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This just occurred to me after mentioning in another thread that coolers having rarity issues because they're so important in the storage and transport and stockpiling of chrome, and it seems obvious now to me this is kind of a problem that doesn't really need to be a problem.
My inclination is always to be all or nothing and say that cyberware really shouldn't decay at all, after all, why would it? But if we're really wedding to that concept, I think cyberware decaying over months instead of hours would have a ton of potential for simplifying the grey and black chrome markets for better access and simpler gameplay for everyone.
By 0x1mm at Feb 23, 2025, 9:35 PM
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I think the immobile coolers that were added to the game should probably be made a clearer option with more availability and potentially price cuts. I would guess that like 80% of coolers never move around, and ever since the addition of stationary coolers with larger capacities, that just feels like 80% waste, as portable coolers should instead be used to facilitate transactions and such.
By batko at Feb 24, 2025, 12:18 AM
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Overpriced medical equipment is definitely an active battleground as well, but cybernetics has had serious complexity creep over the last six years while getting less and less valuable to actually engage with and while cheaper tools would help, revisiting a few of the (in my opinion) less necessary complexities wouldn't be effort lost.
Like when we started playing cyberware could just be looted from a corpse and cyberneticists were in the running for the most lucrative regular jobs in the game, all the new cybersurgery mechanics are super cool don't get me wrong but I don't wonder if there's more overhead on the whole thing than it's worth anymore.
By 0x1mm at Feb 24, 2025, 12:34 AM
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I do think needing to have a ripper rip the chrome is a cool addition, but I have been left stunned after watching some back alley chrome installs. The various equipment needed, the price on it all, the fact that knockout juice is next to impossible to get illegally, and the actual technical skill needed to perform the multi step commands to install the stuff actually shocked me. So, I agree with that. It may be one of the best outfitted archetypes next to combat types, but it is also one of the most difficult to get into.
By batko at Feb 24, 2025, 12:50 AM
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Absolutely, I love the depth and design additions and how accessible cyberware is now… but I also remember that the cyberneticist cut on a flashboost install used to be 25,000c and what would pass for a typical suite of chrome today could net them over a hundred kay in installation fees. Now it's like cab driver profits with elite solo overhead.
By 0x1mm at Feb 24, 2025, 12:57 AM
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Actually, sorry! I'm mangling my historical examples there, I think half the installation fee went to the supervising NPC so it was 12,500c profit for a flashboost install. I was told cyberdocs prior to 2018 were cleaning up to the point they were killing each other to get the jobs, but that might have been creative exaggeration.
By 0x1mm at Feb 24, 2025, 1:13 AM
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Love the idea of slowing down cyberware decomposition. I also love the idea of looking at fixed coolers and making them more accessible.
By Grey0 at Feb 24, 2025, 7:10 AM
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Apologies. I meant for this to be not than a thumbs up. I just got distracted.
Maybe add tiny refrigerators to most apartments? Smaller than coolers even. Thematically for storing food but commonly used for chrome.
Then coolers are useful for transport and the big fridges useful more for fixed, cyberdocs and those PCs that keep a lot of backups.
But sure if this is a great idea. Just popped in my head.
By Grey0 at Feb 24, 2025, 7:37 AM
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I recall existing refrigerators actually got nerfed when the new stationary coolers were implemented. So it's probably fine to just use the existing fridges.
By batko at Feb 24, 2025, 8:57 AM
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I've complained about the sleep juice, I have what I see to be an easy fix I will suggest in a note latter, so staff can discuss it.
But ugh… I think we are missing a really neat idea here.
Zydrate, I hear, comes in little glass vials, and is taken from corpses.
I, personally, would like to see chrome last a little longer in corpses. Sometimes your ripper just isn't able to play for a few days, so a bit more time would feel better, from an OOC standpoint. (i really like the decay, just saying, it could use padded juuuust a bit. 12 more hours? One more corpse state? People that know more, chip in here!)
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:06 AM
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Oooh counterfeit source of knock out juice refined from bodies that can bring hyper ebola randomly… Yes please! And make it fillable into like-real-thing bottles with a bit more effort.
By Aida at Feb 24, 2025, 9:08 AM
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Yep aida. Maybe even make it weaker, giving the ripper less time to do what they do.
