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Constant Backups

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Thu, 2011-04-07 09:41
#1
LotusBlue LotusBlue's picture
Constant Backups
Just starting out in EP. Like what I see so far. However, one player posed this question: Why cant we have our ego constantly backed up and transmitted over the network. So if you did die and did lose your cortical implant, you'd only lose a few moments of time and experience (ie the time it takes for the last backup to end transmission) Thoughts...
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Thu, 2011-04-07 10:17
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Security. Emergency Farcaster: "At the gamemaster’s discretion, the backup interval may be scheduled more or less frequently, keeping in mind that ego broadcasts are generally limited for security purposes and because they hog bandwidth." Also, it's [Expensive], though a fair chunk of that is from the 'emergency' antimatter neutrino broadcaster part.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 10:58
OneTrikPony OneTrikPony's picture
Re: Constant Backups
I don't see constant backup making sense from a tactical point of view. Think of the situations you might be in where there's a significant chance that you'll die AND your stack will be un-recoverable. In how many of those situations is it desireable or even possible to have real time backup?
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Mea Culpa: My mode of speech can make others feel uninvited to argue or participate. This is the EXACT opposite of what I intend when I post.

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Thu, 2011-04-07 11:12
Lilith Lilith's picture
Re: Constant Backups
To speak nothing of situations where you might not [i]want[/i] to backup.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 12:06
Arenamontanus Arenamontanus's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Even by Eclipse Phase standards egos are sizeable documents. The bandwidth requirements for continuous backup are pretty hefty. However, one could likely get away with low bandwidth backups if you are willing to pay the price of doing it incrementally. Instead of sending the entire ego file again and again and again, you just send the difference from the previous state. Given the previous discussions on backups I think these differences are not even the difference between the backup and the full brain, but the difference in a particular subsets of synapses. So when the transmission stops you have a backup state that is almost but not quite complete. In would say this works fine, but gives a +1d10 SV since the neural network is not quite consistent. Think of it as one of those offsite backup services, which backups the most recently changed files. Bandwidth is limited, so it will not have the time to back up each file instantly. The problem is that it will not have backed up all files you changed just before you crashed.
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Extropian
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Thu, 2011-04-07 12:14
LotusBlue LotusBlue's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Hmm ok. So let's move from the idea of continuous backup and just say we backup each night. That would mean the maximum experience loss would be 24 hours in the event of death Is that reasonable or even considered the norm? Basically, I am trying to avoid death devolving into trivial event and having real effects. Losing 24 hours isnt enough, although those 24 hours might be critical. Are the mental penalties really bad for death? Not having played it yet I can't quite get a feel about that. Thanks in advance for your responses. Very appreciated
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Thu, 2011-04-07 13:50
nezumi.hebereke nezumi.hebereke's picture
Re: Constant Backups
I don't have a big issue with this, except that a constant stream of heavy data means firstly, you're very trackable, secondly, you're very vulnerable to corruption (both unintentional, through dropped packets and such, and intentionally, through TITAN infections and so on), and finally, you're more vulnerable to your data being captured and intentionally meddled with. As a computer science guy, I'd LOVE my enemy to do something like this. If he's transmitting wirelessly (especially over long range, like between habitats), it's almost trivially easy for me to begin intercepting this data. So much data makes it much easier for me to crack, because I have more data for pattern analysis. Even if I can't crack it, I can store it for latter. Should I get the key in the future, I then have access to your ego at any point in time I was listening. And of course, once I have your ego, I have access to your secrets. The solution for this is using QE to secure it better - but the cost of that is prohibitive. Or walk around with a wire in the back of your head, which has its own vulnerabilities.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 13:52
Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Death costs you Rez Points, but most players back up before the start of each adventure. If you have back-up bodies and the cortical stack is retrieved, it's a fairly trivial event in the sense that you get to keep playing and don't lose much, but you DO lose your body and equipment, which is a pain in the stack. Most people have a site-reliant back-up (a back-up at an ego storage facility) that they update once every six months, though people in dangerous work tend to back-up more often. Everyone tends to have a cortical stack as well, in the event of accidental death. Meanwhile, people who are paranoid or, again, work in a dangerous line, can keep their own back-ups on a personal computer in their home but this isn't very secure and, for fear of ego-napping in the event of a break-in, most transhumans do not do so. Others, meanwhile, use a quantum farcaster to update it once every 48 hours or so, but such things are prohibitively expensive for anyone but the elite. So, no, it's not terribly common for most people, but PCs might do so if they so wish, given their frequency of being involved in dangerous situations.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 14:45
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Indeed: the Emergency Farcaster (Expensive) is already in the rules, and its primary function is precisely to make quantum-encrypted radio backups every 48 hours. The rule also mention tweaking that interval. So, if you ask a question already explicitly answered in the rules… :) You might get your GM to allow a (High) version that lacks the anti-matter/QE emergency function, though. Maybe.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 14:51
Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Alternatively, one that lacks the radio back-up function. I imagine a lot of people don't like the idea of sending out an unexpected radio signal when in the middle of a job and alerting the people of the building they're infiltrating to their presence.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 15:03
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Well, you can presumably turn that off at will. A one-shot QE-only version could exist, but it'd still be (Expensive), and why lose the functionality for nothing? :)
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Thu, 2011-04-07 15:25
Treebore Treebore's picture
Re: Constant Backups
A quantum neutrino farcaster is not able to be intercepted, let alone "hacked", it is considered to be an unbreakable code, and probably should remain so. As far as how often you do a back up, we do it whenever we accept a new mission, and then immediately after we finish. So far none of us have been forced to resleeve. Great rolls, and then bad rolls able to be fixed with Moxie have kept us successful so far. So we actually have several years of exciting, and continuous unbroken memory.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 16:13
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
I wanna make sure we're keeping the various words straight, so bear with me. (This isn't at you, Treebore. :) ) The Emergency Farcaster is two devices in one: 1) a standard quantum farcaster (using radio), 2) an emergency neutrino egocaster (presumably, also a quantum farcaster). Neither is QE (quantum entangled FTL communication). The former can easily be intercepted, and possibly blocked, but can't be decrypted. The latter can be intercepted, but not blocked, and the interception is useless with quantum encryption (which I understand to be SOP for egocasting). Both require a pre-set (and previously co-located) quantum farcaster receiver, of course. No qubits are involved, but the neutrino bit is a one-shot powered by antimatter. The only real difference between the two options is range. Treebore, I almost feel like years without resleeving (not even egocasting?!) is a serious case of 'doing it wrong' in EP. Hehe.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 17:18
Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Don't forget that they have nanovats, medichines, and nanobandages. If it still has a head, it isn't dead. I should go add that to the turns of phrase section...
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Thu, 2011-04-07 17:32
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Not true, though. :) You die if you take damage over your limit. The body can be regrown from the head, but that's not necessarily alive. Of course, beheading doesn't exist in the rules anyway.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 19:08
Treebore Treebore's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Oh we have resleeved, we have just never "had" to, except as decisions made to best handle given missions. IE none of us have ever been killed and forced to resleeve.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 19:10
Treebore Treebore's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Yerameyahu wrote:
Not true, though. :) You die if you take damage over your limit. The body can be regrown from the head, but that's not necessarily alive. Of course, beheading doesn't exist in the rules anyway.
Since the rules specifically cover regrowing a working body from a "properly preserved" head, such a thing is possible, but definitely not always, it definitely depends on the situation.
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Thu, 2011-04-07 19:45
Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture
Re: Constant Backups
Oh, I thought you meant you'd been playing as Jovians or something, and hadn't even resleeved for any reason. :)
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Thu, 2011-04-07 20:13
Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture
Re: Constant Backups
It's a saying, man, not a scientifically accurate description.
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