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Access the internet & other


Tech

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I'm sure this has been discussed before but I don't see it soooo....

 

1) How would you build the ability to access the internet for a character (scan for information, check email, even send a text, etc)?

2) How would you build the ability to change a digital clock's time just by looking at it?

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Doesn't even need to be high range radio hearing. You can buy radio perceive and transmit for 10pts (CCp.63) and if desired, limit it to WiFi. But for baseline civilian online stuff, you shouldn't need to pay points. Of course, doing this without a smartphone isn't baseline civilian, so the radio access with your mind will need points paid.

 

The user interface stuff is just special effects. Someone with an inherent power should be fine to visualise it all; Iron Man types would have a HUD. If it's bought as a device, it would have a screen.

 

Having an internet account and normal smartphone access in a modern setting is just everyday stuff, like owning clothes and having an apartment, or knowing how to drive. Might be worth a point or two in the 90's. Prior to that you're definitely looking at Access and paying for Radio perception for devices.

 

No classes of Mind in CC - I'd use a 1d6 cosmetic Transform.

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1 hour ago, Doc Democracy said:

ooh!  ooh!  Can we find lots of ways to do the digital clock thing?!
 

I propose 5STR TK, fine manipulation, only to change settings....

 

Extradimensional Move, Usable as Attack, Only to move Digital Clocks forward and back through Time.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Or I could just tell the palindromedary to go change the clock

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My apologies for not clarifying the original post, that's what happens when I rush.

 

The two abilities are for powered armor/robot abilities, without the aid of a desktop/laptop computer or cel; and of course, at range. The best example of course is ironman's suit but I'm thinking more of a robot that can casually do it whenever/wherever it is.

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20 hours ago, Tech said:

My apologies for not clarifying the original post, that's what happens when I rush.

 

The two abilities are for powered armor/robot abilities, without the aid of a desktop/laptop computer or cel; and of course, at range. The best example of course is ironman's suit but I'm thinking more of a robot that can casually do it whenever/wherever it is.

How about a compound power consisting of the appropriately-priced (2-3 pts) level of the Computer Link perk ... and High Range Radio Perception (with transmit & receive) ... both bought on the focus type of your choosing?  

This would get you TV, radio, a computer uplink that's smartphone-like (i.e. anywhere) to various systems, etc. ... and reasonably simulate what Jarvis can do for Iron Man's suit.

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8 hours ago, Tech said:

My apologies for not clarifying the original post, that's what happens when I rush.

 

The two abilities are for powered armor/robot abilities, without the aid of a desktop/laptop computer or cel; and of course, at range. The best example of course is ironman's suit but I'm thinking more of a robot that can casually do it whenever/wherever it is.

 

In these cases, you're taking HHRH for other purposes, so being able to connect to the public internet through WiFi, phone or satellite in a modern setting is really just an everyday ability, like having a normal driver's license, a normal apartment and clothing, or fluency in your native language. Or access to broadcast radio and television. Or videophone calls, if smartphones are everyday items (robot characters with HRRH can be assumed to have equivalent functionality). The Computer Link perk is only needed for access to private servers.

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I'd say that computer link can also be used to represent your ability to quickly extract information from the Internet.

So for 0 points, you get what Google gives you, and for 2-3 points, you easily get all sorts of 'public' info like what property someone owns, and for around 5 points you get all the creepy Googolplex stuff like everything they ever posted on Facebook, all the ads they clicked on, what pictures of their face have ever been posted and by who, and so on.

 

Another thing for radio perception for internet access is that that normally gives you a completely separate sense, so you can still look at the Internet while flashed.  So you may want the 'also effected as sight and hearing groups (-1/2)' or 'also effected as sight group (-1/4)' disads.

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9 hours ago, Surrealone said:

The working example that was cited was Iron Man's suit -- which has access to private servers -- hence why I recommended Computer Link.  What's your issue with it?

 

No issue at all. Just discussing a variety of options. Tech also mentioned robots.

