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Message no. 1
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 04:11:26 -0400
Well, here I am again. Shadowbeat questions, for a change.

I've been toying around with the idea of creating a cybersnoop, and I
looked up the Dr. Spotts Smartcam Implant. What is this thing loaded
with, just an eye camera, or does it have anything extra? I'm reading
page 89 right now, and it mentions an electronic magnification system,
thermo, and low-light in addition to the camera, but is this in the
Smartcam itself, or do I have to buy these separately? What could
possibly make it so useful that it would cost 2 full points of
Essence? Or am I better off getting an alphaware camera/flare
comp/thermo/low-light package?

Other questions:

Can someone clarify the purpose of the Eyecrafters Opticam Package?
What exactly does this do?

Do I need to purchase a smartcam link with the cybercam, or will just
the cybercam implants do if I'm not purchasing a hand-held smartcam?

When making a cybersnoop, what Shadowbeat-specific equipment is
suggested (using Resources: B)? Weapons and armor are last on my
priorities, but I'm not planning on anything bigger than a heavy
pistol.

-----
AK404

http://mindspring.com/~angelkiller404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that
cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just
comes in to work every day and has a job to do."
Message no. 2
From: Lloyd Vance ljvance@*******.edu
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 10:29:00
At 04:11 AM 8/10/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Well, here I am again. Shadowbeat questions, for a change.
>
>I've been toying around with the idea of creating a cybersnoop, and I
>looked up the Dr. Spotts Smartcam Implant. What is this thing loaded
>with, just an eye camera, or does it have anything extra? I'm reading
>page 89 right now, and it mentions an electronic magnification system,
>thermo, and low-light in addition to the camera, but is this in the
>Smartcam itself, or do I have to buy these separately? What could
>possibly make it so useful that it would cost 2 full points of
>Essence? Or am I better off getting an alphaware camera/flare
>comp/thermo/low-light package?

I've always operated under the assumption that that is a typo. 0.2 essence
sounds much more realistic, neh?

<snip stuff about stuff I can't remember, and I have packed that book, too.>

>When making a cybersnoop, what Shadowbeat-specific equipment is
>suggested (using Resources: B)? Weapons and armor are last on my
>priorities, but I'm not planning on anything bigger than a heavy
>pistol.

Contacts, contacts, contacts. Buy as many as you are allowed by your
referee. They are the most helpful thing for reporters.

Also, watch as much Max Headroom as possible.

-The Hamm
"Zic-Zac's new advertising scheme: Bip-verts"
Message no. 3
From: John Hopson jwh9@*****.duke.edu
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 17:57:38 -0400
>At 04:11 AM 8/10/1999 -0400, you wrote:
>>Well, here I am again. Shadowbeat questions, for a change.
>>
>>I've been toying around with the idea of creating a cybersnoop, and I
>>looked up the Dr. Spotts Smartcam Implant. What is this thing loaded
>>with, just an eye camera, or does it have anything extra? I'm reading
>>page 89 right now, and it mentions an electronic magnification system,
>>thermo, and low-light in addition to the camera, but is this in the
>>Smartcam itself, or do I have to buy these separately? What could
>>possibly make it so useful that it would cost 2 full points of
>>Essence? Or am I better off getting an alphaware camera/flare
>>comp/thermo/low-light package?
>>
>>Other questions:
>>
>>Can someone clarify the purpose of the Eyecrafters Opticam Package?
>>What exactly does this do?

I think you have these two flipped. The smartcam implant is basically
equivalent to a smartgun link but for cameras instead of guns. It improves
your
ability to record things with your eyecam, compensating for movement, zooming
automatically, etc. It adds +2 to Pix tests, which is basically never going
to matter unless you're running a Cybersnoop-focused game. If it ever
comes up,
I'd simply use it as a modifier for social skill rolls involving the
recordings.
"If you let us use your terminal for a few minutes, Mr. Blake, there will be
no need for your wife to see these pictures of you and your mistress"

The Eyecrafters Opticam Package is a pair of cybereyes which come with a
bunch of preset additions useful for cybersnoops. It is probably one of the
more broken pieces of cyberware that SR has and the only reason it hasn't been
munchkined to death is because it's in Shadowbeat, which none of the munchkins
own. (No guns, you see. :)

It's listed as costing .5 essence and 20000 nuyen. (In cybertechnology
and Fields of Fire. The 2 essence cost in shadowbeat seems to be a misprint)
Here's what those options would cost if bought separately.

