Datalink

[Sandman XI]

You can interface with computers over a distance. Choose a sensory medium, as with the Communication effect (see Communication in the previous chapter). Datalink is typically a mental or radio sense effect. Your power has a range of 10 feet at rank 1. Additional ranks increase your range on the Extended Range Table. To interface with an unfamiliar computer, you must be able to accurately sense it, or you must search for it (see Extended Searches, M&M, page 53). You can use the Computers skill on a computer while interfaced with it, taking the usual time. This power works as a Mental Communication effect on intelligent computers.

So, if I were to make a program to access every computer from here everywhere on Earth to the Moon (Datalink 10), how would I write the sensing part? What I have so far is:

Super Senses 6+ (Detect Computers [what sense? radio and mental dont seem appropriate], Accute [needed or not? what for?], Accurate, Analytical [would I need this? what for?], Ranged, Extended [how many ranks would I need?])

[Dr Archeville]

Aside from the fact that that's something I probably would veto anyway (for reasons I've already mentioned in another thread)....

Sense type would be radio; it's not visual or audio, since you're not really looking or listening for computers, you're having a program (presumably) go through the 'net looking for them, and it shouldn't be mental since computers don't have minds.

Acute & Analytical would need needed if you want to actually know what type of data the comp has before you access it. Think of it as "skimming the directory."

You'll need radius, and lots of rapid (because doing an extended search over that area would take a year).

And if you're accessing every computer (at once, and not one at a time), you'll need Area on the Datalink.

[Sandman XI]

Forgive me I read that as "You are not yet strong enough to have this power" as you said "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of a PL 6 char being able to download info from every computer on the planet at once". I was looking ahead to the future (maybe around PL10). Now I understand :)

[Dr Archeville]

I wouldn't be too thrilled with any playable character having that.

[Sandman XI]

It just dawned on me what this was needlessly complicated. So here's something in the vein of the original power

AP: Enhanced Feats 3 (Contacts, Well Informed, Benefit [use Int mod for Gather Info when using Contacts and Well Informed]), Enhanced Skills 3 (Gather Information 12)

This mimics him using a program to access information, not talking to actual people.

[Dr Archeville]

That would work far, far better, yes. :)