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Old 12-05-2018, 11:28 AM   #1
ClockworkOwl
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Default [GURPS 2e] Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

(I have a localized version of 4e basic set. While I have consulted with Google and (surprisingly information-deprived)wiki, advantage or any other term may be misused. Please notify me if I made an error)
(Title says 2e because I had some confusion. It is 4e.)

<Setup>
I made a remote controlled spotter drone as an NPC Ally. The player character is also a machine so I added Telecommunication(Radio, +Video) on both sheet, and Controls(Compartmentalized Mind, vehicle version, 25CP/Lv) on drone side. Drones' IQ is 0 and can fly(maximum height 10m).

<Questions>
1. The PC initially needs to do IQ check to connect with the drone(via Telecommunication), and can control it afterwards(unless something disrupts the signal). While the connection is maintained, the PC receives real-time video feed from the drone(+Video on Telecommunication). The drone can stay hovering or move somewhere in constant speed, but can change behavior only when the PC controls it with their action. Am I understanding this correctly?

2. The drone might do actions that corresponds to some skills such as Aerobatics. Can the drone(with IQ 0) have skills, and how would it be resolved?

3. Is Digital Mind allowed to IQ 0 character(.....though it sounds more like a disadvantage in this case)?

4. The drone has Scanning Sense(Radar, +targeting). Can the PC use the drone to target something and get bonus to their own ranged attack?

5. If someone tries to hijack the drone, how would it be resolved, 1)while the PC is connected to the drone and controlling it, and 2)while the PC is not connected to the drone?

Thanks

Last edited by ClockworkOwl; 12-05-2018 at 11:39 AM. Reason: Error correction
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Old 12-05-2018, 11:33 AM   #2
Anthony
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Um... this cannot possibly be about 2e, as most of the things you describe did not exist in 2e (I might actually have some 2e books still kicking around somewhere, but they're ancient).
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Old 12-05-2018, 11:36 AM   #3
ClockworkOwl
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

My book says 국문 2판(Korean 2e). It is possible that it refers to translated version. Lemme check...

.....yeah. It's 4e. If there are any moderator present, can I get the thread title changed?
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Old 12-05-2018, 01:53 PM   #4
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClockworkOwl View Post

<Setup>
I made a remote controlled spotter drone as an NPC Ally. The player character is also a machine so I added Telecommunication(Radio, +Video) on both sheet, and Controls(Compartmentalized Mind, vehicle version, 25CP/Lv) on drone side. Drones' IQ is 0 and can fly(maximum height 10m).

<Questions>
1. The PC initially needs to do IQ check to connect with the drone(via Telecommunication), and can control it afterwards(unless something disrupts the signal). While the connection is maintained, the PC receives real-time video feed from the drone(+Video on Telecommunication). The drone can stay hovering or move somewhere in constant speed, but can change behavior only when the PC controls it with their action. Am I understanding this correctly?
Interesting questions, I'll do my best to answer.
Yes, IQ 0 means it cant make any decisions. Telecommunication is about sending info, the controller does not need video since the drone wont benefit from the player sending pictures.

Quote:
2. The drone might do actions that corresponds to some skills such as Aerobatics. Can the drone(with IQ 0) have skills, and how would it be resolved?
No skills.
The player needs to control all actions.

Quote:
3. Is Digital Mind allowed to IQ 0 character(.....though it sounds more like a disadvantage in this case)?
I suppose so.

Quote:
4. The drone has Scanning Sense(Radar, +targeting). Can the PC use the drone to target something and get bonus to their own ranged attack?
It would be more like a forward Observer. no bonus to attack but you would see targets you couldn't otherwise which is an advantage.

Quote:
5. If someone tries to hijack the drone, how would it be resolved, 1)while the PC is connected to the drone and controlling it, and 2)while the PC is not connected to the drone?

Thanks
Probably contest of skills or IQ to fight for control.
If not connected they would automatically take over.
You would need to buy advantages or IQ to try and fight it off.
Mind Shield with the player having it as a Puppet for a secure backdoor is an option.
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Old 12-05-2018, 02:10 PM   #5
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClockworkOwl View Post
1. The PC initially needs to do IQ check to connect with the drone(via Telecommunication), and can control it afterwards(unless something disrupts the signal). While the connection is maintained, the PC receives real-time video feed from the drone(+Video on Telecommunication). The drone can stay hovering or move somewhere in constant speed, but can change behavior only when the PC controls it with their action. Am I understanding this correctly?
Yes.

