Cool. Interesting. I'd like to at least give it a try. But highly highly highly unlikely. 
I never said it was LIKELY, but I'd be willing to do some of the programming myself if necessarry. I think if enough of us asked for this, COH might do something. Being hopeful isn't illegal or anything!
Well, I already know what Statesman would say, and I partially agree;
This is a game about being a super hero. Not about being a regular joe. There's always real life for that.
I don't think they want to take up their time and resources on something like that when they can enhance already-existing aspects of the game. Plus, nobody wants to have responsibilities like that in a video game. Games are for getting away from that stuff. It'd be more stressful than anything.
"I really think this mission would be fun, but on the other hand I have SO many people I'm supposed to see! My boss would be furious!"
BUT, don't get me wrong, having a little secret ID stuff in the game WOULD be fun...to a point. I'm definately going to use the new Tailor feature to create normal clothing for my heroes. And it would be kinda cool to have to do some missions 'under cover' as your secret ID in order to avoid detection, but I really wouldn't want to make it into something so big as what you're suggesting.
I haven't had a need to yet, but I'd just keep a slot or two open so my characters could have their alter-egos ready.
In response to Immortal's problems, I said that not everyone would have a secret identity. If you didn't want one, then you could just be a superhero. The problem with having you recret identity being you true identity is that if it is discovered, real superivllans wont attack you on the streets, and people won't mob you for autographs. Also, You can quit the game at any point to go to a meeting, but with my suggestion people won't be able to just leave a hughe battle to go to work.
Well it would definately make it easier on the gamers if you didn't have to have a secret ID, but at the same time, would you really WANT one if you knew other people without them didn't have all those in-game responsibilities? You mentioned rewards, but they'd have to be pretty worth-while to attract people to the idea. I'm not saying it's a BAD idea, I'm just saying that may not be the best take on the idea. There are other ways to implement the secret ID without the delivery missions and the errands that have pushed people away from other MMORPGs.
Actually, thats a good point. Errand missions have always been pretty boring. Maybe we could tweak that idea a little. Maybe minigames, or finding creative ways to save people, while not revealing yourself.
Actually, thats a good point. Errand missions have always been pretty boring. Maybe we could tweak that idea a little. Maybe minigames, or finding creative ways to save people, while not revealing yourself.
"A crime is being commited at these coordinates! Run to the nearest pay phone and call the police within four minutes before they get away!"
Call the police, so they can call Freedom Corps!
lol. I'm still thinking. Do you have any ideas?
I think secret identities would be a good way to deal with a lot of the prejudices we get as superheroes. We can't eat in the restaurants, go bowling, nor are we allowed at the bars to pop off a few (probably for the best for a drunk super powered person would be as bad as a drunk behind the wheel of a car). Their reasoning is probably superheroes attract too much unwanted attention from villains, and the battles may cause havoc in the place. However, this segregation has to either stop, or we get secret identities so we can have some leisure time away from our daily grind of fighting crime. 
P.S. I'm just joking by the way (before people think I'm whining). But I think it might be a good way to introduce some mini games, or allow heroes to more social environments outside of Ms. Liberty (who's gotten very popular), as well as attain new contacts for missions (per your job at the newspaper, or some such).
The big drawback that takes consideration is dealing with the name problem. We already are allowed 8 names per account, and already theres alot of sUperHerOes and Super.Heroes and Superheroes1023. Imagine the havoc when people are allowed 16 names. Its not that everyone would be named Bob Jones, but people may use the secret identities as an exploit to reserve names for themselves for future alts while they test out or work on their current ones (most of the players I know already do that using their current 8).
The only solution I guess would be to force the player to use up another of their 8 slots if they want a secret identity for their hero. Thus allowing only a maximum of 4 characters with secret identies. Then you'll have people whining that they're now losing out on content cause they refused to abide by this term, as already have more than 4 characters they play with.
