[Thrass]

You can get nearly all mods you need into contact lenses + glasses

7 slots (3 for lenses 4 for glasses), you usually want:
image link, smartlink, magnification, flare compensation, infrared, ultrasound, low-light, protective covers, vision enhancement
did I miss something?

Contact Lenses rating 3 capacity 3
Image Link takes up 1 Capacity
Smartlink takes up 1 Capacity
Flare Compensation takes up 1 Capacity
- you end up with an Availability of 12

Glasses rating 4 capacity 4
Ultrasound takes up 1 capacity
Vision enhancement rating 3 takes up 1 capacity
- you end up with an availability of 12

the availability is the cap here, but you have everything you need:
You keep on the lenses at all times and are protected against flashes and have that AR overlay for the Tacnet as well as the Smartlink ready at all times.
Even when you are glitching and thus falling down the stairs loosing your glasses, or whatever situation could arise.

You can put on/off your glasses as the situation dictates (or keep them on at all times) and get vision enhancement and ultrasound (which is arguably the best vision mod).
You can then go get 2 more mods for you glasses ingame.
Namely infrared and magnification.


Yes you can stack low-light UV T-rays and whatnot into your cybereyes as well as a laser but the GM-screen lists only the "basic" mods for modifiers hence you will probably end up with modifiers based on that chart and low light dosn't ever come into play unless in a situation where you can use a light source of your choice.

You get an additonal available capacity when you are a metatype with an appropriate vision mod already built in.
I don't remember if protective covers raise the availability so I left them out. (Always buying them never actually had any use of them yet).

[Aryeonos]

which all seems to be bringing us back to the question that was debated a bit heatedly a few months ago: "Why is smartlink still a separate vision mod from image link?"
http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=8103.0

I've always understood the smartlink to be more of a channel for the smartgun itself to "Talk" to your image display and project its trajectory and whatnot. So, an image link is to look out of other optical devices, but the smartlink is to receive information from the smartgun, which you can use an image link to look out of the smartgun itself. The imagelink is also what alows you to see display information from your PAN and Commlink.

I always imagined the smartlink projecting the aim arc onto your vision like the Torque Bow or grenades from Gears of War.

[Falconer]

The smartgun has always been 4 parts though...

The sensors and servos automating the gun. 
The embedded cyberware/electronics
The imagelink to display the aiming aid.
The DNI interface to send mental commands to actuate the gun faster than mechanically pressing buttons.


Imagelink by itself is not enough... EVERY electrical thing with an interface can send it's data to imagelink.. it's not unique to smartguns.

The embedded cyberware... has now been reduced to the eyeware module done as part of the cybereyes instead of a separate piece of 'ware.   Or an option installed into glasses/contacts which already have imagelink.

As for why it's not built into the guns... it's expensive... and requires a separate license!

Think about that... if the gun portion is $1000 each (or doubles the cost of the gun, whichever is less for sake of argument).   Then you have to include the cost of the processing hardware on top of this... which is $500 extra.  As well as the price of having two licenses for each gun (one for the gun, another for the smartlink).

From a user/marketing perspective here's this single cost item you can use with all your guns and (fake) license once.   Or here's something you need to pay a lot extra to build into each gun with a smartlink.

It's also not merely software for some reason... it's only available as a CF for technos (it's magic!)... not as general purpose software to run on a commlink.

[valavaern]

which all seems to be bringing us back to the question that was debated a bit heatedly a few months ago: "Why is smartlink still a separate vision mod from image link?"
http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=8103.0

I've always understood the smartlink to be more of a channel for the smartgun itself to "Talk" to your image display and project its trajectory and whatnot. So, an image link is to look out of other optical devices, but the smartlink is to receive information from the smartgun, which you can use an image link to look out of the smartgun itself. The imagelink is also what alows you to see display information from your PAN and Commlink.

I always imagined the smartlink projecting the aim arc onto your vision like the Torque Bow or grenades from Gears of War.

As was discussed in the linked thread, reading the descriptions of both Smartgun and Smartlink indicates that all of the computations are being done inside the smartgun system itself, and smartlink's only job is to display that information (and possibly function as some sort of magical DNI that only works for the gun), something imagelink is perfectly capable of doing for every single other device in your PAN.

[Sengir]

There is one, and only one rules difference between the accessory version and the implant version: the implant version works with Spellslinger Gloves.  Outside of that, they are rules-identical - if the accessory had less capability, the rules would have to directly state it..

The rules do state it, because both the Change Linked Device Mode and Eject Smartgun Clip actions explicitly refer to mental commands. Mental commands do not happen without DNI, and DNI does not happen with just contacts.

