In comics we have the idea of sidekicks. These are junior super heroes who are learning from a mentor. Together they form a pairing that is unequal in power. One is highly skilled. The other one needs a chaperon. What if the power level of the two heroes wasn't unequal? That's called a partnership. Both heroes in the partnership are competent, successful heroes who team up for mutual gain. Examples include Hawk and Dove, Fire and Ice, Cloak and Dagger, and Hellboy and Abe Sapien. The player would control one hero while the other functioned like a pet, much in the same way you would expect a hero/sidekick system to work. The difference is that players could switch between the two characters. For example, Fire would have damage over time skills, and Ice has control abilities. The player wants to pin down a boss so he starts a battle with Ice and covers the boss in...well...ice. He or she then switches to Fire to give some damage over time abilities, and then back to Ice. On the other hand, players may choose a Tank/Control combo is best like Hellboy and Abe.
This could be a feature of a certain character slot. In other words, every time you logged into your main character(s) you see the partners standing there. It could also be used for stand alone missions. Players could get a mission where two of their characters team up against a common foe. What was otherwise routine becomes a distinctly new tactical experience.
I dunno man, it seems like this idea falls more in line with teaming. I mean why include a system that is just a narrowly focused version of something already there. If it was a gastalt like powerset maybe. But a full system for it....I donèt see the need personally.
I agree with islandtrevor here. The sidekick would be a pet, so something a MM would have. I personally don't think that every hero would have a sidekick (some heroes stay away from sidekicks). Sidekicking is fine as part of a team dynamic (such as Exemplar/Sidekicking as done in CoX when you want to play with a higher or lover level friend) but I don't think everyone should have a sidekick.
The other option would be to have a sidekick power pool so if you wanted a Sidekick, you could pay the points for it as a 'power set'. This would give greater flexibility for those who didn't want a sidekick as well as those who do.
We all have it in us to be a hero to someone,
Super powers are optional.....
Part of the Phoenix Rising Initiative.....
Proud to be a hero. Prouder still to be a member of Watchfire
The best partners are real people. Sidekicking, Mentoring, and Leveling Pacts support this.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Could you expand further on this?
From what I gathered reading this: "A pet", "Playing two characters at once", or "teaming up" comes to mind.
Are you saying have two characters, each with half the power of one, that you can tab between playing? Like one basically has only a Primary-power line while the other has only a Secondary-power line? If so that sort-of brings me back to the above mentioned.
If I understand correctly, we're talking about making 2 toons, and letting either one "summon" the other as a "buddy", then essentially "two boxing" the toons as a team, together. My main objection to this is the fact that you can then make your own team and circumvent the needs to team up with anyone else.
There are already enough reasons for people to say "no" to a team request, adding this, I fear, would be the last nail in the coffin of actual person to actual person interaction.
R.S.O. of Phoenix Rising
There are two systems I'm talking about. A Partner Character, which is two characters who are permanently attached into one character slot. The second is a Partnering Mission, which is a solo mission where you can play as two characters. Neither of these would replace teaming up with other people. I repeat, this is a different way to have solo content. It's not a replacement for social gaming. If you were forming a raid and invited a Partner Character, he would bring "both" of his "characters", and he would only take one slot in a raid. I put both and characters in quotes because the two characters function as one character. Each character may be 20% weaker than other characters of the a similar level or endgame status, or you could split power sets. There would be a balancing factor, but it's debatable as to what it is. I hope that clears it up.
It's just a fun alternative to standard mmo practices and missions.
It still a narrow focused team mechanic. I personally don't see the need for it.
i have a SOLUTION... A customizable PET:
with costumizable pets you can have..
1. a Sidekick
2. Many clones of YOU like the powers of Mr. Gemini in CO..
3. Beats that walk with you ( any mob in game can be your pet)
4. Robots or drones for the engeniers gadge guys....
1 pet = 1 power you spend... to make your pet stronger just level up the skil
if you want 2 pets you spend 2 powers.. and go on....
i solve 3 problems with this... i give you a Theme ( multiple powers, clones), i give you pets... and i give you a sidekick if you really want
A solution to what?
I am assuming the game would have customized pets already. That's just because extreme customization is the way the dev's are going.
The idea of Sidekick was proposed elsewhere as a powerset unto itself, which I think would be a great addition to the game. Sometime waaaay down the road. They could fill out your powerset, maintaining the "theme" like Green Arrow and Speedy, or be a complement like Batman and Robin. Myself, I would consider it an extension of the Mastermind set, but instead of a crowd of semi-generic minions you get a single, more customizable, pet that basically carries your secondary powerset.
The idea of being able to switch between two essentially equally powered but different characters is interesting, but I don't see a good enough justification for it. Either case would have to be extremely careful about balancing. Although, it has to be said, Kheldians were essentially that, with a couple more forms.
This seems like the best take on it to me, although it'd seem your main character would still need some mix of offensive and defensive powers, as would the secondary.
There's no way I see each one of them each being "eighty percent as effective" as a non sidekicked hero, as proposed earlier in the thread, since that'd combine to make them worth more than one and a half heroes. I could your main character being around sixty percent as powerful as a non sidekicked hero with the sidekick being worth about two thirds that.(Maybe nudge each up to make up for the presumed complexity of playing a sidekick.)
I have a feeling it would work best as it's own archetype- and better by allowing both characters access to a main and secondary set, with those individual sets being somewhat weaker than other AT's.
Longtime City of Heroes player, longtime writer. :) Working in Nebraska.
COT: Mission tips writer, studying Cinema 4D animation program
I still think sidekicks should be a sort of hireling.
Basically you get a sidekick...(can be a bought item or it can be a reward for a mission or just an option as you level) you dress him/her/it how ya want and pick its role. If it's a buffer/healer its powers are set a certain way....if its a combat role the powers are different. At no time should a player choose the actual powers or have control over a sidekicks action beyond simple go here/attack/avoid/ect.
It's the only way I can think of that would allow us to make sidekick without it being a total nightmare to balance in the game.
Remember the summoned pet in the VAP sets.....that was how I gave my character a sidekick.
Think I'll have to agree with Fireheart. The best partners are other people. As long as CoT has a similar Super Sidekicking system like CoH had, I'll be very happy. I'm not a huge fan of pets. NW had them and they were nice in the lower levels, but soon crapped out in the upper levels. Also computer AI can be wonky. So your pet may not perform in the manner you'd like for it to perform. If the pet only had one power it could do reliably all the time then I suppose that would be okay.
I got chills! They're multiplyin'. And I'm losin' control. Cuz the power, I'm supplyin'. Why it's ELECTRIFYIN'!!
You right I should have said npc sidekicks or partners as it relates to this thread.