| From: | Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.UMICH.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Nerve impulse speed |
| Date: | Tue, 19 Nov 1996 13:25:37 -0500 |
> Pete wrote
>
> >The nercous system works on nervous impulses, or to be more exact,
> >electrical impulses, the Wired system works on electrical impulses, so
> >they both get there as fast, the difference being is that the wires
> >take control and don't require physical effort. The reaction time is
> >the same, the physical speed isn't.
Not so. You have it backwards. The reaction time is much quicker.
Since (as "Double-Domed Mike" said) nervous impulses are
electro-chemical, any "bridging" of the gaps between neurons (which is
where the chemical interaction takes place) would greatly speed up the
transmission of impulses from one part of the body to another. This is
exactly what Wired Reflexes does.
The actual physical speed, however, remains unchanged. Recall
that movement rates are based off Quickness, not Reaction, and extra
actions do not allow you to run farther (especially if you ditch the
stupid "run one action and walk the others" rule. Movement is a
modifier, not an action).
The difference is one of relfexes versus speed. I know lots of
people who can run like the wind but who'll stand there like dopes if you
throw something at them. Conversely, I know lots of people who'll hit
you so fast you never saw it coming but who couldn't run to save their
lives. In my estimation, "reflexes" cover small, reactive (i.e.
reflexive) movements, like flinching, ducking, etc. Good reflexes don't
make you any faster, you just start your motion sooner, so it has the
visual effect of *looking* faster. "Speed," on the other hand, is
largely a matter of muscle strength, with stronger people generally being
faster due to the fact that their muscles can apply more leverage and
power. *DO NOT* believe the stereo-type that "big, muscular jocks" are
slow. Slow-witted, maybe, but not slow. Thus it is that it is not wired
reflexes but Muscle Replacement that make you faster through their bonus
to your Quickness.
As an aside, it becomes easy to see why Muscle Augmentation is
better than replacement, as replacement involves totally synthetic fibres
without the large extent of bio-neural control and feedback.
Augmentation, on the other hand, keeps as well as adds to the existing
muscle and increases the number of neural connections, giving a greater
ability for reflexive response and feedback even though the actual
nerves themselves may be slower than synthetics. Hence, Muscle
Augmentation adds to your Reaction (via the Quickness boost). It's a
difference between dead synthetics and more actual biological tissue
(albeit altered tissue).
Make sense?
Marc
