From:	Scott Wheelock iscottw@*****.nb.ca
Subject:	skillsoft chips
Date:	Tue, 23 Feb 1999 08:26:43 -0400

"And now, a Channel 6 editorial reply to Keldon Mor."
]While everyone is talking about Skillsofts, I have a question about
]Skillwires. It's probably been discussed and decided upon but if I may
]indulge...
]
]1. I have Skillwires plus (lvl 3) and a Softlink (lvl 4). Can I use a Active
]Skillsoft Rating 6 or a rating 4 & 2? Or does can the Skillwires only handle
]up to a total of 6 rating points with a max of 3 for each chip?

Checking out Shadowtech, p.47, I've come to no conclusions.
It says that "The total ratings of all the skillsofts in use at any
one time may not exceed the Total Ratings capability of the
system." Well, that's fine, we all knew that. You can't have
more than 6 total ratings in a level 3 skillwire system.
But it just doesn't say anything about the max rating of one
soft. I'd love to think that it could be six, and that's how I
play(ed before 3rd Ed. came along, where there's only one
type of skillwires so far).

]2. What exactly do I use the SSLD for? If I switch skills, is the the time I
]have to wait to use it? If I swap a chip with a skill I'm not using, does it
]affect any of the skill I'm using?

Avoid the thing like the plague. Who wants to sit there
and figure that crap out? If you feel badly about it, buy
an SPU/IO, and say that it takes care of it. Or say that it
takes a certain amount of time to upload the soft you're
switching to (ie one phase, one turn, etc).
Or go ahead and use it...yes, by the book, it determines
how quickly skillsofts in a softlink are accessed.

]3. Does the Active skill actually transfer to the Skillwires or does the
]chip have to remain plugged into the Softlink? In other words, can I
]download 2 skills to the Skillwires, unplug them, and then plug in 4 more
]skills to the Softlink incase I may need them later?

Gotta have headware memory, chummer. Or, in SR3,
it lists the skillwires as having memory (it's part of
what determines the cost). So, perhaps in 3rd Ed., the
wires come with the necessary memory to put in the
chip, load it on up, and forget about it.

These are all opinions, so take the safety off your salt
shaker.

Scott