Smartlink 2 subsystems, legal way to do it but expencive? Options

[BlackSmith]

After M&M hit the subsystem parts for Smartlinks i was wondering a way to make it as legal as possible, thus i ended up this.

Induction pad -> datajack
eye display -> image Link
Ltd. Simsense Rig -> Baseline cyberware Simsense
Smartlink-2 processor - Math SPU

other parts work nicely except ballistic processor. after compareing the prices and what they do i tought that it would be OK to reduce Math SPU's essence cost from ballistic processors price. if you get the Math SPU 4, it has the same essence cost of Ballistic processor thus it could do the same things or even more because of the high price.

so what do you think?

note that this would increase the smartlink systems price for 311,1K AND it needs all parts to be separetly connected to work.

[The White Dwarf]

Yea, except for the processor. The processor is the heart of the smartlink, and is the only difference between one and two. Its the only thing you cant substitute. You can make the other parts legal, and finding the processor would be hard without cues like the induction pad. So, yes to all substitutions (assuming you connect them with routers) but no to the math spu; you just cant swap that component.

[BlackSmith]

note that Math SPU 4 is HardCore calculator thus it would beat Smartlinks processor anytime thus IMO it would not need the Smart processor.

so you say you would need the processor for adition for the Math SPU 4 OR reduce the essence cost but you would still need the Smart processor? thus you would have to pay from it but sufer no additional essence loss.

the last one sounds good to me.

[Modesitt]

I view a smartlink system as being something like a Macintosh. You can't just take an off the shelf Pentium 4 and install it in your Mac. It may be more powerful than what's there already, but it doesn't work.

Just get a permit. Or get them built into sunglasses. Honestly, are the cops going to stop everyone on the street with a pair of mirror shades on the assumption they're a shadowrunner?

[Siege]

The problem is the smartlink processor does more than just crunch numbers --> it is a specialized chip with a ballistics/trajectory program embedded in the chip programming.

The Math SPU is a more open-ended chip, designed to provide raw number-crunching power.

Now, if you loaded the ballistic program found on the smartlink processor onto a skillsoft that used the math SPU to crunch the numbers, that would probably work better.

Granted, just my interpretation.

-Siege

[BitBasher]

the Smartlink Provessor does more than pure math functions. It interfaces and handshakes with the gun, controls and coordinates data with the other components, sends feedback to the limited simsense rig, and also does math. The Math SPU does math ONLY. I would not allow a single purpose CPU such as a Math SPU to replace a Multifunction Processor like a Smartlink Processor, they are two entorely diffeent pieces of hardware.

And it would be damned inconvenient to have to physically connect a datajack cabe to your gun every time you wanted to use a smartlink, that would use the entire first pass IMHO to be ready for combat, and the gun is still illegal...

[Ed_209a]

How about a "pad glove"?

It would be an induction pad built into a glove, with a short cable to plug into a datajack, ideally at your wrist.

You have the convenience when you need it, and you can just get rid of it when you try to get through airport customs.

[Cain]

That would effectively be a Smartgoggles system, with the costs increased for improved concealability. You'd get the same benefits as a smartgoggle system.

[BlackSmith]

[Crusher Bob]

Since the ballisitc processor task is relatively simple, I see no real reason why a very good general purpose processor with some optimized code can't do what you ask... considering that an 387 (need the floating point unit) can probably provide you with real-time aiming data (anyone know about what class of proc is used in the tank aiming systems today? The ballisitc processor does the same job. A delay of say .001 seconds is more than quick enough and at 10E6 Flops thats 10e3 Flops to do your aiming calculation.

Of course if you really care about your essence that much, you can use and exterior processor and only send 'in' the sim-sense data you need. so your induction glove talks to the gun, the processor in the glove turns the gun data into sim-sense (or whatever) and sends it to your datajack. A whopping .16 essence saved.

[Ed_209a]

[Crusher Bob]

The main difference between the smart goggles and the full on smart rig is, imho, the 'extra info' you get from the simsense rig that is part of the full smart rig (i.e. the best .08? (might be .16) essence you ever spent). Since an 'external' sim-sense rig would probably not work so well, you will definitely need that, where the acutal processing gets done should not be that important. Also we know that you can use a smartlink in clod climes (smartgloves must be available) and that riggers links via DJs hove no real problems, so the smartglove hooked into the datajack seems to be one of the simpler ways of saving a bit of essence.

[Cray74]

[TinkerGnome]

Also, think proprietary software and hardcoded chip-based operations. The smartlink is a steal at the price, and I'd say the companies would be leary about letting someone else cut into their sales.

[Crusher Bob]

All of the operations involved are very well understood. Ballisitcs goes all the way back to catapults and simsense is something the is used by almost eveyone in the setting, there is nothing that 'special' abount the mathematics required to process the information.

I find the much more interesting question to be "Just how limited is the 'limited' sim-sense rig included in the package?

And all those companies that sell graphing calculators are worried about the desktop pc eating into their market share :rotfl: . The math-co is a much more expensive and capable piece of gear that is being used to duplicate the performance to a (cheap) specialist part.

[BitBasher]

[Crusher Bob]

He might be talking about more in depth scanning that that...

Inductiion pad + limited simsense rig + processor of some kind is probably a smartlink (esp if you can pin it down as the type of hardware specific ballisitic proc).
While datajack + math SPU + limited simesense rig is mostly just a random collection (of legal) cyberware.

[The White Dwarf]

Well Blacksmith you asked, and everyone gave pretty much the same answer. From the sound of it youve already made up your mind on the matter. Do what you will but general consensus is that you need the processor, and that math spu is inadequet.

I dont think the datajack is such a big deal, you can just leave a wire plugged into your gun in your coat; it could just be you plugging into a jukebox or a dni-p-sec so not that big a deal. On the other hand, the subdermal pad isnt a big deal either, most shadow-personel wont care about it and you dont shake hands with a lot of norms, at least in my games.

[TinkerGnome]

Well, technically, I think you can hook up a datajack anywhere on the body. There's no stopping you from having it in your arm or shoulder somewhere to make it much easier to conceal the wire.

[Cain]

M&M does say that the induction pad is "detectable by touch". So, to answer Ed209's question, the glove adaptor trick would be fine; all you need is an induction adaptor, with maybe a small cost increase for the extra fabric and concealability.

[Siege]

Go back to the glove, but the signal feeds from the glove into a cable snaked up a sleeve and plugged into a datajack.

It's internal and counts as a smartlink rather than a smartgoggle array.

-Siege

[mayhem]

[SugarDog]

If Smart systems calculate ballistics, how do they know the range? I.e., the system would ahve to know how far away the target is that you are aiming at in order to calculate where the bullet would land. I ask because this has come up in gameplay. The only way I know would be to use some sort of laser sight (invisible to normal eyes, of course. You would probably want to avoid the UV and IR bands too) that is bounced off whatever you are aiming at. Thus, detectors for smartlink range finders beam could be made for early detection.

Always needin new ways to foil the players :)

[BitBasher]

This is just my opinion, but if someone used a datajack and cable, or glove at all they would lose the benefit you get from using "all cybernetic components" because the glove and data cable are not cybernetic. So the SL would give a -1 and not a -2.

[TinkerGnome]