Quote:
2. The drone might do actions that corresponds to some skills such as Aerobatics. Can the drone(with IQ 0) have skills, and how would it be resolved?
Usually if the drone is being piloted, you use the Character's skills. However if the drone has an AI* or Expert Program† controlling it, say if the Character set it to "fly to these coordinates, then hover at this height", the controlling program would be what you would roll against.


* For it to be an AI, even a dumb one, it has to gave an IQ. Your drone, as described, doesn't.

† It could however have an 'expert' program to handle routine functions like limited Piloting. In this case it might use it's Piloting skill to handle movement problems when the Character isn't piloting it.

Quote:
3. Is Digital Mind allowed to IQ 0 character(.....though it sounds more like a disadvantage in this case)?
Pretty sure IQ 0 precludes being an AI or having Digital Mind.

Quote:
4. The drone has Scanning Sense(Radar, +targeting). Can the PC use the drone to target something and get bonus to their own ranged attack?
Hmmm. I don't see why not. This is functionally equivalent to using a scope on a rifle.

Quote:
5. If someone tries to hijack the drone, how would it be resolved, 1)while the PC is connected to the drone and controlling it, and 2)while the PC is not connected to the drone?
In situation 1, it would probably a Quick Contest between skills, the hijackers Electronics Op (Electronics Warfare) or IQ (if using Telecommunications) as well versus the Character's IQ or Electronics Op (Electronic Warfare) (whichever is higher!).

In the second case it would be Electronics Op (Electronics Warfare) to hijack the signal if the drone was on 'stand by' and operational.

If the signal is encrypted, they'll also need Cryptography to decode or forge the proper electronic encryption keys. This would go for both attempts, either against a stand-by drone or one actively being controlled.
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Old 12-05-2018, 02:44 PM   #6
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ClockworkOwl View Post
(I have a localized version of 4e basic set. While I have consulted with Google and (surprisingly information-deprived)wiki, advantage or any other term may be misused. Please notify me if I made an error)
(Title says 2e because I had some confusion. It is 4e.)

<Setup>
I made a remote controlled spotter drone as an NPC Ally. The player character is also a machine so I added Telecommunication(Radio, +Video) on both sheet, and Controls(Compartmentalized Mind, vehicle version, 25CP/Lv) on drone side. Drones' IQ is 0 and can fly(maximum height 10m).

<Questions>
1. The PC initially needs to do IQ check to connect with the drone (via Telecommunication) and can control it afterwards (unless something disrupts the signal). While the connection is maintained, the PC receives real-time video feed from the drone (+Video on Telecommunication). The drone can stay hovering, or move somewhere at constant speed, but can change behavior only when the PC controls it with their action. Am I understanding this correctly?
Yes. Breaking it down a bit, initial contact and receiving the video feed are effects of Telecommunications. The drone’s inability to change its current motion without the PC’s direction, is an effect of Compartmentalized Mind (controls) coupled with Basic Vehicle Combat. If the drone wasn’t a vehicle, the effect of Compartmentalized Mind (Controls) would be that it could only move on those turns when the PC made no physical maneuver of his own. I.E., absent an advantage like Extra Attack, the PC could move or the drone could move, but not both. Since the drone is a vehicle, continuing its previous motion without PC direction is fine.

Quote:
2. The drone might do actions that corresponds to some skills such as Aerobatics. Can the drone (with IQ 0) have skills, and how would it be resolved?
No, this is a direct effect of Compartmentalized Mind (Controls). The drone has no skills of its own. Any use of Aerobatics would be initiated by the PC and use the PC’s Aerobatics skill (at default, if necessary).

Quote:
3. Is Digital Mind allowed to IQ 0 character (, though it sounds more like a disadvantage in this case)?
Digital Mind would be more appropriate for the PC rather than the drone. Note that Digital Mind requires a computer of at least half the Complexity of the Digital Mind’s IQ. Half of IQ 0 would be Complexity 0, but there are no Complexity 0 computers in GURPS. This implies that Digital Mind wouldn’t require a computer at all for the drone, which flatly contradicts Digital Mind’s own description of itself. Plainly, it would be inappropriate for the IQ 0 drone to take Digital Mind, though it’s not explicitly forbidden.

