It is stated that Agents (that work much like pilots) have hardcoded Access id and can not be copied and run in the same node. You can not copy an agent to 1000 dummy commlinks (botnet?) and then get a giant army on your hacking runs. For that you need to buy the pilot 1000 times but a drone does not need to live outside it's own node and does not seem to be bothered by this limitation.

So, can you buy one Pilot R 6 (using restricted gear from RC) and one R4 autosoft and then just buy 10 cheap drones for 2k a piece and they all get nice dice pools for a minimal extra cost?

WE are not using Pirated Software rules (or pretty much anything from Unwired since it breaks matrix) so I am curious of how a (legal) program from the core book is usable on multiple devices works.

Can I get one Analyze and use it all on all drones (same with encrypt, scan and so on) or do I have to buy all programs for each drone? The later is more in line with how software works today. Apple don't even let you have your mp3 on the ipod AND computer at the same time (or didn't at least) but Steam let you have your games on any number of computers, but only use one at a time.

Not even the Copy Protection option in Unwired suggests how this work on "legal" software.

Um, either you're using Unwired's copy protection rules or you aren't (see underlined contradictory statements).

You can technically cut costs by copying the pilot program, but it must be the right pilot for the job. A toaster's pilot is not going to know the first thing about running a fridge and in that vein you need to obtain a pilot program for each different drone you need to be pilotted (no matter how similar two different models might be). If that's not RAW it's certainly how I'd run it.

As for the copying part, you do need to crack the program. Which leads me to ask for assistance myself if you'll permit – In the Piracy section of Unwired it gives a page reference for cracking copy protection in SR4, but I have SR4a and so the page numbers don't match. I have searched and searched and cannot find the section in the anniversary edition (I suspect it was cut) so can somebody please confirm for me what needs to be rolled in the extended test?

An alternative to copying common and hacking programs is to simply have one copy of it on your persona and load it into the agents/pilots as and when they need to use them. The downside is that you have to maintain a subscription throughout its use.

So, technically, you can copy it. I don't know exactly how copy protection (and removal of it) works without "Unwired", though...

Actually, the table for Cracking Copy Protection is in Unwired... Pages 94 or 206 (It is on both).

Each 'legal' pilot program is registered to a specific drone's serial number. You really don't want to put a legal pilot in an illegal drone/vehicle.

This is just slander (possibly libel, depends if I read it out loud).

The best thing is to simply pirate your drone Pilots.

Keep it simple.

A starting character in SR might have been a runner for a few decades (especially if we are talking about an elf).

I usually count all programs as cracked at chargen because keeping X copies of cracked programs up to date is hassle enough.

According to Unwired all legal programs have copy protection, so a legal pilot can't be copied to multiple drones. If you're playing that they can be copied anyway (all assumed to be cracked but still updated or whatever), then arsenal basically says that you can only use a single pilot for a single type of drone. For instance you would get a pilot (Steel Lynx) or a pilot (Doberman) but they would be fairly useless in the wrong drone type (Perhaps usable but at a -4 to effective rating or something).

So depending on how big and diverse your drone army is, a single pilot upgrade could be a big boost or a fairly small one.

The table is in Unwired, but what skill you use to roll and the interval are not. SR4 p. 228 says it's a Logic + Hardware test with an interval of an hour, but that information is not in SR4a.


It's only libel if it's a publication.

It's a logic + hacking 1 hour test isn't it? I'll see if I can find that.

Edit: Yeah, the table itself confirms that it is a 1 hour interval, and the SR4 book says that it is a logic + software test.

Thanks. Logic + Software seemed the most likely, but good to know for certain.

Logic + Software... Not Hardware...
Interval is on the Table (1 Hour)...

I swear I thought I wrote Software.
Yeah. Logic + Software(1 hour)