Tacnet and drones, using smallest drones possible to increase tacnet bonus Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Standard Switch to: Linear+

[djinni]

one of my NPC's wants to use microskimmer drones as additional members for tacnet (rating 4), we run the rule of "if the NPC's can do it so can the players, we like to run it RAW, with very little houserules or GM fiat (helps with keeping the same campaign and switching out GM's) but I can't see how to get 8 sensorchannels onto drones. the sensors section in arsenal are unhelpfully vague, unless I'm reading the wrong section.

[sabs]

You can't actually
A microdrone has a capacity of 1
Even with the sensor package vehicle mod, the best they can get is 3.
Only Large Drones can have a sensor capacity of 8.

[KarmaInferno]

You'll need a Medium Drone at the minimum with Improved Sensor Array to get the requisite 8 sensor channels.

Sensor Capacity of vehicles/drones are on the SR4A core book, p.334


-k

[djinni]

Ah that's prolly where I missed it, thanks. will have to re-read drone capacities, and have to figure out how to link them together so a group of drones contribute as one member.

[sabs]

The real answer is to rework the tacnet rules completely to be less stupid (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[djinni]

The real answer is to rework the tacnet rules completely to be less stupid (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

true dat! any suggestions?

[Warlordtheft]

Just base the tac net bonus on the number of people/drones in the tac net and drop the sensor requirement.

[Dumori]

I tend to use sensors affecting that person. So if you have 4 micro drones in a little swarm each with 3 sensors pref different that there are 12 affecting them this also means if you hack the building and wireits sensor in to the tac net they can help you get extar dice.

[sabs]

What I like is this:

to take advantage of a tacnet you need the following things:
image link
camera
gps coordinates

For a tacnet to run it needs:
Rating ^2 x 4 sensors on online in the area.

So if you wanted to run a Rating 4 tacnet, you need 64 sensors running.

so 8 people running 8 sensors each would give you a full tacnet.
And after that you could add more people who would not magically degrade the quality of the tacnet.
If you didn't have 8 people with 8 sensors, you could instead use drones, local cameras, etc.

As long as you added up to the right number of sensors.
Rating 1 would be 4 sensors
Rating 2 would be 16
Rating 3 would be 36
Rating 4 would be 64

[Dumori]

What I like is this:

to take advantage of a tacnet you need the following things:
image link
camera
gps coordinates

For a tacnet to run it needs:
Rating ^2 x 4 sensors on online in the area.

So if you wanted to run a Rating 4 tacnet, you need 64 sensors running.

so 8 people running 8 sensors each would give you a full tacnet.
And after that you could add more people who would not magically degrade the quality of the tacnet.
If you didn't have 8 people with 8 sensors, you could instead use drones, local cameras, etc.

As long as you added up to the right number of sensors.
Rating 1 would be 4 sensors
Rating 2 would be 16
Rating 3 would be 36
Rating 4 would be 64

I don't think GPS cords are necessary as long as you are covered by sensors it shpuld be ale to owrk out where you are and if you arent covered by sensors then you wont get the bonus any way.

[KarmaInferno]

Drop the Tacnet to Rating 3, and get a couple of Aztechnology Armadillos.

Add Chameleon Coating, Improved Sensor Array, and heck why not a Retrans Unit. Maybe a Laser Link to make it harder to hack.

At TacNet Rating 2 a simple FlySpy with Improved Sensor Array will work. This is what my rigger does, at any given time when possible three Chameleon Coated FlySpys are orbiting overhead.



-k

[Udoshi]

one of my NPC's wants to use microskimmer drones as additional members for tacnet (rating 4), we run the rule of "if the NPC's can do it so can the players, we like to run it RAW, with very little houserules or GM fiat (helps with keeping the same campaign and switching out GM's) but I can't see how to get 8 sensorchannels onto drones.

What? This is easy.
First, you need the Arsenal Errata, which deals with re-calcualting sensor rating when you improve the sensors in the package
Then you need the actual arsenal vehicle mods section, Improved Sensor Array(as an ALL size mod, it can be taken by microscimmers), which bumps your Micro sensor package up to a Minidrone package (capacity 3 and Signal 3) for the cost of 1000 nuyen, and 1 mod slot
Then you need 4A, which gives cameras a rating, and the ability to take enhancements equal to that rating.
Over in Unwired 124, under Sensor Channels and more specifically Cybernetic Senses and Sensor Systems, in particular the clause about Sensory Enhancements.

S-B Microskimmer has a sensor of 1, and so contributes 1 channel from it.
Camera 6 = 600 nuyen. Thats another channel.
On that camera: Low Light 100Y, Flare Comp 100Y, Thermal 100Y, vision magnification 100Y, vision enhancement 3 300Y, 5 more channels.
Plus, a microphone 1 for 50 for 8 channels.

