> Samantha Gates? The microsoft-family has separated into a lot of different matter since old grand'pa Bill died...
    > McIntosh@weve.been.bought

> His money sure started a lot of corporations... Which all went better than Microsoft after Bill's death (Remember that buyout by Renraku? Microsoft's CEO was pathetic at the time...)
    > MaryJane@NO.CAS.3434556

The technology used to make the animals is quite similar to cyberware, but without any kind of neural interface that is present in every piece of cyberware (this is the part that connects, diectly or remotely, to your brain so you can control the cyberware). That neural interface is what is most high cost in cyberware: connecting an electric device to nerves, especially for cyberware that is directly related to nerves (you now know why wired reflexes cost a lot :) or for cyberware that does things you aren't supposed to be able to do (there is no part in your nerves used by your body to "pop out an SMG out of your arm"). So essentially, these androids are composed 100% of cyberware but don't cost too much since they connect to an electric brain.

> 100% Cyberware? Don't they have any essence problems?
    > MaryJane@NO.CAS.3434556

> Essence is what separates man from machine, and these are totally machines...
    > MacBeth@rimes.with.death

The brain is the most complex part of the whole body of the animal and therefore the part with the highest cost. It is simply a powerful computer (for its size, anyway) programmed with a very sophisticated Artificial Life algorithm to control the animal. (Artificial Life is a subvariant of Artificial Intelligence that enables a computer to learn from past experience, therefore acting more like real whatever-they're-supposed-to-act-like) In its first weeks after creation, the animal pass through an express course on how to act like a real animal and is then sold to individuals. The android-animals can be constructed and programmed to look and act like an existing animal (to replace a lost dog, for example) for a cost. Since true artificial intelligence doesn't exist (or if it does it is kept secret) it is for now impossible to make any human android.

> If true AI does exist, this means that something bad is coming... I don't like the idea of having androids walk into the streets, undetected.
    > MacBeth@rimes.with.death

> This remember's me an old movie (with some good insight on the future though)... Blade Runner it was called...
    > MaryJane@NO.CAS.34343556

These animal-androids act exactly like their natural counterparts (if they don't get broke): they eat, sleep, need care like any other animal, even though some functions can be eliminated (if your dog don't drink he won't pee on your pant). This option is rarely used since people buying artificial animals usually want them to look like "ordinnary" animals, they don't want their neighbours to know they don't have a real animal but a cheap fake. The option is more useful with corporation who can have watch dogs that don't sleep, breath, eat or drink. Combine this with the fact that these dogs can accept as much cyberware as they want without any essence problem and you get some pretty good watch dog (hell, it can even have its brain in its left foot if they want to!).

> Cyber dogs were already bad enough! We don't need Dog-droid! Those bastards could all the neat cyberware, and still cost less than cyber dogs with less equipment... The old trick of "drug-meat-and-throw-itto-the-dogs" won't even work! In fact a squirt wouldn't have any effect on those metal beasts!
    > Crimsom@phree.philadelphia

Regarding their appearance, android-animals look like normal animals exept for a hard-to-find trap for repairs. The lowest level of these animals can be easilly spotted since they all look the same, they're constructed by robots. Of course, for guard dogs it isn't too important if they all look the same... When they get broken, the android can do two things: look like a broken mechanic or look like a sick animal. The later one comes from the inclusion of "sickness-circuitry" on the animal, which make the animal look sick instead of broken, but this costs more.

> Sick androids? This is ridiculous!
    > Crimsom@phree.philadelphia

> Not that much. Some people buy android animals bacause they can't afford real ones, but their reputation would get bad if other people learned that their pet is just a robot. To avoid looking ridiculous they buy these "sickness-circuitry" so their animals will always look like real ones, even when they get broke.
    > McIntosh@weve.been.bought

Rules

The price of non-enhanced, not personnalized animals is around 60% to 70% of the price of the normal animal. For rarer ones (tigers, elephants, whatever) the cost is usually like the natural animal's, but the android version is much easier to find. Personnalized versions cost twice the price of non-personnalized animals. The "sickness-circuitry" ups the price of the animal by 20%.