Hackers and Technomages spend a lot of time drooling away in full VR. Maybe less now than in SR3 but still some. I have an idea for that market, and need help with the rules justification and specifics.

The "While You Were Out" mod.

The WYWO is a modified Bunraku set for those who spend a lot of time away from their bodies. While the mod is active, the user's body will do actions that have been determined in advance. The user has no memory of the actions, but can "look in" or end the program at any time, or automatically when a timer ends.

Users spend some time setting up behaviors they desire into the WYWO mod. The WYWO comes stock with:
1 - Body maintenance - The body eats, avoids peril, and goes to the bathroom without need for "user intervention". Can do things like wash hands or take a shower, dress, and navigate around an apartment or office without doing anything embarrassing.
2 - Intro Yoga - A routine designed to improve body conditioning. Slowly ramps up from basic stretching and conditioning (always consult a qualified med-tech before engaging in any new exercise program) to a moderate workout over 8 weeks, then repeats the 8th and final week's exercise program.
3 - Healthy consumption - A cooking routine designed to prepare nutrient-rich, but mostly unappetizing meals and consuming them while the user doesn't have to suffer the taste. By design the program times the meal so that the user feels pleasantly full upon "awakening".
4 - Light Housework - The user's body picks up items and puts them in appropriate places. Loads and unloads household cleansing appliances. Tidies rooms, including dusting and organizing.
5 - Danger recognition - Most alarms, fires, and other environmental dangers will be recognized and immediately terminate the program. The mod will attempt to bring the user out of any VR or trance with alerts, or even inducing a non-voluntary dump from the Matrix.

So, in general, the idea would be that the VR user would make his body into a servant and clean up, exercise, and eat right, so that he doesn't have to do it himself.

I think this is doable in SR's rules, but I don't know what would be required. What do you think? Is it possible? What hardware is needed? Is it just a program that could be applied to existing stuff?

Sound off!

Thorguild

Sounds like you'd need something move-by-wire-ish to handle it.

I don't think that most bunraku parlors need this much. More like a modified datajack.

MBW, implanted commlink & a specialized agent, there you go.

I don't know about game mechanics, but my lazy ass self would love a "Workout while I play online" Function, so I have a great body with no conscious memory of the annoying and unpleasent work needed.

LOL I'm just saying. I'd LOVE something like that IRL.

Sadly I think people would abuse it in game same as I would IRL. "Oh my char is a Decker nerd of the 10th power!!! And also has the body of a merc as he runs the "WORK OUT LIKE CRAZY" program every second he's in the Matrix"

Don't get me wrong. I like the idea. lol. I'd LOVE it for real. I just foresee a bit of an abuse potential.

This could be realized by a skillwire system coupled with a simrig or cybersenses and a specialised pilot program with activesofts.

Definitely! And don't think I don't want it myself... I have no idea how it would play out in game. But you know what? Higher tech does mean a better lifestyle, in general. SR doesn't let you have anything without a big cost though.

Yeah, I read through Augmentation, and go "Yep. I'd have that... and that... and that.... Eat nothing but cheesecake and cheeseburgers and never gain a pound? Sign me up!!"

isn't there something like this for biodrones already?

Stirrup interface, its basically just an MBW with rigger adaption. But a pilot porgram/activesoft should be able to do this on a skillwire system if you provide sensory input for it.

The non-cyber route would be to form a Spirit Pact with a free spirit, akin to a Dream Pact. Agree on a set schedule for stuff and away you go.

Alternately by disabling the RAS override, using a full simrig, and a hamster-ball style treadmill, you can play the latest MMO and get a full workout at the same time.

Why not just program a PersonaFix with the desired behavior? Slot it into your commlink and run it. Have an agent (with a biomonitor just to ensure you don't kill yourself while under the effects) watching over your body while it's doing its thing. If you program it, you don't even have to the addictive elements.

Define "peril," please. Avoiding falls and other environmental hazards, I can see. Will the program also use your Dodge skill if attacked? Can it fire back? Is it smart enough to flee when overmatched or in a tactically unsound position? There are all kinds of questions with this. I would not necessarily ban it outright, but I would have to have a long discussion with a player who asked for this.

One would think this sort of thing would really open you up to someone hacking your.... whatever... and you waking up in the morning, blood up to your elbows and a weird taste in your mouth.... you know?

As far as I know, the Bunraku parlor use mostly very powerfull personachips, with maybe a skillwire and some skillchips throw in for things like langaguage, tea cermony etiquette or whatever is required. It's more wiping the existing personnality and mannerisms and replacing them with what the client likes rather than turning it off and putting an autopilot for a while. It's likely that a bunraku puppet without a personnality running will be seriously messed up. Add a bit of addictive subroutines and they will probably be eager to be chipped and working rather than left with their own messed up mind making them miserable...

Back to what's proposed, in my opinion you'll ned something liek a SIM module and a skillwire. More probably something like a mowe-by-wire light, because rigging uses the motion nerve ceter for the rig control, so you will need something else to puppet the meat around.

It's also the sort of implant that whould get you utterly paranoïd about being hacked - snce it's handling the body, you can't rely on a mechanical off switch to shut it down, you're completely dependent on the neural interface and software. Which could end up with you trapped in your own body while someone uses it. Very nasty, sort of a technological version of being possessed.

Sorta like... waking up with blood up to your elbows and a strange taste in your mouth? *Grins*

This kind of thing would actually be necessary for heavy VR lifestyles. I could easily see myself using it too to go into VR every day all day and not expect to die from malnutrition or laying in my own filth without some internal reminders a la "Your brain says its bathroom time. Logout now". The work I do now is entirely computer related. I'd love to jack in every day and jack out to a well exercised body because I didnt need to take attention away from my work.

Hm, interesting idea.
The original mind spend his entire life on the matrix and never returns to the meat body.
The preprogrammed WYWO program became self aware/had an AI make it it's home node/macguffin! and lives a full life in the meat world.
The two minds may or may not know about eachother but have thus far managed to happily co-exist. Interesting concept, especially if one of them decides the body aint big enough for both of them.

That's what time-share co-habitation is there for.

This idea makes me think of Dollhouse.

This is the implant that you slave to your commlink cluster. You have a Firewall, Stealth, and Encryption maxed out. You also have 2 or 3 IC patrolling all the time. Also, the first action to do when getting hacked... shut down the wireless connection. You might get dumpshocked, but you don't get to wake up eating Bob.

So what's the consensus about the hardware and software needed?

Is there anywhere that the Bunraku stuff is laid out?

Personafix-BTL.
You don't need more.
Then just some surgery to make her look the part.

or face/bodysculpt ware to make her look any part, variety is good for business.