New temp power suggestion: call for help from one of your other toons

I suggested this on one of the "Freedom Friday" Facebook threads, and got a "great idea, but we're not doing that at this time" kind of response. So I'm mentioning it here.

We have the temp power to call a random signature hero to help during a battle, purchasable from tier 9 of the reward token market. What I would like is the ability to call forth one of my alts to help in a battle. How fun would it be for two of your own toons to fight side by side?

Gentleman Gladiator is fighting Lord Recluse and is in trouble. He quickly radios stablemate Abe Kadabra, who appears via teleporter and uses his electrical blast powers to help his friend take down the leader of Arachnos.

The power would work like this:

once activated, the power would draw forth a random, level-appropriate hero (or villain, etc.) from your alts. S/he would fight by your side for 5 minutes, then disappear. The power would have, say, 5 charges, or alternately unlimited charges but only usable once every hour.

This is something I would happily buy in the Paragon Market. The chance to fight side-by-side with one of my other creations - creations which are by the very nature of the game never permitted in world at the same time under any other circumstance - would be incredibly cool. And it doesn't seem like the programming would be too difficult either.

And I bet it would sell better than that wascally leprechaun!

Just the idea of two of my toons fighting side-by-side makes me smile.

Since I do this a lot with AE, I wholeheartedly support this idea.

I approve, but it sounds rather difficult.

I would assume it would do a character aligned to you. Say I won't get my Villain Ill/Time controller helping my hero TW/Energy Aura brute.

Other issues would be what "level appropriate" entails, as well as what happens if the character using the power is also the only character (or only character of that alignment) on your account.

It's a great idea, but I can see a whole lot of technical aspects that would keep it from being practical to code.

I have not a clue about how easy or difficult it would be to code. Presumably it could just do a database query of your alts and identify only heroes (if you're logged on as a hero) or villains or praetorians if you're logged as one of those and then do a random pick, sidekicking/exemplaring as necessary. If you only have one hero then the power wouldn't work since it wouldn't have anything to draw from. (and presumably you'd be bright enough to not use it.)

Like I said, I don't know if it would be easy or difficult, but if it could work as a simple database query, it doesn't seem all that complicated.

IF it could be pulled off well I would LOVE to see it, but I see at least one major problem, and a possible way to make this better.


PROBLEM
Keep in mind that the AI controlling your character may very well make the NPC Lady Jane's stupidity look brilliant by comparison.

Depending on the NPC AI used you currently have...
...misuses many powers or fails to use them at all.
...Runs into mobs even though ranged may well be better.
...Runs in and agros mobs you are not yet dealing with.
...Fails to buff, debuff, or heal the optimal targets.
...Seems to, if I understand Arcanaville correctly, have issues if recharge goes outside of a certain window.

Picture if in front of an entire league, your favorite character pulls a Leroy Jenkins on the final boss. I'm not so sure I would want to summon our characters if they were played like the worse NPC allies we see in the game?


SUGGESTIONS
Make this a controllable Pet and not an NPC, so we could at least limit the chance of doing a Leroy and have some control over it.

WAY OUT THERE SUGGESTIONS
Give us another build slot that IF used would be the one summoned so we could make a build designed for summoning and allow us to tweak, remove powers that don't work.

Consider also making this, or the extra build slot version an incarnate power (Hybrid slot?) so even if sales are less then desired the development cost is still worth it.

as an example...

1 time account summon temp power 400PP or 100 Astral Merits.
or
Unlock Hybrid slot allows summoning once every 4 hours of real time, Additional Teirs allow more customization, or shorter recharge time.