comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

a castle could represent a control program governing the climate
of a greenhouse under its control, in which case it would be an
icon. But it could also simply be a tree put there by the sculptors,
an object that does not do anything.
All icons carry an identifying tag, giving the VR user instant
knowledge about the kind of icon he is looking at; AR users get
a small descriptive tag next to the icon. The kind of information
provided depends on the access rights of the Matrix user. In some
cases wrong tags may be supplied. While a spider with security
access might be informed that the knight’s armor in front of him
is a trace IC, the hacker with only user privileges might be told that
it is only a piece of data. In this case the hacker must use Analyze
software to get the complete information.
Additionally, all icons have an access ID attached. Data icons use
the ID of the node to which the storage is connected, and constructs
and programs alike use the ID of the node that is running them.
nodes
In the Matrix, a node can look like a skyscraper, a cornfield,
a whole village, an undersea domain, or only one room—the possibilities
are endless. Typically a node is represented by a single
structure, like a mansion, a ship, or a space station, but even if a
node is depicted as a whole conglomerate of houses or a vast realm,
the node is still only one node.
In many cases, different functions of a node will be represented
as different areas. This is particularly true of nexi, which
handle multiple functions and users. For example, a node’s files
may be represented as a warehouse filled with crates and packages,
its wireless functionality as a radio tower, and its security controls
by a police station.
No matter how big part of a node’s virtual environment might
seem, it is important to remember that space does not really exist inside
the node. You may have accessed part of a node that is depicted
as the top of a major mountain peak, virtual miles away from other
parts of the node, but if you Browse for a file or seek to Analyze
another user on the node, they will be within sight or reach.
networks and grids
VR representations of networks and grids are mostly a collection
of portals to other nodes. A network could be represented
as a city, for example, with every building being either an icon, a
node, or simply a piece of VR sculpture intended to add detail
the virtual environment. Portals to individual nodes or networks
(see p. 58) may look completely different than the nodes to which
they are connected. By entering a train station, one could suddenly
stray upon a vast field, facing a hut, with a city nowhere in sight.
Most nodes provide a fitting VR interface to make such transitions
between nodes and networks seamless.
clusters
The individual nodes that make up a cluster (see Clusters, p.
55) normally share the same metaphor. This is not necessary, but the
connection of different themes often results in bad coding glitches
where the two metaphors meet. Alternately, the cluster may present
a single metaphor to each user as they access the cluster, with
each sub-node represented as different rooms, buildings, or other
partitioned areas featuring their own distinct metaphors.
Unwired
Matrix perception and topoLogY
The basic use of Matrix Perception in the SR4
rulebook allows users to scan an entire node.
Users may even set their Analyze program to do
this automatically, as noted on p. 218, SR4, and
this is certainly a good way of handling security
with resident spiders and IC (see p. 69). Some of
the advanced topology described in this book,
however, has an impact on Matrix Perception.
The large nature of nexi (see p. 196), with processing
power and virtual space for large numbers
of users, programs, and other icons, makes Matrix
Perception more difficult. It simply takes time
to process all of the icons and activity in such a
busy environment. Divide the processor limit of a
nexus by 10 (round normally). This is the number
of Combat Turns it takes your Analyze program
to complete a full scan of all users and activity in
the node. Alternately, if you don’t want to take
the time to perform a detailed scan, you can
make a quick scan and hope you happen to catch
what you’re looking for. In this case, take a Simple
Action to make a Matrix Perception Test with a
dice pool modifier equal to the processor limit ÷
10 (rounded normally).
If two nodes are slaved together (see Slaving, p.
55), icons in one node can choose to make a Matrix
Perception Test on the other node, as if they were
in that node, due to the nature of the connection.
Only one node may be scanned at a time, however,
they may not be scanned together.
In the case of a node cluster (p. 55), the entire
group of nodes is considered to be a single node
for Matrix Perception Tests.
reality filters
Reality filters (see Reality Filter, p. 226, SR4) help a user
obtain more information out of the virtual environment he experiences.
Though most metaphors try to provide a Matrix user
with the best information experience possible, it still takes some
time to get used to a certain theme. In principle, the reality filter
is a huge library that relates icons with certain shapes and forms,
overriding the VR information from the icon itself. A hacker
running a reality filter with a science-fiction theme might see
an attacking IC as a combat robot, while it was a knight in
shining armor in the original medieval metaphor of the node.
Depending on the complexity of the environment and the quality
of the reality filter, it helps the user to adapt more quickly to
the environment of a node.
virtUaL topoLogY
The virtual topology of a network or grid does not need
to be connected in any way to the hardware’s setup in the real
world. Two nodes might seem to be right next to each other in
the Matrix while they are many miles apart in the real world. The
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9
57
Matrix topoloGy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .