I was going over some of the past releases and it got me to thinking. I know thats always dangerous. When I create a new character and I play my first 20 lvls worth of content unique to my choices, what are my options for my friends?
If I want to be a gang lord, why cant my sibling(another player) be a co-lord? Thinking of WoW, If you team up with someone from the start, everything is open quests so it never matters. Thinking of SWTOR, I hate the fact that my friend has no impact or say on my class quests. Thinking of the WWF/WWE world, there are always characters that start together but break apart for one reason or another, usually helping to define that character and their motivations.
I play mostly solo, but I do want this game to take off, which means playing with more people, making new friends, and forming themed SGs. So if I start out with another player, can we have a unique two(or more) player experience? I know players can do the same quests and pick different options, but from a point of origin position, this could drasticly affect the lore/alignment of a character.
COX used to have a level pact system, and this could be how to reconcile that, always with the option to break that pact, but a unique experience to continue it.
I am very curious to hear what other thoughts are on this, since this play style is just about me.
Personally I never used the leveling pact in CoX. I wasn't a big fan of it. I know some people who tried it out and they said it was just sooooooooo slooooooooow. Perhaps if it was revamped to make it a little faster it wouldn't be too bad. However, you'd have some people who might try to abuse it to PL an alternate toon instead of actually playing it. Meh. I dunno. I'm not against it, I'm just not really for it either.
I got chills! They're multiplyin'. And I'm losin' control. Cuz the power, I'm supplyin'. Why it's ELECTRIFYIN'!!
It was slow! Very slow! I saw no point in it's use when so many were just using those characters together and only together.
I however did use it to help a few get to level 20 then I quickly ended the pact. :p Early levels were a little easier to get through with a level pact. Higher just made it feel worse.
Myself and a friend tried the Pact when it came out and agreed to it so if one of us wanted to play that character we could do so and the other would not be left behind. It was slow but understandably so and while because of that it appeared bad it made sense for us as I played almost every day and they only 1-2 times a week. They didn't mind missing out on the missions as such as they had played them all before but when they did log on and I had been playing the new character we were still the same level.
It had its good points and bad points but as long as I have the choice Im happy for it to exist again.
The Phoenix Rising Initiative Rules Lawyer
I missed the leveling pact when they dropped it. The pact worked brilliantly for me and my wife. It wasn't slow, you were just earning for two. it was great for keeping a pair perfectly leveled, even with death or just one being online.
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I never set anything on fire accidentally!
The Titan Legacy - Defender of the Inner Flame
The leveling pact wasn't widely used, true. Mostly because it WAS so darned slow for whoever was "carrying" the pact. I don't think it would add much to the general QoL unless it was re-imagined and re-structured in a major way.
However, I would suspect that if you start characters together, pick the same origins and archetypes, you will have similar mission paths. If they diverge a bit... ::shrug:: you can still share and play them all. Your Co-ganglord vision is really more a matter of role-play, in any case. The back story and motivations for your characters are your business.
I think as long as you have sidekick/exemplar and some form of AE (user-generated missions) then this will be satisfied. SG leaders can make SG missions that are on-theme for the SG, people can team up even if their levels are not similar, etc.
R.S.O. of Phoenix Rising
I had Several experiences with a Leveling Pact.
When I was the one 'carrying' the pact, it meant that I got to play every arc and mission without worrying about over-leveling them. I got to try things and go places and experience the content and, since this was our City of Heroes, even when I was working for two, I never quite ran out of content. And when my sluggish partner was able to play, we were always well-matched.
When I was the one being 'carried', it was a frightful Chore. Every time I logged in, I had to completely rebuild my character with a new set of enhancements and learn a new suite of powers. They were all in the same set, but it Felt like I was re-learning a whole new character, every time. Also, without earning the influence and Loot for all of those levels, affording new Enhancements was Expensive!
Oh, but when you and your Pact-mate were both active at the same time, it was Astonishing! It was like there was a third pact-mate, dumping experience into the bond. The Dinging! The Dinging was Continuous! We'd level twice in a single mission, if it was long enough. Because we were both experienced players and understood the power of the small team, we turned up the difficulty, which meant the experience was coming in even faster. Glorious!
I hope there will be some form of Leveling Pact in CoT. It's not something I would want on every character, but when it makes sense, it's great!
Be Well!
Fireheart
I suppose I should clarify a little on what I meant in my post. I was more specificly inquireing about haveing unique storyline/background options for players in a pact.
Say I want my elec/elec blaster to play through, but my friend just starts the game, so I join him. He only plays occasionaly, so normaly, im left with a choice. Either I let my character sit untill my friend plays again, I play ahead leaving my friend behind and spoiling the storyline, or I start another character and play through the same content, with the same skills/skill options spoiling the storyline. What I am suggesting, would be content specific to groups. This orign playthrough would be unique for multiple players/pact players. If MWM keeps their plan to make lvl 1-20 unique, this would fall under that guideline. Of course this could be taken further in later updates to provide story/questlines for multiplayer pact groups.
Sorry for the confusion about what I meant earlier.
Hmm.. arent you afraid that if your Mate is given the option to choose his own path, assuming Devs were to add that, that you would discover you two were on much different wave lengths, and might part ways as a result? :o
Then you two will have to do a musical like Buffy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0xN1R7qwM :(