[Mirikon]

There is one, and only one rules difference between the accessory version and the implant version: the implant version works with Spellslinger Gloves.  Outside of that, they are rules-identical - if the accessory had less capability, the rules would have to directly state it..

The rules do state it, because both the Change Linked Device Mode and Eject Smartgun Clip actions explicitly refer to mental commands. Mental commands do not happen without DNI, and DNI does not happen with just contacts.

That is a functionality of the smartgun system on the gun, not the smartlink vision modifier (whether implant or not).

[RHat]

There is one, and only one rules difference between the accessory version and the implant version: the implant version works with Spellslinger Gloves.  Outside of that, they are rules-identical - if the accessory had less capability, the rules would have to directly state it..

The rules do state it, because both the Change Linked Device Mode and Eject Smartgun Clip actions explicitly refer to mental commands. Mental commands do not happen without DNI, and DNI does not happen with just contacts.

That is not the sort of statement that would be required.  That's an attempt at an edge-wise argument to bolster your case because you cannot find a spot where it is made explicit that the implant version is required for that functionality - even those actions do not explicitly state that they will not function with the glasses/contacts version of the smartlink.

You might argue that it's implied, but it is not at any point stated.

[Reiper]

I can see it either way, thanks for the info guys. Will let my GM make the decision on that aspect though.

[RHat]

I can see it either way, thanks for the info guys. Will let my GM make the decision on that aspect though.

If need be, use trodes (SR4A328).  They're a non-implanted method of getting DNI.

[Reiper]

I can see it either way, thanks for the info guys. Will let my GM make the decision on that aspect though.

If need be, use trodes (SR4A328).  They're a non-implanted method of getting DNI.

I may do that. The only real reason I was wondering is I was thinking about using ammo skip on my mage's revolver, but I'm hoping to rarely have to use that. May just end up with two guns instead.

Then again it looks like my game may have fallen apart too, we'll see.

[Xzylvador]

As RHat pointed out, trodes are the answer.
A dirt cheap and essence-free way to get direct neural inferface (both input and output) with your commlink, contacts, earbuds, smartgun and any other electronic gear you might use.

[Sengir]

even those actions do not explicitly state that they will not function with the glasses/contacts version of the smartlink.

Because they work with the glasses/contacts version if you have a DNI. If you do not have one, well, you could of course claim that everything is capable of receiving mental commands unless explicitly stated otherwise...it would be an extremely silly argument, but you surely could...

[RHat]

even those actions do not explicitly state that they will not function with the glasses/contacts version of the smartlink.

Because they work with the glasses/contacts version if you have a DNI. If you do not have one, well, you could of course claim that everything is capable of receiving mental commands unless explicitly stated otherwise...it would be an extremely silly argument, but you surely could...

Okay, so find me something that specifically states (rather than something you can argue implies) that you need something like trodes to get that functionality from the glasses/contacts.

[Mirikon]

even those actions do not explicitly state that they will not function with the glasses/contacts version of the smartlink.

Because they work with the glasses/contacts version if you have a DNI. If you do not have one, well, you could of course claim that everything is capable of receiving mental commands unless explicitly stated otherwise...it would be an extremely silly argument, but you surely could...

Okay, so find me something that specifically states (rather than something you can argue implies) that you need something like trodes to get that functionality from the glasses/contacts.

The functionality doesn't come from the glasses/contacts. The commands to eject clip, and so on aren't done by the glasses (or the cybereye), but by the gun. Meaning that this conversation is pointless. Either you have the DNI connection to your PAN or you don't. Whether it is trodes, a simrig, or an implanted SIM module, THAT is what allows you to issue DNI commands to devices connected to your PAN, such as your smartgun.

[RHat]

even those actions do not explicitly state that they will not function with the glasses/contacts version of the smartlink.

Because they work with the glasses/contacts version if you have a DNI. If you do not have one, well, you could of course claim that everything is capable of receiving mental commands unless explicitly stated otherwise...it would be an extremely silly argument, but you surely could...

Okay, so find me something that specifically states (rather than something you can argue implies) that you need something like trodes to get that functionality from the glasses/contacts.

The functionality doesn't come from the glasses/contacts. The commands to eject clip, and so on aren't done by the glasses (or the cybereye), but by the gun. Meaning that this conversation is pointless. Either you have the DNI connection to your PAN or you don't. Whether it is trodes, a simrig, or an implanted SIM module, THAT is what allows you to issue DNI commands to devices connected to your PAN, such as your smartgun.

Which would suggest you don't need the smartlink for those commands - which as I recall, you do.  It's honestly a little messy overall - a line in the text about alternate means of command (voice, eyetracking, things like that) or specifying that a means of DNI is required would clean it up a fair bit.  Until that's added, there's no specific statement as to that need.