I have a hacker in a game i'm playing.

He's got a response 5/5 upgraded commlink (which I will get to 6/6 one day)
he's got optimized layout exploit

A primary hacker with secondary spyder/drone guy.

I'm trying to figure out what software/equipment/modifications I should be trying to pick up.

I'm also trying to figure out if I've read the programming rules correctly.

it seems like you can 'patch' software that's not registered that's lost some rating fairly easily.

It seems like it's a software+logic roll (how does a rating X software development platform modify that roll) with a threshold = to (Program Rating - Degraded rating) x 2, and a interval of only 1 week.

Seems like I should be able to maintain my basic programs fairly easily. But perhaps I'm missing something.

Its not too difficult to do, its just extra bookkeeping. I know if a hacker player asked me about it, I'd let them figure it all out and get back to me. As a GM, I don't want to micro-manage my hacker micro-managing his program ratings.

Get a fake sin and buy legal copies of your common use programs (just be prepared to lose the SIN if you get caught in someone's node). Heck, get a fake SIN from someplace with no extradition and register your common use stuff there. "Yes Mr Mwbatuwabi, Windows 68 does allow you access to Office 68, Madagascar Editiion."

Spend points on Contacts, I recommend getting a group contact that is a pirated software network. This should allow you to trade patches you develope on some of your programs for patches on other programs. This will save you some programming time.

Or you can keep stealing new copies each month or two.

Personally I encourage my hackers to buy "legitimate" software, simplifies book keeping.

Anyway there are three programs that all should have up at all times (and therefore ergonomic) they are stealth, exploit, and defuse. Two of those are things you use all the time and will want access to the other one you never know when your going to need it sometimes until it it too late. Biofeedback filter, analyze, and the good ole' attack program also come to mind as things that are good to have ergo to allow for other programs or better response times.

THe problem with "legitimate software" is the registration. It increases your difficulties when editing access logs.


I like the suggestions on the software to have running all the time. So I will work on that.
I have a hacker contact, but a Piracy Net group does sound like a good "group contact"
I'll talk to him about developing that.

I agree with the first two, but I'd put Analyze above Defuse. While you're absolutely right about needing Defuse when you do, you'll have no idea when that is if you can't make a Matrix Perception Test.

Honestly i'd have em both but defuse will still help you if the matrix perception test fails or for whatever reason you don't get one.

How does Defuse help you if you aren't aware of the databomb? Don't you need to be aware of the databomb in order to make a Disarm attempt?

I wouldn't call patching 'fairly easy'. It's minimum 1 week per program (per 1 or 2 months), and you'll want several programs.

The pirate group contact is definitely the way to go. Still, buying your programs at 10% list price every 1, 2, maybe 3 months (and no registration to track) is *still* beyond worth it.

Not by my understanding I am AFB. Basically by the rules the bomb going off prompts a roll using the characters difuse plus hacking, I think.

that 1 week interval.

How many hours a day is it?

You got me thinking, so I just looked it up:




I assume they were mixing up Disarm and Defuse there. But it looks like you need Analyze running already in order to be able to make the perception test. I might be missing something though. Do you recall if there were additional rules in Unwired?

I don't think databombs were covered very deeply in unwired other then new varients. I believe I just misinterpreted SR4A when i read it last Sunday. That's a same as I could have slapped the team hacker with a databomb when they got in a hurr, ah well..

One thing that you should pick up is a tac net. Words can barely begin to describe how helpful putting each team member on the net.

True dat. It's basically the only reason the team put up with my Technomancer.

The downside to the tacnet is it eats up subscriptions and resources necessitating a second comlink in many cases, but yes if your people can supply the channels it is a very good investment.

there's 4 players total.
So best I can do is a rating 2 tacnet right?

Drones baby. Drones.

And even without drones, 2 dice is 2 dice.

Going to need alot more money from my GM

I need sensor 6+ drones. That's upgrade city when most drones come with rating 2 sensors .

My GM isn't too interested in micromanaging or bookkeeping either, so for my pirated programs (i.e. my Hacking programs) (See pp 94 and 109 of Unwired), we just rolled the cost of updating them into my Lifestyle monthly costs (10% of street cost of the program). It works well enough and I don't have to spend all my (game) time patching. Saves a lot of table time for actual runs too.

Yeah, I can wholeheartedly agree that State-of-the-art rolls are complete ass, and we've just thrown the entire mechanic out the door.

Self-coded programs are a decent middle ground between the draconial ITS ILLEGAL or ITS TRACABLE pirated-vs-legit software.

Self coded has an interval of 1 month, and 6months for OS. That's pretty long to be viable.

If you're not Rush Jobbing, you're not trying! (use edge!)

Getting access to a Programming Environment isn't too hard with social engineering. (you're playing a social hacker, right?)

Should cut it down from 1 month to one week. Suddenly, patching seems like a bad deal....

1 week is still too long if you want to have even a handful of programs and keep them up to date.

Actually, Patching is an interval of 1 Week (And your threshold is Equal to teh Difference between what the Program WAS and what the Program IS (So a Rating 5 Program has degraded by a point... 5-4=1; so the Threshold is 1)... So using a Programming Environment, and Rushing the Job to patch a program that has degraded by a Single Rating point, will let you patch a Program in just over a day or so (40 Hours/Programming Environment = 20 Hours; 20 Hours/Rushing the Job=10 Hours)

Patching Rules are on Pages 118-119 of Unwired...