Essence Cost

Cybereyes 0.2 5000
Low light 0.2 3000
Thermo 0.2 3000
Electronic mag 3 0.1 11000
Video Link 0.5 22000

-------------------

.7 44000


Does this seem a little strange to anyone else? the package deal costs
less essence
and nuyen?

Just to make this more confusing, in SR3 an opticam is now an addition to
a cybereye that just lets it record video.

>>Do I need to purchase a smartcam link with the cybercam, or will just
>>the cybercam implants do if I'm not purchasing a hand-held smartcam?

The cybercam works fine on it's own, you only buy the smartcam
cyberware if you want that pix bonus.


John
Message no. 4
From: Jyster Cap jyster007@*****.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 15:12:44 -0700 (PDT)
> The Eyecrafters Opticam Package is a pair of
> cybereyes which come with a
> bunch of preset additions useful for cybersnoops. It
> is probably one of the
> more broken pieces of cyberware that SR has and the
> only reason it hasn't been
> munchkined to death is because it's in Shadowbeat,
> which none of the munchkins
> own. (No guns, you see. :)

Hey I resent that!! Im a munckin and I own
Shadowbeat. ;)
_____________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
Message no. 5
From: runnerpaul@*****.com runnerpaul@*****.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 00:02:05 -0400 (EDT)
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

At 05:57 PM 8/10/99 -0400, John Hopson wrote:
:Just to make this more confusing, in SR3 an opticam is now an
:addition to a cybereye that just lets it record video.

Important note: Video is NOT Trideo. :)

The eyecamera packages in Shadowbeat are Trideo cameras. The opticam
from the BBB3 is only a video camera. The storage rate listed for it
is 1Mp per minute, which in Shadowbeat is the rate listeded for High
Resolution Video. Trideo's rate is 5Mp per minute (or even 10Mp per
minute for high-res Trid).

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--
-- Paul Gettle, #186 of 1000 (RunnerPaul@*****.com)
PGP Fingerprint, Key ID:0x48F3AACD (RSA 1024, created 98/06/26)
C260 94B3 6722 6A25 63F8 0690 9EA2 3344

---------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://www.iname.com
Message no. 6
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 00:03:15 -0400
>>>I've been toying around with the idea of creating a cybersnoop, and
I
>>>looked up the Dr. Spotts Smartcam Implant. What is this thing
loaded
>>>with, just an eye camera, or does it have anything extra? I'm
reading
>>>page 89 right now, and it mentions an electronic magnification
system,
>>>thermo, and low-light in addition to the camera, but is this in the
>>>Smartcam itself, or do I have to buy these separately? What could
>>>possibly make it so useful that it would cost 2 full points of
>>>Essence? Or am I better off getting an alphaware camera/flare
>>>comp/thermo/low-light package?
>>>
>>>Other questions:
>>>
>>>Can someone clarify the purpose of the Eyecrafters Opticam
Package?
>>>What exactly does this do?
>
> I think you have these two flipped. The smartcam implant is
basically
>equivalent to a smartgun link but for cameras instead of guns. It
improves
>your
>ability to record things with your eyecam, compensating for movement,
zooming
>automatically, etc. It adds +2 to Pix tests, which is basically
never going
>to matter unless you're running a Cybersnoop-focused game. If it
ever
>comes up,
>I'd simply use it as a modifier for social skill rolls involving the
>recordings.
>"If you let us use your terminal for a few minutes, Mr. Blake, there
will be
>no need for your wife to see these pictures of you and your mistress"


Ah, but I *am* planning a cybersnoop-focused game. But to the
original question: Do I need a smartcam link if my cybersnoop already
has a cybercam installed?

> The Eyecrafters Opticam Package is a pair of cybereyes which come
with a
>bunch of preset additions useful for cybersnoops. It is probably one
of the
>more broken pieces of cyberware that SR has and the only reason it
hasn't been
>munchkined to death is because it's in Shadowbeat, which none of the
munchkins
>own. (No guns, you see. :)


Broken? I don't understand the terminology...

> It's listed as costing .5 essence and 20000 nuyen. (In
cybertechnology
>and Fields of Fire. The 2 essence cost in shadowbeat seems to be a
misprint)


> Does this seem a little strange to anyone else? the package deal
costs
>less essence
>and nuyen?


No, not really. IMO, all of the parts in the package deal just work
togather very well, so you get two discounts. Isn't that what a
package deal entails?

