[kirk]

I've been contemplating a house rule I'd like to share. Note this is still vague handwave and further I'm not sure it's a "good" rule. And yet...

Matrix Hardware degradation. This year's cutting edge is next year's middle of the pack, and let's not even think about running today's programs on computers of a decade ago. The degrading programs aren't so much from them degrading as hardware and operating systems and such improving. So:

Matrix Attributes of commlinks, nexus, and such degrade at a rate of 1 level every (10-current R) months. A rating 6 system will become a rating 5 system in 4 months, and 5 months later will become a rating 4 system.

Thoughts? Improvements? Objections?

[Deliverator]

I'd say lifestyle would account for maintaining the quality of your electronic hardware.

[Mason]

Reminds me of the SOTA tech rules from third editiion.

I always just add a new Rating at a ridiculous cost and availability to the lists of gear, and don't tell the players that unless they make the effort to keep their character up to date on recent advancements or watch the news religiously. Of course, i don't mind ridiculous dice pools when the opponent gets them too

[Crash_00]

I could see it happening with the hardware, but programs and OSs don't go obsolete quite that fast. Hardware and Software have very different improvements rates. I think its simpler over all though to either A) add a new rating every X amount of time or B) reduce ratings across the board at set times.

A is by far the easier and tends to not make players irritated (most players hate loosing rating points).

B really represents more of a improvements come out at X time rather than constant minor upgrades. When you get down to it, most hardware you see is released in generations. Example, right now everyone is waiting on the AMD Bulldozer to come out, that would be a case for the B situation to occur.

[CanRay]

Alan Bradley:  "Given the prices we charge to students and schools, what sort of improvements have been made in Flynn...  I mean, um, ENCOM OS-12?"
Richard Mackey:  "This year we put a '12' on the box." - TRON:  Legacy

[bigity]

Best part of that movie, sadly.

[beowulf_of_wa]

Alan Bradley:  "Given the prices we charge to students and schools, what sort of improvements have been made in Flynn...  I mean, um, ENCOM OS-12?"
Richard Mackey:  "This year we put a '12' on the box." - TRON:  Legacy

question is: is it apple or M$ they are mocking?

[CanRay]

Alan Bradley:  "Given the prices we charge to students and schools, what sort of improvements have been made in Flynn...  I mean, um, ENCOM OS-12?"
Richard Mackey:  "This year we put a '12' on the box." - TRON:  Legacy

question is: is it apple or M$ they are mocking?

Yes.

From what I saw, if I saw right, it's actually Linux they're using, too.  Which makes it a triple poke.

[usefulidiot]

Our group has been kicking around the idea of making the multi-tasking adept power useful. Thoughts for it are to let it be used during combat, such as reloading firearms. Also another thought for it was if a character with it was weilding 2 guns with smartlinks and both guns tartgets were within the characters same line of sight, within reason at GM discresion, then he could recieve targeting data from both guns at the same time. So the charcter would recieve the smartlink bonus on both guns. Any thoughts on this? Would it be over powering or just making a power useful for other characters like gun bunnies?

[Valnar]

Doesn't sound too bad imo, flavor and balance wise. Houseruling it like that would actually maybe make me consider taking this power, which imho isn't worth it's PP using RAW.

[Kontact]

Our group has been kicking around the idea of making the multi-tasking adept power useful. Thoughts for it are to let it be used during combat, such as reloading firearms. Also another thought for it was if a character with it was weilding 2 guns with smartlinks and both guns tartgets were within the characters same line of sight, within reason at GM discresion, then he could recieve targeting data from both guns at the same time. So the charcter would recieve the smartlink bonus on both guns. Any thoughts on this? Would it be over powering or just making a power useful for other characters like gun bunnies?

It's mostly useful in the matrix where you have to take observe in detail actions to discern what icons are.  Also there's the fluff part about being very hard to distract.  That would seem like something that could be fit into the game better with a mechanic.   Perhaps something similar to the reality amplifier, Focus, from Unwired.

Focus
Focus amplifiers are the opposite of Red Alert amps. Focus
activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which causes the
fight-or-flight response to end and returns the body to a calm state.
A Focus amp can be activated to eliminate dice penalties due to
distracting or stressful situations. With a Focus amp running, a
hacker can calmly write code while taking heavy fire. A Focus amp
cannot be running at the same time as a Red Alert amp, even if the
user has more than one datajack.

[Crash_00]

Another one that my group has is that if you have a second smartlink enhancement, you can benefit with a +1 dice pool modifier when dual wielding firearms that have a smartgun system.

[The_Gun_Nut]

In previous editions, the encephalon enhancement granted (almost but not quite) true multi-tasking for a metahuman.  I ruled that one of those, along with separate smartlink systems for each hand/weapon, would be required to get the most out of the "John Woo" style of gunplay.

Extra eyes helped, too, as they could be used to target something that the main set were facing away from.

[Phylos Fett]

Extra eyes helped, too, as they could be used to target something that the main set were facing away from.

Did you have many characters that were sporting extra eyes?

[Zilfer]

Extra eyes helped, too, as they could be used to target something that the main set were facing away from.

Did you have many characters that were sporting extra eyes?

Sounds bad ass though i'm not getting the picture of how AR would look with a camera on your back. He's got eyes in the back of his head! I swear!