Cross-faction teaming: Probation and Duress

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That said, I had to have some in-game/RPish explanation for why a hero would start helping villains beat up Sea Witch.

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Because she still hasn't fixed the ITF Zone-o-Lag?

{dives for cover}

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You're thinking of the War Witch.

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Reading causes cancer............................................ .... OH CRAP now I have cancer..! :O

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I can't feel my legs..!

I read a few posts about this idea and a defection type system based on the "leaked survey" that hit the forums that even BeefCake confirmed, that would allow a Hero or Villain to slowly defect to the other side.

I think it would be a great idea. I would love to defect over to Paragon City and have my Night Widow start a life of heroism. Or have my Blaster turn heal and begin a life of crime. Maybe somewhere in between perhaps, a double agent.

It would add to the overall story line's dynamic that some folks aren't as cookie cutter as you think they should be. Sometimes, good people have dark secrets and bad people can impress you with good manners and kindness. Adding this into the game would be just too good and expand the fruity goodness of the game.

I would also like to be able to raid a city on blue/red side. I want to kill Ms. Liberty in Atlas or Ghost Widow in Grandville. I'd love to ban together with hero or villain and attack a city. It would be tough, but would be sooo fun.

Also might have to consider raising the level cap to 60 with all new world content, zones and whatnot for 50+. Might have to be a store bought expansion as the content would be ginormous. In the survey they eluded to this (lvl 55 cap I believe) with a space station as the new 50+ only hazard zone.

Someone also mentioned that it would be cool if the expanded the zone maps and added underwater terrain to all the water ways in CoX to usher in the "Coralax City". (We've never really seen what a true Coralax looks like, only Coralax hybrids). It would be nice to see their underwater city for the first time... and kill them

Can you picture the large colored spires in the Ocean's deep? To swim down deeper than traveling across the Hollows where light turns an eerie blue and fish swim past you? A City of lights and tubes that connect every part of the City together.

Maybe a grand entrance into the dry city of glass, stone and crystal tubes and windows you can look out of. Where you can see the seaweed sway as dolphins, sharks and an occasional dead mook body drift by beautifully.

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I can't feel my legs..!

Why not have both?

First, Fall from Grace\Rebellion.
Let a Hero\Villain defect to the other side, but they have to start from level 1 to "prove their sincerity". This means you get to run content (maybe youve run it before but now youre interested to see how youll do with this character). Some would be interested in doing that, some wont, but allowing them to get new badges and some logical subset of non duplicated accolades would be incentive for more than a few.
Character would be exemped down, and Powers would become available as you originally picked them, as you level up. Slots too if the Devs think the coding is worth the effort, otherwise it would be just like as if you were exemped to 27 who hits 28: the power you chose at 28 and all the slots on it start working. Devs choice on this.
Make it only available to level 50's. Make it seem like an AT option to those who have earned it.
Make it one way. Once you switch sides, you cant go back, permenantly that is(See Probation\Duress). If a Hero goes rogue then he's rogue for life, and vice versa for Villians. This can be logically explained as "you have burned your bridges, and going back would mean life in prison, or death from ex-comrades."

Probation\Duress
Let Heros\villians temporarily join the opposite faction, pretty much as the OP described. Only exception is not requiring the sponsor to be higher than the "guest". Let a 50 join a team; if hes higher than the sponsor, make him exemp to the sponsors level. That prevents a whole host of issues, lets 50's go to the otherside.
characters that have Fallen from Grace\Rebelled, could be prohibited from going back, or could be allowed to be sponsored. Arguments abound for both options. Im leaning toward the latter.

New Zones?
Im all for new zones and content. Im totally for underwater options in every zone that its applicable. Id love to see sealife you can interact with in applicable zones(sharks that bite, dolphins, sea snakes, pirahna's, etc). Underwater cities? Totally!
However, Id rather the Devs go to a system of "Issues" be new zones\content" and "Releases" between issues focusing *exclusively* on bug fixes. The cycle now seems new zone\light content\power\lotsa bug fixes for last Issue. I went through i13 content in less than a day. The zone is beautiful, etc, but thats disappointing.
This would actually be good for the devs sanity wise, as they can know what to expect and focus on one set of things rather being stretched to thin on many things.
I dont think we need new zones or a new level cap. Implementing this by itself would be enough to fill an "Issue" and the subsequent "Release".

