[Raiden]

as said, in the thread name, do you think an adept hacker using programs and coding to boost his programs could in theory keep up with a technomancer?

EDIT: is not, how far would the power gap be

[RHat]

Given that prgroams top out at ten, while Complex Froms top out at twice Resonance?  And that the technomance do things with echoes the adept just can't?  Also, sprites?

Technomancers rule the Matrix in SR4, which is fair - they're much more costly to build then pretty much any other Matrix character.

[Raiden]

I just can't grasp how a TM works :/ still a hacker with 4 R10 agents would be nice lol.

[Basic]

What don't you understand ?

[Raiden]

I just don't get the mechanics lol.

[RHat]

Well, if you could be more specific, we might be able to help.

[Raiden]

how they work in general, they need cracking and electronic skills still right? but they only get complex forms sorta like a mage gets spells but can make them or sprites?

[Raiden]

Also, the optimization for commlinks, can you only optimize one program on the commlink, or is it just stating one optimization per program?

[RHat]

Complex Forms are not learned like spells - they have an set rating which begins at 0 (if the rating is 0, you can do nothing with it without first threading it) and may be increased up to the technomancer's Resonance score for its base rating.  When using a Complex Form at its base rating, no Fading is incurred.  You can thread a Complex Form up to a rating equal to twice your Resonance, incurring Fading - if the final rating is greater than your Resonance, said Fading is physical.  Complex Forms are used like the programs of the same name, so technomancers need all the skills normally needed for using programs.  Software is required for threading (as the roll is Software+Resonance).  Additionally, Compiling, Registering, and Decompiling are direct analogues to Summoning, Binding, and Banishing.

Sprites work like spirits in most ways, so if you get the spirit rules you get the sprite rules (more or less).  They use Complex Forms and skills as Technomancers normally do.

[MaxKojote]

Binding and Registering only differ in that Binding has a nuyen cost that Registering does not have.

Also while Magical Drain cannot be healed by the Heal spell, Fading can.

[Raiden]

what should I focus on getting to 5,5 or 6 first, cracking groups or tasking?

[Raiden]

so complex forms are not limited to the technomancers response rating? you could run a R8 exploit form with a 5 Intuition?

And what would good echos be?

[MaxKojote]

Yes, you can run a R8 Exploit form with 5 Intuition (just remember the Resonance limitation for base rating). You can also run as many forms as you desire; though if you've done any threading, you will be subject to similar sustaining penalties that mages suffer. So if you normally would have a R5 Exploit form and threaded it up to R8 (or if you normally don't have an Exploit form and then threaded up a R5 form), then to any tests NOT using that complex form, you will take a -2 penalty

[RHat]

Complex Forms are not programs, and are subject to different rules.  For example, the limitation is based on Resonance.

Good echoes...  Depends on what you want to do, specifically.  For example, by combining Overclocking, Advanced Overclocking, Biowire, Acceleration, and Mesh Reality, you can end up pretty terrifying - 5 passes, some number of which can be used for meatspace, the ability to simultaneously act in meatspace and VR without penalty, skillwires with rating equal to submersion grade...