Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: gourry187 on <07-20-11/1324:10>
-
quick question ...
when creating a drone rigger with multiple drones (who will act autotonomously), am I required to purchase the autosoft programs for each drone individually or just once (and theoretically copy/pasting to the others)
I know this question has come up before with multiple commlinks but search results gave me nada for autosofts.
-
All off-the-shelf purchased software, including drone autosofts, have the Copyright Protection and Registration program options standard. The first prevents you from copying the program, the second "phones home" to the software developer to register you as a user.
For most users, this is fine. They follow the rules, and don't really worry about The Man tracking their every move. As such, for their compliance, they get regular program patches and updates to keep it current.
Shadowrunners, however, usually don't like Corps watching over their virtual shoulders. So they crack it to remove the protection and registration. Or get someone to do it for them. Or get an Open Source version of the software. Or write the program themselves, if they're good enough.
The problem is without the protection and registration, the program will not get those nice automatic patches and updates. Which means in game terms, the program rating degrades over time. To counter this, the user can either manually patch the software if he's good enough, or he'll have to go and get patches from somewhere. Which means either extra time spent doing this every month, or extra money to pay someone to do it.
-k
-
WarezHouse! For all your illicit software needs! ;D
Now in German: WarezHaus! :P
-
The entire reason my new group's rigger pushed their hacking and software skills was so they could crack and patch their autosofts (and act as a source for the group's cracked analyze/encrypt files since the group has no real dedicated hacker).
-
Just don't mistake HausWarez, which has cheap Sweatshop code from third world countries like the UCAS. :P
-
Say you weren't using the Unwired supplement. Would you be able to freely copy the software then?
-
Say you weren't using the Unwired supplement. Would you be able to freely copy the software then?
If you think the RIAA C&Ds and Lawsuits are bad now, wait until you get extradited to MCT/Renraku/FuchiNovatechNeoNet territory for breaking federal laws. :P
-
Say you weren't using the Unwired supplement. Would you be able to freely copy the software then?
Oddly, there don't appear to be any actual copying rules for Matrix programs, Agents, or Autosofts in SR4A.
Rule for writing code from scratch, yes. Transferring datafiles, yes. But not copying programs.
So, pretty much you're in "ask your GM" territory. Because he's going to have to make something up if you don't want to use the Unwired rules.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that EITHER you A) don't use the Unwired rules at all, and as such you cannot make copies of programs but you also don't have to worry about rating degradation or removing copy protection and registration. Or B) you use the Unwired rules completely, gaining the ability to copy for free but suffering the penalties inherent.
-k
-
I think I just found a major hamstring on Hackers then. Most of my fellow players take multiple commlinks, and freely copy their software.
There is an action for transferring files, so I guess you can use a program on multiple devices, but only on one device at a time. Does that make sense?
-
Depends on how they do Digital Rights Management in 2070... The license might attach to the hardwired unique ID Code attached to each commlink, and if another commlink is using the same software key with a different... "Motherboard ID" for lack of a better term, then the copyright cops come to reclaim their property from you as you've just violated your Usage Agreement.
If they're an Extraterritorial Corporation (AA- or AAA-Corporation), you might be arrested by the local police (Or security agency hired to be peace officers) and extradited, where you'll face their laws for breaking such an agreement, with the full force of the Corporate Court behind them in full agreement.
-
A lot of current day software will actually check whatever local network it's on for any other active copies of itself with the same license ID. If the number of active copies on the network exceeds the usage license, ALL copies on the network shut down.
-k
-
Yeah, but at least hired goons aren't going to come after you to break your hands for violating that license.
...
Yet.
Bill Gates: "Buy him out, boys!"
-
I guess it depends on how tightly the creator restricts his software, and you're saying it comes down to GM call again. Sigh. I hate rules like that.
-
And how many holes there are in the DRM system. Or how badly the DRM system breaks your own CommLink (Sony music CD Rootkit anyone?)
-
quick question ...
when creating a drone rigger with multiple drones (who will act autotonomously), am I required to purchase the autosoft programs for each drone individually or just once (and theoretically copy/pasting to the others)
I know this question has come up before with multiple commlinks but search results gave me nada for autosofts.
Software is software.
I would apply the same rules RE: licenses and piracy.
-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist
-
RE: Doing things legally. All I can suggest is reading FastJack's view of things from a legal standpoint in Attitude.
-
The one thing that bugs me about the "1 copy for each drone" thing is that the sample characters in the book do NOT follow that rule. Check out the drone rigger character. He's got:
Autosofts [Clearsight 4; Defense 4; Electronic Warfare 4; Maneuver (Aircraft) 4; Maneuver (Ground Craft) 4; Targeting (Heavy Weapons) 4; Targeting (Automatics) 4]
He's using the exact same autosoft for land drones and aerial drones!
I've always played it that each character needs to buy their own software, but they can use that software wherever they need to without getting multiple copies. Like, maybe it's got some kind of biometric identification protocol or something. I've got a character that uses 6 dragonfly drones (at $2500 each), and has $10000 in autosofts. It's just too expensive to buy each drone unique copies (especially since they attack in a swarm and aren't very useful by themselves) I've also had a GM rule that each drone needed specific software, so a Targeting autosoft would be incompatible between, for example, a Doberman and a LEBD-1. But that means that you only need to buy one copy for two Dobermans.
"Only a chump buys multiple copies of the same piece of software" was his exact quote
-
If you get a legit copy then crack it, you could keep a backed up legal copy and use it to get all the patches and updates for the manufacture, then distribute them to your cracked copies. A good reason not to buy extra copies if you have time to DIY patch the extras.
By default, a program can be installed on one platform. If you uninstall it from one platform you can install it on another.
This is a touch confusing because encryption is dead in 2070. Strong DRM should be impossible, as even the cheapest decryption program could crack the authentication key for the strongest DRM given a short amount of time.