[squee_nabob]

Black Sheep ninja'd my response again, and again stole my words. So I'll just post half of my answer, then work on the matrix example for you (which will take some time).

A Machine sprite does not need to be registered to use Diagnostics. Otherwise, yes you are correct. Also I am assuming your GM is letting you have the Delaware arm? Normally you can’t start with > Alpha. 

I’d rather play a TM who doesn’t have to devote BP to duplicating things he can just buy, that’s a RP decision you should make though.

You can default on some skills you do not have. Check the defaulting rules and skills chapter to see which skills you can default on.

You were wrong. Stealth is the threshold, not a skill you roll opposed while hacking-on-the-fly. Once you are on a node, you roll Hacking + Stealth to oppose other people’s MPT.  There is no matrix action that uses Stealth.

EXAMPLE LATER

[Netzgeist]

You were wrong. Stealth is the threshold, not a skill you roll opposed while hacking-on-the-fly. Once you are on a node, you roll Hacking + Stealth to oppose other people’s MPT.  There is no matrix action that uses Stealth.

Just for the sake of precission: There is a Matrix Action that uses Stealth, but it's one of these things that is rarelly used, and that someone who is still learning the ropes of the system shouldn't worry about. But as I already started talking about it, to create a hidden acount in a node, you use it. First you follow the procedure to create a regular account, and then you roll a Hacking + Stealth (Firewall, 10 minutes) Extended Test. It's the only action I know that uses Stealth in a test (it's described on Unwired, pg. 97).

[squee_nabob]

By Matrix Action, I meant "Matrix Action for the purposes of game mechanics, such as the bonus for using hot sim” as defined on SR4A 228. My bad for not defining my term better.

You are correct about the back doors.

[Black Sheep]

Black Sheep ninja'd my response again, and again stole my words. So I'll just post half of my answer, then work on the matrix example for you (which will take some time).

Sorry.

[Fruz]

I think I will read again the "going into the matrix" part of the book, I need to know it better. And for being well stealthed, I think I'll try to have a registered sprite sprite with stealth and an assist task with me.
So I will register a lot of sprites between runs I guess, a machine one for the smartgun, a stealth one, a difuse one, a paladin one ( I'm thinking about taking the stream Technoshaman, but I'm still wondering what the 5 sprites choice implies, and then I'll choose a paragon too ;p ).

For the Delta arm, it's part of the background and I made it with me GM ( I think he's the one who proposed that to me ).

If the bonus given by the diagnostic is limited by the skill, does a specialisation counts there ?
I mean, I have 1 pistol skill and +2 for hold out pistols.
If I have a smartgun with a diagnostic sprite in it, can I get a maximum of
- 1+2(spec)+2(smartgun)+3(diagnostic) = 8
or
- 1+2(spec)+2(smartgun)+1(diagnostic) = 6

Because if it's the second case, I'll get 3 or 4 points (+2) in it.

I have a new version ! :


Attributes
Body : 3
Agi : 2
Rea : 3
Strength : 1
Char : 6
Int : 3
Log : 4
Will : 3
Edge : 2
Resonnance : 6(5)
Initiative : 6

Qualities
- positives
Technomancer
Paragon ( have to choose still )
- negatives
Intimate ennemy 2
Addiction 2
Lust
Amnesia
Exotic birds phobia
Skills
Blade 1 ( spec retractable +2 )
pistols 2 ( spec hold out +2 )
infiltration 1
dodge 1
Perception 1


Tasking :
Compiling 5
Decompiling 1
Registering 4

Electronics :
Hardware 3
Computer 3
Data search 3
Software 4

Cracking :
Cybercombat 1
Electronic warfare 1
Hacking 5
( Btw, there, is spending 6 points to have 1 point un Cybercombat and electronic warfare useful or should I just drop both ? )

Influence :
Leadership 1
Etiquette 2
Negociation 1
theOtherOneIForgot 1



Complex Forms
Analyze 5
Armor 5
Stealth 5
Spoof 5
Edit 5
Exploit 5
Command 5
Browse 5 ( I see that allmost  noone has this complex form, but it is useful for data searching isn't ? )

[squee_nabob]

Specializations are not skill rating and do not count for the teamwork cap.

EW 1 is useful, cybercombat is not. At this point I’m assuming your GM ok’d you splitting skill groups during character creation.

Data Search is useful, Browse is not (esp if there is another hacker). You can thread Browse when you want it, and a hacker can just use Browse 6 + Data Search 4, or you can summon a sprite with Browse and Data Search.

[Fruz]

I'll raise a bit more my pistol skill then, to have at least 3 or even 4 in it.
My GM is ok with splitting groups.

why is browse not  useful ? I don't need a lot of dices for researchs ? ( another guy has hackers skills, but is not a full hacker ).
Because if I thread browse, I could get (5+4) browse + 3 data search = 12 dices with only 3 data search ( I could maybe consider raising it to 4 ), which is anyway better than just logic + data search.
I don't really understand.
If I thread browse from nothing, I'll never get such a rating, neither with a prite I guess, am I wrong ?

