[Ratboy]

New to the board.  Hope I don't violate any rules or etiquette with this request...

I'm a newbie looking for advice on building a hacker (SR4A Core and Arsenal, for now).  Are there any FAQ threads/documents that I can read without y'all having to rehash what must have been said many times before? 

And I'm wondering about programs, in particular.  Should I be buying a low-level copy of every program in the Core book, with some at higher levels (Pricey!)?  Or just a few programs to start?

I know this isn't a Chummer board, but I've found that program helpful to understand the character build process.  I note that during character creation, as I am buying programs, it has a checkbox for "hacked".  I don't see any reference to this in the core book and I've also looked through Unwired, but didn't see it. There are references to hacked hardware and hacked OS's, etc., but not "Hacked Programs" that I can see, especially in creating a character.  I'm assuming these mean programs where the Copy Protection & Registration are removed...?  Would someone please explain these to me and whether I can just buy these at start (the prices are much lower in Chummer)?

Thanks in advance.

[Aria]

Probably refers to pirated programs (Unwired) which are 10% price of full ones but degrade with time.  I'm not sure whether it's RAW starting with them at character gen...better minds will pick me up on this one!  At the end of the day it's up to the GM.  Personally I don't allow them until play starts (with an appropriate contact) but I also ignore copy protection and registration on full price programs so...

[UmaroVI]

You can also crack a legitimate program yourself, but there's no reason to do that rather than download a pirated one.

If you're looking for good examples of starting hackers, check the Combat Hacker, Mercenary Rigger, and Generalist in the first link of my sig for some.

[Ratboy]

Probably refers to pirated programs (Unwired) which are 10% price of full ones but degrade with time.

That seems to be it, since they show up at 10% price.  Quite an advantage if the GM allows it!

Thanks!

[Ratboy]

You can also crack a legitimate program yourself, but there's no reason to do that rather than download a pirated one.

Might I need that for sharing a program (e.g., ECCM) with a rigger?

If you're looking for good examples of starting hackers, check the Combat Hacker, Mercenary Rigger, and Generalist in the first link of my sig for some.

Thanks!  I like what you've done.  I'm trying to figure out some things, though.  For example, under "Reference" for the Combat Hacker, it shows Hacking as "9+Program Rating", but his Hacking Skill is only 6.  What am I missing?

So, if attributes aren't carried into the Matrix, what's the point of a hacker having a high Logic score?  Doesn't seem to mean much, at first glance.

 BTW, I saw your April Fools replacements.  I got quite a laugh out of them, even if I don't yet get all the jokes you put in!

Thanks again.

[UmaroVI]

PuSHeD and Encephalon both add to logic-linked skill tests (they can both be found in Augmentation) which is where the skills come from.

Logic doesn't directly help hackers, however, it does have a kind of roundabout synergy. Hackers want Logic-linked skill boosters (PuSHeD, Encephalon, possibly NeoCortical Nanites) to be good at the hacking skills. This also means that they get a bonus to other logic-linked skills like First Aid, Hardware, and a lot of the build/repair skills that are quite useful. So it often does make sense for a hacker to spend some points having a good logic and those skills so that they can get good use out of the bonuses they wanted anyways. If you just care about hacking and nothing else, Logic doesn't help, of course, if you just care about hacking and nothing else, you should be a technomancer, not a hacker.

[Henzington]

dont forget Unwired if you have it. The commlink optimization, Customized Interface, Simsense Accelerator, and Response Enchancer are all quite useful and rather cheap.

[All4BigGuns]

dont forget Unwired if you have it. The commlink optimization, Customized Interface, Simsense Accelerator, and Response Enchancer are all quite useful and rather cheap.

The first two are decently cheap, yeah, but the response enhancer and simsense accelerator are rather expensive.

[Ratboy]

Since the GM is allowing just Core and Arsenal to start (because the team is all newbies) and from the help given here, it looks like my best plan is to hold off on augmentation for now and ditch the cybereyes/ears I had in my first draft.  I hate to spend so much of my build on gear, when it sounds like I'll be able to get that stuff later as needed when nuyen become available from runs; I'd rather use my BP to enchance my character than purchases. 

Programs are so expensive, it seems like hackers have to start off as unskilled wimps and spend everything on commlinks, SINs, and software--am I right?   ....okay, maybe that's exaggeration.   

[Ratboy]

If you're looking for good examples of starting hackers, check the Combat Hacker, Mercenary Rigger, and Generalist in the first link of my sig for some.

Those are good examples, and I'm learning a lot by going through them.  I realize I was misunderstanding the pricing on different levels of programs and upgrades.  I was originally paying for the first three levels at the lower cost, and then just adding on higher per-level costs for ratings 4-6.  But I see that I have to pay the higher per-level costs for all 6 levels if I get a Rating 6 program.

Looking through the Combat Hacker, I think there might be a typo.  By the NovaTech Airwave commlink, it says "Firewall 6" but underneath, it says "Firewall 5 Upgrade (2500)"...but I think the numbers actually work out to the Firewall 6 when you add them all up (i.e., 3000 was spent on the upgrade).   

That character has only one Fake SIN, broadcast from the MetaLink.  Does that mean that there's no SIN ever associated with the other commlink?  Is it common to run without any SIN at all?  (Sorry if that's a silly question...I'm still trying to get into the Shadowrun universe.)

[Aria]

There are lots of places you can't go without a SIN (fake or otherwise)...like riding a bus or going to a downtown shopping district (without getting stopped by the police anyway).  That's not to say that people don't of course - they are called the SINless masses for a reason!

[UmaroVI]

If you're looking for good examples of starting hackers, check the Combat Hacker, Mercenary Rigger, and Generalist in the first link of my sig for some.

Those are good examples, and I'm learning a lot by going through them.  I realize I was misunderstanding the pricing on different levels of programs and upgrades.  I was originally paying for the first three levels at the lower cost, and then just adding on higher per-level costs for ratings 4-6.  But I see that I have to pay the higher per-level costs for all 6 levels if I get a Rating 6 program.

Looking through the Combat Hacker, I think there might be a typo.  By the NovaTech Airwave commlink, it says "Firewall 6" but underneath, it says "Firewall 5 Upgrade (2500)"...but I think the numbers actually work out to the Firewall 6 when you add them all up (i.e., 3000 was spent on the upgrade).   

That character has only one Fake SIN, broadcast from the MetaLink.  Does that mean that there's no SIN ever associated with the other commlink?  Is it common to run without any SIN at all?  (Sorry if that's a silly question...I'm still trying to get into the Shadowrun universe.)

That is indeed a typo, thanks for catching it.

In general there's no reason to run a fake SIN on your hidden commlink. The idea is when you need to broadcast a fake SIN, you broadcast it from the MetaLink, and that way if people hack your PAN they just find your FaceBook page and AR porn or whatever, not your shadowrunning business.

[_Pax_]

New to the board.  Hope I don't violate any rules or etiquette with this request...

I'm a newbie looking for advice on building a hacker (SR4A Core and Arsenal, for now).

My advice: get a copy of Unwired.