Maybe SOME Open-World Missions?

There was never an 'increase in debt', only a decrease for instanced missions.

Going back to what Sam said: Would you prefer a system where only the designated player could target/interact with aforementioned villain? I know, this sounds like a complete and utter coding nightmare, but he would essentially be 'phased out' of combat to everyone but the mission-holder and/or the mission-holder's team.

Seldom: Your idea is taking things about just a bit too far for me. I'm suggesting very small, incremental missions that take place in un-instanced territories, not a complete renovation of the mission system. Just a 'collect [items]', or 'defeat [number of gang]', and MAYBE an ambush spawn that would send a named boss to your location.

All I'm asking for is a little bit of mission variety; I'd even like an escort to be the one leading US out of some places occasionally.

Fair enough, but to be clear, I wasn't asking for a renovation of how missions work, basically just more 'zone events,' some of which would have to have instanced components to function well.

Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but my impulse was that this was more about broadening interactions to including things in the larger zones, to tie what you are being asked to do to the larger city.

I guess it goes back to a larger gripe I have with the game, unreasonable as it is: nothing a player does matters. They cannot affect the city. In single-player games, this is not the case. There, you save the world, npc's praise you, bad areas of the game are cleaned up, and so on. Here, you save paragon, you click the door, paragon is as it was. You fail to save Paragon, you click the door, Paragon is as it was. Much of this is out of necessity, as a single-player game has one protagonist. MMO's have thousands, all in various stages of progression. As such, a world that responded to every character's influences would be well nigh impossible to code.

That said, it is odd that even as missions have become more and more varied through the years, they are still 'inside the box.' From simple defeat boss, defeat all, rescue missions, we now have missions that demand stealth, missions where allies can betray you, or objectives change as you interact. But almost everything the developers have worked on in improving story experiences has been 'indoors,' within the four walls of an instance, ignoring the larger instances that zones offer. (the Lady Grey invasions and the Zeus titan/clockwork king ambushes being the only exceptions I can think of.) I do agree that the devs should consider zones as possible areas to use in their content.

The possible interference of other players does give a complication, but not a drastic one. (At least to my ignorant mind.)While we certainly would never empty Atlas permanently of its hellion problem,being told you need to fight a mob boss, and he's by the docks in IP rather than just another warehouse would make sense. The more that could be done to bring the illusion of interaction with the city, the better.

Easily! Just put them in an instance that uses the same map as the "outdoors" area you want the mission to be happening in.

(If you're thinking, "Wait, we have tons of missions like that already," then I think you have this one surrounded.)

Good suggestions, there.

Well, hold on there, Doc.

Firstly, I'd like to point out that this would be a completely optional alternative to missions: choice a) go into Archon Bigfoot's base and find 6 cans of toxic waste, or choice b) search around Platinum Lake, in Steel Canyon to find 6 cans of toxic waste. It might lead us to Archon Bigfoot!