I've written a small program for calculating target numbers for ranged combat. The first test version (0.6) is now available for trial.

You can download it from http://ourteam.home.comcast.net/programs/CombatMod.zip.

Expected usage:
Run the program and have it in front of you all the time you are GMing.
Set up Shooters #1-9 with Player Characters
Set up Shooters #10-18 with NPCs for each scene
The various settings for Recoil Comp, etc. are remembered for each shooter.
Visibility Settings are the same for all shooters.
For target mods the program doesn't handle (spirit conceal, spirit confusion, and many more) just enter a positive (penalty) or negative (bonus) number in the "Other Penalty" box.

I'm planning to make the next version let you save information about shooters/guns to disk between gaming sessions, and then to let it roll Initiative for the NPCs and track the initiative passes for you.

Let me know what you think. Either here or through a Personal Message.
ourteam at comcast dot net

I think the only real thing that needs fixing is the stackability. Ie: max of -8 to visibility modifiers.

Love the shooter and visibility modifier code though, that's nice as I spend most of my time in calcing TNs with figuring out what that visibility is. movement/range/etc is pretty easy to remember (or fudge).

Sphynx

I agree the maximum should be +8 for Visibility. For example, consider a Human observing a target in Full Darkness (+8 ), which is Invisible (+8 ) and which is obscured by Light Smoke (+4). Right now I let the calculator add all those penalties together. I agree with Sphynx, I should limit it to +8, the penalty when you can't see the target.

But I think I should add penalties when a target is in Partial Light (+2) and is obscured by Light Smoke (+4) to give a TN penalty of +6. Do you agree?

I'm not entirely sure how, but I was able to get the modifiers for a burst fire at -2 while my Semi-Automatic was still at 2.

Thanks Cheese Emperor! I left out a line of code to limit the minimum TN for Burst and Autofire to 2.

Corrected version 0.61 now posted.

Otherwise it's a good program, nice layout. Pretty easy to tell where everything is. Straightforward and seems to cover everything you could want and then some. And I think the "Aim" is what brought it down to that, [Edit] Or that.[/Edit]

Shotguns receive only a -1 benefit from smartlink, and none from smart goggles or laser when using Shot Ammo (SR3 p. 117). I left this rule out of earlier versions, and just added it to the latest. There is now a "Using Shot Ammo" box that is enabled when the weapon is a Shotgun.

I've adjusted the program so Astral Perception eliminates all Lighting and Invisibility modifiers (but not Glare and Smoke), unless shooting at a Mundane Object where Astral Perception wouldn't help. There is now a "Firing At Mundane Object" box to trigger whether or not Astral Perception can help.

I've also capped Lighting, Invisibility, Glare, and Obscurement (Smoke, Rain, etc.) penalties at +8. If you can't see the target, you can't see it, and that's +8. A GM who wants to add additional penalties can use the "Other Penalty" box.

Version 0.63 now posted. Download

I'm going to be away from my desk for a couple weeks. Feel free to download and try the Calculator. Leave comments for me here and I'll look at them when I return.

Haven't used it in a game yet, but BAD-ASS. I like it. The only thing I'd really like is to be able to save stuff (which you already said you'd do). So cool! Good stuff. I don't usually have my laptop around when I play, but that might just change...

I do use my laptop and this is going to help out so much.

Thanks for the hard work. Can't wait to be able to save.

Downloaded and played with it a bit and it looks like this could really help speed up combat.

Great job!

Very interesting tool.
I'd like a French version of it, for non English speaking friends of mine.
Do you think it would be feasible that you provide me the files where the texts are stored, so that I provide you the French equivalent, then you build the tools with these files in a French version of the tool ?
Contact me privately if you're interested.