One question is that should the tac-net require a cyberdeck to even function? Or should there be different tac-net hardware that has sleaze, data processing and firewall (similar to an RCC but with sleaze)?

But overall I do like the program / plugin approach.

well being a program based on Data-Processing anyone could use it, even a commlink per se, however if you create a hardweare need for it suddenly everyone in the group has to buy a NEW piece of gear just to run the TacNet, the only person who NEEDS a sleaze score is the Decker protecting it. I am just not a fan of making everyone in the group buy basically a second commlink that its only purpose is to run the Tacnet.

oh, sorry, I meant that there only needs to be one piece of tac-net hardware rather than everyone has to buy it, only one needs to buy it, and everyone else would connect to it via commlink or whatever. It would essentually be a cyberdeck replacement if the group has no decker

I think the tact net should sort of be like emotitoys it that it should be very simple to use at the base, that everyone from the banger to the elite guys will have one.


the draw back of the dumb down self running emitoys version is that it's vulnerable to being hacked, but since there are catatrophic consequences there is no down size. then what's you start adding a decker the goodies will be better and security will be better. this way you account for their being ubiqitious tactnets, but deckers still be rare.

I think good bonus should like
: can never be surprised,
: reduce the effect of cover
: where ever possible, the bonus should not be a numerical one.

meh, but at the same time, a Tacnet needs someone with a cyberdeck to be able to properly protect the system, Sleaze can do a few things, but you also need that attack attribute to attack the person who's attacking you. If you're going for pure Defense then you don't need a powerful Deck, the best commlink you can buy at creation has a 7firewall & 7 Data Processing, which is pretty good for defense purposes.

Ikari. If I were designing a full TacNet system by myself, what I would do would be to create a large, diverse array of possible bonuses & allow the team to custom build their TacNet bonuses from the available options, basing it on the cyberdeck principle. Attack options, Sleaze options, Data options & Firewall options. The cyberdeck that the net is on would determine the point values for the options, as to me it makes sense that a Fairlight can handle a much more diverse & intricate TacNet than an Erika. From there, each person buys the program & the higher the rating of the program the more bonuses can be chosen, however each bonus would only be able to be taken by a certain number of people within the Net.

If I spent more time on a project such as this it would be more thought out, This is simply the product of a minute brain session as I typed this post. But I think something like this could best handle both numerical & non-numericals, while also giving a variety of other options.

So lets work it out here.

Best place to start would be listing out all possible variations of bonuses that any runner group could want. from both numerical to non-numerical. I will begin detailing a list & include it back in this post when I have a decent list. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to list them below & I will add them as needed to the overall list.

Edit1- First portion of my list

+2 to relevant Combat Active skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+2 to relevant Physical Active skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+2 to relevant Social Skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+2 to relevant Magical or Resonance skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+2 to relevant Technical or Vehicle Skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+2 to Physical Limit on trained skills
+2 to Mental Limit on trained skills
+2 to Social Limit on trained skills
+2 to Accuracy on X Weapon (fill in X for 1 weapon type)
+2 to relevant Knowledge Skill DP (choose 1 skill/player taking bonus)
+4 to initiative

The ability to tag people friend foe neutral along with likely trajectories for their movement. IE you see them go around a corner.. the computer can predict likely places they might pop out.

showing people on AR so that even if your visual spectrum cannot see them you can based on other peoples... even if they are behind say a wall that won't stop bullets.

Based on known locations of foes highlight cover where Foes cannot fire at you...

AR of map can be put up with locations of friends foes etc.

The tacnet stuff always kinda bewildered me, to be honest. In game sense it works on the assumption that simply by slapping it on, you can give significant bonuses to random mooks that happen to have it on, without any real team experience. I can see it for a dedicated group, but for a "pug" (pickup group) that may represent 'most' shadowrunners I don't see it having too much use.

I can see it. Those random mooks, they have ARO's showing where every target is, when its programming interfaces with your Smartgun system it makes the smartgun system even better at what it does, why? it has far more information that its working with, it KNOWS that there is a target around the corner, because your Overwatch see's him there & has marked him, when you know whats coming, you're more confident, more sure of where you're going to place your shot, especially when the smartgun system gives you a 93% chance of hitting your target.

when you're running away from the facility taking the rooftop run, the decker is quickly cross referencing the buildings you're running over to see if there are any of them that are having work done or such, Your Rigger's little RC chopper has marked the baddies chasing you, You know based on your AR interface that they are 2 blocks behind you, but they are moving faster than you are, so you know your movements need to be agile & quick.