> Just to make this more confusing, in SR3 an opticam is now an
addition to
>a cybereye that just lets it record video.


An addition to a cybereye, but not a cybereye itself? Huh?


-----
AK404

http://mindspring.com/~angelkiller404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that
cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just
comes in to work every day and has a job to do."
Message no. 7
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 00:31:49 -0400
-----Original Message-----
From: runnerpaul@*****.com <runnerpaul@*****.com>
To: ShadowRN Mailing List <shadowrn@*********.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 1999 12:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams


>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>At 05:57 PM 8/10/99 -0400, John Hopson wrote:
>:Just to make this more confusing, in SR3 an opticam is now an
>:addition to a cybereye that just lets it record video.
>
>Important note: Video is NOT Trideo. :)
>
>The eyecamera packages in Shadowbeat are Trideo cameras. The opticam
>from the BBB3 is only a video camera. The storage rate listed for it
>is 1Mp per minute, which in Shadowbeat is the rate listeded for High
>Resolution Video. Trideo's rate is 5Mp per minute (or even 10Mp per
>minute for high-res Trid).


Oh man, I can't believe I missed that! So that'd mean I'd need about
300Mp of headware memory to get an hour of trideo footage? Youch.

-----
AK404

http://mindspring.com/~angelkiller404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that
cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just
comes in to work every day and has a job to do."
Message no. 8
From: Barbie LeVile barbie@********.de
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 09:14:00 +0200
Jyster Cap wrote:
>

> > munchkined to death is because it's in Shadowbeat,
> > which none of the munchkins
> > own. (No guns, you see. :)
>
> Hey I resent that!! Im a munckin and I own
> Shadowbeat. ;)

Shadowbeat is one of the best sourcebooks ever written
--
Barbie

"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad
"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer" - Adolf Hitler

barbie@********.de
http://www.amigaworld.com/barbie/index.html

SRGC 0.22: SR1 SR2+++ SR3--- h++++ b++ b--- UB++ IE- RN+ SR_D+++ W++
dk sh++++ ri++++ sa+++ ad+++ m+++(x+++) gm++ m+++ P+++(P*)
Message no. 9
From: Twist0059@***.com Twist0059@***.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 04:20:52 EDT
In a message dated 8/11/99 3:23:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
barbie@********.de writes:

> > > munchkined to death is because it's in Shadowbeat,
> > > which none of the munchkins
> > > own. (No guns, you see. :)
> >
> > Hey I resent that!! Im a munckin and I own
> > Shadowbeat. ;)
>
> Shadowbeat is one of the best sourcebooks ever written
> --


Yes, it is. Certain parts of incredibly fun to read, and others make you
feel like someone scratching their fingernails down a blackboard. (Also
known as the Seattle Sourcebook syndrome.)




-Twist
Message no. 10
From: runnerpaul@*****.com runnerpaul@*****.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 23:33:41 -0400 (EDT)
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

At 12:31 AM 8/11/99 -0400, Angelkiller 404 wrote:
:>The eyecamera packages in Shadowbeat are Trideo cameras. The
:>opticam from the BBB3 is only a video camera. The storage rate
:>listed for it is 1Mp per minute, which in Shadowbeat is the rate
:>listeded for High Resolution Video. Trideo's rate is 5Mp per minute
:>(or even 10Mp per minute for high-res Trid).
:
:
:Oh man, I can't believe I missed that! So that'd mean I'd need
:about 300Mp of headware memory to get an hour of trideo footage?
:Youch.

Or pump it through your datajack or headware transmitter to some
sort of external recording device.

(Somewhere around here, I've got the stats I did up for Optical Chip
HardBoxes. In Shadowrun, CDs are a somewhat limited recording medium,
but Optical Memory Chips are too expensive if you use the price in
Shadowbeat, and insanely expensive if you use the prices in the BBB3.
I took a tiny reference from the gear chapter of the BBB1, and
fleshed it out. If you're interested, let me know.)

