Quote: from ReeferMadness on 11:42 pm on Sep. 6, 2012[br]You're talking science...why bother? This is Cyberpunk...
I would have laughed if I thought this were a joke. All the best fiction has considerable amounts of research behind it. Frank Herbert read about ecology for years before writing Dune. William Gibson researched computer technology, various cultures and languages for his novels. And do we even need to start on the amount of research that went into Stephenson's Snow Crash? This is the sort of quality we should be targeting.
You don't create memorable experiences by aspiring to mediocrity.
Quote: from ReeferMadness on 11:42 pm on Sep. 6, 2012[br]I mean if you really want a legit reason why it will work...how about sic acts as a GPS logging longitude and latitude that therein communicates via a zigbee mesh across other sic chips until reaching the necessary "satellite"? I mean, it's feasible under numerous protocols which exist in todays world.
Do these protocols work when you're under millions of tonnes of steel, concrete and glass?
That said, look at how the SIC network functions. Certain areas have clear signal, others have brownout patches and it doesn't work in specially shielded rooms. Additionally, you can use an amplifier to increase signal availability. This sounds a lot more like a GPRS/UTMS style network than any satellite based network.
Quote: from ReeferMadness on 11:42 pm on Sep. 6, 2012[br]Is it really necessary that it makes perfect sense to any of you?
Yes, actually. I can't even begin to count the number of @notes I've read where previous GMs have had to come up with willy nilly explanations for shit on the spot that made zero fucking sense due to inadequate preparation. Creating the necessary, grounded fiction behind technology, NPCs and events creates an infinite amount of plot hooks and "paydata" for players to discover, trade and sell.
I can say that every plot I've ever run and every NPC I've ever created has a wealth of researched background written on it which players could find out if they made the effort. I've even taken the time to explain the science behind a number of pieces of equipment found in game, because I wish more for Sindome than a half-assed "because it's cool" mentality.
Quote: from ReeferMadness on 11:42 pm on Sep. 6, 2012[br]The end-all be-all is that we need deckers to be useful. They're useless in-game...and it's cyberpunk tragedy. They should be able to actually effect things besides painting ascii art on sic nodes because no one even remembers how to use the img tag. Hacking an e-note, using misc. security gear, we need scary, all-seeing, power deckers out there but instead it's all muscle boyo's with guns.
This is already being worked on in a different and actually very innovative manner. I'm not really at liberty to say more, but hackers in game will shit a brick when it goes live. Prepare your anus.
Also fuck quote tags.