 

We are FULLY in agreement that Tony Stark has access to private servers and has that perk, though I'd not build it into the suit as such. That access is something he can use out of the suit. He may not be the best example either, since he's also megarich and the head of an international tech firm. The guy is absolutely dripping in Perks and as far above "everyday internet" level as Bill Gates.

 

Good point about the extra sense if you pay the points for inherent radio, Crusher Bob. An everyday smartphone needs your eyes (and maybe ears) to be working.

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In my game I use Computer Link to represent internet access, with the SFX being radio.  And since the gadgeteer hero wanted to be able to (A) access the Internet via satellite from anywhere in the world and (B) be a mobile hotspot for her teammates, I added Megascale (for A) and Usable by Others (for B).  Yeah, I know Computer Link doesn't exactly have a range, but I still went with Megascale anyway.

 

On 11/8/2017 at 5:14 PM, mrinku said:

The Computer Link perk is only needed for access to private servers.

 

But isn't getting onto the internet basically accessing an ISP's private servers?  I certainly don't own them.  ;)

 

I'd agree that basic internet access (e.g. via smartphone, your home computer, or your laptop via a library WiFi) is a 0-point Perk.  In the first two cases you pay actual money rather than character points, and get the attendant real-world limitations that come along with that.

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Yes, zero point perk (or everyday default) in a modern setting is the best way to go. It's clearly a points-worthy Perk for settings where internet access or cell/smartphones are not common. Of course, in many of those settings there's simply no infrastructure anyway, so it doesn't work. Gadget Girl might find her social media cut off when she flies off to Alpha Centauri with the Galaxy Squad to defeat the Goomba fleet. Or when travelling to 1975 to defeat Doctor Jive.

 

On the other hand, if you sink enough points in, you can access Wikipedia and call people from across the galaxy or the end of time (cf. Dr Who).

 

I know you're being cheeky, but there's a BIG difference between "getting access to an ISP's private servers" and using them to access the public internet or send normal email. These days it really is just a basic utility, like power and water.

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The Doctor's works across all of time and space, so is worth a few more points. :)

 

Although there's a strong case for the TARDIS to be considered a discrete dimension of its own... so if the phones the various companions use are just calling that, a single contact point is all you'd need (i.e. the TARDIS acts as an exchange).

 

And as it's NOT general "phone access to any phone in time or space" but just calling and receiving from one particular number that happens to be elsewhere and when, you could really just run it as a special effect of Contact: The Doctor.

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2 hours ago, Tech said:

So, for a robot character to access the internet, including secret areas on any websites/servers/etc would be Computer Link perk, plus Security Systems?

 

Not technically necessary to have the security systems, the Computer Link perk is supposed to relate to full access but the ultimate authority as to what can be used to simulate what you want is the GM.

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Thing is, "The Internet" isn't one source, and what we usually mean when we refer to it is the public stuff, or in some cases common user access (i.e. it doesn't really count if you have to log in, but can obtain a free or cheap user account, such as with Facebook or Gmail). Each restricted database or system is its own Perk. The access does *not* need to be legal, though - a hacker who has pre-established backdoor access to a secure site might pay the same Computer Link cost as the site admin.

 

If you want a character that doesn't have formal access but can hack in to whatever system, just use Computer Programming. Security Systems really only applies to physical security, though they can overlap when computers are involved in the physical security setup. But when it's pure hacking, Computer Programming is the skill used. Various complementary knowledges will help.

 

Here's some food for thought... Wikipedia is about a 9GB download; it's a practical option to store all that on a 16GB smartphone, and access it regardless of connection (And used as a minor plot point in a time travel story in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) . Once we are getting into the territory of Iron Man suits or sentient robots, stuff that any regular person can do on a piece of common commercial electronics that costs a few hundred dollars really should be assumed.

 

The real question is "how does this robot character access the internet?" If they just have a smartphone built into their head, buy radio listen and transmit. If they need to plug into an access point by physical cable, I'd probably just let them do it.

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