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:10 AM
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I didn't mind the fake knockout juice coming with risk but I'd prefer if it wasn't disease. Not my favorite. :P
By Grey0 at Feb 24, 2025, 9:11 AM
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Addiction. Make it really fucking addictive.
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:13 AM
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Someone's been re-watching Repo! hah, but well, some horrible side effect but one that ideally also has other ingress, so if someone sells it counterfeit, it's not obvious where the consequence came from, instead "oh, fake knockout juice" instantly.
By Aida at Feb 24, 2025, 9:14 AM
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I actually need to do my yearly re-watch with my partner!
So, I have an idea here.
What if, instead of making chrome last longer, slightly decayed chrome could be repaired? Maybe make it require a FRESH corpse to do (you are harvesting like, nerve tissue or what-not)
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:48 AM
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I also don't see the point in having chrome "rot", i mean, maybe limbs and things with synthetic musculature, but shit thats literally just a brain chip, or something? Doesn't make sense.
But, if we have to have it, maybe there could be different tiers of rot. You can still install chrome that's slightly rotted, but it might perform worse, or be bad for you. And would, obviously, be priced lower, giving more people an affordable way to get chromed up.
By Baguette at Feb 24, 2025, 9:54 AM
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The chrome it'self isn't decaying. It's the bio-fiber stuff that connects to the nerves. That's how it's been described to me every time I ask.
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:55 AM
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Yeah, I think that's just people trying to rationalize a silly mechanic.
By Baguette at Feb 24, 2025, 9:55 AM
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Then lets make it canon, and give it a place in roleplay. Making repairing rotting chrome require a corpse will push more pvp/conflict.
By SmokePotion at Feb 24, 2025, 9:57 AM
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I think I've read this somewhere, and this is a bit off topic, but cyberware should have different quality levels. The higher the quality, the more costly, the lower the PDS load, and better cosmetic appearance. Storing and repairing some shitberg drop right cybereye with tissue from the WCS employee you abducted in your apartment turned by invite only clinic just sounds so cyberpunk. Scavenger gang when?
By Mindhunter at Feb 24, 2025, 10:17 AM
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I agree. Other cyberpunk media has shitty, cheap, back-alley chrome that a corpie wouldn't be caught dead with. Here it's kind of just all-or-nothing Good Shit
By Baguette at Feb 24, 2025, 10:18 AM
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I second having cheap, shitty back-alley chrome that's more easily accessible to rippers and buyers in price and acquisition. Maybe some craftable components that have bigger up/downsides to them.
That being said, it'd be a whole lot of dev work and it seems like we shouldn't be holding out hope for any major additions to cyberware as unfortunate as it is. Instead, I'd say we take SmokePotion's idea of the bio fibers being the piece that deteriorates. Have that piece of rotten chrome be unusable until a ripper (I'd imagine this would be illegal in game) could harvest certain fibers or biological components from a fresh corpse to repair it. If balance is really an issue with that, make the piece degrade with each repair or have it only work a set number of times.
It would add an extra layer of gameplay for the shady doctors and the underground chrome markets plus make corpses more of a resource.
By Kasumstreak at Feb 24, 2025, 7:33 PM
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I am not sure how it should look like but I do feel that the unlicensed ripper doc in the mix is primarily hampered by their ability to get chrome to install.
While I get that it could create conflict with them buying used chrome off of combat types, and this is nice in theory, I have rarely seen it in practice and, when I have, it never lasts long.
Why go there when it's safer, easier and probably more profitable to just pay your dues at a hospital?
Why try and be the guy who rips chrome from bodies to install in others when you only sometimes manage to get to the body in time and that's if you play SIndome constantly?
Why try and have an unlicensed gritty clinic when so many of your installs result in the customer getting a disease and having to pay more in meds than they did for the chrome?
Why try and install chrome on the down low when your choices on where you do the work are limited unless you are trying to get a specific drug that is also highly controlled and very expensive to get?
I would love to see ripperdocs and unlicensed cyberdocs but I think so many elements work to prevent this. How quickly chrome rots and how little time you have to cut it from a body are a couple of big factors.
By Grey0 at Feb 25, 2025, 7:04 AM
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