I realize that learning by watching is inherently limited, but I think I've gathered that, on these forums, when you have a question and you've been unable to find the answer using the search function, the custom is to begin your thread with "Sorry if this has already come up, but my search-fu has failed me, and I wanted to ask DS."

So, sorry if this has already come up, but my search-fu has failed me, and I wanted to ask DS.

According to page 240 of SR, Pilot is a program that a hacker can code for himself. It'll take at least half a year to whip up a rating 4 program, but it's doable. However, every Pilot program is, as I understand it, limited to its own drone. That is to say, if I installed Pilot (LEBD-1) into my Mitsuhama Akiyama assassination drone, it would probably wobble around a bit and then slap me with the biggest error message since Crash 2.0.

That said, if I want to whip up a Pilot complex form for a Riggermancer (which, iirc, I can do), do I just make a general Pilot that I can stick into anything? That strikes me as grossly powerful, just in terms of the months and/or nuYen I'd be saving by being able to install permanently SotA Pilots into all my drones. On the other hand, if I had to take Pilot (LEBD-1) as a complex form, that's grossly limited. Sure, it's conceivable to run a rigger with 4 different types of drone, especially if you modded individual models liberally for specific conditions, but even 4 instances of Pilot is more BP/Karma than I want to throw at one aspect of rigging.

Or is there some fundamental aspect of the program/CF relationship I'm missing?

SR4 pg 233 under Complex Forms, last sentences



SR4A pg 239 same heading.

Just a note, however, but PILOT is not any of those... though you might class it as an Agent...

You might be overlooking that with the exception of a data bomb (which, btw, is not a program like others), CF do not run independent of the TM. They are inherent to the TM. You can not hand your stealth CF to anyone or anything else (with the exception of a Resonance bond with sprites). You cannot set your exploit CF into an Agent or Sprite. If you could create a Pilot CF (and I agree that you cannot), you could not place it in a drone to run. If you already had a drone, you could not give it an Analyze CF to run.

hmmm... well, apparently SR4A changed the text that says something to the effect of "pilots are specialised agents" and replaced it with a statement that they are merely similar. i imagine that wasn't intended to allow compiling of pilot programs though.

might have been rude to just quote RAW, but I guess I kind of took this for granted. It says "any program with a pilot attribute" right there.

Anyway, TE probably took the right approach.

Well, thank you (plural) kindly for all the information. Goodness.

strictly speaking, SR4A incorporates the errata and supersedes SR4. that being said, tiger eyes is the main shadowrun developer now... so yes, she probably does have the right approach

So what is a riggermancer's best option for drone control via sprite? A Machine sprite is obviously a good start, but what CFs are absolutely necessary for it? What method of drone control is best for sprites to manage? Any special hardware considerations for drones custom built for sprite use?

Well, one thing my search-fu DID turn up is a handy trick for making a sprite-run drone unhackable; since the sprite is bound to the TM by Resonance, you can pop the sprite in the drone, turn off the drone's wireless, and issue new orders directly to the sprite. That's my understanding of it, anyway.

Otherwise, a good tacnet CF strikes me as always a good thing to have, particularly if you're going to be responsible for a bunch of drones onto which you can strap a bunch of sensors. You can learn a CF for tactical software and have your teammates/drones slave their PANs to your bionode so you can run it...right?

Finally, a good Spoof CF is a must, because you're going to be spoofing your lifestyle up from "street" on account of you spent all your creds pimping up your drones.

EDIT: Oh, and best method of drone control for sprites is called Remote Control, and almost all the dice pools are Command + whatever the appropriate meat skill is. I see this as superior even with the TM himself; superior to jumping in, because it's less dependent on the drone's response and sensor values, and superior to the drone on its own, because then you have to pimp Pilot and all the autosofts, plus it's working off a dogbrain and a script if you made one.