Author Topic: AI NPCs  (Read 1373 times)

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Offline GrumpyOldFart

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AI NPCs
« on: November 01, 2010, 06:31:48 PM »
Any suggestions on creating a stat block or template for AI NPCs? Until HARP SF Xtreme comes out I'm kinda stuck, and my game doesn't want to wait.
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Offline NicholasHMCaldwell

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Re: AI NPCs
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2010, 03:10:49 PM »
What do you need to know?

No species stat bonuses, Electronic RR is +20, Will is +10., everything ELSE is Not Applicable. Can belong to any profession other than the Fusions and Adept, but you need to pick sensible professional abilities.

Species abilities are:
Electronic Reflexes: The AI receives a special +15 bonus to Initiative.
Perfect Memory – AIs record every moment of their existence. This includes all interactions with other entities in cyberspace and the real universe, and all sensory input. By making a Computer Operation maneuver, the AI can recall the relevant pieces of information. Consider the AI’s own memory to be a Total Archive for difficulty and time taken for searches (see HARP SF, Chapter 9, Computer Issues).
Zero Sleep – AIs have no need to sleep or rest and can function continuously without suffering fatigue.

20 Adolescence skill ranks from a list of skills that makes sense for beings with no physical bodies, but no more than 3 skill ranks in any one skill.

Talents are similarly restricted though there are some software extra ones.

DPs are 100 at 1st level, 50 at second level and beyond. HARP SF has adopted the Flat 50 DP setting.

That help?

Best wishes,
Nicholas
« Last Edit: November 21, 2010, 02:09:04 PM by NicholasHMCaldwell, Reason: Omitted the word "ELSE" »
Dr Nicholas HM Caldwell
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
Publisher of Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Shadow World, Cyradon, HARP & HARP SF, and Cyberspace, with products available from www.drivethrurpg.com
Author: Mentalism Companion, GURPS Age of Napoleon, Construct Companion, College of Magics, HARP SF/HARP SF Xtreme

Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: AI NPCs
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2010, 03:40:16 PM »
Actually that helps quite a bit, and is very similar to what I was thinking as a solution. Thanks.
You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out... Traditional Somatic Components
Oo Ee Oo Aa Aa, Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang... Traditional Verbal Components
Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat and Tongue of Dog... Traditional Potion Formula

Offline GrumpyOldFart

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Re: AI NPCs
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2010, 04:06:34 PM »
The only other thing I'm really concerned about is preserving game balance between flesh-and-blood characters and AIs. It seems to me that there has to be a diminishing return in adding/upgrading peripheral hardware just as there is in learning skills, otherwise long term survival of an AI will eventually be an automatic "game breaker", will it not?

The most obvious solution I can see for this is having more and better hardware be something like armor, only instead of maneuver penalties the AI acquires minimum system requirements. Thus the AI capable of commanding the resources of a space station is probably immobilized there, as few other systems would have the necessary resources for the AI to "run within that environment". Trying to transfer into a small spacecraft's computer memory core would be akin to a really fat guy attempting to stuff himself into a shoe box, it just ain't gonna happen.

 :o
You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out... Traditional Somatic Components
Oo Ee Oo Aa Aa, Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang... Traditional Verbal Components
Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat and Tongue of Dog... Traditional Potion Formula

Offline NicholasHMCaldwell

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Re: AI NPCs
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2010, 06:01:57 PM »
If an AI wants to run a space station, it has to pay DPs to use that download form. Want to run a spaceship, that'll be another set of DPs, Want to run a robot, the AI will need to buy a suite of talents for the robot body. Upgrade the robot body, more DPs to pay.

Best wishes,
Nicholas
Dr Nicholas HM Caldwell
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
Publisher of Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Shadow World, Cyradon, HARP & HARP SF, and Cyberspace, with products available from www.drivethrurpg.com
Author: Mentalism Companion, GURPS Age of Napoleon, Construct Companion, College of Magics, HARP SF/HARP SF Xtreme