Suggestion - summon your other alts to play in a team with you

[Dragonfire]

I made this suggestion elsewhere on the old CoH boards, but I really wish I could make a team of up to 8 of my alts at a time.  Let them act as pets or NPCs during a Task Force or something, but let me play them and level them all at the same time.  Those with alt-itus and lots of alternate heroes/villains would certainly appreciate teaming up with their own characters and playing through missions with them.

[Steampunkette]

14 minutes ago, Dragonfire said:

I made this suggestion elsewhere on the old CoH boards, but I really wish I could make a team of up to 8 of my alts at a time.  Let them act as pets or NPCs during a Task Force or something, but let me play them and level them all at the same time.  Those with alt-itus and lots of alternate heroes/villains would certainly appreciate teaming up with their own characters and playing through missions with them.

So... It would be -functionally- impossible for the game to index your offline characters to gather their powerset and costume information. It would likewise be -functionally- impossible for the game to index your offline characters to apply gained XP to them.

 

That is to say that it would be possible if a massive mechanical overhaul of the various servers (That is to say Login versus Character versus Map servers, not the play servers) was implemented that allowed them direct access. AND if that overhaul specifically created a character index for your characters legible to the map server so it could detail them out, and allowed direct read-write access to the various functions of your offline characters...

 

But such an overhaul would be incredibly time consuming and likely have minimal benefit for the cost. Especially since the team is so small and it would mean the Mapserver would need to constantly ping the other two servers to locate information (Taking up more resources)

 

Now MAYBE with some UI Changes they could set up an 'AE Ally" temp power that allowed you to build an NPC Ally in the AE and put them in some kind of "Ally Slot" that it could then index to summon when you use the temp power... But that would -still- be a pretty big undertaking. Especially to do it seven different times and create seven different temp powers tied to each 'AE Ally Slot' temp power (Since each one would only be able to index slot 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)

[Rylas]

Sounds nice on paper, but I would have to wonder how good it would turn out in reality. Even if the undertaking wasn't a big deal, game AI for allies has never been... overwhelmingly great. I can only imagine 7 of my alts (since teams cap at 8 characters) running around doing things the way I wouldn't do them as those characters. I mean, it would be fun to see them, of course, but I don't think it would necessarily be great. 

 

Also, asking for them to gain XP is a bit lofty. You're basically asking to level 8 characters at a time with only the investment of time in one. I know they've made leveling incredibly easy to do, but I don't see it getting so ridiculously easy as that.

 

On the bright side, you can easily make your characters in the AE and achieve at least part of what you're asking for. And if you're big on RP'ing, that's a really great way to enrich your character's story. And hey, cross over issues for your toons! 

[MetaVileTerror]

I mean, if we get Mastermind Henchpet Customization to work, then you're at least halfway to your dream . . . assuming that the powers of a particular set of Henchpets matches your alt characters', at least.

[biostem]

Another option would be to have a new AT, essentially, where you got to pick he body type, AT, primary, and secondary for your "partner".  Their powers and AI would be based upon something like your level, or otherwise tied to powers you've taken in your primary and secondary.  I can't imagine this partner getting the full compliment of player powers, though...

Edited September 9, 2019 by biostem

[Dragonfire]

2 hours ago, MetaVileTerror said:

I mean, if we get Mastermind Henchpet Customization to work, then you're at least halfway to your dream . . . assuming that the powers of a particular set of Henchpets matches your alt characters', at least.

That'd be a good idea.

40 minutes ago, biostem said:

Another option would be to have a new AT, essentially, where you got to pick he body type, AT, primary, and secondary for your "partner".  Their powers and AI would be based upon something like your level, or otherwise tied to powers you've taken in your primary and secondary.  I can't imagine this partner getting the full compliment of player powers, though...

Interesting...

[Dragonfire]

3 hours ago, Rylas said:

Sounds nice on paper, but I would have to wonder how good it would turn out in reality. Even if the undertaking wasn't a big deal, game AI for allies has never been... overwhelmingly great. I can only imagine 7 of my alts (since teams cap at 8 characters) running around doing things the way I wouldn't do them as those characters. I mean, it would be fun to see them, of course, but I don't think it would necessarily be great. 

 

Also, asking for them to gain XP is a bit lofty. You're basically asking to level 8 characters at a time with only the investment of time in one. I know they've made leveling incredibly easy to do, but I don't see it getting so ridiculously easy as that.

 

On the bright side, you can easily make your characters in the AE and achieve at least part of what you're asking for. And if you're big on RP'ing, that's a really great way to enrich your character's story. And hey, cross over issues for your toons! 

Thinking through again, you're probably right, asking to level my characters by dragging them along.  If there were a way to just bring my other alts into a mission in the game itself, either to rescue them or something would be great as is.  I guess I can work on AE and create some stories there.

[Razor Cure]

I like this idea. More as a way to deal with tough boss/eb fights, when you are solo and cant find or dont want player help, and dont have time to go get SHivens etc.

[MetaVileTerror]

Actually . . . that kind of gives me another idea of how to implement this:  Complete a zone event or story arc, and get a Temporary, Refillable Summon Power, like the Shivan Shard.  But have it summon a customized ally, created in an AE-style UI.

[Doc_Scorpion]

8 hours ago, Dragonfire said:

but let me play them and level them all at the same time.

No.

[PopeUrban]

5 hours ago, biostem said:

Another option would be to have a new AT, essentially, where you got to pick he body type, AT, primary, and secondary for your "partner".  Their powers and AI would be based upon something like your level, or otherwise tied to powers you've taken in your primary and secondary.  I can't imagine this partner getting the full compliment of player powers, though...

I like this as a melee control/damage or damage/control type archetype powerset. Essentially a secondary perma-pet that uses grappling for holds while you use damage powers. Basically you control activation of all powers, but your pet actually uses half the set. The up side is the powers recharge very quickly. The down side is you both share an HP pool at well as your END pool. Damage dealt to one is dealt to both split evenly. the You get a "team up" bonus to damage and stacking more hold duration for striking a target held by your own powers or an aggro reduction(you) and scaling mitigation (pet) for doing holds for your allies and striking a different target. Ult would be a fusion where you use both simultaneously at increased effect with slower cooldowns. Making your holds deal instant upscaled damage or your damage do instant CC. Wired up to an alternate costume slot if possible. Wonder twin powers activate!

Edited September 10, 2019 by PopeUrban

[gameboy1234]

On 9/9/2019 at 12:21 PM, Dragonfire said:

I made this suggestion elsewhere on the old CoH boards, but I really wish I could make a team of up to 8 of my alts at a time.  Let them act as pets or NPCs during a Task Force or something,

Sounds OK in concept.  I personally would put this under Mastermind customization.  One of the sets should allow you to summon a "team of super heroes" to do your bidding.  It should be about the same as other MM sets in power and utility (so not literally your own alts) but something fun and interesting and new.