Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: How smart is a drone?
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun
CoalHeart
The recent talks about antroform drones and other drones left me to wonder

How smart is a drone?
How smart can you make a drone?
They can operate on thier own. But how well?
Can you install a personality onto one? Can you load it up with P-Fix BTLs or custom build an AI for it?
Could you have a drone and simply give it voice commands, or voice commands over the radio and have it implicitly follow your directions?
how well does the voice recognition work? Could someone else fake your voice pattern and fool your drone?

Can you tell a drone to ignore certain targets, like you and some of your friends, but have it attack unfriendly targets or wait for voice command 'Sic em boy!' Point a finger and it knows who you mean?

I don't have Rigger 3, so this is probably answered there, and if it is I'll have to find my self a copy of it and give it a long read over.


kenny26
look at the drone's pilot rating. the books (if my memory is correct) state that if not controlled directly by the rigger (called "in the captain's chair" or something simular) the drone will use it's pilot rating as a rating for pretty much any task it has to do by itself.

so for perception, logging on to a taget and identifying it, shooting it and maneuvering around, it will use it's pilot rating.
Backgammon
You don't need Rigger 3. Read the rules in the rulebook. A drone's pilot rating is the number of dice it rolls to understand an instruction, and the TN of that instruction is based upon the difficulty table in SR3. A rigger can augment the number of dice used by the drone to understand by using a specialisation of programming whose name I forget.

Basically, drones have "dog brains". If a dog would understand you, chances are a drone will too. Smarter drones can go up to "child brain". They're not very smart. It's always fun to have the rigger nervously look at it's drone after saying "shoot everything but me".
CoalHeart
I was just thinking it would be funny as hell if you had a Voice controlled drone...

You for whatever reason exclaim. "Shoot!"
Your Gm tells you "Your drone points it's gun at you and fires'
Lilt
Pilot ratings can go as high as 5 (wich effectively has all the skills it will ever need at 5) but it is possible to make them more intelligent. In R3 there is an option called Robotic Pilot Advanced Programming which makes the drone a robot (robot is to drone as drone is to vehicle) which is far more intelligent than most drones.

As for the shoot command: Most drones wouldn't do that except for on a roll of all 1s. It's more likely that the drone would just ask you what to shoot or complain at lack of sufficient targeting data ETC.
Fix-it
Robot pilots also enable them to control OTHER drones, if you have a RCD installed and interfaced with that drone. biggrin.gif
CoalHeart
Then how smart can you make a Robot pilot?

Can you give it a few terraMP storage space, a full cyberdeck set up. And a RCD Spend a few months programming an AI and install that sucker and have your own Mundane version of an Ally?
Siege
Actually, that's an interesting spin:

Tack on a p-fix chip to a drone system and you could create a synthetic sidekick.

Which instead of piloting a drone could be uploaded into a cyberdeck for Matrix functions or real-time secondary pilot instructions.

We kicked this idea around on another thread: best visual would be the "Ship's Computer" uploaded to the Master Sergeant in Halo.

-Siege
lodestar
Think of a drone's "dog brain" as always having to be able to answer yes or no type questions. Commands that involve easy identification of objectives are easy to follow. Each die a drone gets for its pilot rating basically allows it to achieve one objective. Commands like "go to the van" and "shoot this person" are easy to follow as they have easily identified objectives. The drone has to make pilot checks whenever the objectives are greater than the pilot rating. Example if we combined the commands given to "go to the van and shoot this person" Will cause a rating 1 pilot trouble, and be simple for a higher rated pilot.

Where trouble occurs is when a drone is given an unspecific command such as "shoot everyone with a gun" The drone now has to decide what constitutes a valid objective, as well as what is its primary objective. Most likely the drone will simply balk at such a command. This is where robots come in, for the robot will be equipped with "fuzzy logic" to make such an identification, and an associated decision to fire. The greater the rating of the robot pilot, the better its fuzzy logic software will be.
BitBasher
All the drone upgrade options can get damn frightening and deadly, also very expensive.
Cray74
With a robot pilot rating of 4, fuzzy logic that gives 8 extra comprehension dice, +4 adaptation dice from its neural net, +6 perception dice from Clearsight Autosoft and sensors...my primary PC's car is the smartest one on the team. I think even the mage's intelligence tops out at 5...
Lilt
Nice, but remember that you can only use adaptation pool whilst performing your prime directive (It's a robot thing) and you can't normally use use autosofts of greater-than your pilot rating.
Game2BHappy
... and you can add your Computer(Programming) test to your drone's comprehension test. Your decker knows how to phrase something so a machine will understand.

