Like many of you (I assume?) I am a huge fan of the SR P&P RPG, which I have played on and off for the last 5 - 6 years. When I heard that the kind people at Cliffhanger were producing a new MMO based on SR my excitement peaked.
"Holy crap! Someone is making a SR online RPG and their trying to stay true to the setting?

"
- Was pretty much my reaction. However, I started thinking;
My favorite types of characters to play in the P&P version were always Matrix/AR specialists. Either hackers, riggers or some other form of fancy techno person. But how will this fit into a computer game?
For example, A rigger & a hacker might not be the toughest (Physically) group of Shadowrunners to deal with, but...(At least in the P&P version) The rigger could be running anywhere between 1 - 5 armored Combat drones with SMG/LMG, (Which on FA Narrow/Wide Burst could cause some serious, serious damage) While the hacker runs ECCM protocols and hacks, cracks, and crashes any drones/Cyberware/Smart-linked weapons etc. In combination these two seemingly weak (in terms of individual combat ability) characters can take down multiple Street Samurai or tweaked combat characters...(Obviously this isn't the rule of course, just a generalization)
So what I would like to pose to Cliffhanger staff is;
Do you plan on implementing systems similar to the P&P game, so that (for lack of a better term) non-combat characters can compete? How many Drones will Riggers be able to control at once? Will we have Pilotsoft Programs to run drones for us? (essentially making drones like Pets from WoW) Will hackers be able to viably target things like an enemies cyberware? Eyes, arms, Heart? Will Smart-link play a role? Will we be able to hack them, and turn peoples weapons against them?
I realise alot of this is probably too difficult to implement in a browser game, but the Matrix is one of the biggest parts of the SR universe, and its possible to play characters that simply cannot function without it. Hopefully Cliffhanger has some answers and some cool ideas for what the Matrix has in store?
Thanks
and sorry for wall of text.