OK, just how many agents can you have? I was under the impression that an agent was a singular thing that couldn't be copied. But folks seem to be talking about getting agents and loading multiple copies with different load-outs, all able to be run at once. Is that really what is intended?

If so, how does that contract with technomancers that are specificially limited in the types and numbers of sprites they can have at any one time.

Pel

If you cracked the Agent Program, bought it illegally or wrote it yourself, you can actually flood the Matrix with clones of Agents... you don't have to name them Smith, though.

I never did get a response to that in the Hacker and Rigging sticky... is there a limit on how many copies of an Agent you can load at a time other than the standard limit on programs running at once?

Is it normally assumed that you can run multiple copies of an agent bought in char gen? If so, can each copy of the Agent have a different program loadout?

Every agent you load to a node counts toward the limit on your subsribers list.

In fact, an Agent could even clone itself without having it's source code as it already hat the compiled code (itself) if the Programs are not protected - that would take only some Actions, depending on the number of it's Programs.

Vector: Yes.

Onlys Agent in an active connection to the persona count to the limit of the subscriber list - the ones independently roaming around don't.
You can subscribe them as one, too.

Check out what the reference of p. 212 in your quote says:

but, what happens to the agent the moment one cuts the active subscription?

does it become a free agent?

The same what happens if one cuts off the subscription to a Drone:
It continues to carry out it's orders using it's Pilot rating.

And if it got no orders... well, it sits around waiting for new ones... until hell freezes over or it gets kicked from the node.

then tell me: what is the difference between an idenpendently acting agent uploaded to a node who is subscribed (actively) and one who is not subscribed ?

I think the subscriber list was established to exactly constrain the number of agents used. Else every hacker with one agent would be able to crash any host he wanted by letting 1 million agents attack a host.

You can still make "Denial Of Service" like attacks, by hacking other comlinks and using their subscriber lists.


A solution would be perhaps: Only an active subsribed agent can change nodes. An agent not subsribed can only ist in the uploaded host and do what he was told (and can be given no oders unless resubscribed).

The one actively subscribed can get orders from it's controlling persona - the other one not.

From a pure canon question PoV it's pretty moot what you think when the basic rules state otherwise, though.

Connecting is a Complex Action, disconnecting a Simple Action, as do loading or ditching them.
So in Cybercombat, it may be benefital to have your Frames subscribed all the time.
For a data search on the other hand, this may not be necessary.

So there is no real need for a solution... Agents are not invincible, even if you name them Smith.

But you realize that in you interpretation of the canon, one could upload 1 million agents, all in one node and all with the order "attack node xxx at 12:00 tomorrow". This would crash the target node with 99.99%, even when its protected by a ridiculous amount of, say, 20 IC (a number which would completely ruin the wireless matrix balance of power if this was possible).

Can an agent be instructed to load a copy of itself?

Pel

hmm, 1 agent uploads a copy of itself on turn 1. both agents upload a compy of themselfs on turn 2. 4 agents upload a copy of themselfs on turn 3. see where im going with this?

still, its a very silly thing to try and do, and should make the character and said agents a target for the great bowine-launcher in the sky...

It would more likely trigger an alert and reboot the node... wich can be achieved easier with Crash OS.