Also, on the advantages of robotic pilots over normal pilots:
QUOTE
p.121, R3
"While a Rating 1 robot pilot is comparatively "dumb" and unskilled, it still possesses interpretive abilities far beyond those of a basic drone.  Rating 5 robot pilots are cunning expert systems that exhibit comprehension levels beyond those of some metahumans."
Steel Eyes
One of my players had a Rigger from the CAS, after the group got a drone with a decent Pilot Rating he named it King. He then spent alot of time and effort until King followed voice commands and acted like a dog. The group thought he was out of his mind until on a run going bad he looked at King and said "Kill". King then used both the MMG's attached to it and walked around and shot everyone who wasn't one of the regular teammates. From that point on they patted the drone and treated it like a dog, including setting aside money for upgrades.
Digital Heroin
QUOTE (CoalHeart)
Then how smart can you make a Robot pilot?

Can you give it a few terraMP storage space, a full cyberdeck set up. And a RCD Spend a few months programming an AI and install that sucker and have your own Mundane version of an Ally?

Programmers in the SR continuity have no clue how to make AI... there's always been an unpredicted X factor... the best you could do is maybe a Semi-Autonomous Knowbot... which isn't bad, but still needs direction...
Cray74
QUOTE (Lilt)
QUOTE (Cray74)
With a robot pilot rating of 4, fuzzy logic that gives 8 extra comprehension dice, +4 adaptation dice from its neural net, +6 perception dice from Clearsight Autosoft and sensors...my primary PC's car is the smartest one on the team. I think even the mage's intelligence tops out at 5...

Nice, but remember that you can only use adaptation pool whilst performing your prime directive (It's a robot thing) and you can't normally use use autosofts of greater-than your pilot rating.

The Clear Sight autosoft is rating 2.

Prime Directive..."Car, you are to be an annoying advisor to the team along the lines of Kit, from Knight Rider." wink.gif
Shockwave_IIc
Since were on the subject of real smart drones/ Robots and i know people have done stats for possibly the smartest drone of all.

Unfortuantely i forgot to pinch'em last time they were posted so
Can someone give me a link to the stats of AMEE please?

And If you don't know who AMEE is then shame on you!! talking about advanced drones and not paying tribute to the coolest and arguably the smartest drone out there!!
Camouflage
Do you mean this one (It's the version Doc Funkenstein came up with)?

AMEE

The AMEE (Autonomous Mapping, Evasion, and Exploration)
anthroformic was designed by Ares for the UCAS Marines. It is a
top-of-the-line drone specifically designed to go behind enemy lines,
map out the terrain, locate enemy bases and troop movements, and report
the information back to its base.
AMEE is generally loaded with the Clearsight, Datalink, or
Electronic Warfare autosofts, depending on her mission. These autosofts
were not included in the prices below.

CODE
Hand  Speed  Acc  Bod  Armor  Sig  Auto  Pilot  Sensor  Cargo  Load
2     60     --   3    3      8    --    5(r)   1       0      288kg

Seat  Entry  Fuel   Econo          Chassis     SI  Avail  Cost
--    --     60 PF  E (1.5 km/PF)  Anthroform  6   n/a    5,556,230¥

    Design Points:  38,023 (1.10 Mark-Up).

Quality Factors: Complex Chassis, Ruggedness 2.
Other Features: Amphibious Operation 2 (submersible), Autosoft
Interpretation System, BattleTac FDDM and IVIS Receiver Modules,
Contingency Maneuver Controls 9, Drive-By-Wire 3, Drone Rack (External
Cargo Mount), ECCM 6, ED 4, Electronics Port, EnviroSeal (engine),
Mechanical Arms x2 (Strength 12, see below), Robotic Programming (Fuzzy
Logic Augmentation 5, Improved Neural Network Algorithm 5, Multi-Object
Manipulation 10, Robotic-Pilot Advanced Programming 5, Robotic Reflexes
3), Radar-Absorbent Materials 3, Remote-Control Encryption Module 10,
Smart Materials, SunCell Power.
Mechanical Arm, Left (20 ECU, 0 Remaining): Chemical Analyzer,
Computer (2,000 Mp), Gas Spectrometer, Integrity Enhancement 3, Magnetic
System, Orientation System, Remote-Control Deck 1(BattleTac FDDM and
IVIS, RC Encryption Module 10), Shock Hand, Signal Booster 10, Spur
(Retractable).
Mechanical Arm, Right (20 ECU, 3 Remaining): Integrity Enhancement
3, Jammer 10, Magnetic System, Shock Hand, Spur (Retractable), Tactical
Computer (BattleTac, 10 Dedicated Ports).





