Uh, I seem to be unable to find the rules for technomancers:
1) Is it possible to spoof an access ID without disconnecting from the Matrix and reconnecting back?
3) How long does it take to reconnect to Matrix after crashing/disconnecting?
Could you please help me out?

1) Not sure. Can't seem to find anything exclusive, but I seem to remember you automatically spoofing a new ID when you subscribe to a node, when you had no subscription to begin with, and losing the ID again when disconnected from all but you biological node. So not so much rebooting, but cutting all outside connections. Can't find the page its from though, so this is an IIRC.

3)

Disappeared from SR4A completely. Strange. Unwired doesn't supersede it, and refers back to this. Anyone know what's up here?

Also, what happened to 2)? ;p

Thank you.



I'm reading it as "when a technomancer disconnects and reconnects".


I remembered seeing it somewhere, but it being absent from AE thew be off the trail.


2) used to be a question about device modes for living nodes, but I found the answer in Unwired.

Yeah. Cutting all outside connections = going offline = disconnecting != shutting down the bionode and forcing a reboot.
I just answered the rebooting question in my previous post. Reconnecting without having shut down should just be a matter of dialing whatever ID you want to reach, or starting a Data Search.

That's the way I'd read it. I seem to remember it explicited somewhere, but can't for the life of me recall when or where.


I'd interpret both as running without an ID.

Well, the first case, yes.
The second one - absolutely not, since you need an access ID for other devices to send you data.

Anyway, yeah, come to think about it, yeah, switching to silent mode and back may be sufficient enough to change IDs.

You need an ID for other devices to purpose send you data, yes. You don't need an acces ID to passively receive whatever happens to be in the air.

You need an ACCESS ID to have matrix traffic routed to you.

There are 3 things that determine your matrix connection.

1) Access ID acts like a MAC Address/IP address. It allows matrix traffic to be routed to you. In order to be on the matrix, you have to have an Access ID (spoofing it is possible and restarting your 'network stack' is part of the process.
2) Comm Code is a combination: Telephone Number, Voicemail, Email Address. It's maintained by your Matrix Service Provider. This is what allows people to try and call you, send you email, etc. It's independent of your Access ID, and you can access your comm code, even from someone elses commlink.

An Access ID can be spoofed either by software or by hardware.
A comm code cannot be spoofed, but a Black Service Provider can give you throw aways, and 1 time comm codes.

Thank you, Captain! :ь
Now, what's the third thing? :ь

Indeed, "routed to you" are the key words there. If a technomancer -or any device really- has wireless receiving capability, it should be able to intercept any wireless traffic without an ID, regardless even of wether it has wireless sending capability, which is what a techno cuts when in "receiver mode".
That's where Sniffer + EW come in.

Also, Commcode doesn't really have anything to do with matrix connection, it's just a service run by an MSP, not unlike some modern day mail/IM/VoiP services, which a techno can do fine without. He'll just have to do without its luxuries as well then.

Another signal within your mutual signal range.

But that was apparently a Holy Grail moment, in reverse.

Without a Comm Code you cannot send OR receive phone calls, emails.
Without an Access ID you cannot setup subscriptions, do two way communications.

A Technomancer in wide net suck mode, without an access ID could receive information, maybe.. but he certainly couldn't send anything. And he couldn't establish a subscription to anything.

"Without a Comm Code you cannot send OR receive phone calls, emails." I'm not sure this is true, but it probably doesn't matter. It's certainly harder, if anything, and you can always get a temporary one.

No it's totally true.

People can't /send/ you phone calls, until you attach your access id to your commcode(s) so that the world at large knows how to route to you.

I think you can make 'phone calls' to (and from) Access IDs. If the node isn't findable/online, then it just fails, while with a commcode, the MSP would handle things.

OK
I'll give you that. If you know the other person's access ID.

Given that with an ACCESS ID you can be tracked down to a 50M diameter zone. I'm not sure /anyone/ is handing out their Access ID.

I think that they nuked the rule because it is awful. The only thing technomancers do is interact with the matrix, and this makes it many hours for some of them to reboot. Sounds rubbish to me

Yeah, sabs, and it's inconvenient. I was just talking about the possibility. It's like going to a website by IP address instead of domain name, except the IP can potentially change all the time.

You don't just remove a rule for an obvious game situation because you don't like it.
Well, ok, CGL does, apparently, but they shouldn't have - it should've been changed, if it's they didn't like it that much.

Well, there are dynamic IPs in RL; name resolution is just a question of writing a single line into bind configs.
Also, you could possibly have a hidden agent or a virus sending you new access IDs after a change...

Yes, you are /technically/ right.

But from a playable/usable view point it's irrelevant. A Technomancer who wants to be able to interact with people on the matrix, needs a commcode. Additionally, if they want to do live videochat, subscribe to drones, etc, they need an access id.

Sure you can route anything directly through to an Access ID. After all, a commcode logically is just another, stable Acess ID, belonging to a node that automatically contacts the Access ID you last signed into the commcode node with, when someone is contacting it for whatever.
Also Transmit Phrase is an action that should be able to be used to just an Access ID, as is Transfer Data, as should be really any matrix action available.

