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former prematurely and leave them one of the many sad, has-been
husks that litter the entertainment world.
Sim productions try to avoid using doubles, because the entire
point of a sim is for the audience to experience the performer,
not an unknown double. But in cases where a double is necessary, a
method called stacking is used. In stacking, a double is run through
a scene and recorded in baseline only. Then the star performer
plays back the double’s baseline through her own sensorium and
a Full-X recording is taken. The emotive tracks aren’t as authentic
as the real thing, because the performer is responding to recorded
senses and not her own, but it does allow for scenes that might be
too dangerous to risk a star performer on. Studios will often keep
libraries full of sense-patches on hand, which are pre-recorded baseline
tracks of doubles in stock experiences. These sense-patches are
not particularly innovative and fresh, but they can save a production
tens of thousands of nuyen.
Pseudosim is another trick used by the sim industry, where
the simsense tracks are entirely computer-generated; a sim performer
is not involved. This is common in simsense games, where
player actions change the story and many possible permutations
of sensory data must be accounted for. But it can also be found in
simflicks where the performers need to interact with computergenerated
props and targets. If Neil the Ork Barbarian needs to
fight a dragon in his latest simflick and Lofwyr isn’t available, a
computer-generated dragon is used and pseudosim tracks are layered
over the barbarian’s recording to convince the audience they
are fighting a real wyrm. The technology exists for fairly convincing
baseline pseudosim, but Full-X pseudosim is still clumsy and
unconvincing, which is why there aren’t any hit simflicks from the
dragon’s emotional point of view.
If a studio has some serious cash behind a production, they
may use magical illusions instead of pseudosim. If a skilled magician
casts an illusion, the performer cannot differentiate the illusion
from reality, so the ASIST recording of the fight with the dragon is
as convincing as if a real dragon was co-starring. However, though
physical illusion spells can be recorded on camera, they cannot be
wired for even baseline ASIST recording. So if you want to add the
dragon’s POV, you either need to go with a pseudosim approximation
or you need to hire a living, breathing dragon.
the wet record
The wet record is what you get after you are done recording a
sim production; it’s the raw ASIST recordings from each performer.
Pure, uncompressed ASIST recordings are massive files that require
expensive storage to keep on hand and all wet records are kept under
tight security. These days only pre-edit master copies of simflicks are
kept in uncompressed ASIST; commercially available copies have all
been transcoded into more portable compressed formats. However,
there are some simsense aficionados who will do just about anything
to get their hands on a wet record copy of their favorite simflicks,
prizing the most authentic sim recording possible.
Because of the costs involved in recording ASIST (production
costs, storage costs, and the mental cost on performers), a
good director is worth their weight in gold. A skilled sim director
is part psychoanalyst, able to understand what will provoke the
right emotional responses in his stars and able to build the conditions
to bring out the stellar performances. Being a sim director
Unwired
tHe HiStorY of SiMSenSe
2018: Dr. Hosato Hikita of ESP Systems successfully
demonstrates the first ASIST recording to
the public.
2024: The first commercial simsense gear is sold,
but only to research labs and the ultra-wealthy.
2029: Sony, Fuchi, and RCA-Unisys develop the
first ASIST cyberterminals, sensory deprivation
tanks surrounded by a room full of computer
hardware.
2031: Second generation cyberterminals integrate
the sensory deprivation tank and computer
hardware into a desk-sized cocoon.
2036: The Fuchi CDT-1000 third generation cyberterminal
eliminates the sensory deprivation tank
and is reduced to a desktop box.
2037: Fuchi unveils RealSense, adding an emotive
track to simsense recordings.
2043: Skillsoft technology is developed, allowing
ASIST to transmit skills to a user who does not
know them.
2046: Free Fall, starring Holly Brighton, breaks
sim records and pushes simsense technology into
the mass market.
2050: The first generation of cyberdecks—keyboard-sized
cyberterminals—are released.
2052: 2XS, a more addictive form of better-thanlife
simsense, becomes a deadly craze.
2064: Transys-Neuronet and Erika Corporation
build the first broadcast wireless ASIST network
in Stockholm.
2066: First generation commlinks—palm-sized
cyberterminals—are commercially released.
can take its toll, however. Most sim directors plug straight into the
ASIST feed of their performers during recording to get a sense if
the scene needs another take and constant exposure to pure ASIST
has led more than one hit director down the road to ruin.
Simsynths
To all but the most purist simfreak, a wet record is unsatisfying,
full of underwhelming emotional moments, background
noise like the normal aches and pains of existence, and unpleasant
sensory and emotive spikes. That’s why every wet record goes into
post-production before release and is polished down into a final
product. The key component of simsense post-production is the
ASIST signal processor, or simsynth.
A simsense technician will feed each point-of-view wet record
into the simsynth to clean up the signal. A good simsynth will
allow him to boost weak EC/IC (exteroceptive/interoceptive)
sensory tracks and splice in sense-patches where there are sensory
gaps. It will also smooth out the high- and low-end signals which
are unique to each and every performer but can be jarring for some
users. High-end studio simsynths will allow for simultaneous
cross-processing, meaning the technician can edit more than one
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