on the one hand the presence of dove+ does already suggest greater networking than you tend to see play out in-game, on the other i kind of appreciate how much this game leans into the analog technology over that. if there is an internet i think it'd be neat and in the vein of the 80's sci-fi themes to have it be something like a Neuromancer matrix, clunky headsets and all.
#In-Game Internet
mighty nacelle
nova sun
The world is set up through communication by vacuum tube, so comms aren't really in real time unless they're radio. However, there are sync disks that invest you into the stock market and increase the size of your pockets, so who the heck knows. What you are suggesting could still be done with what's already been established in the world though. Need a Starch kola from the corner store? Send them an order via vacuum tube and hope it gets there while it's still cold.
uncut mist
e-mail suggests there is internet already, it's kinda inconsistent
nova sun
It's VMail
From what I can tell, you basically have the cruncher print out a paper which gets sent through the vacuum tubes and then scanned into another cruncher
uncut mist
oof
worn quartz
The only group more powerful than Starch is the data-entry union.
meager peak
I think slower communication would work fine with an internet. You can request a catalogue for online shopping, send a message to an NPC and check back later for a response, or send a request to city hall for records and have them be sent over later
It gives the player a reason to stop back by their apartment, but doesn't encourage you to solve the whole case on the computer
karmic blaze
Being able to send your own Vmails using the vacuum tube intakes already located around the map would be a good way to do that.