Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-08-2019, 10:23 AM   #21
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
Recording is just a matter of collecting light. In a creation, you have to decide everything that's happening in a scene. And the more shortcuts you take to speed things up, the more evidence you leave that this is an artificial clip.
That presumes the technology being used to create it is surpassed by the means of storage. There is a limit to how much data you can capture at a given frame rate with a given type of hardware. At some point, it may be quicker to manufacture such data than it is to record such data, and we are currently pioneering the software to do so.

Quote:
"Immediately" means that the crooks have to get their story right BEFORE anything happens. They need to have the exact layout and lighting of the room. They need to seamlessly and instantly adjust merge the position of others and of random objects into their pre-prepared scene. They need to compromise the video feeds in advance, or arrange for the crime to happen in a place they can control the video of. And the footage has to account for all of the physical evidence the crime leaves. And you've got to make all the cameras see the same thing and FIND all of the cameras.
In our system it just needs to confuse the issue enough to prevent prosecution... However, all of this is merely a requirement on how mature the technology needs to be. Perhaps it's optimistic for 30 years, but current tech can do some pretty impressive 3d pictures that capture information where as 30 years ago digital photography hardly existed.

I'd venture that appropriate chain of evidence from certain bonded sources is how future footage is authenticated. It won't be trusted because it can't be faked. It will allowed by fiat, from powerful agencies that expect what they provide to be taken as fact.
naloth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 10:32 AM   #22
RyanW
 
RyanW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
To go along with your idea of guns that fire tracking pellets, I think a better idea might be some kind of paste either containing trackers or emitting a mild radiation that can be easily tracked.
How about smart nanodots that scatter on the target and around the scene (nano-confetti)? They imprint upon firing with information from the gun, including timestamp and the identity provided by the biometric lock.
__________________
RyanW
- Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats.
RyanW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 10:38 AM   #23
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanW View Post
How about smart nanodots that scatter on the target and around the scene (nano-confetti)? They imprint upon firing with information from the gun, including timestamp and the identity provided by the biometric lock.
That assumes fairly mature nanotech, but it's a good idea if the setting does include that.
awesomenessofme1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 01:22 PM   #24
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Ironically, physical film is much harder (and more obvious) to forge than digital film, so paranoid people may go back to analog video tapes for security. It might be expensive and bulky, but it might be the only way to trust any video evidence.
AlexanderHowl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 05:53 PM   #25
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by naloth View Post
Maybe. I suspect we'll get to the point where we can't trust video because CGI is just that good. After all, we're about to have a movie where James (long dead) Dean has a role. What good is video evidence if you can manufacturer a video of anyone doing anything on your phone?
I'd imagine faking such a video without leaving any detectable digital artifacts is an order of magnitude (or more) more difficult than simply faking it well enough to fool the human eye. A frame-by-frame analysis by a dedicated program will probably be able to tell, with a high degree of reliability, if the video is real or not. Additionally, if the video needs to show anyone who isn't "in" on the scheme (such as a person you are framing), you may have difficulty getting a sufficiently-accurate 3d mapping of them to have the person in the video match that person. We can manage decent simulacrums of deceased celebrities due to there being a huge amount of images and videos from various angles available; we can manage better ones of living people by doing proper 3d mapping techniques directly on the person themselves. The average person you need to portray in the video probably doesn't have enough such images, of sufficiently high quality, to produce a fake that will stand up to serious scrutiny.

...

As for the topic at hand, while it's excessive and a bit cinematic, one thing I'm fond of for TL9+ law enforcement is a zap glove (UT 165), with a retractable, armor-piercing punching blade that can conduct the zapping internally. The utility of the zap glove is obvious for law enforcement; the added spike is so when faced with an enemy wearing armor, the LEO can stab past the armor (ideally in a less-lethal location) to deliver the zap. This is more appropriate as something built into existing armor than as a standalone gauntlet, however - normal officers are better served by electrolasers and stun batons.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 06:58 PM   #26
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
I'd imagine faking such a video without leaving any detectable digital artifacts is an order of magnitude (or more) more difficult than simply faking it well enough to fool the human eye. A frame-by-frame analysis by a dedicated program will probably be able to tell, with a high degree of reliability, if the video is real or not.
With sophisticated software you can do this with digital photography now, to the point that experts can't reliably tell the difference. It's only a matter of time before that degree is possible (not necessarily available*) for video.

*Most software intentionally leaves artifacts, just like many printers leave identifying marks so you can identify the printer that created it. In a repressive regime, such things might be required.

As for the digital scans necessary, more information is certainly better. At some point you could "holodeck" them with a computer simulation and let programs extrapolate the rest.

