Tough one. I really like the model kits from GW for this one; the elite units and heroes more specifically. The Deathwatch art is what I'd look to: Aside from that one shoulder pad (which is off-limits for EC) They manage to show a great deal of Chapter heraldry and ornamentation without ever breaking force cohesion. See this Deathwatch Blood Angel with the blood droplets on his back pack. Even something subtle like that and then repeated on the front somewhere would be instantly recognizable to friendlies. Obviously the standard players shouldn't look like a Captain straight away, but if each player had 1 or 2 subtle colors/pieces of the front and back that you could identify them by that'd be a fair balance. Some more obscure things: Pendants and seals like the red-gemmed crux on these Termies (my favourite idea) Colored chains and aigrettes (Death Company thighs have plain red ones) Extra armor like the strange extra thigh/belt armor on this Sternguard Sergeant. Terminator armor I think. Greaves, forearm, belt face and minimal Helm Icons The embossed words on certain armor or the parchment banners (like Grey Knights and some Vets)
Many thanks for your comments and links, these are great references : ) We thought at one point going full deathwatch-style but then we were losing the chapter aspect almost enterily (and were giving too much freedom on armor colors, which would create a rainbow on the field ).
You should go with the Deathwatch. Too many sub factions. How big is this "planet?" This game seems like it will be a super casual pick up game.
Aesthetically it's a rainbow field, and I'm going to keep pushing for same-chapter bonuses for squads, but every one of these factions have joined massive crusades and made land fall at the same time on a single planet before and this "planet" holds a galaxy-changing power. I don't know where the pickup game impression comes from considering the advanced social and command/WC structure that's being designed. PUGs and lone-wolves will not be the norm. I don't think swapping in the Deathwatch for 80% of everyone's favourite Sub-Faction is a wise move (wildly unpopular) or do anything to counter any super casual nature that creeps in.
I like the knee pad idea - iirc that's where campaign badges go on Codex-compliant Space Marines, so almost any symbol could be justifiable there in lore (you could give us a large amount of stock symbols to choose between, like with guild symbols in both Guild Wars games). Also a more elaborate Strike Force symbol could go on things like banners and storm shields if equipped. I don't feel the need to have a massive Strike Force symbol on my armour (I'd rather the game adhered to lore absolutely with respect to that) as long as my Strike Force tag will be visible by my name to allies (possibly enemies). Not too rainbow - I mean they'd all be black and silver apart from the shoulder pads Back when the game was announced I was utterly convinced that you would be using the Deathwatch model as the best way to let all Space Marines look uniform as a single army/faction, while allowing individual players to play as any chapter they liked (and I figured Chaos would likely use a Black Crusade warband or Red Corsairs-like model to allow any Legion or cult that a player could wish for). I still think that would have resulted in a lot less work for you guys and ultimately have prevented all the forum complaints about certain chapters not being in the game. Plus it would have set up the Inquisition perfectly as the ones giving missions to Space Marines. As I am still waiting to see if any of my favourite loyalist chapters get into the game (White Scars, Raven Guard, Crimson Fists, Salamanders, etc.) I might still end up wishing you'd gone with the Deathwatch model The Deathwatch could still be a good sub-faction to add though, even under your chosen system, just to provide a way to get certain chapters into the game that you would never have time to add as their own sub-faction. Don't write the idea off. Personally if the only way I was ever going to be able to play as a Crimson Fists marine was as a Deathwatch-assigned brother of that chapter then I would leap at the chance.
I really like that idea. To take from Planetside 2, if you spot an organized guild moving out from a base you would have to find 4 other players ready to help man your predator to help them, but with the Machine spirit/daemon you would only need one for the main gun which is much easier to find. I'm also really excited that the driver isn't controlling the primary weapon, I do a lot of tank driving in PlS2 and to anyone who's seen the inside of a tank it seems really odd when your both driving and manning the largest weapon.
I like this idea, a similar idea i had is since Marines generally have the same Iconography repeated on their armor so that they can be easily identified from any angle, IE the small blood drops that the Blood angels put almost anywhere that they will fit you could have small icons placed strategically so that it could be seen from any angle. for instance having the strikeforce icon say on, for example the left knee pad, small on the bottom back of the left shoulder and front bottom of the right shoulder. those icons would be easily spotted to someone looking for them but still go unnoticed against the Chapter icons to a casual observer... like a blood angel recognizing campaign honors on another blood angel, but the average guardsmen being unable to tell one armored, helmeted marine from another.
What are your guy's thoughts on some shading options (lighter green to darker green) or using the sub-faction color scheme, but being able to have variations on where the colors are used on the armor?
Me, personally, I would like it very much to have a bit of options color and pattern-wise within a Sub-Faction. I like Character Customization in games and I see those variations as almost necessary. But I was out of loop for a while on the subject so I dunno if any decision has been taken on this topic. My opinion is that it is still an option - and if so, I'm gonna fight to have it in Huzzah for shading options!
