Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: phydaux42 on <07-27-13/1038:17>
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If I have a commlink and a datajack, do I need anything else to make phone calls? What about video phone?
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From the commlink section:
Commlinks are essentially the digital Swiss army knives of the modern world. Even the most basic of them includes AR Matrix browsing capability, multiple telephone and radio modes of real-time talk and text, music players, micro trid-projectors, touchscreen displays, built in high-resolution digital video and still image cameras, image/text and RFID tag scanners, built-in GPS guidance systems, chip players, credstick readers, retractable earbuds, voice-access dialing, text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies, and a shock and water resistant case.
So you don't even need a datajack for those things - only sim modules, which provide VR functionality, need trodes or a datajack.
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What I'm asking is if I don't want to walk around with 'trodes on my head, or ear buds & throat mic, then can the DNI of my datajack substitute?
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And what I'm saying is that for something as simple as a phone call or video conference, you don't need any of those things.
Or is your actual question "how can I make phone calls without running the risk of being overheard in meatspace, and without having to whisper or use trodes or ear buds and a throat mic?"? Because in that case, the answer is "yes, a datajack is sufficient to be able to use a sim module so you can have your conversation in VR".
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You just have to "rag doll" to do it.
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You don't even need to 'rag doll' or go into VR at all with a comlink and datajack. All datajacks come with a short retractable spool of data cable and a universal connector. All comlinks have a universal data port. Plug yourself into the comlink and use mental commands over AR.
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Is it possible to do without the data cable?
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If you want to be able to go full VR without it being obvious, you could get a commlink implanted as Headware (0.2 Essence, costs 2,000¥ on top of the costs of the commlink itself, sim module included, not recommended you do this with anything less than the most secure commlink you can get at chargen)
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Is it possible to do without the data cable?
yes.
you control your commlink wireless from your datajack
(or your trodes if you don't have a datajack and still want to use DNI)
if you dont have a datajack or trodes then you need to access AR without DNI.
This mean you need earbuds, image link in your contacts, subvocal microphone etc.
(or do you need that anyway if going AR? DNI only for VR....?)
there is little to no reason to ever use a wire to your commlink
(not even for security reasons since your commlink will transmit wireless anyway and someone with good skills in electronic warefare, use a cyberdeck and already hacked a mark on your commlink can snoop your communications out and to your commlink - you using a wire to your datajack does not matter)
you can have your video chat in a seperate window in your AR
actually everything you can do in VR you can do in AR.
Even "flying around" in the matrix or hacking devices (but you need a cyberdeck for that) can be done in AR.
Going VR is always kinda obvious (rag doll).
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A datajack gives you a direct neural interface
(p. 222), which can be handy in a lot of situations.
It also comes with a retractable spool of micro-cable
(about a meter long) that lets you directly interface
with any electronic device via a universal access cable.
Datajacks are equipped with their own cache of storage
memory for downloading or saving files. Two datajack
users can string a fiberoptic cable between themselves
to conduct a private mental communication immune to
radio interception or eavesdropping.
Where in this description do you see that it communicates with devices wirelessly?
Now granted, for some strange reason, turning on a wireless adapter in it can somehow reduce Noise, but that's just another "bonus" and another of the silly ones at that.
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all devices communicate wireless.
cables is so matrix 2.0 ;)
the single only device that does not communicate wireless in the entire SR5 book is a datachip...
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what? implanted commlink comes wih DNI. how else could is possibly function. same as every other bit of cyber u have. you think it, the device works. u dont need a datajack, image screen, any of that, the commlink is hooked up to your brain directly. datajack is just if you want to connect to something else by a cable.
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what? implanted commlink comes wih DNI. how else could is possibly function. same as every other bit of cyber u have. you think it, the device works. u dont need a datajack, image screen, any of that, the commlink is hooked up to your brain directly. datajack is just if you want to connect to something else by a cable.
Not all cyber has DNI anymore. Wired Reflexes, for example, does not. You can only turn it on manually by pressing a button, or issuing a command through wireless.
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Per the side tab on page 222, a DNI is obtained by doing any of the following:
- Wearing trodes
- Having an implanted datajack
- Having an implanted commlink
- Having an implanted cyberdeck
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Hmm they have changed the terminology a bit since SR4 I think?
