character points, Skills, Artificial Intelligence

[hal]

Hello Folks,
As I try to wrestle with concepts and rules from various sources such as GURPS ROBOTS, GURPS VEHICLES 2nd edition and TRANSHUMAN SPACE (all pre-GURPS 4e material) - and reconcile them with the rules in GURPS 4e (including the 4e version of ULTRATECH), I find myself wondering what in the heck happened?

GURPS ROBOTS (now GURPS CLASSIC ROBOTS) - used to make it such that skills were programs of a given complexity. TRANSHUMAN SPACE it seems, differentiates between SKILL SETS and Learned Skills. Making matters more confusing from my perspective, is that many of the robots given in GURPS ULTRATECH for 4e, don't even bother to list skills for the robots in question.

GURPS 4e ULTRATECH specifically states that the IQ of a robot is directly LIMITED by the complexity of the computer involved (No more can people put points into IQ to improve it as was possible with GURPS CLASSIC ROBOTS). As I try to reconcile the concepts of skills for robots in the various versions of GURPS (GURPS CLASSIC and GURPS 4e) I keep running into issues of "What is being defined here???!!!!"

So, when TRANSHUMAN SPACE (page 144) says

"Skill Set software is disconnected from the AI’s own set of learned skills; the skills only apply when the AI is running the program, and are not cumulative with learned skills."

What is it specifically saying? That a Robot has learned skills within its programming - that it was either trained to have before being sold, or learned on its own if it doesn't have "Cannot learn" as a disadvantage? GURPS ROBOTS had specific complexity values for skill programs - but that doesn't seem to be what TRANSHUMAN SPACE or GURPS ULTRATECH for 4e means.

So, for me, questions abound. For example: If you have a complexity 6 Artificial Intelligence software package installed in a computer brain, in theory, you could have the skills by paying "character points" for pre-trained robotic skills, or you can simply let the computer "learn" on its own and as the computer/robotic mind accrues experience (aka experience points), it can improve its skill right?

But, when you go to look at the rules in GURPS TRANSHUMAN SPACE CHANGING TIMES, the rules are such that a single "skill" as a program, has a VERY definite limit in how many "character points" that skill can have based on its complexity rating (the skill set program that is). The mathematical formula works out to:

Max points that the skill can have in it, equals 2^(Complexity-2) points. It starts off at complexity 3 can grant up to 2 points in a skill or language. (see page 60). So having up to 128 points in a single skill set program, would require complexity 9 programming to achieve that particular goal.

This in turn set me to wondering: What is the limit to "character points" that any robotic brain can have as its "natural skills" as opposed to Skill sets? If in order to have up to 64 character points in a single skill requires a complexity 8 program to achieve, would it require a complexity 8 computer brain to have up to 64 points in natural skills?

So, anyone want to take a stab at building a Robotic Character using the rules in 4e that include GURPS ULTRATECH for 4e as well as any other outstanding rules published thus far? Examples might help explain a lot... ;)

[hal]

It occurs to me to mention "please don't bring C-31 from page 307 of GURPS CHARACTERS into this, as this predates GURPS ULTRATECH. Such a character would require (per GURPS UTLRATECH page 28, a computer whose complexity is 16/2 (or 8) +3 for a final complexity 11 computer. The reason I ask that one stay clear of the robotic character in GURPS CHARACTERS is because it lacks mention of Tech levels, and was seemingly not in the same development as GURPS ULTRATECH when it was published... (Seemingly being the key word here).

[ericthered]

At the very least, page 29 of ultratech provides a way to buy skills, at a cost of +5% for each point added.

Page 25 of ultra-tech says non-volitional and volitional AI (but not dedicated AI) can learn technological skills. The implication being that the AI actually has to take the time to learn the skills.

I swear that I've actually found prices for software that simply performs a task at skill level X, but a quick look at my notes, and spreadsheets isn't finding it, and I might have to reread large portions of ultratech to find it again. It might have just been an extrapolation.

I personally am of the opinion that there is no one true way to do robots though.

[ericthered]

A search through Ultratech has revealed a few dozen machines that show robots with skills.

Only one is actually presented as "Software". Its verifier software, which has Detect Lies -12, and complexity 4. I think I've extrapolated this in a game to say that each +2 costs one complexity, and that the GM has final say whether or not a given program exists or is available.

Of course, there is a strong case to be made that software for a given task will become public domain after a while, as either people reverse engineer it and make it public, or as competitors go broke and release their product into the wild as a last ditch effort to either stay afloat or in anger over loosing to a competitor.

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There are a whole bunch in the medial section. They are always attatched to equipment though, so its hard to tell what's software and what's skill. they do seem to be dedicated AI for the most part, scaling properly as TL rises.

Food vacs and autokitchens have the cooking skill at low levels that don't seem to align with the complexity rating.

ESM detectors have electronics warfare built into them, but at such low levels that its nearly impossible for them to be software.

Missiles have skills, but they depend on the DX of the chassis.

Air cars have parachuting 11, and life pods navigation-12 seemingly as afterthoughts.

Robofacs have a verity of skills, mostly dependent on their size.

Security swarms have search-12 and diagnosis-8, and are super cheap.