From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu (Lester Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRUN: New Technology, New Ideas-
Keywords: Shadowrun, SR, SRUN, SHADOWRUN
Date: 26 Jul 92 21:33:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc8.ward1.712186428

warmongr@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Krishgan) writes:
>  1.  First of all, concerning the relative cost of the VCCD (Vehicle Control
>     CyberDeck).  When the Headware version is being used, there were some
>     things that I might have left out by accident.
>     a.  The user must also have a VCRig of some level (even level 0).
>     b.  The user must also have a Radio/ComSuite of some type.
>     In essence, the VCCD is actually an interface between the users HWare
>     Radio/ComSuite and his VCRig.  The level is the amount of interfacing
>     between the Radio/ComSuite and the VCRig itself.

You missed my point.  A normal Remote Control Deck which allows the use
of your VCR (ie. exactly what the VCCD is, but not cyberware) costs 25,000Y
per level.

For the record, you .did. mention both a. and b. and I agree with both of
them.  My objection is that the normal Remote Control Deck which allows the
use of your VCR .is. also the "interface bewteen the users VCR" and a
transeiver unit an it costs 30 times as much as your list price.  Sure
you get the Radio free with the normal deck but a radio is not gonna cost
you 23,500Y per level.

If I'm not making myself clear, read the Riggers Black Book section about
remote control decks.

>  2.  I didn't really think of Cyber vs. Non-Cyber CyberWare Control Decks for
>     someone.  I suppose it could be done, but it *personally* seems rather
>     worthless to me to have an internal control deck and no other cybernetic
>     work done.  And based on the stuff I added above, I see no reason for the
>     increase in materials cost OR the increase in essence cost.

Again, read the Riggers Black Book section mentioned above.  I agree that
an internal control deck would be worthless without a VCR.

>  3.  Reality Filters aren't directly put into the MPCP of a CDeck.  They are
>     actually put in seperate but with an interconnecting net access server
>     as part of their construction.

If by "CDeck" you mean cranial cyberdeck, than OK.

>  4.  Satellite Uplinks also do not necessarily require "dishes" and "open
>     space aerials" in our time, I fail to see why they do in the "potential"
>     future of SR. 

Then this is a differing view of computer science.  Decks need a .very.
high bandwidth, low distortion signal.  Plain old video without a dish
I could see, maybe even trideo, but simsence will .not. carry over airwaves
in SR (see Shadowbeat) and therefore would likely require a more sophisticated
recieving array than normal signals.  The same is true (I feel) with Matrix
connections (based on the fact that Simsence .will. carry over Matrix
connections (Shadowbeat again))


> Treat the SUplink as a "telemetry guidance antenna" and
>     you can then install it parallel to a server.  Satellite Tracking Systems
>     can easily compensate for their own movement, and maybe even the movement
>     of a ground based transmitter.

Ah, but you did not mention them as part of the cyberware.  How much essence
do the server, etc. cost?

>     If you really think it needs a "directional feed" then try this kind of
>     an option. 

I never mentioned .directional. feed.  The point of a dish is that it bounces
all the radio waves which hit its parabolic surface to a single point (the
parabolas focus), thus concentrating the signal.  Radio waves and micro
waves spread through space, and you need a dish to concentrate the signal
to get acceptable reception.  I aggre that the directionality aspect of
dishes would be trivial to compensate for.  As you said, technology will
progress, but I feel that in order to get the bandwidth neccessary for
a Matrix connection, you still need a large surface to bounce a wide signal
into a concentrated packet. ie. a dish.

>    -Keith

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