Rifts Up Close: Smartframes

By Tim Willard

Smartframes are simply dog-brained AI's that are only capable of responding to certian inputs with certain outputs. Military smartframes are usually displayed on the screen as a box with two halves. The right is the input, the left is the action taken. The soldier uses a drop down context menu to place such things as "enemy vehicle" or "structure with this outline" or "enemy soldier" or "enemy IFF" and then uses the opposite drop down menu to tell the smartframe what to do.

While smartframes aren't as versatile as a soldier, or capable of decision making processes, they can be used to set up automatic ambushes or cause the weapon to orient on and fire at an enemy when they first appear much faster than a human can. In addition, smartframes allow one soldier to control many weapons from a BaTNI, which has led to the appearance of several dozen manned weapons points, when in reality it is a single soldier in a bunker or foxhole behind the line of weapons who is directing them via smartframes.

The smartframe system proved its worth during the Congo/Sudanese Peacekeeping operation by allowing a few soldiers to control the weapons on the entire perimeter, lower casualties and acting as a massive force multiplier for the peacekeepers.

Note: Sensor systems, computer use skills must be possessed to use smartframes.