Eidetic Memory vs. Mnemonic Enhancement, Is it just me? |
Eidetic Memory vs. Mnemonic Enhancement, Is it just me? |
May 27 2004, 02:47 PM
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#1
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Doesn't it seem a little odd that the Photographic memory edge provides none of the benifits that come from the Mnemonic Enhancers? They improve memory, Photographic Memory means you instantly recall anything and everything you ever experienced.
Things it might also include: With use of transducer and chip/datajack: Int*100 in available "MP" for downloading paydata or storing video feeds. Skillwire design would preclude the use of MP for this, since you remove the chip and the skill goes away with no memory possible. 50% reduction in karma cost for knowledge/language skills, 25% for active since those tend to be less about book smarts and more about repitition and cognition, level 1 is now free to learn for knowledge/language skills 2 free successes on any knowledge skill test Comments? |
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May 27 2004, 02:53 PM
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#2
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
Memory does not equal comprehension; some areas of the brain are better at some things than others.
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May 27 2004, 02:54 PM
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#3
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Right, if memory doesn't equal comprehension, why does the Mnemotic Enhancer give skill bonuses?
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May 27 2004, 03:08 PM
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#4
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,428 Joined: 9-June 02 Member No.: 2,860 |
Heh. I've always wondered about. I'd've figured natural photographic memory would be more effective than an added fast-recall bin. |
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May 27 2004, 03:14 PM
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#5
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Also, the current game effect is you don't have to keep notes, for 3 points I'd rather keep notes.
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May 27 2004, 05:38 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 360 Joined: 24-May 04 Member No.: 6,354 |
Photographic Memory doesn't cost 45,000 nuyen or take up 0.60 Bioware, nor does it hit your health or otherwise impact your character in any negative way whatsoever, either.
Mnemonic Enhancers are not an implant-version of Photographic Memory. They have a similar benefit (albeit requiring an Intelligence Test to recall things like everyone else, just with a +6 die bonus), but since the implant was designed specifically to enhance the portions of the brain that deal with learning and comprehension, it naturally gives a much more tangible bonus than just having a perfect memory does. |
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May 27 2004, 05:43 PM
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#7
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
But the description of the implant states that because memory is so important in the learning of skills and improving them, reduce the karma cost by a certain amount.
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May 27 2004, 09:00 PM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 614 Joined: 17-June 03 From: A safehouse about to be compromised by ninjas Member No.: 4,754 |
Yea, and the description on every headache med in the pharmacey isle says its the best.
Since when did everyone start believing all the descriptions. |
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May 28 2004, 01:18 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 282 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 197 |
Photographic memory = you can recall anything you've memorized.
Mnemonic enhancer = You memorize things faster/more efficiently, decreasing learning time (karma) and increasing recollection. |
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May 28 2004, 01:58 PM
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#10
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Photographic memory = you can recall EVERYTHING whether you memorised it or not. (By defination, you recall everything you memorised anyway, if not, you only tried to memorise it)
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May 28 2004, 02:04 PM
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#11
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
And the subtle difference between recalling and memorizing?
-Siege |
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May 28 2004, 02:12 PM
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#12
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
You needn't memorised to recall, but if you say you memorised something, you must recall it.
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May 28 2004, 02:14 PM
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#13
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
Total recall has the same effect as memorizing -- you can't help but recall it.
And something memorized will fade if you don't revisit it periodically. -Siege |
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May 28 2004, 02:15 PM
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#14
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Maybe it shouldn't be as good as what I detailed, but it should be at least as good as Mnemoic enhancer 3 if not slightly better.
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May 28 2004, 02:16 PM
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#15
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
Photographic (or better eidetic) memory is just that: Plain data without comprehension. To a certain extend everyone possses an eidetic memory at birth and through early childhood. The majority however loses that trait over the years (it can still be trained however to a limited extend ... for example children's games like "Memory" do just that).
A person with such a trait can consciously and subconsciously memorize large amounts of data without comprehension of the contained knowledge. So such a person can take a look at a large mathematical formula and later on reproduce it in every detail, without the sligthest understanding of what this formula means. Unlike the description of the SR Edge "Photographic Memory", in reality this trait is even for those who are gifted with it not totally unlimited. Just as anyone else they will forget at least some of the memorized "pictures" over time. The Mnemonic enhancer however doesn't allow instant memorization of such a formula, but shortens the time to actually understand its meaning (leading to the karmic cost reduction for increasing the corrosponding skill), thus finally leading to a point where the user can reproduce the formula not from a "picture" in his head, but by sheer knowledge of its backgorund. |
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May 28 2004, 02:17 PM
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#16
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Actually, total recal memory never fades (certain biological functions aside, like intense physical sensation that might prohibit or inhibit normal life ie. pain) it is always on tap, ready for you to pull it up.
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May 28 2004, 02:36 PM
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#17
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
Take a look: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000901.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_memory <= Note the words "great accuracy" instead of "total accuracy" and "seemingly endless" instead of "absolute endless" This is the report of a person with an eidetic memory: http://www.iomas.com/gina/ultrahiq/mega-so...uly/eidetic.pdf To sum it up: There is no such thing as "total recall memory". Eidetic memory does fade, just as normal memory does |
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May 28 2004, 02:49 PM
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#18
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Even after reading that I still think the edge should have effects similair if not identical to mnemonic enhancers.
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May 28 2004, 02:54 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 407 Joined: 22-March 04 Member No.: 6,183 |
I'm surprised no one has suggested making it an adept power... :S
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May 28 2004, 03:03 PM
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#20
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
The thought has occured to me, but it violates the funky, quasi-border between "physical" powers which are acceptable and social/mental powers which are not. :grinbig: -Siege |
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May 28 2004, 03:09 PM
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#21
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
In our games we use it like Mnemonic Enhancers but at the level of the Intelligence of the person. If a character has Photographic Memory and an Intelligence of 2 it doesn't do much, but guy wiht an Intelligence of 6 is another animal. |
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May 28 2004, 03:12 PM
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#22
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Mr. Quote-function Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,312 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Somewhere in Germany Member No.: 1,376 |
And even though you think that, there's a major difference between having perfect raw data in your mind (a science fiction trait that is acceptable in a fictional world) and having an implant that helps you understand what this data actually means ... Also take note that the word photographic itself tells you all that you need to know: Eidetic memory is purely connected to visual memory. The benefits of the SR edge already exceed real life edetic memory by making it
So by no means I can support that view of yours unless you start giving the Edge some serious drawbacks like constantly remembering any act of violence the character committed and / or wittnessed (thus turning it more into something like a curse / flaw) ... and even then the cost of photographic memory as edge would be too low to provide the same benefits as the mnemonic enhancer. |
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May 28 2004, 03:13 PM
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#23
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Ahh, you've never played in my games then. A fav RP combo of mine is phtographic memory and flashbacks, wow that's a fun one.
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May 28 2004, 03:21 PM
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#24
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916 |
See, that's why I never took Photo memory. Some things, I really want to forget. -Siege |
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May 28 2004, 03:24 PM
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#25
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Decker on the Threshold Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,922 Joined: 14-March 04 Member No.: 6,156 |
I guess I don't think it's too unreasonable to ask for extra benefits from Photographic Memory, although maybe not the same ones as the Mnemotwink Enhancer. If you compare it to other 3-point Edges, it's decidedly inferior: the others include Connected, Daredevil, Perceptive, Friends Abroad, all Edges which can exponentially improve a character concept if used well. Photographic Memory is about the mechanical equivalent of having a few Mps of headware memory to take notes on.
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