Rules Clarification: Agent Programs (CSCp69)

[swordtart]

Sure. I was wondering whether there are things that the character has to themselves rather than having their portable computer do for them. Maybe there are computers with non means for the portable computer to connect to it, so the character has to use a physical interface?

Certainly the Agent can't do physical computer tasks, but I see those being edge cases given the whole purpose of computers is to operate digitally. They may have a keyboard for technicians, but most techs will be using portable computers as well.

That is not to say it can't happen, but at worst then the Expert/Agent can talk the flesh bag through the task (and in that case you will need to take the characters stat DMs into account)

 

[swordtart]

Sorry. By granting the skill I meant it can do it autonomously (usefully insulating you from that appalling EDU DM). You just tell the computer to "Find me a supplier of X on the Planetary Data net". The computer makes the skill check. But from a practical standpoint that is no different to the character having skill 0 and making the check themselves.

Actually CSC p70 tells us that with Intellect the user can make the skill check AS IF they had the skill at Expert bandwidth-1. In that case you would still use the characters stat DMs.

 

[ResslynHalvik]

Actually CSC p70 tells us that with Intellect the user can make the skill check AS IF they had the skill at Expert bandwidth-1. In that case you would still use the characters stat DMs.

Sure sure - but Intellect is not available until TL-12

 

[ResslynHalvik]

Specialised Computers (CSC p69) have the interface included at no bandwidth. You can have specialised Intellect at TL9. It just cost 10x the price (but as you can buy the computer at a few tens of credits that is not such an issue).

You can still access remote Expert Packages using the Intellect on your Comm leveraging the remote computers bandwidth. Frankly you could host the Intellect on the remote computer as well and just use the Computer/1 to transfer the data to and fro, but I like the other functions of the interface to be on-hand.

This is really interesting, and I need to think about how to use it for my case. Thank you.

Edit: I wonder if a Traveller needs Electronics (Computer) (at least at 0) to be able to make sure the connections work, or if maybe without it he occasionally fat fingers something that disconnects it and he can't get it back without help. Or maybe Agent/0 on the portable computer is enough to keep it together for him.

 

[swordtart]

Sure sure - but Intellect is not available until TL-12

It is a shame that there is no TL9 computer since that is the TL of a Specialised computer that has Intellect. It depends if you think a Retrotech TL9 computer built at TL11 is a TL11 computer or a TL9 one. The rules indicate it is still TL11. If so any retrotech computer built at TL9+ could be specialised with Intellect. You need to bear this in mind as the TL of Expert package will also be limited by that decision.

In the former case your TL11 specialised computer with Intellect could be retro-TL10 and cost Cr2500 or if you take the view that it is the Computer/1 is all that retro-TL8 means (my view) you could get one for Cr325 (plus the cost of the Expert package itself)

With a Specialised computer you can only have a single Expert package chosen when you first get it and cannot change it, but that is still useful and as time goes on you might buy others.

The wording of Agent is that it is a specialised Expert and single purpose Expert package. It says specifically it can be used in autonomous mode and grants the whole bandwidth of the package as the skill level. So TL11 can get Agent-0 and depending on your take on how the retro-TL relates to the TL of the computer you can get away with a retro-TL7 but there is no cost advantage to a TL8 one. The total cost of such a system would be Cr825 and you still have bandwidth 1 to simultaneously run another package.

Lots of options.

 

[ResslynHalvik]

I am still reading CSC as saying Intellect isn't available until TL-12