It says p.451 under augmentation that "almost all" cyberware has a "neural interface" ( i think they used to call this DNI?) that lets you mentally activate and control it, adn you can use this in place of wireless control, prevent hacking as long as the moving parts are connected to your nerves or whatever. Wireless functionality just makes the ware better.
P.222 talks about the "direct neural interface" or DNI which is, as I read the context, specifically talking about how you get acess to VR. So it makes sense that that would be via a datajack, implanted commlink/deck or trodes.
Hmm yes interesting about wired reflexes, they take a complex action to turn on "manually" as opposed to simple action wirelessly. That is kinda weird and does seem to imply a physical button, doesnt it, since wirelessly is quicker as a simple action... I guess maybe you could have a button in your palm that you press and hold for a moment which fires up those reflexes! (or actually i guess there is any number of buttons you could think of, press tongue to top of mouth button, make a certain muscle flex/motion, etc.
Contrast cyberspurs which reference "neural impulse" as a way to ready them.
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doing stuff wireless as a simple action is probably by manipulating something in AR
doing stuff wireless as a free action is probably by manipulating something with DNI
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doing stuff wireless as a simple action is probably by manipulating something in AR
doing stuff wireless as a free action is probably by manipulating something with DNI
Nope. DNI and AR don't matter. All that matters is that the device is connected to the matrix and the mechanism you are using to command it is connected to the matrix. Physically pushing a button on your remote control, sending a command into the matrix and back to a piece of equipment is faster than sending a DNIncommand down a fiber optic cable from your brain to the device. But that's the way it was written, for the express purpose of getting people to open themselves up to having their gear trashed by opposing hackers.
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Even if the device is / have to be - connected to he matrix, you still need some way to interact with it, no?
doing stuff wireless as a simple action is probably by manipulating something in AR
doing stuff wireless as a free action is probably by manipulating something with DNI
It is either that. Or the manual switch can be activated faster manually if your device log into the matrix (but that kinda don't make sense, now does it).
or are you suggesting that you can wireless activate something with a free action without having access to AR nor DNI, just as long as the single device is wireless and connected to the matrix...? I thought only Technomancers could do that....
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or are you suggesting that you can wireless activate something with a free action without having access to AR nor DNI, just as long as the single device is wireless and connected to the matrix...? I thought only Technomancers could do that....
That is in fact the way the book is written.
The action speed improvement only cares about the Matrix connection. It doesn't at all care about the activation method. You can be manually fiddling with levers, pressing a button, manipulating AR controls, or direct DNI issuing commands. It does not matter. As soon as you connect to the Matrix, you get the speed boost.
-k
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or are you suggesting that you can wireless activate something with a free action without having access to AR nor DNI, just as long as the single device is wireless and connected to the matrix...? I thought only Technomancers could do that....
That is in fact the way the book is written.
The action speed improvement only cares about the Matrix connection. It doesn't at all care about the activation method. You can be manually fiddling with levers, pressing a button, manipulating AR controls, or direct DNI issuing commands. It does not matter. As soon as you connect to the Matrix, you get the speed boost.
-k
KarmaInferno, is that the rule you will run with at your table?
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or are you suggesting that you can wireless activate something with a free action without having access to AR nor DNI, just as long as the single device is wireless and connected to the matrix...? I thought only Technomancers could do that....
That is in fact the way the book is written.
The action speed improvement only cares about the Matrix connection. It doesn't at all care about the activation method. You can be manually fiddling with levers, pressing a button, manipulating AR controls, or direct DNI issuing commands. It does not matter. As soon as you connect to the Matrix, you get the speed boost.
-k
That's one reading of it.
In my opinion if you look at the bonus, and then read the section on action types there's a clear implication of what action type would be represented by what method of activation.
So when I read "it becomes a free action" and then I see that there's a free action that has to do with activating devces I assume that the activation changes to that type of activation.
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Your assumption is incorrect. If method of activation mattered, wireless wouldn't.
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Your assumption is incorrect. If method of activation mattered, wireless wouldn't.
