Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Augmentation Notes: Economics in Augmentation & Simpe Mental Augmentation

Economics of Augmentation

I noticed in MgT that bonuses from Cybernetics are at +1 to +3 but from 1 to 2 Million. Its not the only system that works in this way, it is the simplest approach to "Cyberware" i have to check my notes how many other systems approach it in this way. Shouldn't the bonuses be based on Racial Limits and the Difference of Abilities?

Example.  
I have a character in D20/Traveller/GURPS/WoD/Fading Suns1E that has the low end strength of 8/4/8/1/3 and the following is the stat average 10/7/10/2/4 and the next following is the racial maxes 18/C/15/5/8 should the cost of raising within the Racial Norms much cheaper than beyond Racial Max? 

Instead of Pricing the Bonuses $X * Bonus. Price the STAT, you can price the stat with a variable with the Margin of Difference as a Variable. While exceeding the racial max is a Multiplier to the Cost as much as the difference. 

Example Strength augmentation is $10,000 per Level of Strength. So a Strength of 15 in D20 would be $150,000 * The Margin of Difference 

So you can have a Stat * $ typically the "Norm" and the "Racial Limit". 

consider this an Open Solution for Tweaking GM's its just weird that My Cripple of a Character with Traveller Str 2 and Dex 3 will pay $4M for Str5 and Dex6 when the formula can be based off the racial max. 

Example. 
The bench mark is set to about $2M for Stat of C or 12 and $400k for 7. to bring Str 2 to 7 will cost 5 (the difference) x $400,000 or around 2M.  Someone with StrA (or 10) who wants to reach Str 12 can pay $4M or $2M for every point until 13. But once 13 is reached every point after 13 the cost doubles. 

then Apply GM's preferences such as if they think Strength should be cheaper or more expensive to the other stats.

Simple Mental Augmentation

The Heads-Up Display and Augmented Reality has some interesting repercussions to how we think. In the BBC's article on writng and mental health and if you follow some popular Cognition Studies (like Dan Arielly's Predictably Irrational) you will begin to notice some interesting quirks with how we think and how much writing or tools that organize thoughts using Visual or Somatic components (Writing) affects the process. 

Imagine the ability to write out every thing you are about to say in a practiced and lightning quick manner, but able to visually organize it using grammar and spelling tools built into your system.Your typing speed and responsiveness translating outside a keyboard (in a virtual one). 

It begins with simple more complete ideas when we talk, but then it begins to grow and find its way in how we organize our thoughts. Instantly we grasp images or form images that capture our ideas and bring them into the narrative from the collective data center of the internet or our own recorded visualizations. 

It would take practice, and skill, but in a short matter of time we can communicate tons of data with the simplest of gestures. Strangely we are able to be meta aware of these memes and thoughts; the ability to track every thought and see how our own cognitive adaption made us take in the meme (the ability to cite sources or track sources is the ability to quickly and surgically attack assumptions).

it would take some skill to interface, but the end product is a mastery of one's self and assumptions, self image, and convictions. Equilibrium dictates that we may not need to master the use of augmented reality or senses, but use it to simplify our manner of living; but at the same time depending who you are with, that equilibrium might mean going deeper. 

Ooooo a fun story to write about an explore if I had the time; the Consequence of emerging technology like Somatic Inter-faceless input (gloves or bracelets that allow you to virtually input data) and what happens when we can record our thoughts in the opportunities that are presented by these Somatic Interface-less Input. You can keep notes in a conversation, trying to build a Mind Map of what the other person is saying for various motivations and reasons (your notes, argument's sake, cooperative mind mapping etc.. etc..)

The ability to Record moments when we are in Auto-pilot is also something of a meta revelation; the ability to edit our non-fully-volitional habits can powerful in influencing how we manage our time and how productive our use of time. 

Note to Self - Try to make a Wiki in Game in the Brain for all these "Doctrine" and Technology usage notes. Hopefully Gdocs can index well enough that I can dump such ideas in an organized manner. 

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