Build a Better Computer (Artificial Intelligence Helper Monkey)

[SterlingEdge]

Computers do stuff. I designed 2 computers. The Fandroid for 150 credits, and the Fapple for 525 credits. You can tweak stuff (Increase the range of the Fandroid from 1 mile to planetary for 50 more credits) but for now I consider these pretty basic/solid designs. How do they look? Did I miss something awesome or get my maths wrong?

What else can they do?
Can I use them to remotely hack the power grid and turn off street lights?
Can I use them to remotely start music, lower the lights, and turn on the roomba in my apartment?
Can I hack into the hanger bay's door control and close the doors to block off the invading hordes?
Can I turn on a TV?
Since these have Comm Units and 1 mile or planetary range, am I able to stay connected to the infosphere from anywhere on the planet?

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The Fandroid
50 tier 1 Computer
5 10% Artificial personality
5 10% Control, Complex
5 10% self charging
5 10% mini (Light Bulk)
5 10% mini (Negligible)

5 Comm unit
10 alarm
10 Secure data, Average
50 range 1 mile
-----
150 credits

It has a +2 to: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive

And after 2 min you can take a 20 on a bunch of skills.

-------------------------------------
The Fapple
250 tier 2 Computer
25 10% Artificial personality
25 10% Control, Complex
25 10% self charging
25 10% mini (1 Bulk)
25 10% mini (Light Bulk)
25 10% mini (Negligible)

5 Comm unit
10 alarm
10 Secure data, Average
100 range Planetary
-----
525 Credits

It has a +4 to: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive

And after 2 min you can take a 20 on a bunch of skills.

[Styrofoam]

The Complex Control part isnt quite right. You need a complex control for each unit you want to control. You want to control a remote 700cr pistol? You need a 70 cr complex control. Your Roomba is a 10cr drone? Control it with a 1 cr complex control. So you can have multiple complex controls in a computer.

[SterlingEdge]

Styrofoam wrote:

The Complex Control part isnt quite right. You need a complex control for each unit you want to control. You want to control a remote 700cr pistol? You need a 70 cr complex control. Your Roomba is a 10cr drone? Control it with a 1 cr complex control. So you can have multiple complex controls in a computer.

So for 71 credits I can mount a gun to my roomba. I see this as a good investment. The roomba kills my cat and cleans it.

[Nixitur]

No, computers can not hack, especially not remotely. Remote hacking is basically the defining class ability of the Mechanic. Range upgrades means that they can control stuff that was installed via control modules at a range, not that they can interface with anything else at range. Computers can do a lot of things hat require skill checks, but only if you have control modules for the devices involved. This would only be the case if you own the device in the first place.
However, they can still do a bunch of stuff, and automated, too. As a simple example, with a control module for a motion detector and one for an alarm (the latter falling under "minor piece of equipment with a real-world equivalent"), you can set up your computer to look at the motion detector and ring the alarm if it sees anything.
So, to answer your questions:

• Can I use them to remotely hack the power grid and turn off street lights?
  No
  
• Can I use them to remotely start music, lower the lights, and turn on the roomba in my apartment?
  Yes, if you have installed control modules for each of those. For simple devices that basically just have on/off switches, those are free, too. I would consider a dimmer switch or volume control to be simple enough to be free, as well.
  
• Can I hack into the hanger bay's door control and close the doors to block off the invading hordes?
  That has nothing to do with computers. Do you have a hacking kit? Then probably yes, but not at a distance.
  
• Can I turn on a TV?
  Yes, and that would be a free control module.
  
• Since these have Comm Units and 1 mile or planetary range, am I able to stay connected to the infosphere from anywhere on the planet?
  Yes, and that would be true even without Range upgrades. Those are only for controlled devices, infosphere access is free.

SterlingEdge wrote:

So for 71 credits I can mount a gun to my roomba. I see this as a good investment. The roomba kills my cat and cleans it.

Bear in mind that computers have very bad attack bonuses. Their bonus is just their tier, so +10 at the very most. However, somebody accessing the computer can use their own bonus, so a Soldier would be quite good at using the gun, even by proxy through a computer.

[Lane_S]

Can I hack into the hanger bay's door control and close the doors to block off the invading hordes?

That depends. Is the door controlled remotely by a computer you can hack? If the door is local control only then you can not hack it from a distance unless you have the class feature.

The Fandroid I would add a hacking toolkit.

The Fapple should cost 4x as much. Complex control modules should cost 30% of device, only available from an authorized Fapple retailer and only for certain devices. It does come with an impact resistant Secure Data module containing a list of all the devices and uses not compatible with your Fapple.

[SterlingEdge]

Lane_S wrote:

The Fapple should cost 4x as much. Complex control modules should cost 30% of device, only available from an authorized Fapple retailer and only for certain devices. It does come with an impact resistant Secure Data module containing a list of all the devices and uses not compatible with your Fapple.

Of course the Fapple is 500 credits BEFORE the Fapple store markup. But 500 by the rules.

[ShieldLawrence]

Add 10% and 7 credits to the new total cost in order to turn this helper monkey into a comm unit as well.

[Ravingdork]

Fapple. Call my mother. Tell her I'm going to miss her birthday.