How so? One of the activation methods is Activate Wireless Device IIRC.
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yes...
change linked device mode. p. 163
with dni. free action. wireless.
(or if you have a direct wire for that matter)
like smartgun fire mode if you have wireless on.
i cant read anything about that it can be done automatically through matrix without using a dni
eject smartgun clip. p. 164
free action. if character is "linked" to a smartgun
(wireless or with a direct wire to an internal or external smartlink)
i cant read anything about that it can be done automatically through matrix without using a link to the smartgun
change device mode. p. 164
simple action.
simple manual switch. or an AR control. or voice command. etc.
wireless.
(or if you have a direct wire for that matter)
like gun fire mode if you dont have wireless on
i cant read anything about that it can be done automatically through matrix without using a manual switch, AR control, voice command or some other other actual interaction
smartgun firemode if you have wireless ON
smartgun system, wireless p. 433
"Ejecting a clip and changing fire modes are Free Actions."
....see, the whole "access to matrix"-thing does not look so complicated if you ask me.
Wireless ON? Check
DNI access? Check
--> You get to do it in a free action instead of a simple
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Thatis in fact theway the book is written.
^^THIS^^
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The entire bit about direct wires providing the same action economy benefit is blatantly false. The device must be connected to the matrix, and the interface you are using to command it must be connected to the matrix. You can input that command via DNI to another wireless enabled device, or pushing a button or a wireless enabled remote, but as long as you're sending your command out to the device via the matrix, you get the wireless benefit.
I wish that weren't the case. I'd love to see DNI or hardwired connections provide those benefits because that makes sense. But that wouldn't encourage PCs to expose themselves to having their equipment hacked in combat, which was the stated goal of the entire "wireless benefits" mechanic.
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You haven't actually answered my question.
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or are you suggesting that you can wireless activate something with a free action without having access to AR nor DNI, just as long as the single device is wireless and connected to the matrix...? I thought only Technomancers could do that....
That is in fact the way the book is written.
The action speed improvement only cares about the Matrix connection. It doesn't at all care about the activation method. You can be manually fiddling with levers, pressing a button, manipulating AR controls, or direct DNI issuing commands. It does not matter. As soon as you connect to the Matrix, you get the speed boost.
-k
KarmaInferno, is that the rule you will run with at your table?
Hell no. My contention has been that the wireless bonuses were written stupidly.
I am probably going to just rewrite the whole thing for my home games. I just don't pretend it'd be anything but a houserule.
-k
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The entire bit about direct wires providing the same action economy benefit is blatantly false.
The "entire bit" is taken directly from the actual rule that describe the Free Action used to take use of the action economy benefit as well as the actual description of the device in the gear section. This is not the only one, there are multiple examples.
Change Linked Device Mode p.163
A character may use a Free Action to activate, deactivate, or switch the mode on any device that he is linked to by a direct neural interface through either a wired or wireless link. This includes activating cyberware, changing a smartgun’s firing mode, changing a smartlinked shotgun’s choke, deactivating thermographic vision, switching a commlink to hidden mode, turning a device’s wireless functionality off, and so on. Note that it takes longer to interact with some devices, as noted in individual gear descriptions.
- Provide action economy if linked to DNI wireless. Or with a direct wire.
- This free action can not be used if device is not linked to DNI
Smartgun system: p.433
This connects a firearm or a projectile weapon directly to the user’s smartlink. Incorporating a small camera and laser range finder, the smartlink keeps track of ammunition, heat buildup, and material stress. If you have a smartlink, you can mentally switch between gun modes, eject a clip, and fire the gun without pulling the trigger. The camera lets you shoot around corners without exposing yourself to return fire (at a –3 dice pool penalty). The system makes use of advanced calculation software, allowing for precisely calculated trajectories and high precision over any distance.
If you’re using a smartlink, the smartgun system increases the gun’s Accuracy by 2. The smartgun features are accessed either by universal access port cable to an imaging device (like glasses, goggles, or a datajack for someone with cybereyes) or by a wireless connection working in concert with direct neural interface.
