[Marcus Gideon]

Ok sure verbal commands are not going to work in every situation during combat but it is a option that should not ignored .And there are ways to make it more secure such as over your comlink. if the order does not come form your com then its ignored. to spoof you commands using voice the enemy will have to hack your link then use magic or cyberwear to spoof your voice.

Core pg 242, Snoop

This action lets you intercept Matrix traffic sent to and from your target for as long as you have the target marked. You can listen to, view, or read this data live, or you can save it for later playback/viewing if you have something to store it on (your deck will do).

First off, both the Rigger's Commlink, and the Commlink you give to the drone (since you turned off its built in wireless it will need a separate Commlink) will have to be online. Which means they can be found and hacked.

So... Hack one of those Commlinks, and Snoop on the convo to record your voice giving commands. Since the commands have to be short, you're probably just shouting "Protect our Decker Tony" or "Geek the enemy Mage" or something. Then while I'm recording your voice over and over, I make a soundboard. Then while I've hacked the drone's Commlink, I change the Address Book entry so when my Commlink calls the drone, it says "Mr Rigger" instead. Since the drone isn't actually plugged into the Commlink (you wanted to prevent the drone itself getting hacked, remember?) then all it has to identify the caller is what the Commlink tells it. Now when I call, the drone thinks it's you. Then I use the soundboard to build new phrases like "Geek our Decker Tony" or "Protect the enemy Mage" and watch the drone go to work.

You can probably precede a verbal command with a rotating cypher word, to keeps others from trying to hijack the drone by imitating you, but it would probably require GM adjudication.

My Missions character has a Smart Firing Platform with wireless removed. He commands it verbally, preceding each command with a rotating codeword that changes with every command. It is programmed to ignore any command not preceded by the expected codeword.

-k

Just curious, but is your rotating cipher actually a rotating cipher, such that you have to keep an AR window open showing you the proper word at the proper time? Or are you just using a memorized phrase?

Cus if you're displaying the next word to yourself, then I hack your Eyeware and watch the feed too.

If you're using a phrase, it's probably going to be a simple phrase that I might know too. "Mary, shoot that guy. Had, now that one. A, watch your back. Little, go for the head." ... "Lamb, shoot your boss!"

[KarmaInferno]

He simply generated a random list of words ahead of time before each run. He also has no wireless outside of a standalone commlink to hack. You could also probably just commit the list to memory, but given the limitations of human brains it would likely be a short list. Mnemonic enhancers, anyone?

Different character used a system using pulsed IR laser designators, with the verbal system as a backup. The laser would pulse at a rate too high for most people to even notice in one of about a hundred different preprogrammed patterns. The pattern would shift every 30 seconds. Drones would be programmed to look for the pulsed laser light. When giving a command, the pulsing would shift to an encrypted data stream (Morse code, actually, with rotating one-time pads).

Probably overcomplicated, but the character was severely paranoid about getting hacked.


-k

[Rooks]

Core pg 164, Speak / Text / Transmit Phrase

One short phrase of verbal communication is a Free Action. If the character wants to speak more, each additional phrase or sentence requires a Free Action. The gamemaster should be careful to control excessive, unrealistic conversations within the span of a single action during a 3-second Combat Turn. If the gamemaster and players prefer more elaborate communications, parameters should be laid out before the mission begins. Characters who are equipped to send text messages through a direct neural interface connection with their commlink may also send short messages as a Free Action.

You can get a single sentence across the room with a Free action. You cannot shout the entire plan of attack.

As for facial recognition, that would work if the drone paid constant, careful attention to everyone talking on the battlefield. Looking at each one closely to scan their face and compare to the database of accepted users, while also listening to see if they are even giving an acceptable command. Then processing that together to decide whether that person did in fact give an order, and whether that order should be followed or ignored. Meanwhile, someone else is shouting something, and so now the drone is turning to look intently at them instead, re-adjudicating every time anyone says anything.

Basically, if you're expecting the drone to listen for commands, and verify the identity of the person shouting, it's never going to have any time left to watch the battlefield. Instead of watching where it's driving, and who is shooting at it, it's just going to be looking from person to person until it's head unscrews from the base.

There's a reason why drones are wireless =)

Well you can get the advance safety firing system based off of the smartgun and add in additional facial recognition face profiles, or you could just get smart bracelets hand them out to your team and dont have to bother with that (kinda like in that new robocop movie)

[Rooks]

He simply generated a random list of words ahead of time before each run. He also has no wireless outside of a standalone commlink to hack. You could also probably just commit the list to memory, but given the limitations of human brains it would likely be a short list. Mnemonic enhancers, anyone?

Different character used a system using pulsed IR laser designators, with the verbal system as a backup. The laser would pulse at a rate too high for most people to even notice in one of about a hundred different preprogrammed patterns. The pattern would shift every 30 seconds. Drones would be programmed to look for the pulsed laser light. When giving a command, the pulsing would shift to an encrypted data stream (Morse code, actually, with rotating one-time pads).

Probably overcomplicated, but the character was severely paranoid about getting hacked.


-k

Or get that eye laser system installed in you and the drone and have uninterrupted two way conversations with each other provided you have line of sight

[Mirikon]

Yeah, whenever I think about 'audio command' of drones, this is what comes to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slTvdDV0FEk

[Marcus Gideon]

Core pg 164, Speak / Text / Transmit Phrase

One short phrase of verbal communication is a Free Action. If the character wants to speak more, each additional phrase or sentence requires a Free Action. The gamemaster should be careful to control excessive, unrealistic conversations within the span of a single action during a 3-second Combat Turn. If the gamemaster and players prefer more elaborate communications, parameters should be laid out before the mission begins. Characters who are equipped to send text messages through a direct neural interface connection with their commlink may also send short messages as a Free Action.

You can get a single sentence across the room with a Free action. You cannot shout the entire plan of attack.

As for facial recognition, that would work if the drone paid constant, careful attention to everyone talking on the battlefield. Looking at each one closely to scan their face and compare to the database of accepted users, while also listening to see if they are even giving an acceptable command. Then processing that together to decide whether that person did in fact give an order, and whether that order should be followed or ignored. Meanwhile, someone else is shouting something, and so now the drone is turning to look intently at them instead, re-adjudicating every time anyone says anything.

Basically, if you're expecting the drone to listen for commands, and verify the identity of the person shouting, it's never going to have any time left to watch the battlefield. Instead of watching where it's driving, and who is shooting at it, it's just going to be looking from person to person until it's head unscrews from the base.

There's a reason why drones are wireless =)

Well you can get the advance safety firing system based off of the smartgun and add in additional facial recognition face profiles, or you could just get smart bracelets hand them out to your team and don't have to bother with that (kinda like in that new robocop movie)

That's what I mean though. The facial recognition in a gun kinda works b/c it's a camera pointing the same direction as the barrel. As you're taking aim, the weapon is checking to make sure you aren't shooting someone on the "Do Not Shoot" list. But a drone can't waste time looking at every person shouting to determine whether they should be listened to. If anyone realizes your drone is using facial recognition like that, they're all going to start shouting randomly during the fight, and keep the drone distracted so it can't focus on aiming.

Smart bracelets would have to be wireless, which means the drone would need wireless enabled to recognize them.