Multiple Vision Enhancements, or "The Contact Lenses of Doom" 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+

[Narmio]

Mechanical and electrical vision enhancements, those added by devices outside the body, now provide the full range of benefits that cyberware enhancements used to.

While this makes sense, the advances in technology should allow for this, I'm a little wary about allowing every character to start with Lowlight, Thermo, Vision Enhancement 3, Vision Magnification, Image Link, Smartlink contact lenses. It's only 1225Y, after all.

I can't, however, see any limits on how many mods can be added to a single device.

I also can't see any rules saying that multiple mods can be added to a single device, so one could make an argument for that, despite previous editions having things likw Low light + Thermo goggles.

Another possible would be to add the availabilities together, rather than use the highest, so the above Contact Lenses of Doom would have avail 28, problem solved for character generation, and severely gimped for most games. Why not throw in Ultrasound, for that wonderful avail 36?

Another solution, one I'm actually surprised didn't make it into the book, would be a Capacity system. Virtually every single other device/sensor combo like this has capacities, what happened to image mods?

Discuss.

[SL James]

Indeed. A set of contact lenses should only be capable of having one enhancement at most without becoming too bulky to become useless.

[mmu1]

Are we talking about game balance, or about logic? Because logically speaking, if you can fit a vision enhancement system into a pair of contact lenses, you should be able to fit an almost unlimited amount of vision enhancements into a pair of shades - and most certainly into goggles...

This is what you often get for writing a technology into the game just because it's cool - if you later find that you have to put restrictions on it for the sake of balancing things, it looks stupid and arbitrary.

[Narmio]

Yes, any limitations are going to be quite arbitrary. In addition, smartlinks require image links, so contact lenses need to be able to take two enhancements.

For the sake of expediency, and based on the sample characters, I'm going to go with max 2 upgrades on contact lenses, max 4 upgrades on glasses/shades, and as many as you want in goggles and binoculars.

At least it imposes a slight penalty on those who want to look cool.

Goggles are so 2055.

[Ravennus]

First post here, so be gentle! :P

I'm looking at my new pdf for SR4, and I'm under the complete impression that the Availability ratings of the various enhancements add to the rating of the device.

On page 324 it shows two separate tables, one entitled 'Vision Enhancement' (containing the aforementioned contacts, plus goggles, binocs, etc) and the other entitled enhancements (which of course list all the, well, enhancements you can get).

The vision devices have separate ratings than the enhancements, yes, but down the column for the enhancement avail ratings it distinctly shows a + beside each.
That's probably a good indicator that it adds to the base A.R. of the shades/contacts/goggles/whatever.
Therefore in chargen, you can fit a lot less in a pair of contacts (A.R.=6) than goggles (no availability rating, hence available anywhere unenhanced).

This helps limit things to reasonable limits (imho) in chargen. However, it does seem to imply that you could buy a pair of 'contacts of doom' containing all the possible vision aids if you managed to succeed against an insanely high A.R. as was previously mentioned. Of course, with such a high A.R. they would definitely be considered super-tech beyond the normal realm of Shadowrun SOTA.
In fact, they would have almost twice as high an availibility rating as a Panther Assault Cannon!! :eek:

The only bits of weirdness that bug me?

The most you can fit in a pair of cybereyes is 16 capacity worth of enhancements. That is actually 4 units shy of fitting every enhancement (with maxed ratings) into the cybereyes.
Meanwhile, if you can manage the sky high availability, you can get contacts that have ALL the enhancements.
I don't know about you, but I'd think you can fit more into a pair of cybereyes than in a pair of thin contacts.
On the flip side? I would think I could fit more enhancements into a pair of binoculars or goggles than a pair of cybereyes. Since you wouldn't have to miniaturize the components as much, it would also be alot easier to do, and hence have a lower availibility.
Unfortunately, even a pair of full-sized goggles with all the bells and whistles would have an availibility rating of 30!!! :(

Couple cool things I'd like to point out though....

The Image Link enhancement doesn't add to the avail rating of the different devices, so no worries about it taking up the affordable A.R. instead of that flare compensation you wanted to squeeze in.

Even better, both Image Link and an Eye Recording Unit (camera for photos and videos) are INCLUDED standard in EVERY set of cybereyes. Don't forget you no longer have to worry about buying extra headware memory for the recorder.
These are all things that cost a lot of extra space,nuyen, and/or essence in SR3.

OH! I almost forgot something almost as cool...
Every smartlink modified gun now comes with a small camera on the gun that you can use to look through and target the gun around cover or a corner without exposing the rest of your body. Also, if you want, you could purchase enhancements for the 'guncam'.

Anyway, I hope that helps! :D


-Ravennus

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Crusher Bob]

I also assume that the eyes listed are aslo 'cosmetic replacements' as well as being the cyber eyes of doom. If you don't want a cosmetic replacement for your eyes (for example, if you don;t mind if they empty out your whole orbital socket and leave a silver colored orb in it's place, then you should be able to fit even more stuff into your eyes.

[edit]
For a cyberpunk game, SR has always remains surprisingly 'human centered' there are very few transhuman elements at all. Very little 'non-cosmetic replacement' cyberware

The kid stealth legs and the balance tail are the only two I can think of.

It looks like SR4 has a bit more room for transhumanism, as cyber limbs now seem useful. Will read my PDF of the weekend and see.

Oh, and opening your PDF with an earlier version of Acrobat (I'm using 5) supresses all the prictures and other stupidly slow bits. It makes reading the PDF much easier.
[/edit]