Retrofitting a firearm with an internal smartgun system doubles the weapon’s price and adds 2 to its Availability. An external smartgun system can be attached to the top mount or underbarrel mount with an Armorer + Logic (4, 1 hour) Extended Test. The small camera has a capacity of 1 and can be equipped with vision enhancements (p. 444).
Wireless: A wireless smartlink provides a dice pool bonus to all attacks with the weapon: +1 if you’re using gear with a smartlink or +2 if you’re using an augmentation for which you paid Essence. Ejecting a clip and changing fire modes are Free Actions.
- Provide action economy if linked to DNI (smartlink) wireless. Or with a direct wire.
- This free action can not be used if device is not linked to DNI
There are 3 solutions to this.
1) The text under wireless bonues is mostly "fluff" ("if you got access to the internet then your action benefit will work - since it will have wireless access to your DNI")
2) The book contradict it self and either the wireless bonus rule need to be changed or the rules that control the actual actions need to be changed.
3) They both add limits. That you both need DNI and access to the matrix.
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And you'll note that ejecting the magazine and changing fire modes are both listed as Wireless bonuses, which require an active matrix connection rather than a DNI connection.
The Change Device Mode action in the combat chapter is a general rule. Wireless Bonuses (both within firearms and as part of smartguns) are a specific rule that includes additional restrictions. That additional restriction that applies for smartguns, along with bipods, chemical protection gear, and numerous other pieces of equipment is spelled out in the Gear section and rules out using DNI to free action manipulate specific items.
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... action in the combat chapter is a general rule...
How can you say that the Eject Smartgun Clip Free Action in the combat chapter is a "general rule"?
It is pretty darn specific for ejecting a smartgun clip if you ask me....
Equipment description in the gear section at p.433 state that you need to use the Change Linked Device Mode Free Action and the Eject Smartgun Clip Free Action if you want to make use of the Wireless bonus.
Change Linked Device Mode Free Action on p.163 state that in order to use this Free Action your Smartgun need to be "...linked to by a direct neural interface through either a wired or wireless link". The description even give plenty of examples, including but not limited to action economy benefits such as specifically "changing a smartgun’s firing mode".
Eject Smartgun Clip Free Action on p.164 state that in order to use this action economy benefit Free Action a "character" need to be "linked to a ready smartgun".
The Free Action state that:
1: You need a direct link to your DNI
The Wireless Bonus state that:
2: Benefits only apply when the item’s wireless mode is on
3: Device need to be “meshed” into your wireless personal area network and the Matrix as a whole
4: Device has access to the Matrix (which is most of the time)
The Wireless Bonus rule is generic for all devices and does not go into detail which devices that might or might not also need to be linked to your DNI or might or might not need to be linked to your AR (that is something you can or cannot read in descriptions for individual devices). The Wireless Bonus rule simply give a general statement that all devices need to be wireless ON, meshed into your wireless personal area network and have access to the Matrix as a whole (which, most of the time, is the same thing).
The Wireless Bonus rule (or set of rules) does not prevent the device to require a DNI or AR connection in order to get the action economy bonus.
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Actually the general actions are.
Free Action p 163
Change Linked Device Mode
A character may use a Free Action to activate, deactivate,
or switch the mode on any device that he is linked
to by a direct neural interface through either a wired or
wireless link. This includes activating cyberware, changing
a smartgun’s firing mode, changing
a smartlinked shotgun’s choke, deactivating
thermographic vision, switching
a commlink to hidden mode, turning a
device’s wireless functionality off, and so
on. Note that it takes longer to interact
with some devices, as noted in individual
gear descriptions.
Simple Action p 164
Change Device Mode
A character may use a Simple Action to activate, deactivate,
or change the mode on any device with a simple
switch, a virtual button, or a command from a commlink
or other control device through either a wired or wireless
link. This includes changing a gun’s firing mode, changing
a shotgun’s choke, changing vision systems, switching a
commlink to hidden mode, turning a device’s wireless
functionality off, and so on. It takes longer to interact with
some devices; check individual gear descriptions.
Simple Action p166-167
Use Simple device
A character can use any simple device with a Simple
Action. Simple devices are those that are activated with
a simple movement like a thumb trigger, pressing a single
key, or tapping a single icon.