[UmaroVI]

Can you explain what category Empathy Software is in that Browse is not, and provide some reference for this? "It is in Arsenal rather than SR4A" isn't a reason to make it work differently.

[The Laughing One]

If you open the books you mentioned, you can see that Browse is under the category of "Common-use" programs, while Empathy is under the category of "Sensor Software" programs.
To further underline this distinction, Sensor Software and Common-use Programs are treated differently in the Programming table in unwired.

The "Adopting Software" pg. 136 in unwired specifically mention sensor-soft, and shaping complex forms basing them on the original program. Unlike normal complex forms that mimic programs without any referral and out of thin air, here you need to base the threading on something, which imply you cant improve it on the fly like normal complex forms.

[UmaroVI]

Okay, but "Common Use Software" is not really relevant - Exploit is not "Common Use Software" but it doesn't have special threading rules. The sensor-soft thing you are talking about just says that you can't thread up software that relies on particular sensors and then use it if you don't have those particular sensors - ie, threading up a tacnet doesn't free you from the limitation of needing sensor channels for your tacnet.

The ONLY reason you cannot thread Smartlink higher is because Smartlink is unrated. Emulation is something completely different and has nothing to do with this.

[squee_nabob]

In response to the OP: no you don't need anything else for empathy software to work. Check to see if your GM is using dice pool caps however, as this can reduce the usefulness of Empathy Software.

[Mara]

In response to the OP: no you don't need anything else for empathy software to work. Check to see if your GM is using dice pool caps however, as this can reduce the usefulness of Empathy Software.

Social modifiers are already capped at Charisma+skill modifier(so this character has a maximum of +8 right now...and Tailored Pheremones and
Empathy CF 3)

[UmaroVI]

Then you should probably lose the Tailored Pheremones, buy up the Empathy CF higher, and then just thread it a bit more when you need it.