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--
-- Paul Gettle, #186 of 1000 (RunnerPaul@*****.com)
PGP Fingerprint, Key ID:0x48F3AACD (RSA 1024, created 98/06/26)
C260 94B3 6722 6A25 63F8 0690 9EA2 3344

---------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://www.iname.com
Message no. 11
From: Angelkiller 404 angelkiller404@**********.com
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 02:26:29 -0400
-----Original Message-----
From: runnerpaul@*****.com <runnerpaul@*****.com>
To: ShadowRN Mailing List <shadowrn@*********.org>
Date: Friday, August 13, 1999 11:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams


>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>At 12:31 AM 8/11/99 -0400, Angelkiller 404 wrote:
>:>The eyecamera packages in Shadowbeat are Trideo cameras. The
>:>opticam from the BBB3 is only a video camera. The storage rate
>:>listed for it is 1Mp per minute, which in Shadowbeat is the rate
>:>listeded for High Resolution Video. Trideo's rate is 5Mp per minute
>:>(or even 10Mp per minute for high-res Trid).
>:
>:
>:Oh man, I can't believe I missed that! So that'd mean I'd need
>:about 300Mp of headware memory to get an hour of trideo footage?
>:Youch.
>
>Or pump it through your datajack or headware transmitter to some
>sort of external recording device.
>
>(Somewhere around here, I've got the stats I did up for Optical Chip
>HardBoxes. In Shadowrun, CDs are a somewhat limited recording medium,
>but Optical Memory Chips are too expensive if you use the price in
>Shadowbeat, and insanely expensive if you use the prices in the BBB3.
>I took a tiny reference from the gear chapter of the BBB1, and
>fleshed it out. If you're interested, let me know.)
>


Finally got around to answering this...yeah, I'm interested.

In Shadowbeat, the OMC's were too cheap (something like 0.5/Mp on
p99), and VR2.0, they were something like 6/Mp, which is a bit more
sensible, and in BBB3, they're 20/Mp, which is way too much. From .50
to 20 in seven years...the only thing that can possibly rise that fast
in value are comic books, rookie cards, and those damned Pokemon
cards...

-----
AK404

http://freespeech.org/ak404/
http://gibbed.com/parasiteve/
ICQ: 2157053

"You fool, pain is my friend! Allow me to introduce you to him!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"
Message no. 12
From: Mark A Shieh SHODAN+@***.EDU
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 11:15:26 -0400 (EDT)
"Angelkiller 404" <angelkiller404@**********.com> writes:
> >(Somewhere around here, I've got the stats I did up for Optical Chip
> >HardBoxes. In Shadowrun, CDs are a somewhat limited recording medium,
> >but Optical Memory Chips are too expensive if you use the price in
> >Shadowbeat, and insanely expensive if you use the prices in the BBB3.
> >I took a tiny reference from the gear chapter of the BBB1, and
> >fleshed it out. If you're interested, let me know.)
>
> Finally got around to answering this...yeah, I'm interested.
>
> In Shadowbeat, the OMC's were too cheap (something like 0.5/Mp on
> p99), and VR2.0, they were something like 6/Mp, which is a bit more
> sensible, and in BBB3, they're 20/Mp, which is way too much. From .50
> to 20 in seven years...the only thing that can possibly rise that fast
> in value are comic books, rookie cards, and those damned Pokemon
> cards...

I thought OMCs were like CDs. The OMCs in Shadowbeat are like
buying a prerecorded CD, the ones in VR2 were like buying blank CD-Rs
to use with your OMC burner, and the ones in BBB3 are actually hard
drive equivalents* (CD-RW?).

Mark

* I thought the ones in BBB3 weren't OMCs, just abstract storage
medium in a box.
Message no. 13
From: Gurth gurth@******.nl
Subject: [Shadowbeat] Cybercams
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 20:08:17 +0200
According to Angelkiller 404, at 2:26 on 18 Aug 99, the word on
the street was...

> In Shadowbeat, the OMC's were too cheap (something like 0.5/Mp on
> p99), and VR2.0, they were something like 6/Mp, which is a bit more
> sensible, and in BBB3, they're 20/Mp, which is way too much. From .50
> to 20 in seven years...the only thing that can possibly rise that fast
> in value are comic books, rookie cards, and those damned Pokemon
> cards...

"Computer memory (non-cyber)" has always cost 20 nuyen per megapulse --
you can check an SR1 main rulebook, page 138, to verify that. Shadowbeat
gives costs for bare datachips on page 99, and they costs 0.5 nuyen per
Mp. For an in-game answer, I'd say the cost for computer memory includes
all the electronics needed to make the computer work, while datachips are
just that -- chips, and nothing else.

An OOC answer would be that perhaps nobody writing or editing an SR book
bothered to look at the chip costs in other books... :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
De plaag is terug...!
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
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Further Reading

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