Quote:
4. The drone has Scanning Sense (Radar, +targeting). Can the PC use the drone to target something and get bonus to their own ranged attack?
This quickly veers into “house rule” territory. You aren’t supposed to be able to Aim using Scanning Sense (Radar), at all. OTOH, the Targeting enhancement doesn’t prohibit its use on Radar and it does indeed give a bonus. And on the gripping hand, the determination of exact range and speed is from the drone’s point of view, not the PC’s. I would resolve it as: the bonus is reduced to no more than +2, absent the PC has some means of knowing exactly where the drone is relative to him (inertial guidance or GPS would probably do to get the full +3), but absent Scanning Sense (Imaging Radar, targeting) or Scanning Sense (Multi-Mode, targeting), the PC must abide by the general limitations of Radar, i.e. he cannot Aim at anything smaller than a human, the target must be dense (at least as dense as human bone, say), and because radar is a binary "target there/target not there" sense, the PC cannot make called shots but must use the Random Hit Table. In other words, the PC would get +2, maybe +3, to hit an airplane, but couldn’t try specifically to hit a wing, the tail or any other subordinate part of the aircraft.

Quote:
5. If someone tries to hijack the drone, how would it be resolved, 1) while the PC is connected to the drone and controlling it, and 2) while the PC is not connected to the drone?
1) In general, as a quick contest of vehicle operation skills, in this case, probably Piloting/TL skill. If you want something more dramatic, use a Regular Contest of vehicle operation skill. Note that if the hijacker gets the drone out of Telecommunications range (base 10 miles), the PC can’t continue the Contest, until he’s back in range, and the hijacker might shift the radio frequencies to make it harder for the PC to communicate with the drone.

2) In this case, the PC won’t even be aware the drone is being hijacked, absent an automatic alarm system, until he checks in. If the hijacker gets out of Telecommunication range before the PC checks in, the PC won’t know where the drone is, or what happened to it. He may guess that it has been stolen but he doesn’t know if it’s parked on somebody’s workbench, at the bottom of a lake weighed down by stones, or broken into a thousand little pieces.

Quote:
Thanks

Last edited by Curmudgeon; 12-05-2018 at 02:48 PM.
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Old 12-07-2018, 10:47 AM   #7
ClockworkOwl
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post
You aren’t supposed to be able to Aim using Scanning Sense (Radar), at all.
Ahhh, missed that part. Thanks for the heads-up. It is also +multi-mode, though - so there won't be explicit prohibition on using the targeting function while on imaging radar mode. In this case, would there be no problem in using the drones' imaging radar to target PCs' attack?
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Old 12-07-2018, 10:55 AM   #8
Anthony
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e]Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post
This quickly veers into “house rule” territory. You aren’t supposed to be able to Aim using Scanning Sense (Radar), at all. OTOH, the Targeting enhancement doesn’t prohibit its use on Radar and it does indeed give a bonus.
There is actually a sensible interpretation of this:
  • Scanning Sense (Radar) does not let you aim weapons. You may still use Aim with the sense.
  • If you do so, you can claim the +3 bonus as long as you aim the weapon itself with vision (or a different targeting sense).
However, you probably want to just replace Radar with Imaging Radar on the drone stats. It has worse range but is probably closer to what you want to do.
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Old 12-07-2018, 11:41 AM   #9
Black Leviathan
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e] Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

I'd say a tool can be IQ zero but an ally must have some IQ specifically because Ally implies autonomy. At IQ 0 The drone literally couldn't make any decisions such as elevation or attitude to take evasive action or direct itself. It's very ability to follow the user requires minimal IQ.

Even with animal intelligence the drone can interpret threats and evade them with surprisingly high Dexterity and speed.

Digital mind is the simpler form of sorting out how your drone works. If it has an IQ 0 it's just equipment and doesn't need any kind of mind.

The drone would have to have the ability to afflict you with the advantages to bestow them to you. Having to "log in" to the drone and being limited by it's view would be significant Limitations on the advantage.

Someone trying to hijack the drone would likely contest their hacking ability against the drone's Willpower (representing the complexity of it's programming). Likely the same way it would resist EMP attacks.
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Old 12-07-2018, 01:49 PM   #10
ClockworkOwl
 
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Default Re: [GURPS 2e] Questions with IQ and Controls(A version of Compartmentalized Mind)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Leviathan View Post
I'd say a tool can be IQ zero but an ally must have some IQ specifically because Ally implies autonomy.
+Minion enhancement on the Ally specifically mentions the case of IQ0 Ally, though.
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