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Old 03-03-2022, 11:22 PM   #1
Michael Thayne
 
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Default [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Something that's puzzled me for a long time, thought I'd see if anyone else can explain it: the skill levels for the automed seem to have been assigned almost at random. At first, you might think this is explained by the fact that they already include equipment bonuses, but this doesn't seem consistent with the description of what equipment is included in the automed. For example, Surgery is one of its best skills, but the automed's surgical equipment is said to be only equivalent to a portable surgery, which gives a +1 bonus. Going a bit further, my best shot at rationalizing the automed's skills is to assume that at TL9 it includes a microframe running a weak dedicated AI, and that at TL10+ this is upgraded to a non-volitional AI. That analysis, though, suggests it has 2 points in Diagnosis and First Aid, 4 points in Physician, 8 points in Electronics Operation (Medical), and 16 points in Surgery, which seems just random. Maybe Surgery is assumed to be DX-based, but then you'd expect Surgery skill levels to scale differently with TL than other (IQ-based) skills. Finally, sometimes oddities like this in UT for 4e make more sense when you look at UT Classic, but there the automed has First Aid 14 and 13 in everything else, which feels less random but doesn't explain the 4e stats. Anyone have any theories as to what's going on here?
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Old 03-04-2022, 12:59 AM   #2
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Computers and robots are good at precise cutting, but not so good at cleaning up messy abrasions and diagnosing things?
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Old 03-04-2022, 04:44 AM   #3
sir_pudding
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Assumed micromanipulators bonus?
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Old 03-04-2022, 07:20 AM   #4
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Or maybe Automed Skill levels were first set in Space 1e and haven't changed much since.

There are all sorts of things in Gurps 4e that were not re-calculated de novo for 4e.
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Old 03-04-2022, 07:50 AM   #5
Michael Thayne
 
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert View Post
Computers and robots are good at precise cutting, but not so good at cleaning up messy abrasions and diagnosing things?
This sounds like a variation on the "DX-based Surgery" theory, which doesn't explain scaling with TL very well. Though if nobody can suggest a better theory, it might be the best Doylist explanation, even if it doesn't work so well in Watsonian terms.

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Assumed micromanipulators bonus?
Maybe, though there's no hint that a surgeon teleoperating the automed would get any such bonus.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
Or maybe Automed Skill levels were first set in Space 1e and haven't changed much since.

There are all sorts of things in Gurps 4e that were not re-calculated de novo for 4e.
While this sort of explanation seems right for some other odd features of UT 4e, it doesn't seem to work here. It appears that automed statistics were kept consistent from Space 1e to Space/UT 3e, but then changed for unclear reasons in 4e. Part of me wonders if the skill levels reflect an earlier draft where the automed incorporated different equipment and/or the equipment provided different bonuses, and then the skills were not updated when the other equipment changed.
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Old 03-04-2022, 08:15 AM   #6
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

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Originally Posted by Michael Thayne View Post
T It appears that automed statistics were kept consistent from Space 1e to Space/UT 3e, but then changed for unclear reasons in 4e. .
I see that after checking myself. I even see that there weren't any automeds in Transhuman Space (whihc is soemtimes the missig link between 3e and 4e).

I still doubt that the 4e automed numbers represent any calculations based on a tale of included computer and equipment. You would have been forced to do that in TS.
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Old 03-04-2022, 09:37 AM   #7
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

The high surgery value is based on the assumption that it has great manual dexterity but isn't super smart.
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Old 03-04-2022, 10:24 AM   #8
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
I see that after checking myself. I even see that there weren't any automeds in Transhuman Space (whihc is soemtimes the missig link between 3e and 4e).

I still doubt that the 4e automed numbers represent any calculations based on a tale of included computer and equipment. You would have been forced to do that in TS.
It did have Bushbots instead.
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Old 03-04-2022, 01:13 PM   #9
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
It did have Bushbots instead.
I found a template for a "cyberdoc" shell but if there was a corresponding skill template I missed it.
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Old 03-04-2022, 01:39 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] Automed skill levels

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
I found a template for a "cyberdoc" shell but if there was a corresponding skill template I missed it.
I don't think there's any specific surgeon AI templates, no.
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