User Guide

RAM LIMITS: The programs that drive the operating systems in both types of decks, as well as
icebreaking and other application softwarez, are enormous in comparison to the size of programs
in archaic 20th century computers. Modern deck RAM (Random Access Memory) is highly
efficient and can handle a number of these programs with remarkable speed. Decks are
continuously powered by an internal power supply so that the memory is non-volatile. Once
you’ve downloaded a program, it stays in memory permanently unless the deck is damaged or
you erase the software. Some softwarez, however, are one-shot programs, consuming themselves
after you execute them. Each deck has its own limit of the number of softwarez it can handle.
Top of the line decks, such as the Ono-Sendai Cyberspace Seven, can manage up to 25 programs
simultaneously.
ROM CONSTRUCTS: Highly illegal and not available to private citizens, cowboy or otherwise,
are the ROM Constructs. Each ROM Construct is a recording of an individual human’s
personality, responses, knowledge, and memories. Constructs are occasionally used by cyherdeck
operators in the government and large corporations, which is why top of the line cyberdecks
contain a slot for a ROM Construct cartridge.
SKILL CHIPS
Skills, in the form of “skill chips,” are available for purchase in Chiba City. Skill chips are
implanted directly in the brain jack on the side of your skull, giving you instant access to that
particular type of knowledge. For example, the Cryptology skill chip gives you the ability to
decipher certain types of coded passwords. Skill chips cover a wide range of abilities, ranging
from foreign languages to high-tech cyberspace skills.
Skills can be improved through tutorials found in bases and training from knowledgeable Chiba
citizens. Some skills are improved with experience in using that skill. In general, skills improve
your chances of success both in the Real World and in cyberspace. Once you learn a skill, you
remember it permanently.
When you want to use a skill chip in a room in the “Real World,” you should always
use the chip just after you enter the room, before doing anything else-including
talking with other people.
A list of skill chips can be found in Appendix A.