Real Cost in VPP Power

[HeroGM]

When playing around as part of another thread, I never noticed before (probably because I don't mess with VPPs often.

 

The Real Cost for the power is at 0 in the Power pane. While I know it should be 0 in the VPP List, there is no indication of what's actually being spent and if it goes over, only when you exit and it gives the error of 'Real Cost for XXXX exceeds....Item will be placed outside of Pool's Sample Power list." Can that be changed to show the Real Cost inside the Power write-up?

 

[unclevlad]

Save the power.  Now look in the powers list for the VPP.  At the end, you'll get a Real Cost.

 

What's going on here is, Flight uses the standard PowerDialog, which extends GenericDialog.  The Real Cost displayed is 

 

    realCostLbl.setText("Real Cost: "  + Rounder.roundUp(object.getRealCost()));

 

and that's cost in actual Character Points.  In an MP, that's slot cost.  In a VPP, it's 0.  Also, GenericObject's getRealCost() returns a double, not a String.

 

And that power definition dialog is used regardless of whether it's in a framework or not.  

 

Could it be changed?  Yeah, I think so.  It might not be too hard, if you only need to write a getRealCostString() in GenericObject, that mimics getRealCost() (which knows about being in a framework).  But some power-specific dialogs might have to get tweaked too.  

[Simon]

More or less what unclevlad said...but with a bit more emphasis on the number of dialogs that would need to be changed...along with specific checks/flags for whether or not you're building an ability for a VPP (at least, currently).

 

And if HD were to be modified to do all of that, it would likely annoy more people than it would please as they would now have to change their expectations of what the Real Cost value represents in the edit dialog when they're working on a Power that will be placed inside of a VPP.

 

So, in answer to the original question: no.

[HeroGM]

Thank you Dan. Now to answer the other person, the simplist way actually would be to build the power OUTSIDE the VPP and then hit the little arrow button and move it into it.

[unclevlad]

23 minutes ago, HeroGM said:

Thank you Dan. Now to answer the other person, the simplist way actually would be to build the power OUTSIDE the VPP and then hit the little arrow button and move it into it.

 

Not quite true.  Not if you have a Common Modifier on the VPP, particularly if you have separate modifiers on the power.

 

For example, a typical combat pool will have 1/2 phase to change, but will still require a skill roll to change the pool.  (Because no skill roll required is expensive.)  When you require a skill roll to modify the pool, it's very tempting to put Requires a Skill Roll as a common modifier on all the powers.  Now, if you add, let's say, a Blast...Limited Range might apply.  (It's rarely impeding.)  If you build the Blast with Limited Range outside the VPP, the cost reduction for the RSR won't show.  OK, you can manually add it...but it doesn't get removed from the power display when you move it into the VPP.  So...what's easier?  YMMV.