Let's go through the options for a technomancer is, as you so flatteringly call it, wide net suck mode, in order:



Interesting question: Could you set a Data Bomb on your bionode?

Also, use of Skinlink and Resonance Trodes echoes is debatable. RAW doesn't distinguish between these and a wireless connection. Should it, though? Skinlink explicitly says it works without wireless functionality. Trodes, I don't know. Would bringing someone into VR require a subscription, and if so, to what? I'd say the target is subscribing to your bionode. RAW doesn't mention anything though, let alone fluff. Would be interesting to play around with, I think. Thoughts?

Either way, I see lots of potential use for suck-mode. It's kinda like using Sanctuary in that other game.

That's my point, Fatum. Access IDs are dynamic IPs, while commcodes are domain names.

Any character can freely, anonymously listen in on wireless signals (within range, obviously).

Skinlink is a very short range 'direct' wireless/touch connection. It's not 'wireless' (==Signal) and it's effectively 'wired' (==fiberoptic cable).

Resonance Trodes is already a huge question mark, so this doesn't really make it more unclear. AFAIK, non-Resonance entities can never 'enter' your bionode, so Res Trodes either specifically breaks that (what persona are they using, yours?), or they go somewhere else (possibly you *must* carry a commlink/node to 'put' them in).

Given that commcodes are logically routed through an MSP run node, so traffic can be tracked/stored/tapped at their whim, I actually can't see a serious shadow type using any legit MSP services for it. This is one of those suspension of disbelief things.
Also, can a commcode call be tracked back to its source, or is it actually proxied through the MSP node?
Direct communication by Access ID is a lot more secure by any means, as long as you know who you're talking to.

Gah, being able to put your hands on someone's head and send them into the vr of your choice through your bionode.

i fucking /hate/ technomancers.

4 things
1) there are black market MSP. They can provide you with throw away commcodes (that expire in 24 hours) multiple commcodes, etc.
2) Direct Communication by AccessID is way more secure, except that hackers should be changing their access ID routinely and with great regularity.
3) Traffic CAN be tracked/stored/tapped/ at their whim. But, the usual trace rules apply. This is why the hacker changes his access ID all the freaking time. It's trivial to spoof, and you can modify the hardware to automatically generate a new access ID.
4) The commcode call can be tracked back to it's source. It works like skype. You contact the MSP and say, "Hey I want to talk to Hacker@blackhats.com" The MSP looks up if Hacker@blackhats.com is currently connected to his commcode. If yes > "hey, sam@hatchetman.org wants to talk to you." If you say Yes, then it routes the call to your access ID and you guys establish a straight line communication.

MSPs aren't really like ISPs. They don't *necessarily* own any of the 'pipes'. They're more like Google: Gmail, search, webapps, etc. In some ways, they're like Aol (totally useless).
As I mentioned earlier, if your node *isn't* available when a call (/whatever) comes through, it'll simply fail without an MSP. An MSP can do things like voicemail, email inbox, etc.

Actually that's a perfect examples.

An MSP is like Google.
The provide you with:
Storage space
Comm ID: cross between email address and phone number
Voicemail
Videomail
text/email
Delayed Delivery when Offline

It's like having Gmail, Gtalk, Gvoice, and skype, all rolled into one package that you pay anywhere from 10 to 100 a month for.

Oh yes, MSP own a part of 'the pipes' or at least rent their use from some other corp, and act as an intermediary. Granted, you don't have to actually use them with the way the matrix is set up.
If they're providing remote storage of mail and whatnot, this can easily be stored. Usual trace rules? For tapping your data? I don't think so. They have it delivered right to their servers, and someone will have admin access. Subjecting whatever passes through it to routine scans for criminal activity? Paranoid? Possibly. Possible? Yes. You'd better switch MSPs before going up against NeoNet.
They can of course proceed with regular trace rules after finding something incriminating. After all, they have your Access ID, and if you Spoof a new one, they have that too. Connecting your new ID to your old commcode is an integral part of the Spoof action, after all.

And yes indeed. They are perfect examples. Google is perfectly capable of monitoring your email traffic, and guess what? Their voice recognition software is making progress as well. Having voice calls through their server monitored wouldn't be too much of a problem, if not for inhibitive costs of processing capacity.

[shameless advertising]Actually though, the package you're aiming for is Google Wave. It can do, well, all of that, really. Voice/video just takes some working around until someone writes a proper script for it I love it. It's been my favourite digital SR tool for ages.[/sa]

Realistically though, through integrating mail, facebook, twitter, phone, sms, mms and some other stuff with broad wireless capability, practically any smartphone does the same nowadays. Even tosses all the separate accounts and numbers people have into a 'person X' file. Really comlinks aren't that far away. Plus, RL gets matrix rules that make sense!

Not to mention with some of the pushes to have your smartphone also hold your licenses, identification, and act as a credit card as well. With the prevalence of WiFi now there are some SR4 things that really aren't too far off at all.

On the plus side, as I think someone here put it, Big Brother has ADHD and is on sensory overload. Still, no excuse to be careful and cover your tracks. Just find yourself a good shadow network to help, and don't trust any hacker that doesn't have more than one commlink.