This has the making of some content added to the game. I like the idea, but would like to make a suggestion. Instead of these SIS points heroes should be able too get more influence for doing things w/ their alias'. I dont know what these SIS points would be used for so lets implement this idea w/ something that the game already offers, i.e. influence. I'm up for anything that adds content to the game, but I will say this. If there are to be secret identity missions I would suggest that they be short and offered only every once in a while because and I think I speak for everyone when I say that I dont want to get bogged down doing day to day things that I do in my own life.
I think secret identities is one concept that's been left out of CoH and would be kind of hard to integrate. It's essential for a lot of heroes, but the way it's set up with missions and contacts and whatnot seems to point to the idea that the heroes are doing this job every waking moment. I like the idea of having secret identities in some way so that some of my characters' extended absences from the game servers can be explained. That, and Rush in particular has a secret identity for which I've created the Mark Joyner character in-game. I haven't used it much because there's not much to do in Paragon City if you're not a hero, but I have noticed that a few players have created normal-looking people with normal names and have inserted them into CoH in order to play a civilian character that heroes can interact with. In fact, as Rush I met one character named Courtney Young, a mutant who (it turned out through a bit of roleplaying) goes to the same high school Rush/Mark does, and was rescued from Skulls once by Rush. Basically, Courtney could have easily been one of the random NPC citizens, and she was an interesting character to roleplay with (what must it be like to be a citizen of this city who doesn't have the luxury of being a superhero?). I created the Mark Joyner identity in-game so that I could interact more with characters of this type (well, okay so I'd created both Rush and Mark Joyner years ago, but this way I can play the Mark side of the character when I want.
I'll have to look into the Tailoring system to see if I can create street clothes for Rush/Mark that way.
Guess what - there is ALREADY a secret identy feature built into the game. The toggle is the little button on your computer's tower just above the reset switch.
Actually, some of us are already playing with secret identities. Suzuki Katana/Eric Kruasawa has been around a little more than a week or so. I don't get an xp for time spent as eric, but he does work as a delivery and stock boy for the happy dragon restraunt and grocery.
the xp i get is the fun i have rp'ing him. I realise others may not want to use a slot for an rp char, but that's what i've done. I don't play any alts at all.
K/n
I'd love to have a Secret Identity.
I'm happy to be able to have a casual outfit, when I'm not running around in my tights.
With the recent released patch.
/agree
/agree
and one more /agree, I am all for Secret Identities. I am not sure about the job thing though, seems similar to Spidey 2, but I am still for the civilian thing. Maybe you could choose how to change, like lue light, or middle to top and bottom, something like that, but atleast someone finally did this.
I could definetly dig having a secret identity, haveing one is what being a hero is about one side is super the other is normal. Its what most heroes go through. Like having a job would be cool and triying to keep your super side a secret would be sweet too.
According to one of the Devs, (I forget exactly which one) YOU are your hero's secret identity.
By day, an underachieving IT professional.. By night, SuperCheesyGoodnessMan, the dairy avenger!
When the costume shop came out I made an alternate look. My toon Bio'Vir is a resemblence to swamp thing. but I was on a mission to fighting the plant critters (I don't recall their orgins (tree of life?) Well I didnt want them to know it was a fellow swampy that was attacking them so I switched costumes.
I posted something about this before, but it got deleted, so here it goes, again.
put them all right here.
I think it would be really cool to have Secret Identities. The Game would have to support this, of course, but I think that it would be worth it. Not everyone would have a secret identity, but it would be fun for RPing, and, possibly, it could bear rewards.
My Idea involves HS and SIS. HS, or Hero Score, is gained every time you win a fight. It gets tacked along with everything else in combat. It would probably help get new, secret abilities.
SIS, or Secret Identity Score, would be gained every time you complete a secret identity mission. A secret identity mission could be as simple as showing up for a birthday party. They would appear at random times, and the character would have to accept or decline. Also, Secret Identites could hold Jobs. So maybe they would have to deliver Pizzas or (at the risk of being cliche) reporters. If they don't complete their job after they accept a mission they could be fired, and, thus, loose a lot of SIS. SIS could be traded in for homes, normal vehicles, and possible gadgets (we all know of heros making gadgets in their homes).
Thats the game plan. What do you all think? Questions, comments, sugesstions, praise, and worship