I think this is going to be a fairly large system and difficult to do well, but it's pretty important IMO.

Read the blog post and let me know what you think.

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Microsoft XNA MVP

This is an interesting topic.

I would think the most straightforward thing to do is have a skill (akin to "spot") that will allow one to recognize agents/people he or she has already met. The caveat being that if someone is impersonating said character, there is a chance that the player will see the name of he the character *thinks* that agent/person is. As the player character draws nearer, and the better the player knows the (real) character, the more likely a red flag will be thrown as to the identity of the person in question.

Then there are skills such as "impersonate" which allows one to assume not only the appearance, but perhaps also the mannerisms of the cover. Also, "forgery" for creating documents, as well as "identification" or "spot forgery" as skills to counter forgeries.

I think the only time one's name appears over their heads is when the player knows -- or thinks he knows -- the character.

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."