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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: MILLIKEN DAMION A <u9467882@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Riggers and Deckers
Date: Sun, 19 Jun 1994 13:58:10 +1000
Bryan writes:

> Ok guys, I have a tangential question for those of you who claim to know how
> VCR vs decking works....
> If a decker has to execute commands thru his keyboard, how can the
meat(working
> in real time) keep up with the commands necessary in matrix time (fractions
> of a millisecond)? I know I can't type that fast w/o error, so how does the
> decker do it? As for the rigger 'feeling' the vehicle's state, why doesn't he
> suffer mental damage if his vehicle suffers real damage? Shouldn't the
> sensorium that is giving him the feedback give him some real indication of
> his vehicles pain?? Or dose FASA ignore this in order to streamline game play?
> Thanks

I'm probably not the best person to answer this (my theories on cyberlinks
and control are currently being shredded), but some where in the book it
speaks about this. Apparently deckers run on a cyberlink and keyboard cross
to control decks. You can execute commands thru the cyberlink or the deck,
the cybercontrol is fast enought to keep up, the keyboard is only needed for
minor modifications here and there. Running on pure cybernetic control (the
only way to go!) gives you an extra inititive dice I think. Running on
keyboard only (turtles) gives you shocking reaction, as you are only as fast
as the terminal.
Come to think of it, if you had wired reflexes, and were using a turtle
terminal, could you go real fast?
In many novels and the like riggers do suffer damage when the vehicle is
destroyed. As for the game, I dont know if there are mechanics for it. I
would assume there are cuttoffs and filters to stop damage from minor
vehicle damage, but if the whole chabang goes, then you cop it.

Damion

Further Reading

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