Computers in SFS Play

[Gabbers "Gab" McTalkington]

Curious to know if maybe there's some aspect I've been missing, or if there are scenarios where it comes into play ... but is there any particular reason in SFS play for a character, even a tech-focused character, to upgrade beyond a basic starting computer?

At no point, even when doing hacking rolls or accessing data, have I ever been asked for the Tier of the computer I'm using to perform these tasks. I still have the Tier 1 computer that I started with, and I can't justify the cost it would take to buy a new one. But I assume that computers are being used more creatively and proactively by others, and there might be mechanics and uses that are based on Tier which I just haven't taken advantage of.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

[Nefreet]

Having either played or GMed every scenario thus far (and several APs), I can only think of one mention of needing a Tier 2 computer for data storage, and even then it's not an actual requirement needed for scenario success.

Perhaps higher tier games will ask for one?

[BigNorseWolf]

I think requiring one when the rules don't give any indication that one is needed is kind of blind siding the players with an extra requirement that they have no way of knowing about.

It doesn't help that the computers don't even have an item level, so buying one in PFS is a little weird.

[Blake's Tiger]

Tier is processing speed, anyhow, not data storage. There are modules to increase data storage of any tier computer.

[Xenocrat]

Gabbers "Gab" McTalkington wrote:

Curious to know if maybe there's some aspect I've been missing, or if there are scenarios where it comes into play ... but is there any particular reason in SFS play for a character, even a tech-focused character, to upgrade beyond a basic starting computer?

At no point, even when doing hacking rolls or accessing data, have I ever been asked for the Tier of the computer I'm using to perform these tasks.

You don't use a computer to perform hacking tasks, you use a hacking kit, which doesn't even require power let alone have a tier. If you have Divine Blessing (Triune) feat you just hack purely with your mind and touch.

[Gabbers "Gab" McTalkington]

True, for the hack itself, but I guess I always pictured you as needing a computer to actually house and work with any stolen data. You can use a hacking kit to access another system, but taking the data out of the system seems like it would be contingent on the Computer specs. So you cannot steal a massive AdabarCorp database off a quantum mainframe and just run it on your Tier 1 computer.

[AtlasSniperman]

I'm a huge fan of Library Chips on my operative, and have all five installed on a negligible bulk computer. That's probably the most I use my computer ingame.

In addition it's also the same characters spell cache(technomancer dip)

[Wishing Wells]

From the scenarios and APs that I've played, ran, and read through, most of the computers tend to be almost cosmetic in nature except when it comes to data storage. Even then most folks opt to use a personal comm unit as a flash drive when it comes to such usage. However the spell chips seem to be quite interested upon looking into them and now I'm curious if spell chips would work with the Arcanamirium sage's Spell Gem Manipulation since the chips act like spell gems.

[BigNorseWolf]

If they're holding it or the computer probably but not if they're setting it off remotely?

[Wishing Wells]

If I'm going to trap any computer, it'll be Logic Bomb all day every day. Now I'm envisioning making a Megaman.exe type character with "battle chips" for the spells.

[BigNorseWolf]

Andrew Wells wrote:

If I'm going to trap any computer, it'll be Logic Bomb all day every day. Now I'm envisioning making a Megaman.exe type character with "battle chips" for the spells.

now pictures him loading up a chip, and then trying to hug his enemies instead of shooting them.

"dammit, what have I told you about mixing up your Selene Dion collection and your tracking system?"

[Wishing Wells]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Andrew Wells wrote:

If I'm going to trap any computer, it'll be Logic Bomb all day every day. Now I'm envisioning making a Megaman.exe type character with "battle chips" for the spells.

now pictures him loading up a chip, and then trying to hug his enemies instead of shooting them.

"dammit, what have I told you about mixing up your Selene Dion collection and your tracking system?"

"In my defense, I was listening to 'Taking Chances' and I had to take this chance..."

[pithica42]

Computers do have an item level. The item level is twice the tier of the computer. The only place this is explained, that I know of, is a blog-post, but based on when it came out and who wrote it (Owen), I'm assuming they intended to have the line, "In general, a computer has an item level equal to double its tier." somewhere in the final book but it got lost in editing at some point. It is implied (but never stated) in the section on crafting as well.

The thing I primarily use my Tier 3 Computer for with my character is making Diplomacy and other social skill checks. My android TM doesn't have those skills and, in fact, has a penalty to most of them, so he lets his pocket AI do all the talking for him. Also, having library chips loaded into that computer and the computer attached to his brain via datajack means he can do the recall knowledge trick hands free. (That's probably unnecessary, but fits the character, so I go with that.)

[phaeton_nz]

I presume that the higher the tier, the more powerful the computer - and after IRL, having to upgrade PCs to run applications, I'm wondering how powerful some of the higher tier machines are ... and are we talking about mainframes, PCs, or networked machines.

[pithica42]

As they go up, they definitely approach more mainframe or VMHost style systems than PCs. They can have 10 user interfaces per point of bulk, and the bulk goes up with the square of the tier. So even a Tier 1 computer is normally a 'server' with up to 10 client interfaces on it. The ones with a bulk of 25 or more (so Tier 5+ by default) aren't portable unless they're built into a vehicle or something.

You could, in theory, at least, make an actual PC (or even a smartphone sized or watch sized) that was a Tier 10 computer, but you would be spending the entire price again (320,000cr) just on miniaturization.

[Pogiforce]

Quick computers question while on the topic. The book says you can add a computer to a personal comm for 110% of the computers price. Is that base rice, or price after odd ad upgrades ? Thinking about doing a wrist mounted communicator that's also a tier 3 computer with library chips and an artificial personality.

[Gabbers "Gab" McTalkington]

I create a negligible-bulk computer then buy a personal comm unit and a control module so my computer can access the comm.

As written, I would interpret the 10% to the total cost of the computer if I were integrating them as you describe.

[Pogiforce]

Thanks. I understand there's little mechanical value in it, but I just really like the idea of a wrist mounted repository of information that my character can converse with, with all the additional functionality of a personal comm unit, that he built himself.