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Old 02-21-2018, 01:30 PM   #11
Gollum
 
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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Originally Posted by tanksoldier View Post
Google, true but there is easy online access to professional journals, books and publications as well. That would be reasearch using the regular time rules I think but any topic would be available given time and perhaps a trivial expenditure for subscriptions. Anything anyone has ever published is available somewhere online if you know where to look.
Right!

So, the best rule could also be the Complementary Skills rule from Action 2. The player would make a Computer Operation roll to find where to search (what search engine or website to use?) and then, the result would give him a bonus (or a penalty) to his Research roll.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:39 PM   #12
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

Internet access isn't [I]that[I] great if your Research skill sucks like mine does.
Paywalls everywhere. Unless of course you only care for things learned/proved over a decade ago.
And so much false information that's sometimes hard to separate from the properly researched and verified, especially if you lack a proper grounding in the subject.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:42 PM   #13
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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...
Oh, and having a decent computer is probably a reasonable excuse to put Mitigator on a lot of mental disadvantages. You'd be surprised how many people can get around Shyness if they can interact virtually, Short Attention Span if they're glued to a screen, and so on.
This cannot be overstated. I have only interacted, in person, with three people in the last month. I even use self check most of the time to avoid even minimal contact. But here, I'm a chatterbox.
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Old 02-21-2018, 02:23 PM   #14
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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So basically the question is: if you were to model all the benefits of a computer with advantages how would you do it? What advantages do they essentially give? I'm most interested in a high-functioning laptop (strong enough to do graphics, game development, programming/hacking, but still mobile.)

And, the big question, what if you add in the benefits of the internet?
Oddly little. I mean there's a lot of stuff that you do with computers that simply isn't worth points. Graphic design? You don't pay points for having the correct tool to use a TL8 skill. Same thing with hacking into systems. It's just "having the right tool to use your skill". The internet connection is worth something
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Old 02-21-2018, 02:44 PM   #15
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post

Internet access isn't that great if your Research skill sucks like mine does.
Not having Research/TL8 is more of a limitation than any other single factor. The tricks of verifying information found online, composing good search queries, etc. probably are prerequisites for the benefits I stated. I'm not sure how linked bonus size is to Research skill level, though. I'd probably just retcon what I said from "Computer Operation as a complimentary skill" to "Research as a complimentary skill" and note that Computer Operation is a prerequisite for Research/TL8+.
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Old 02-21-2018, 04:19 PM   #16
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
I'd probably just retcon what I said from "Computer Operation as a complimentary skill" to "Research as a complimentary skill" and note that Computer Operation is a prerequisite for Research/TL8+.
I'm a big fan of "Use the lesser of the two" when skills are so very 'overlappy'.
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Old 02-21-2018, 04:21 PM   #17
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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I'd probably just retcon what I said from "Computer Operation as a complimentary skill" to "Research as a complimentary skill" and note that Computer Operation is a prerequisite for Research/TL8+.
Indeed, making Computer Operation a prerequisite for Research/TL8+ would be the better idea, in my humble opinion, because Research TL8+ mainly uses computer (if not exclusively).

Nowadays, even librarians use computers to know where are the books in their library, what they are talking about, who wrote them, and so on. My brother is a librarian; but he was hired because he was a computer operator and programmer.
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Old 02-21-2018, 05:53 PM   #18
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

I really think that Computer Operation should default to Research at certain TLs. After all, how many academics really know that command prompt diagnostics by heart?
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Old 02-21-2018, 05:56 PM   #19
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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I really think that Computer Operation should default to Research at certain TLs. After all, how many academics really know that command prompt diagnostics by heart?
The ones that have computer operation skill? Plenty of heavy computer users still have the reaction of "ITOps, HELP!" when something goes wrong.
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Old 02-21-2018, 07:20 PM   #20
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Default Re: What does a computer really do for you?

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The ones that have computer operation skill? Plenty of heavy computer users still have the reaction of "ITOps, HELP!" when something goes wrong.
Indeed, today you do not need the skill to operate computers in most cases. But if something does not go as planned and there is an error, those without computer operation skill can at best try repeating what they tried after rebooting, more complex problem seeking requires usually actual understanding.
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