ROVER

ROVER (Remote Observational Vehicle for Enhanced Reception) is the
standard accessory drone used with AMEE as an aid to her sensors. Other
drones focused on electronic warfare and combat are also used but are
dependant on AMEE's mission.

CODE
Hand  Speed  Acc  Bod  Armor  Sig  Auto  Pilot  Sensor  Cargo  Load
3     207    17   2    0      11   --    3      7       0      20kg

Seat  Entry  Fuel   Econo          Chassis     SI  Avail     Cost
--    --     50 PF  E (0.2 km/PF)  Rotor UAV   4   6/6 days  123,250¥

    Design Points:  4,930 (123,250¥)

Other Features: Autosoft Interpretation System, BattleTac FDDM and
IVIS Receiver Modules, ED 4, Radar-Absorbment Materials 3,
Retransmission Unit, Smart Materials.
Lilt
OOH Pretty! I'm not sure about having 20ECU available in the arms but that's given me some ideas for the power armour thread...
Camouflage
QUOTE (Lilt)
OOH Pretty! I'm not sure about having 20ECU available in the arms but that's given me some ideas for the power armour thread...

I had a discussion on that with the Doc as well. IIRC Rigger3 leaves it to the gm to decide about the equipment capacity available for mechanical arms. We both came to the conclusion that double the ammount of that available to a cyberware-arm isn't that unreasonable, as a mechanical arm for a drone does not necesarily have to be build to fit to a human body and therefore allows for a bit more bulk to fit in more equipment.
Shockwave_IIc
I don't know if that is the one (If i recall there were 2-3 versions on the same thread). But i've copied them anyway (I'm having to defalut when B/R'ing drones).

Thanks.
Lilt
QUOTE (Camouflage)
I had a discussion on that with the Doc as well. IIRC Rigger3 leaves it to the gm to decide about the equipment capacity available for mechanical arms. We both came to the conclusion that double the ammount of that available to a cyberware-arm isn't that unreasonable, as a mechanical arm for a drone does not necesarily have to be build to fit to a human body and therefore allows for a bit more bulk to fit in more equipment.

Ah. IMHO: There may be a bit of ECU gain but that would probably be cancelled when you consider that they are the arms of a vehicle (a vehicle with armour no-less) hence they'd need a more hefty frame supporting them.
Cray74
QUOTE (Camouflage)

CODE
Hand  Speed  Acc  Bod  Armor  Sig  Auto  Pilot  Sensor  Cargo  Load
2     60     --   3    3      8    --    5(r)   1       0      288kg

Seat  Entry  Fuel   Econo          Chassis     SI  Avail  Cost
--    --     60 PF  E (1.5 km/PF)  Anthroform  6   n/a    5,556,230¥

    Design Points:  38,023 (1.10 Mark-Up).


Dang, I tried to make an AMEE once...did you need to make any liberal interpretations of Rigger 3 rules, or is that kosher?

CoalHeart
Ok So this AMEE.... How smart is she?

What would be an example of her skill and knowlege?

How much butt can she kick?! Does she listen to her designated owner? Or would she do what she feels like doing?
How much of a Semi Autonomous Know Bot can she have uploaded?
Could you give her a mission objective, maps and a target to eliminate and for her not to be detected or damaged and still be able to do it on her own?

Yea I'm asking dumb questions, but I've never been a rigger, but the table top team's rigger is looking for a pet project and I'd like to help him out icly and oocly. He's saved my butt a few times and I owe him wink.gif
Shockwave_IIc
She has her programing, So she is limited. However she is very good at interpeting actions.

Working on her own i would say she's smarter than any of Deus drones
QUOTE
Could you give her a mission objective, maps and a target to eliminate and for her not to be detected or damaged and still be able to do it on her own?

I would say yes. She only got killed by her operator. She damaged cos she got dropped from high orbit.

But for a diffinative answer all i can say

Watch RED PLANET
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012