[galenbd]

So I was looking through the Core book and found the section on stock commlinks. Then I found the section on purchasing upgrades to the commlink's node attributes. That maxed out at 6. Ok, I can accept that you can't buy larger ones, but how about custom code.

I looked through Unwired to figure out how to increase them above 7, but could never find it. Is it possible to do this? At ¥8000 per attribute, 32,000 seems like a cheap price to pay for a maxed out commlink / cyberdeck.

Galen

[Mooncrow]

Basically, the "rules" for ratings higher than 6 are found in the sidebars "Military Grade Software" and "Military Grade Hardware".  In short, it's only with GM permission. 

However, what you can do is start clustering nodes together for more processing power (Unwired, p. 55)

[Kontact]

Clustering is rarely necessary.
A Response 6 System 6 Comlink can run 6 ergonomic programs and 5 regular programs simultaneously with no loss of response.
A Response 6 System 5 Comlink can run 5 ergonomic programs and 9 regular programs with response only reduced to the equivalent system rating.

There really aren't that many programs that a hacker might need to run at one time.  A drone on the other hand...


As to upgrading your deck.. er link, there are other things to do.

There are Response Enhancers for boosting your Matrix Initiative by 1-6.
A Customized Interface to boost it by 1 more. 
Ye olde Simsense Accelerator for a 4th or 5th IP in hotsim.
And all sorts of headware to make you a better walking computer.

[Adrick]

Above six if you allowed,

1. I would think it should generally be custom built by the player rather than purchased.  If he does so often and reliably he may end up being subject to corp recruitment or removal.


2. If you allow it to be bought then your talking about the buying and selling of high end military/corp tech. which should carry the appropriate fears. probably similar to buying apc's and tanks on the black market for really high rating. i think the response would be the same.
Availability and cost should also go up much faster than the 1-6 spread at the very least.

I never used SOTA rules because they are a pain to track but something similar may be worth using for 6+ ratings in 4th edition.

[galenbd]

Alas, none of these ideas help. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I don't understand the limitation to 6 across the board. I am not interested in loading more programs or going faster. I agree with Kontact that fewer programs are needed. Part of the fun for me was the custom code and the variety that engendered. I assumed that my opposition would have a higher rating. A reread clarifies that to be not so. IC also seems to be capped at 6.

System is limited by Response. Response is limited by hardware. That cannot be above 6 unless military grade. There appear to be no provisions to allow a character to develop very good hardware and programs.

Mooncrow, to address your suggestion of clustering, Response is limited to the average rating of all nodes in the cluster. That doesn't really give me an increase.

I guess I'm having trouble seeing how a cap of 6 would create a character that was unique. As a decker, Electronics group and Cracking group will go to 6 as quickly as possible. After that advancement would occur in other areas. Very quickly, each decker character would become the same in skill level relavent to the primary task they would perform in a group. Limiting uniqueness.

Here's where I talk about back in the day when rocks were soft. Earlier editions simplified the rules, reducing complexity. However, the simplifications made sense and did not reduce versatility. IMO, 4th simplified so far that versatility is hampered.

Galen

[FastJack]

Well, all skills are capped at 6 too (unless you take the quality to go to 7). Basically, it's more a gameplay reason than a setting reason. I believe (and designer, please correct me if I'm wrong), they capped a lot of stuff at six so that guys don't sit down at the table with 30 dice in their dice pool.

Now, the whole caveat about military grade means that it *is* possible to go passed the limits. But if you do so, you're running into having your comm broadcasting to everyone that can see your PAN (including Knight Errant) that you're running some high-end tech. And, attention is never good for the shadows...

[galenbd]

Well, all skills are capped at 6 too (unless you take the quality to go to 7). Basically, it's more a gameplay reason than a setting reason. I believe (and designer, please correct me if I'm wrong), they capped a lot of stuff at six so that guys don't sit down at the table with 30 dice in their dice pool.

I agree. It was a design decision. I disagree with it. What it unfortunately means for me is that I'll have trouble finding a 3rd ed game online. Past couple of days, I've been looking. Slim pickins.

Galen

[Mooncrow]

Yeah, clustering doesn't increase Response, only System.  I guess I don't really see what you're driving at then.  There's always Codeslinger and Aptitude if you want to specialize.

[Casazil]

Actually there are rules form makeing your own software and ahrdware you need shops or facilities you can add in in tools and conditions and vr hosting all to get good die pools ............ the down side is it is in character in game and takes MONTHS to do.

For software see P.118 Unwired go from there.

For the hardware use the stuff on P.138 SR4a useing the Build or repair section an make it take time to build more powerfull items I'd guade time the same as in the software stuff.