[squee_nabob]

Remember you can use Tactical AR Software to gain a +4 bonus on shooting people, so between Agil 2, Smartgun 2, and tacnet 4 you default to 7 dice on automatics. Then use a wide burst for -5 to dodge and you have a reasonable chance of hitting people with 0 BP invested.

For Data Search you need 24 hits at most, in an extended test. If your other character has hacker skills (i.e. Data Search) he can buy Browse 6 for ~600Y, rather than you paying 6BP. Hackers don’t use Logic + Data Search, they use Browse + Data Search.

If you compile a rating 6 Data Sprite, that’s 6 Data Search + 6 Browse right there. You roll 10 dice to compile a sprite, and it rolls 6 to resist so on average you get one task (find this data is a good one). Because you don’t usually Data Search in combat,  you can have someone Heal/First Aid the Fade Away (it’s only 4P Fade on average, the same as if you were threading by 4).

[Fruz]

I'm discovering the tacnet part of unwired ^^.
Most likely, it will maybe give me +1 in most of the cases in our scenario, eventually +2 and I wouldn't rely on it, and it gives a lot of constraint that I have to ask them, I don't think I'm gonna do that.
With a smartgun and glasses, I juste need to buy a few more Nuyen objects ( the smartgun system and the glasses ), I will compile and register a machine sprite and keep it for that purpose, if I loose my glasses I can still thread the smartlink ( there is no sprite that has such a complex form, is there ? )
How do you get -5 to dodge since a wide-burst removes 2 dices from the defender's dice pool ?

Do you mean that we should rely on my mate completely for data searchs since it is not really neede during combat ?
What about informations looked for during hacking on the fly while he is driving ? ^^" As those situations will be less often, use a sprite, right ?
If I want 8 CFs then, what should I take to replace it ? ( I don't remember exactly why I chose logic = 4, but I remember that it was not only because of the CFs, so I would still have one CF I have not choosen yet ).

[squee_nabob]

If you choose to not use tacnet, that’s your decision. If the problem is number of participants get drones (depending on how your GM runs sensor channels).

There is no sprite with smart link CF, even if it had it, you still can’t use sprites CFs.

I was thinking a Long burst. Get an Ares Executive Protector, slap on some Gas-vents, personalized grip, forgrip and sling, and that’s 6 RC. Shoot Long-Short with both shots wide.

I’m saying it’s cool if your mate is also good at Data Search because it doesn’t cost many points, you can have a Data Sprite Browse too. Finally you can always thread if you need to. It’s not that Browse is bad, it’s just that there are better CFs.

[Fruz]

It's true that asking him to buy a browse 6 soft is probably  better, I4ll do that.

But then which one to choose ?

I would have already : Analyze, Armor, Stealth, Spoof, Edit, Exploit, Command.
There is still one I can choose.
I read somewhere that using disarm with a sprite was better just in case it would fail, and then the sprite would take the damages.
Medics does not seem that useful to me, or not even to buy the CFs since I can still thread it, or even use a sprite.
I would maybe choose Attack I guess.

[squee_nabob]

You are thinking of Defuse. Disarm is quite good

[Fruz]

Okay I get it, that has to be in unwired I guess
I give it a look, to be honest I forgot there were new ones there.

EDIT : disarm seems pretty good indeed, whatwould be the most common programm to use it against ? spiders ? what else ?
What about nuke ? what uses does it have ?  I'm  bit confused as it targets a node and not a program.

[JustADude]

What about nuke ? what uses does it have ?  I'm  bit confused as it targets a node and not a program.

Instead of doing actual Matrix Damage, DV from Nuke drains the Response or System/Pilot (as appropriate) of the node hosting the target until it can be rebooted. Works on everything but Technomancers.

[Fruz]

Thanks !

nuke looks pretty much awesome, so basically I can descrease the response/System of pretty much anything but technomancers in the Matrix so that it becomes inefficient enough not to bother me anymore or to completely freeze it ?

Once you spend 2 karma to specialize your Registering skill in Machine Sprites, during downtime you can register sprites by spending 6 hours to gain a service with a Rating 5 Machine Sprite or register a new one (assuming buying hits at 4:1; the sixth hour is to heal from the box of Stun taken)

There is something I don't get here.
Registering a rating 5 sprite is really hard isn't it ? With what I understand from the core book, I need at least 11 success to have only one task, and that only with technomancy+registering+2(perma hot-sim)+2(spec) = 14 dices ?? ( with the technoshaman )
It sounds like almost impossible to me, or does it happen against not more than 10 but more than the success coming from a 10 dices roll ?