[Bradd]

My group is a bit puzzled about how sensors interact with tacnets. A couple of the rules are ambiguous, and I could use some guidance on how to interpret them.

One of the requirements for a functioning tacnet is sufficient input in the form of sensor channels. "Each sense or sensor accounts for a separate sensor channel," (p. 125, Unwired). First: According to p. 332, SR4A, cameras are the most common sensor, and they capture both video and sound. Does that count as one or two sensor channels? It's one sensor but two senses. Second: Can you use a tacsoft at less that its full rating to accommodate members with insufficient sensor channels?

Those issues are pretty minor, though. Here's the rule that really has me confused:

Data acquired from worn, carried, or mounted sensor systems of various types (cameras, microphones, range finders, motion sensors, etc.) may also be contributed to the network as a sensor channel. Drones sensor systems also count; each drone can supply a number of sensor channels equal to its Sensor rating.

I don't know what to make of this. Is this a rule for riggers using their drones as sensor packages? Or is it defining the "natural senses" of drones who are members of the tacnet? There are contextual clues pointing in both directions.

I'm even more puzzled by the bit about channels and Sensor rating. That's a measure of how good your sensors are, not how many you have, so I don't know why you'd base number of sensor channels on it. I have a few guesses:

• The quality of your sensors limits how much effective output you produce. A large drone can have eight sensors, but if the quality is only rating 3, you only get three channels out of it.
• High-quality output is just as good as high-quantity output. A microdrone might have only one sensor, but if it's rating 6, you get six channels from it.
• Both of the above: Drone sensor channels have nothing to do with quantity, only quality.

There's one more question, if drones are limited by Sensor rating. Is there any way for a drone to get eight sensor channels, so that it can contribute to a rating 4 tacnet? Can it use mounted or remote sensors to supplement its built-in package?

[Billy_Club]

That drones question is puzzling.  I can think of a few ways to look at it other than what you described (not in lieu of):

1) Without further modifcations, a drone can supply a number of sensor channels equal to its Sensor rating.  This makes sense for people who are using basic drone sensor packages without going through the trouble of picking out individual sensors to fill it out.

2) It means precisely what it says, as a way to throttle how effective drones can be on a Tacnet.  I'm not sure why this would be an issue precisely, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out either.

I've been playing it as the first option I listed, as I individually outfit all of my drones with the sensors I desire (easily exceeding eight 'senses') to benefit from a full rating 4 Tacnet.

[Bradd]

Ohhh, that makes sense! We are always kitting everything out and pushing things to the limit, so it didn't even occur to us that it might be a default rather than a limit. I quite like that interpretation. I think it makes a lot more sense than throttling or the other explanations.

By the way, p. 105 of Arsenal has guidelines for typical sensor setups. Most full-sized vehicles have 8 sensors. Drones can't fit quite as many, although you can stuff 8 into a large drone if you avoid the bigger sensors. Probably more likely that it will have a camera, range finder, motion sensor, and radar. That's 4 channels (5 if you count a camera as two).

[Dakka]

Counting a Camera as 2 channels would allow Medium drones with sensor capacity 6 to reach 8 channels by having at least 2 cameras (forward mount and rear mount).  Also, you can upgrade cameras with Thermographic, Lowlight vision, Ultrasound, and Smartlink for an additional 4 channels per camera.

[Bradd]

Good point about the vision enhancements. Cameras and microphones are much like sensor packages themselves. Hypothetically, you could get up to 8 sensor channels from a camera: video + sound + 6 vision enhancements. That would let even a microdrone participate in a rating 4 tacnet. Unfortunately, I don't think there are six 1-capacity vision enhancements that count as sensor channels.

[Loki]

As camera and microphones are listed separately in both gear and sensor package listings I do not think the camera comes with a mic. You can get 7 total channels out of a camera if you're willing to fore go flare comp (I'm not). Visual, low light, thermo, smartlink, ultrasound, vis mag, and vision enhancement. A mic can get you at least 4 more: sound, spatial recognition, select sound filter and audio enhancement. Give your minidrones the improved sensor package mod and you still have a slot to play with.

[Bradd]

Yes, you can buy microphones separately, but they're also included in standard cameras: "The most common sensor, cameras can capture still photos, video, or trideo (including sound)," (p. 332, SR4A). Also, vision magnification and enhancement are not sensor channels for tacsofts.

[Loki]

Ah, missed that about cameras, you may still want to go with a seperate mic for the upgrade slots tho.

Vis mag is listed as applying in the example given on page 125 of unwired. And as telescopic sight (vis mag) applies I figure an effect that grants greater detail (vis enhan) would as well.

[Bradd]

Huh, I missed that. I always went by the rules text instead of the example. Anyway, I totally agree: It looks like they're including all sensor enhancements as sensor channels, so you can pack a lot in a camera.

Unfortunately, that still leaves you one channel short for tacsoft 4, because ultrasound takes up two capacity slots in a camera (p. 333, SR4A). Looks like the best you can do is video, audio, low-light, thermo, smartlink, enhancement, and magnification. On the bright side, that means you get to keep flare compensation.