User:XDTM
Nanites are tiny nanomachines that live in a host's bloodstream, providing differenct functionalities depending on how they're programmed. The mob where the nanites reside is usually defined as their host.
Nanite Swarms
Implanting
Nanite implantation is done through the Nanite Chamber. A second person must operate the chamber from outside and begin the implanting process, at the end of which a new swarm will take root in the host.
Population
Nanites generally expend a part of their population while their programs are active. Luckily, modern technology allows them to integrate with the host's metabolism to replicate without interfering with biological processes, causing them to have a slow but steady growth rate. Nanites by default have a safety threshold where they'll stop using nanite-consuming programs; it can be customized using a Nanite Chamber. If the swarm reaches a population of 0, there's none left to replicate, and the host will have to implant nanites and programming from scratch.
Programming
Nanite swarms can contain nanite programs. These programs can have a huge variety of effects, and are loaded into a nanite swarm in two main ways: uploading them manually with a Nanite Chamber or by syncing them with a Cloud Backup. Once loaded programs cannot be directly modified; instead, a copy of the same program with the desired programming must be uploaded again to overwrite the previous one. There is no limit to the amount of loaded programs, but using too many at once will usually rapidly deplete the nanite population.
Cloud
Nanite swarms can be set with a Cloud ID. If so, they will, every 30 seconds, copy the programming of the Cloud Backup with the same ID, if it has been set. Cloud backups are controlled by Cloud Control Consoles. They can create new backups (with codes from 1 to 100), as well as upload programs from a disk into the selected backup. Cloud control consoles also serve as storage, meaning that if they're disabled they will no longer sync with connected nanites. Additionally, if all cloud consoles are destroyed, all backups will be lost.
Cloud synchronization has several benefits over direct chamber programming: it can update programs without a second person to operate the chamber, it will reset programming in case of tampering or data corruption, and can be updated remotely by a second person. Of course, the last part also makes it very risky, since anyone could upload malicious programs at any time if they have a console to do it with.