That ain't all that bad in my book...

Keep the Faith

It is in my book. I have at least a dozen programs (don't forget System and Firewall, and maybe Pilots, and sensor software…), and they all have to be patched, and that's every 1-2 months. And that speed means you have to have a programming environment, which isn't a given. So. Pirate group contact.

Or, you could code it yourself, and never worry about degredation again, since self- coded programs do not degrade(unwired errata)

Well, once you've got a well developed relationship with a Hacker clique, (aka, full membership,) you can code up some programs for yourself and then trade them amongst the group for other off-the-market hacktools. Then, one non-degrading program nets you several more.

he's not trying to keep them up to date... that interval is for writing his own software from scratch, which subsequently requires no updating

Yes, it does. Self-coded degrade, because it makes no sense for them not to. Screw errata.

This is funny. Its like "Why are there no exploits/viruses/security issues for Apple computers? Because noone is working on finding the exploits to get access to those 8 machines when they could be working on the same stuff for a Windows PC and get access to 2 billion machines" argument.

Self coded should not degrade during the average lifetime of a shadowrunner.

Self Coded Hacknig software should totally degrade. Well all self-coded software should degrade. But only up to a point.

THink about how quickly the Matrix changes. New file types, new file systems, new firewall systems. Your exploit program needs to know how to speak LISP, C++ or what have you. Your edit program has to know how to edit docx, doc, ods, .goo, .ares, or what have you. You need to know what the current VRML is, what version is it on, what's the new developments and how to interpret them. Self Coded sofware should totally degrade.
On the flipside, I should only have to patch my OS when ever I buy new hardware, or try and access brand new drones.

I don't think it should degrade 1 rating per month, and I don't think it should degrade down to less than Rating 3. But If you want to keep your self coded ergonomic optimized spoof rating 6 program. You need to be upgrading it every 6 months or so to take into account new hardware/software/languages/API.

I don't understand your point at all, Tommy. Self-coded software is not *better* than cracked commercial software, open-source software, freeware, or pirated software. They all degrade.

Its because no one is patching / upgrading their defensive software to negate the exploits your single user software package uses. The guys who are using the fringe software, that have no other users are at an advantage, the corps can't afford to dedicate programming time to counter their stuff, when instead that same programmer could be fixing something that 200 users have access to.

Just like your Hacker won't be writing an Exploit program that takes into account all the flaws in the Comodor 64's operating system (come on, you know there has to still be at least 1 of them out there), because he is likely never going to go up against it, he will however be going up against [insert Corp name here]'s brand of firewall.

At best, that's only one reason software degrades. The other side is that the rest of the world is also moving: SOTA. Having ratings degrades abstracts a wide range of changes in the constantly changing Matrix, and it's silly for home-brew software to be better than all the rest.

Homebrew isn't better though, as it takes longer to build it. I mean, based on the errata, the end result (i.e. no degradation) is better, but I wouldn't let a player start with homebrew software. They'd have to sacrifice their in-game time on doing something like that or pay for the contact that has it.

Sure, but then they've got free high-rating gear forever, which is like 50% of a Matrix-centric character's needs. Forever. And they can copy it to all their friends, so the whole team has free max forever. Programs are *really* expensive, so outfitting a team of 3 (or 4, or 8…) with complete sets of common use, hacking, sensor, tacnet, pilot, agent(!), etc. is a huge deal. Degrading programs keeps that in check.

Is it really that bad, to give regular characters access to what technomancers get out the door? I mean, really? (CFs never degrade)

Yes.

I would say once you distribute it, that it will degrade. As it is no longer "self coded" when used by another person. Wider distribution means wider use, so more of a footprint in the matrix. I know its kinda arbitrary, but the whole SOTA timeframes of 1 month is pretty arbitrary too.

Also don't copied programs still suffer from only 1 instance can be present in a node at a time (I am AFB)? If so I wouldn't allow copied Tacnet software to work together, or team members to be present in the same node.... all that stuff.

See I would think that self coded software would degrade all the time.
Sure, noone else is using and building against your exploit suite that you built yourself.

But you aren't patching it with the latest in security fixes, and algorithms. You're not updating it to know that Zero Day Issue X has been patched, but that leaves a Zero day Y issue now.

Your Edit program has no clue how to read the latest in Horizon BTL config files. Your Spoof program worked great, except that Ares has put out a new API language that you haven't updated /at all/.

Your Self built OS works awesome. Except that the newest Shimi-Arigato Killer Drone won't slave with it because you never wrote any drivers for it. Or you've just bought the latest in cyber eyes, but they won't interface with your commlink because your OS you built yourself doesn't have the right api.

Now OpenSource software that's being maintained should not degrade
but .. that's a different issue.

Responding to the original poster: I'd start here.
(With apologies to Ancient History.)

Using the modular programming techniques available in the 2070s, just making a program using a known exploit should take roughly an afternoon.

What writing your own Hack is about is finding a completely unknown way to accomplish an analogous task. Sure, someone else is going to eventually stumble on the same thing, but it's not going to be an ordinary process. I generally do it as a roll based on how many glitches the character had while using the software that month. It's a touch more bookkeeping, but it works for me.