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<blockquote data-quote="thewok" data-source="post: 6163809" data-attributes="member: 60907">Sort of, yes.&nbsp; The problem with AR, though, is that you're working at meat speeds.&nbsp; With enough cyberware, this isn't a huge problem (though you'll never be as good in AR as you are in VR), but, until you get that insane cyberware (or if you're a technomancer), then AR hacking is horribly inconvenient and time-consuming.&nbsp; So, you still get the tension of the VR session.&nbsp; Your hacker goes limp and you have to protect the body while he/she's doing his/her thing.&nbsp; But, AR hacking is possible.The problem with SR4 is that it's extremely easy to make a powerful mundane hacker since hacking used program + skill rather than attribute + skill.&nbsp; Simply buy a powerful enough program, or even get a suitably powerful agent, and hacking can pretty much do itself.&nbsp; Your basic stupid troll Street Sam who dumped Logic at creation could still be a superb hacker with high-rated programs and a skillsoft.&nbsp; Scriptkids were highly possible characters.The upside is that in SR4, hacking became integrated with combat.&nbsp; They standardized the rounds and initiative passes with meat combat, so that it's easier to integrate the hacking run in with the combat going on outside.&nbsp; You no longer had to divide the session up into &quot;decker time&quot; and &quot;everyone else time.&quot;&nbsp; Everything could happen simultaneously, which kept everyone involved at the table.SR5 still has wireless, but they've brought back the decker, though new cyberdecks look more like ipads than keyboards.&nbsp; And hacking is no longer script-kiddy-friendly.&nbsp; You have to have the mental capacity and skills to hack, rather than just buying programs.&nbsp; The programs help, but they don't do the job for you anymore.And to clear up the earlier thing about the dice pool for hacking, hacking into something is two different actions now, depending on how you want to do it.&nbsp; One emphasizes Attack and one emphasizes Sleaze.&nbsp; It's Logic either way, but the limit and skill change.&nbsp; Brute Forcing with the Cybercombat skill (and Attack limit) will allow you to do damage to the device, but Hacking on the Fly with the Hacking skill (and limit of Sleaze) allows you to learn more about the device as you go.&nbsp; Your skill makeup and how you have your deck configured at the moment will play into how you go about hacking something.&nbsp; I like that.&nbsp; In SR4, I'd just drop into VR and probe the node until I found the flaw, then I'd thread up Stealth and enter.&nbsp; Easy administrative access after a few hours of fairly risk-free stuff.&nbsp; Those days are gone now.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="thewok, post: 6163809, member: 60907"] Sort of, yes. The problem with AR, though, is that you're working at meat speeds. With enough cyberware, this isn't a huge problem (though you'll never be as good in AR as you are in VR), but, until you get that insane cyberware (or if you're a technomancer), then AR hacking is horribly inconvenient and time-consuming. So, you still get the tension of the VR session. Your hacker goes limp and you have to protect the body while he/she's doing his/her thing. But, AR hacking is [I]possible[/I]. The problem with SR4 is that it's extremely easy to make a powerful mundane hacker since hacking used program + skill rather than attribute + skill. Simply buy a powerful enough program, or even get a suitably powerful agent, and hacking can pretty much do itself. Your basic stupid troll Street Sam who dumped Logic at creation could still be a superb hacker with high-rated programs and a skillsoft. Scriptkids were highly possible characters. The upside is that in SR4, hacking became integrated with combat. They standardized the rounds and initiative passes with meat combat, so that it's easier to integrate the hacking run in with the combat going on outside. You no longer had to divide the session up into "decker time" and "everyone else time." Everything could happen simultaneously, which kept everyone involved at the table. SR5 still has wireless, but they've brought back the decker, though new cyberdecks look more like ipads than keyboards. And hacking is no longer script-kiddy-friendly. You have to have the mental capacity and skills to hack, rather than just buying programs. The programs help, but they don't do the job for you anymore. And to clear up the earlier thing about the dice pool for hacking, hacking into something is two different actions now, depending on how you want to do it. One emphasizes Attack and one emphasizes Sleaze. It's Logic either way, but the limit and skill change. Brute Forcing with the Cybercombat skill (and Attack limit) will allow you to do damage to the device, but Hacking on the Fly with the Hacking skill (and limit of Sleaze) allows you to learn more about the device as you go. Your skill makeup and how you have your deck configured at the moment will play into how you go about hacking something. I like that. In SR4, I'd just drop into VR and probe the node until I found the flaw, then I'd thread up Stealth and enter. Easy administrative access after a few hours of fairly risk-free stuff. Those days are gone now. [/QUOTE]

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