pattern inside the case of the device, similar to modern cell phones. This should be something quite portable if we're going by the data available to us, making it not work indoors is probably a better "fix" if you care about the nuyen difference from signal response. Then your players would at least have to mess around with placing the satlink on the roof and retrieving it later. Alt 500 nuyen they may just treat it as an expendable anti-jamming device I suppose. |
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Jul 1 2010, 05:59 PM
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#21
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panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
QUOTE (Lanlaorn @ Jul 1 2010, 06:18 PM) Weren't there rules in Unwired (I think) where you got to choose to connect to low earth orbit or geostationary satellites, and the former gave better response time but where easier to trace your position while the latter reduced your response but for your location was more hidden? indeed there is, p50-51 to be exact. |
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Jul 1 2010, 07:58 PM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 746 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 459 |
QUOTE (Doc Byte @ Jul 1 2010, 02:31 PM) A satellite phone's barely bigger than an ordinary cellphone. -- Uhh you might want to read the rest of that wiki article. You can buy satphones that use LEO constellations that are no larger than a typical cellphone. Check out the newer Iridium's for example. -- The satellite rules in Unwired are absolute bollocks and best ignored. |
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Jul 1 2010, 08:05 PM
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#23
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
Poor failed Iridium. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
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Jul 2 2010, 01:22 AM
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#24
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
QUOTE (Tzeentch @ Jul 1 2010, 01:58 PM) -- Uhh you might want to read the rest of that wiki article. You can buy satphones that use LEO constellations that are no larger than a typical cellphone. Check out the newer Iridium's for example. -- The satellite rules in Unwired are absolute bollocks and best ignored. Or, You know, you could use the rules as they are, because they are not set in the world of today... I know it is a revolutionary Idea, but there you go... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) It does no good to pan all the rules when you do not like them... If you do not like them, There are many, many games out there that provide more realistic technology rules than Shadowrun... and they are not nearly as fun to play in my opinion... Shadowrun should be fun, not a constant battle to get the rules as close to our reality as we can get... let go, ignore all the things that you know about technology in our real world, and enjoy it, you will probably have a lot more fun with it... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) Sorry... Had to be done... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Keep the Faith |
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Jul 2 2010, 03:06 AM
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#25
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,290 Joined: 23-January 07 From: Seattle, USA Member No.: 10,749 |
I've always ruled that Sat Uplinks can only link with matrix satellites, which is great if you need the matrix in the amazonia jungle, but bad if you need to send an encrypted command to your drone.
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