Lo-Fi Games

So this suggestion is a couple of suggestions all dependent upon one base suggestion: Faction Icons. I've tried to divide it into sections for easier reading.

Faction Icons
Putting an icon next to each faction would help give them each a unique identity. Player factions would also pop that much more by being allowed to import or create an Icon for their faction. When I say "create" what I have in mind is something like the Tattoo creation system from Lionhead Studios' Black & White, where you have several shapes that you can drag over each other while altering the color of each shape. Just having them in the menus next to the names could do so much.

Branding
Given an icon for a faction, it would be possible to emblazon some items or buildings with it. The icons could get printed onto armor, coats, hats, weapon hilts (this one might not be graphically possible and may just be branded in the description), city walls/gates, and flags. This would give unique identity to your faction members, to your cities, and maybe even to the products your faction creates, like having your own brand of rum that you've made. These branded items could be used as the base means of identifying groups of people out in the wastes, but I'll come back to that.

At War
Icons also have their uses in war. They can be used in declaring war by letting a faction know who was attacking. Another declaration of war would be by being spray painted over someone else's icon on their city gates, walls, or buildings. Or if a city is completely decimated in an attack, a scout might be able to figure out who attacked by any branded equipment left behind. Once a war has started, flag carriers can be used to denote which squads are yours, and where they are on a battlefield. Captured buildings and towns will have their icons painted over or a new flag raised to show that they've actually changed ownership.

Recognition, Disguises, and Espionage
As stated earlier, branded items can be used to identify which faction a squad belongs to. This also means that a squad or single person could disguise themselves by wearing items branded by another faction. This could enable trading with a city or faction that doesn't like you. It can also enable such tactics as sneaking all your troops inside of a city's walls, planting a spy to see enemy squad movements, deliver one of your members to an enemy prison to get info from a prisoner or start a jailbreak. You could also potentially instigate a war between two factions by using disguises or spray painting someone else's logo in various places in a city.

Seeing Through a Disguise
Disguises are not perfect. As such it's possible someone may see through your disguise based on your fame, knowing your face from meeting you before, failing a password, using an odd dialect, branding on other items you carry, or knowing your factions movements from general knowledge or having a spy placed in your faction. (This could also lead to some awesome Wanted posters).

So there it is. It's a bit long and I'll probably edit it a bit when I get home, cause typing on a phone sucks. Any feedback you have is welcome.

I like it, I loved designing my own symbol in B&W and even the emblem thing in Black Ops was pretty cool. I don't really have much more to add at the moment, I like the idea as is

Sounds good! The more customization the better!

great idea! I love it

I'd love to brand my faction members, slaves, members of a faction that hates my faction....

Branding people... you sir, are deliciously evil. And I love it.

I was thinking that each faction should have requirements for being part of it. It could be something simple like you had to wear a certain hat, or you had to wear everything in a certain colour, OR maybe you had to have a permanent marking branded onto you (tattoo,robotic limbs,ect).
This way Players could would be renown for being in that faction and if they tried to join another faction it could be easier/harder because of the branding they have/dont have.

This would effect characters joining the players faction, as not all characters would want a permanent branding and some might only join if they do get that (provided your faction is well known)

Players could also "fail" at bounties because they got the wrong branded person. or if you had a bounty on your head you could brand a someone to look like yourself at a chance to remove your bounty.

This good sir is Genius! The only thing I would add would be flags and capes to go with your already awesome ideas

Milkman The Great wrote:This good sir is Genius! The only thing I would add would be flags and capes to go with your already awesome ideas

We should be able to "brand" anything we make ourselves i reckon. Based on the faction "brand" you create at the start ofcourse.
it would add another aspect to smithing

Oh boy, I can't wait to make my house coat of arms. I can just imagine it already...

I'd like to see something of this nature, personalized icons could potentially bring a stronger feeling ownership of your faction to the game, but I'm not entirely sure how much effort it would take. Still, even if it was only a list of icons to choose from, where you might have to create and import a larger list with a mod for some more specific designs it would be a nice feature.

Symbols and Icons give a image of power to another. If a person displays said icon, they would show others that they are part of that power, and as such powerful themselves.

+1 for Faction Icons.

Personally, i would love flags to attach to my people like samurai of old, each with my faction's symbol printed on them.