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Pinnacle: Sgt. Major - L50 ARDevicesElec Blaster ,Sgt. Medic - L50 IllusionEmpathy Controller, PootyButt - L50 DarkDP Defender Skunk
Virtue: Rockford Pennington - L50 StoneSS Tank, L50 WPSS Tank, L40 ElecDM Tank, L37 DADM Tank, L50 EmpRad Def, Zoom Jr - L50 FireDev Blaster

/signed

Actually a very thought out, yet simple way to execute cross-faction teams.

Nice work!

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Royal Knight/Headgear
Force Field/Psionics Defender - Sonics/Traps Corruptor
Guardian Server

Founder of:
The Order of Prometheus/
Bane of Prometheus
www.baneofprometheus.net

I agree that something like this would probably be the closest thing to side-switching we could realistically ever see in the game. But I think that's due to the way the ATs and powersets are set up.

The reason to want to switch sides in other games, like say EQ, was because you wanted to play a character type that normally isn't available to your race. Like say I wanted to play a dwarf shadowknight, I'd have to play a dwarf... I think it was warrior or something (I haven't played it in a while) and then do the betrayal quest once I reached high enough level, and then I could be a shadowknight.

In CoH... it might work for some ATs, like a brute could become a scrap or tank, but where does that leave ATs that don't have a clear, mirrored counterpart? What would a MM become? A defender with attacks and no pets? would a troller become a dom but get to choose a new secondary and vice versa? What about the VEATs and EATs?

But I agree with most of the people here, this is a really good and creative solution to something just about everyone wants. I admire the creativity the most, after all I didn't think of it.

Edited for spelling.

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Names for turncoat ATs:

Blaster: Decimator
Controller: Regulator
Defender: Sympath
Scrapper: Striker
Tanker: Bruiser
Peacebringer: Warbringer
Warshade: Nictus

And the Reformed ATs:

Corruptor: Purifier
Dominator: Eviscerator
Mastermind: Commander
Brute: Warrior
Stalker: Shadow
Arachnos Soldier: Reformed Soldier
Arachnos Widow: Reformed Widow

What do you think?

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I think the new expansion will solve this.

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"Yes, winning all the time can be boring."
-Knight_Chill

"It's amazing how well you can put up with endurance issues if you hide them under a large enough pile of bodies."

-Spiritchaser speaking on Dom Revamp

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I think the new expansion will solve this.

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Yeah, does this thread still need to be stickied?

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[ QUOTE ]
Names for turncoat ATs:

Blaster: Decimator
Controller: Regulator
Defender: Sympath
Scrapper: Striker
Tanker: Bruiser
Peacebringer: Warbringer
Warshade: Nictus

And the Reformed ATs:

Corruptor: Purifier
Dominator: Eviscerator
Mastermind: Commander
Brute: Warrior
Stalker: Shadow
Arachnos Soldier: Reformed Soldier
Arachnos Widow: Reformed Widow

What do you think?

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I like those alternate AT names. Not bad

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Why, thank you, good sir.

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/signed so hard

I like this idea, and I further compliment the OP's ability to present it.

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Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.

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hey, I'd be happy with just being able to give insps to my team-mates regardless of faction. That'd be a nice thing for the devs to do, since there's so much co-op later in the game.

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@craggy see me on Union for TFs, SFs (please!) or just some good ol fashioned teaming.

/signed

Excellent addition to a MMORPG

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Sig of Black Mercenary
What else do you want?

Is this thread not obsolete now? Unsticky plox.

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Don't use "plox," please. Oh how it grates at my psyche like an angry platypus wanting shredded cheese.

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