All sorts of information that the entire team gets can be interfaced through the tacnet & show you what is relevant to you, show you what you need most to do the best job you can. All of this can come in the form of a bonus, be it a DP bonus or just flat out information for other things, Information can be a runner's most powerful weapon, this is just a mechanical way of using that information & giving it to the entire team instantly.

Bump...

The Seattle Department of Transportation has been notified... that pothole should be repaired within the next few months.
Hope you did not spill anything...

not if its Wireless Soycaf

Hough!
Medicineman

the repair job will involve putting asphalt before and after the Pothole....

Asphalt's on back order. The nanoforge that made it had a meltdown.

This thread did seem to head for TacNet (at least for a while). Here's my take on a revised TacNet software:

TacNet software SR-5 House Rule

Dump the rating of the software (most SR5 programs do not have ratings). For SR5 treat the cost of TacNet software as if you were buying rating 4 software (12,000¥).
TacNet can run on any device with a Data Processing attribute.
There are two TacNet modes: Centralized and De-Centralized. In a centralized set-up the TacNet software is running on one device and the bonuses are shared with all slaved devices. In a de-centralized setup each device is running its own copy of TacNet. You can have a mixed-mode set up where some members are running their own copy of the software and others are slaved to a master that is sharing their copy.

General TacNet Information
TacNet allows connected members to share tactical data in real-time. This allows the sharing of sensor data as well as health conditions and any other relevant data. The TacNet software will access any available sensory input that the user can supply; this data is available to the entire network.
TacNet allows for encrypted communications among the members of TacNet.
To be an active member of TacNet you must spend one action per Combat Turn updating the TacNet. This action is a Free Action if you can access the TacNet via DNI or a Simple Action if you can not. Everyone connected is considered an active member during the first combat turn, after that you must expend the action to remain a member on the next turn.
Any member of the TacNet can assign targets as “Friend”, “Neutral”, “Hostile”, or “Target” at any time.
Running the TacNet software counts as an active program on the device; most devices can run their rating in programs at one time.
You receive a bonus to weapon accuracy, unarmed combat limit, and leadership limit equal to half of the Initiative bonus you receive (round up). See below for your bonus calculations.
Noise causes a degradation of TacNet. For every two full points of uncompensated noise, reduce the Initiative bonus by 1. This in turn will affect your accuracy bonus.

Centralized TacNet Description
Each member of the tactical network receives an Initiative bonus equal to the lesser of the number of members or half the Data Processing (round up) of the Master device. {=MIN(# Members, Roundup(Master DP/2,0))}
If the Master device stops providing TacNet all Slave devices lose the bonus as well.
Apply only the worst Noise penalty to the entire network.

De-centralized TacNet Description
Each member of the tactical network receives an Initiative bonus equal to the lesser of the number of members or half of their device’s Data Processing (round up). {=MIN(# Members, Roundup(Data Processing/2,0))}
Your uncompensated noise only affects you.

Mixed-mode TacNet
Use the appropriate numbers from centralized or de-centralized as appropriate to the user.

things will have to change slightly since Commlinks are incapable of running any form of software

We are making a specific exception that they can run TacNet. The exception is unique to that software.

That is a lame change....We have apps on our phones today!

More accurately, commlinks are running all the software they can already. The software he's referring to is actually the set of "cyberprograms", software that needs more than that.

it actually is a lot like the modern smart phone, a commlink (like a smartphone) can run basic browser functions & basic edit functions etc. so it works much like your ios or Android OS. However, if it isn't part of the basic OS you can't use it, it would be like trying to use Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop on your phone to edit text files or touch up photos instead of the basic stuff on your phone.

Eh, lets not get into that aspect again. It'll make your ears bleed if you think about it too much.

Especially considering that commlinks used to be able to do all the fancy stuff. Now it looks like you need a cyberdeck in order to do what commlinks used to do, though the non-hacker, er, decker shit stuff is still really available to commlinks anyway.