Hazard Zone Transport System

Someone mentioned the other day about how giant monsters and zone events are getting largely neglected by most players. It got me to thinking how hazard and trial zones in general are suffering pretty much the same fate. I mostly play on Virtue, and even in peak hours the most I see is five or ten people in places like Boomtown and Crey's Folly, not counting a team or so coming in long enough to kill a GM (occasionally). There have been suggestions to add story arcs and maybe even task forces to help renew interest, and those are good ideas. But I've got one that I think might be easier or faster to put in.

See, the reason I think that there are so few visitors to these zones is that they're awkward to reach. Newer players don't know how to get there, or sometimes that the zones themselves even exist; while older players find little to no motivation to street sweep in a desolate zone. Especially ones that require two or three zone changes just to get to, and then are vast and sprawling once you get there. There's more travel time involved than it's worth to experience their unique atmospheres.

My suggestion is to put in a transit system that takes you to each of the hazard zones. No need to put in special drop locations... just place them next to the guarded entrance for each zone, near the combat medics. I was going to suggest re-opening the Red Line, but that would require re-mapping those entire zones to include tracks and stations. Instead, I think a simple portal would do nicely... a recolored base portal, perhaps.

I think a group like Freedom Corps would be appropriate for running a program like this. It fits with their concept of organizing affairs for new heroes, plus it means that the devs don't need to create a whole new character group. Their HQ in Galaxy City could house the main porter which leads to each other zone, and in those zones there's a smaller portal which just takes you back to the Galaxy HQ.

This would cut down on travel time for experienced players, and increase awareness of the zones for newer players. With the removal of level restrictions in Issue 16 and the transit merges in Issue 19, this would seem to be a great next step. It ties together those "empty" zones and making at least getting there more attractive.

I think people do not got to Hazard zones because there really isn't very much to do there.

I very much enjoy the atmosphere of Dark Astoria and occasionally wander in but not nearly as often as I go to Skyway, which I really don't enjoy trying to find my way around.

If we want people to do things in Hazard zones give us something to do there.

Faultline.
Why does it have no Tram, still?

But yes, Hazard zones really need a Hollows style overhaul. Badly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Yeah, we absolutely need more reasons to go to those places. But it also takes devoting a considerable chunk of developer time to create story arcs and zone overhauls. It seems much simpler (in theory at least) to add ten objects and/or ten characters, interconnected by zone transfer links. No drastic map changes to plot out, no new art assets to create or mob powers to balance. Just a few nice shortcuts to help folks get around a little faster. With the recent transit merge, it seems they aren't against that idea.

I'm sure not gonna make it a crusade or anything, hehe... I just think it would make a nice little bonus to tuck into a future issue. I mean, it can't lower the usage of those zones, can it?

I've always thought that it would be cool if new zones were added to the game as hazard zones and then after a certain amount of time or player effort they would revert to city zones with new hazard zones added on for further exploration.

Imagine Faultline/Overbrook with gleaming, terraced city blocks built into the cliff walls over looking the newly formed lake below Overbrook Dam. The sparkling waters hide a sinister secret as the newest underwater hazard zone!

Or Dark Astoria being mostly a city zone with the occasional spooky occurrence (strange ghostly laughter, unexplained shadowy figures and a smattering of wandering NPCs drvien mad by the horrors they have seen) and random zombie attacks as the undead pour out of the Moth Cemetery hazard zone with Adamastor leading the charge!


^