Ding-dang excellent idea. I like it. But will vote "no" if you add automatic updates from Wastelandsoft and O/S activation keys.
Did you mean RobCo?
And i don't think Pip-Boy is even able to take input from other source than holodisks anyway. First, let's read a few facts about Pip-Boy communication.
Communication between Vaults was never in place (it might ruin the experiments), but communication with the government/Enclave/Vault-Tec was a different story... they needed some way of monitoring the vaults.
The Enclave, having access to the Vault-Tec construction plans (not too surprising, considering the fact that the Vaults were funded by the government) had a way of monitoring events taking place within the Vaults... not only could they access their computers and systems remotely, (including PIPBoys and the personal logs of the Vault Dwellers), but the early Overseers of most of the Vaults knew of the ties to the government, and it was part of their duties to download information on the citizens and the Vault into an computer archive that the government could easily access.
The Enclave machinery, all the way down to communications, is not up to spec, at least as far as the Enclave guard's complaints in Gecko are concerned
The computer networks weren't able to access all the Vaults remotely after the war - like the network log in the computer in the Gecko reactor, most links between systems were shut down or destroyed. (...)
Reading information on the PIPBoys within the Vaults is one thing, but tracking them (while possible) is a different story. They probably could (1) if they knew what frequencies to look for, and if (2) they had bothered to read the PIPBoy specs
In short, nobody around who could care about software update and introduce post-apo DRM
But this give us a small picture about what this thingie actually can do. Still not enough to create a draft of Pip-Boy specs (these probably never existed, even in Fallout devs heads) so we need to dig more info.
How to introduce such feature without creating silly answer to very simple question: "how it works?"
All Pip Boy models can download and transfer data from holodisks. All models can also accept expansion hardware. Expansion hardware comes in the form of data tubes, which are highly advanced, jam-packed vacuum tubes. Data tubes cannot be written to with Pip Boys, but their data can be accessed while they are connected. Pip Boy 2000 models can take six tubes, 2000 Plus models can take four, and Lil' Pip 3000s can take six. (...)
- When the Motion Sensor module is installed, all objects on the map that are currently moving will show
- When the Rad Counter is installed, the PC's pip boy will start to crackle as he or she approaches a radioactive area. The intensity and volume of the crackle will increase as the intensity of the radiation increases
- The Toxin Counter operates similarly to the Rad Counter, but for poisonous spills and creatures like radscorpions, thorn slingers, and giant two-headed snakes. Instead of crackling, the Toxin Counter beeps. The closer the toxin, the more frequent the beeps
Now this is more interesting info for us - we have not only more details about possibilities, but also some ideas and even a first limitation! Isn't it great? We can safely assume that all player characters are equipped with 2000 model, we are not Vault Dwellers - lucky for us! It already covers almost all OP suggestions marking them as possible, but let's not stop now, when we get so far.
It monitors his health, acts as a motion sensor, and has a programming attachment built in that allows him to instantly create and download his own programs.
Hah, so after some modifications, we CAN make our PB interact in other way than holodisks! That's a great news for us, even if it sounds a bit risky - after all it's interfering with high tech software, and we don't see people capable to do that around every corner. But maybe it's worth it? We could, for example, download data from our gang terminal and browse it when drinking beer in Redding. Or share data we already uploaded to our Pip-Boy thru holodisk. Heck, with ability to run programs, we could try to understand what was a purpose of project known as "Тетрис", that commies spreaded across the world before the war. And who knows, maybe we can find something interesting in Vault City or Necropolis? For sure these vaults still holds data that we could use for our good, if we only be able to read them. Possibilities, possibilities...
There are many ways to store internal informations about our PB, but i think using simple item would be best in this case. It will open us a way to introduce new models later, with different statistics; it also allows such things as changing models "on the fly", thru NPC dialog, creating "unique" Pip-Boys for special encounters/event winners and so on. We should be also able to attach/detach another items to main one - yes, it's about data tubes mentioned before - and keep them in safe place until they'll be needed, trade/give them with another players, make some fancy art out of them, throw at encounter mobs when you're out of ammo in your lovely .223 pistol etc.
I'll probably would be able to go like that for a few more pages
but i guess it's enough for now. It gives a brief picture of what's in my mind when thinking about "Pip-Boy rework". Basics are here, other things i'd like to put need to wait even for design doc, as it's hard to tell when/if engine would be changed enough to make them possible. Some of things mentioned above already needs SDK changed, so yeah, let's stop here.
Most annoying in "Pip-Boy reworking" is fact, that there is very little technical info about it - i'd like to see how original devs imagined Pip-Boy, with detailed specs, such as how many data it can store, how software is constructed (to know how far we can go with modifing it) and so on. But, as said, it's probably a wet dream, i doubt such thing exists, so we should rather relay on what we have at this point; it's always better to have at least a bit of info explaining how given feature works
behind the scenes than give away crappy "it works cos it works" answer. There is enough of things implemented this way, no need to add another one, especially that we still have time for preparations.
