I’ve been thinking of a possible way to balance CBMs and this is what I came up with.
Instead of using power storage for CBMs we instead use a for arguments sake let’s say a Biomass reactor* to power CBMs. It would work like this Biomass reactor has X energy output and CBMs A,B,C,D… ect require X amount of energy output to run. You cannot install further CBMs if it exceeds max output and a number of passive CBMs can not be turned off**. Active CBMs like the Mini Flamethrower would have their own internal Power storage system lets say 200 it would cost 25 per use*** and would require X amount of output to recharge its power storage over time so you wouldn’t get unlimited uses and make using such active CBMs more strategic.
This is what I have thought up so far It’s obviously very rough and my apologies for being a bit all over the place but what do you guys think?
*Biomass reactor is just an example
**The logic behind this is lets say for the wired reflexes CBM (not sure if this best example but just to give you an idea as I assume it replaces some portion of your nervous system to enhance your reflexes) you cannot shut it off because a number of your biological connections have be replaced by the CBM so powering it down would paralyze you because the natural connections no longer exist however if you get the CBM removed the autodoc restores your natural system. Also this would prevent just installing a bunch of CBMs and just cycling a number of them on and off.
***these numbers are just made up to explain idea not that I think it Should be these numbers.
So basically you need a " framework cbm" (here represented by power supply) that can support a fixed amount of CBMs
I guess there could be different grade of framework allowing more or less cbms
It would remove (abstract?) the need to gather power supply cbm wich can be good.
But I don’t kbow why but that sounds not very satisfying, I liked better the idea of limiting CBMs by the availabe volume to put things in your body with a growing difficulty to install the more you already have.
Something similar ro clothing system where you have body parts and layer, you cumulate emcumbrance when thing are on same part/layer place and the more encumbrance you have the more difficult it gets to fit new stuff. Which set some sort of asymptotique limit that shift slightly with your skills. This way it’s somewhat reallistic and still allows for exeptionnal characters to have more cbms.
While the framework system limits you no matter how good you are, you know from the start you won’t be able to push the limit
I’ve always liked the bionic slot idea. It’s always seemed like the most straightforward and ‘realistic’ way to handle things. I don’t hate your idea or anything, I just think the slot would be the way I’d do it if I were putting in the work.
We can make a lot of types of exoskeletons…
They will have advantages of an maybe, armor, make u stronger but limited cbms with effect of static
building exoskeleton - the most powerful and allows you to carry a lot of weight, has a capacity due to the boxes on the sides, large armor and constraint, etc. can digging tools, and accelerates the construction
medical exoskeleton - created for the disabled, minimal stiffness, lightness, and like all exoskeletons removes penality from broken limbs but with a bonus … such an exoskeleton.
there you can make a war, a prototype of some … exoskeleton for mutants, self-made. or even add a feature to shove zombies into exoskeletons and make them your allies .
You have CBM = x space required. This is your limiter which is both realistic and fun. You have to choose what you stuff inside of and onto your body and deal with the consequence of having that CBM be a permanent part of your toon in the case of internal versus external(should be a difference there) CBMs.
If I attach a CBM to my outer hand. I have the option to swap or remove that attachment. If on the (no pun intended) other hand, I stuff a CBM inside my hand. Then it had to take up space that was already taken; ala, flesh. So taking it out should be a less than good idea unless it was a faulty install. in that case…
BAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahaa…you suck at life
Seriously though, make damn certain your toon has skills before attempting internal CBMs
Not really. The game doesn’t need a specific percentage to the toons body. It needs a basic frame of what it has already.
(head, torso, arms, legs, etc)
The only reason to make it more complex with actual dimensions and mass accounted for, is to assume that the game is that complex for the sake of the complexity sake. It could be construed as a balancing measure method.
For example:
Adult versus child character. The body mass of a child should be less than that of an adult. But even in this case. Instead of making the game complex for no reason. You could simply have children and short people in general have lower numbers in regard to CBMs. Adult torso has X number. Short person or child torso has a lower score. Easier.
My biggest gripe with the Bionic Slot system isn’t the system itself (I actually used it for my own game, Genefreaks, because the Shadowrun/Cyberpunk 2020 way of doing it never made sense to me). Rather, I think a lot of the CBMs take more space than they conceivably should, while some take up body portions that make sense on a surface level but seem like they could be trimmed for gameplay’s sake.
Cut down on a lot of the spaces by half, and I think you’d be good. I can’t see a good reason that Wired Reflexes would take 8 leg slots.
My other way of balancing CBMs (which I’m far more in favor of, personally) is to make it so taking electrical damage is worsened significantly for every CBM you have that’s metallic and/or hooked up to your central nervous system. Get hit by that Shocker’s Zapback with no CBMs? You might live? Have all four alloy platings, all the different enhancers (stat boosters, targeting system, etc)? You’re going to be risking your life by getting zapped. And this would also require making it so the Dielectric Capacitance System no longer grants immunity, just an enhanced resistance to electrical damage (which, if you have enough CBMs, isn’t really going to help you).
The issue with most proposals is that they don’t provide a reason to not install CBMs. While the slot system forces you into an economic decision, it still doesn’t force the decision “should I install this or not?”.
well in my example I used a biomass reactor you could need to fuel it to keep up energy output and if you run out of fuel you are put on emergency battery backup so you wont be crippled but have some pretty hefty penalties till you get your main system back up. The trick here would be to balance rarity of fuel sources and make you worry about it but not so much that it becomes tedium. that mechanic alone I think would deter some people from wanting to go down the CBM path…
Also as a side not I am not opposed to the slot system either, just putting out different possibilities
CBMs could cut down on your health regeneration, the more machine you are the less you can heal by yourself and you’d need to repair the damage you take to get health back. That sounds mildly realistic, and would be a significant but not to intrusif down side of CBMs.
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