Hi there,

I have loads of basic questions regarding Autosofts (not Autopilot), if you guys please help me, I'll be so happy. I tried to find the information in SR4 book (french ones) for quite a long time but couldn't find.

Any help to provide canon answers, or links to official FAQs, or links to similar discussions here or there would do me a great favor.


- Are Rigger's autosofts some software/hardware chips like in SR3 or software only ?

- Are they to be used by individual drone, by drone model, by type of drone gear/propulsion/weapon/whatever ?

- Regarding Autosoft, can you plug the chips/run the software in your Commlink to use these on your drones via VR (cold or hot), but not when the drone is moving by himself via Autopilot with or without orders ? (just guessing like in SR3 maybe).

- Let's extend that last question : can a Commlink or any other node remote-execute an Autosoft for a drone ?

- Autosoft does not comes with the Limitation option presented in UN, does that really mean I can remove that autosoft from a drone and put it on another one of the same model/kind/gear/weapon/whatever ?

- Can you buy them online ? If yes and if that's chips, do you flash a chip with your commlink ? How many nuyen cost a free chip ?

- If they are software only, how many actions to upload on a drone / to remove an autosoft / what kind of dice throwing involves changing an autosoft of a drone by another one ?

- Why the archetypes in SR4A have Autosoft in their gear and not on drones ?

Software only.



Clearsight / Defense / Electronic Warfare are generic.
Maneuver is by Vehicle Type (i.e. ground vehicles, anthroform vehicles, aircraft, etc.).
Targeting is by Weapon Type (i.e. pistols, longarms, heavy weapons, etc.).

I don't think it is specified anywhere, whether you can use the same Autosoft (i.e. Clearsight) on completely different types of drones. But I assume you can just use the same program there (as long as it is not copy protected, that is).



Autosofts are only really needed, when the drone is operating on its own, since they are the equivalent to skills. When you are "jumped into" a drone via VR, you use your own skills. Consequently, Autosofts are run in the drone's own node, not on your commlink.



You can upload it to the drone, if you are connected to it / have it subscribed to your commlink.



According to my copy of Unwired, legally acquired Autosofts - by default - have Copy Protection and Registration program options (as all the legal software does).

Normal (non-pirated; non-degrading) software cannot be copied and shared, so you have to get it for every individual drone, I think.

The simple solution is to get pirated Autosofts.



Yes, of course. No chip needed (as it is software). A blank chip costs 1¥ (it's on the same page with commlinks and skillsofts and so on in SR4A equipment chapter).



No dice throwing at all. You would probably use the Transfer Data Matrix Action (a Simple Action).



The archetypes are not really a proper representation of how the rules work, unfortunately.

Hope this helps.

Bye
Thanee

Ok, you nicely edit your post...

For Clearsigth you said "you think you can" use on different drone, but how ?

You upload the program on the drone, then remove from the drone and use on another one ?

Upload to Multiple Drones. As long as it is not Copy Protected. Upload to Drones in Sequence (Upload/Wipe/Upload) if they are.
Clearsight is not restricted to a specific Drone type. It works with whatever Sensors are in place on the drone.

You could theoretically also have a Clustered node of drones with one copy of the program running for the while Subscription. There was a part in the Shadowtalk about this happening (basically) with a mine full of skillwired miners.


Possibly Deactivate Program (229, SR4A) followed by Run Program (231, SR4A)?

You'll want to be beyond careful with any drone cluster/sharing jankery. It honestly makes no sense, with the bonus of being unbalanced.

I had a group where the rigger had a Subscription of 11 drones. He told the subscription to shoot a security guard who hadn't noticed the drones once. He was shot 11 times (SnS ammo - the rigger was trying to be less-than-lethal [it didn't work]).

Haha. That's not clustering/sharing, though, that's just plain vanilla 'drone grouping'.