Ouroboros Flash Forward

I know this idea presents A LOT of problems, but I think it would be cool to consider. As it stands Ouroboros allows us to take our character back in time to complete flash back arcs. While doing this, we are exemplared to the level of the arc and our higher level powers are unavailable. What if as a lower level character you could use Ouroboros to "Flash forward" and do higher level arcs. The incentive being, powers that come later in your powerset are now available for you to use. This would enable folks to see what their toon could become in the future. Obviously, this would present some issues such as power selections and slotting differing from toon to toon, and I could perceive some potential for exploitation. Any thoughts on this idea?

they could go off of the Ramiel arc, where you are sent to "key points" in the future where the coming storm was at its peak. If not that, you could be sent to the time when Nemesis first took power (but not interfere) or the turning point where he became a mender (sorry if my lore is off). I can understand going into the future to spy on your future self to see a possible version that the menders want you not to turn into.

With such a diverse crowd, something is going to offend someone at one point or another. That being said, making your way and finding what you like takes trial and error (and for some, they rather follow a path made by someone else). Respecs give us that option to change what we don't like, so once we hit 50 we'll have an idea of what powers work for us. I am not going to get started with incarnate stuff, it is still in its infancy and bound to change in the coming issues.

Can someone explain to me a feasible way to 'allow higher level powers' on a lower level character? Who picks? The player? That seems unlikely. The computer? Thats bound to cause cries of "I didn't want those powers!" Why did it give me Handclap?!" Are they slotted? If so, how? If they aren't slotted, again people will complain that it's 'unfair'.

/Unsigned. I don't see this being actually feasible

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

/unsigned.

Most of the major points against this horrible idea have already been addressed, such as basic balance. Higher-level enemies are generally balanced against the player having access not just to to additional powers in their upper tiers, but also to having additional slots for those powers. Ergo, as mobs scale in level those mobs gain access to a wider range of buffs, debuffs, mez effects, resistances, defenses, and attacks.

Creating a "flash forward" system would require the developers either re-balance the capabilities of each enemy mob based on the prospective level of the flash-forwarded player; or alternatively create a system that allows the player to act as though they have a higher level complete with slot adjustments and power selections. Either way, both options would require massive changes to the underlying engine code to create solutions for a problem that does not currently exist.

Now, I realize that the engine consideration arguments will largely fall on deaf ears for a numerous amount of reasons. For example, there will no doubt be the lower-level player with a full set of IO's who will step in and point out that they joined a higher level team, were SSK'd up, and were still fully capable of soloing effective +5/x8 mobs. I also imagine that such players would argue that the SSK system is already in place and all the developers would have to do is simply make a faux-SSK team for the player to join when presented with a flash-forward trial. Afterall, current task-forces already bump players up to the TF level on start.

Well, whoopty-doo if you can take on +5/x8 mobs by yourself. Just because "you" can does not mean everybody, nor does it mean everybody should. I hate to break it to... well I don't really... but the number of power-gamers who can pull that type of stunt off would have problems forcing a zone-lock on Outbreak.

The SSK bump on TF's is also an artifact of setting the level of the TF by the team-lead. Changing the system so that it could set an arbitrary level regardless of the team-leads actual level... well. That actually isn't that bad of an idea.

In fact, it actually came up several years back when SSK was introduced, and before that with the old SK system. Implementing TF / Trial mission spawns based on the level of the Trial / TF rather than the star-holders level would have eliminated many of the problems faced by players... such as the leader disconnecting and the second in line of a much lower level getting the star. That the developers did not take this particular coding approach I think says more about the likely-hood of such a change being implemented now than anything else that can be said.

I'd also reiterate the subjective feeling already communicated in this thread. The request itself screams "I want to be level 50 but not have to do anything to get to level 50"

Whether or not subscribers like it... This is in fact a Video-Game. You do, in fact, actually have to play the game in order to progress in levels. Progressing in levels is what unlocks content for you to play.

Yes, there are systems that enable you to play content that another subscriber has unlocked. Just because there are such systems does not, and will not, mean that you should get access to start or run that content on yourown without having met the same criteria as those other players... be it completing a story line to unlock a Task Force (Hess, Katie Hannon, Mortimer Kal), or achieving a particular level rank for your character.

In other words, if you want to run higher-level content...

Earn your own higher level yourself.