Done.

Silly people. Drones don't only contribute their Sensor Rating in channels.

[Dumori]

What? This is easy.
First, you need the Arsenal Errata, which deals with re-calcualting sensor rating when you improve the sensors in the package
Then you need the actual arsenal vehicle mods section, Improved Sensor Array(as an ALL size mod, it can be taken by microscimmers), which bumps your Micro sensor package up to a Minidrone package (capacity 3 and Signal 3) for the cost of 1000 nuyen, and 1 mod slot
Then you need 4A, which gives cameras a rating, and the ability to take enhancements equal to that rating.
Over in Unwired 124, under Sensor Channels and more specifically Cybernetic Senses and Sensor Systems, in particular the clause about Sensory Enhancements.

S-B Microskimmer has a sensor of 1, and so contributes 1 channel from it.
Camera 6 = 600 nuyen. Thats another channel.
On that camera: Low Light 100Y, Flare Comp 100Y, Thermal 100Y, vision magnification 100Y, vision enhancement 3 300Y, 5 more channels.
Plus, a microphone 1 for 50 for 8 channels.

Done.

Silly people. Drones don't only contribute their Sensor Rating in channels.

That is true.

[KarmaInferno]

What? This is easy.
First, you need the Arsenal Errata, which deals with re-calcualting sensor rating when you improve the sensors in the package
Then you need the actual arsenal vehicle mods section, Improved Sensor Array(as an ALL size mod, it can be taken by microscimmers), which bumps your Micro sensor package up to a Minidrone package (capacity 3 and Signal 3) for the cost of 1000 nuyen, and 1 mod slot
Then you need 4A, which gives cameras a rating, and the ability to take enhancements equal to that rating.
Over in Unwired 124, under Sensor Channels and more specifically Cybernetic Senses and Sensor Systems, in particular the clause about Sensory Enhancements.

Oh, crap, yeah, I forgot about sensor enhancements, they modify the individual sensors instead of the sensor package.

Do what this guy says.



-k

[Yerameyahu]

The use of enhancements will certainly help, but I'd also (as mentioned above?) let 'passive' sensor drones pass off their channels to the 'active' PCs. I think there are already rules for this in the book; the tiny sensor drone isn't actually part of the TacNet (no bonuses to itself), but its data is.

[kigmatzomat]

Keep in mind that one sensor can be a camera which by the BBB "cameras can capture still photos, video, or trideo (including sound). Cameras may also be upgraded with vision enhancements (see p. 323)." Which allows you to add thermo and low light.

I dislike the rules on TacNets. IMO, they should give bonuses (or at least counter penalties) to people who are not contributing to the network, in the spirit of "forward observers."

In a simulationist view of the world, the tacnet bonus would be based on the number of sensors in the vicinity of a given target but that is a real PITA to deal with. Instead I'd go with the number of sensors and vantage points in a given location. I think it was Crank who posted the table below:

Rating -- Min Total # Sensor channels ---- Min # contributing members
..1 -------------- 6 -------------------------------------- 3
..2 -------------- 16 ------------------------------------- 4
..3 ------------- 30 -------------------------------------- 5
..4 ------------- 48 -------------------------------------- 6

Now to take advantage of the TacNet you should a the very least be on the TacNet, have GPS, and either be in the vicinity of the others or trying to target something within their sensor envelope.

[Yerameyahu]

Yes, we talked about this kind of change in the last TacNet thread. I forget the title. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[SleepIncarnate]

I dislike the rules on TacNets. IMO, they should give bonuses (or at least counter penalties) to people who are not contributing to the network, in the spirit of "forward observers."

I can understand the lack of bonuses for people who fail to contribute. Without sensors, the system can't tell that person the best way to deal with whatever. Now, if you're contributing, you should get SOME kind of bonus, if not the full bonus. For example, got rating 4 net, most people providing the full 8 sensor channels, but this guy only has 4 between his gogs and earbuds, rather than giving him nothing, he should only get +2 of the +4 bonus, because the system's not able to gather as much data on his point of view.

[Mäx]

S-B Microskimmer has a sensor of 1, and so contributes 1 channel from it.
Camera 6 = 600 nuyen. Thats another channel.
On that camera: Low Light 100Y, Flare Comp 100Y, Thermal 100Y, vision magnification 100Y, vision enhancement 3 300Y, 5 more channels.
Plus, a microphone 1 for 50 for 8 channels.

If i was your GM, i would slap you silly if you tried to claim Flare Combensation as a Sensor Channel.
Vis mag and enchament are almost as iffy.

[SleepIncarnate]

Except enhancement is a core example from Unwired.

[Dumori]

mag and enchance ment are in the books as alowed though I don't see flare comp giving much info.