Johannes replied to me: > > Another factor is computer/brain capacity. The biocomputer > > from Robots has +1 complexity, but the bioships have a > > single macroframe while metal ships got 50 or more. it > > didn't feel right to give a sentient bioship more than one > > brain. > > Arguably a human brain should be modeled as multiple computers. AFAIK > various brain components can function quite well on their own, it's just > that other missing components tend to mess up the overall functioning of > the body, that the remaining parts are in great danger to get damaged too. > > Though again arguably a mainframe, at that techlevel, itself might be > technically a collection of smaller computers.
Hello Johannes, as far as 3E Robots and VE game mechanics go, the result seems to be clear. Multiple sentient brains, and you have multiple consciousnesses at the same time in the body. There could be one sentient brain and several non-sentient ones, I guess, but that doesn't give the sentient one more IQ, just the ability to run more programs of the same complexity. And parallel or not, the mainframe is one unit. UTT has a rule for parallel networks, but I never really liked the UTT computer rules -- the optimized computers on p. 33 are breaking game balance, and the parallel computers on p. 32 got tarred with the same brush. > Do you know Jupiter by Ben Bova? The anatomy of the Jupiter beings there > is not described in detail, but i get the impression, that they have more > then one brain, one as leading brain, and others more concerned with > specific tasks like moving certain bodyparts. (including some that are > reomovable and rejoinable) And in cases of stress it sometimes requires > great efforts of will on part of the leading brain, to keep the lower > brains from doing some instinctive behaviour on their own. I don't know Jupiter, but that sounds a lot like the Jophur by David Brin. Regards, Onno _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