Last edited by naloth; 11-08-2019 at 07:29 PM.
naloth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2019, 07:26 PM   #27
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

People post thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours of video of their mundane lives on social media right now, so you can make that sort of digital video right now without difficulty. The programs are easily acquired and, since they are digital, even their 'fingerprints' can be edited. Deep fakes are here now, and they will only get more common as technology advances and gets cheaper. Paradoxically, the best technical solution is to go old school.
AlexanderHowl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2019, 02:55 PM   #28
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
People post thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours of video of their mundane lives on social media right now, so you can make that sort of digital video right now without difficulty. The programs are easily acquired and, since they are digital, even their 'fingerprints' can be edited. Deep fakes are here now, and they will only get more common as technology advances and gets cheaper. Paradoxically, the best technical solution is to go old school.
Deep Fakes were actually the theme of this week's Blacklist. It was for a different purpose (discrediting people, causing the police to over react, etc), but it's a tactic that will only get more technologically feasible with advances.
naloth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2019, 06:10 PM   #29
dcarson
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Not a lawyer but things like photos are not something that can just be entered as evidence now, you need to back it up with who the photographer was and their testimony. There is a exception for "regular" records so surveillance videos can be used. Like a anonymous note that says someone was in the building isn't admissible but a time clock or security log is. Things that can't be used in court can be used to get someone brought in for questioning or search warrants issued though.
dcarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2019, 11:44 AM   #30
Jack Sawyer
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Default Re: Sci-Fi Police of the year 2049 AD

Quote:
Originally Posted by hal View Post
For example, in today's real world times, police officers are starting to require the use of body armor when they go on the streets and deal with tense situations. Using the Pyramid Articles about armor, it might be interesting to see just what kind of armor might prove useful on the streets. Perhaps police officers might be wearing head protection in the form of helmets so as to have all around protection at all times. Maybe the police forces do NOT want their police to be thought of as faceless soldiers and mandate that the police wear helmets of sorts, but not fully sealed helmets that permit the people to see the faces of their protectors.
In the other thread one of the points made was that many RL Law Enforcement focuses on prevention and visibility/community engagement. Having all your cops look like SWAT probably isn't desirable for that reason since it could look rather authoritarian (unless you're going for an authoritarian flavor, then it might be okay.)

You'd want armor to protect against certain things, but I suspect it would be concealable (if not be the uniform itself - ballistic shirts and the like) This would also be desirable for undercover officers as well. For that same reason I don't see many cops wearing helmets - again military overtones that may affect community engagement. I mean even with clear visors what is being described is more akin to SWAT or riot police, and those tend to have fairly negative (oppressive) overtones.


Quote:
Maybe the police wear portable computers in a box that provides DR 10 protection. The computer projects its data onto the HUD in the helment, and the voice activated computer may have Siri like capabilities and functionalities as long as the computer is connected to a police tactical net.
Headset maybe, again not sure you want your Law Enforcement wearing helmets. Maybe some sort of visor or drop down eyepiece too. Hands-free comms would be desirable too.


Quote:
In my near future campaigns, I eschew the use of caseless ammunition largely because after all this time, Caseless ammunition is still not quite ready for prime time use. Toss in various factors such as "logistical supply" necessary for military units, and I largely think that governments today will find it VERY difficult to switch to caseless ammunition with all the money the government has spent on stockpiling ammunition supplies for their own military.

Nothing keeps you from contributing to this thread saying "Ok, but if caseless does become the rule of the day - this is how it might go down" and take it from there.
Caseless has kinda gone the way of gyrojets IMHO with the advent of polymer and poly/CT ammunition like you're seeing in the Army NGSW project (see Textron's entry.) Caseless ammo has storage/logisitics issues due to the lack of case and as I recall also means all the heat of firing has to go into the weapon. A properly designed polymer round not only is lighter but also can also keep that heat contained (allegedly they are thermodynamically more efficient and the Textron rifle needs 80% less propellant.) The Textron ammo design also allows for much higher-pressure ammo.

Quote:
For example? What if buckshot was developed that contained RFID chips in the core of the shot. It may not be sufficient to penetrate armor, nor perhaps even do major wounding damage to the person who gets shot. On the flip side, the target is now carrying about a lot of RFID chips on him that might betray him to nearby scanners as the police hunt the perp down.
I'm not sure of the legal implications of such. I'd imagine that some fairly invasive surveillance would require authorization of some kind. (and if you are going to do it, there would be less traumatic ways to deliver it even if you wanted to shoot it at someone.)

Besides, if your cops are packing drones, are they going to have a hard time tracking the target. Especially one you might have shot with buckshot to begin with (how far are they going to get/be hard to locate?
Jack Sawyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.