Information Scarcity and Popup Overload

I think there needs to be some sort of work done on the in-game announcements and information system. At the moment, there seems to be a lot of information that displays in popups for new characters that really aren't needed, and there's a lot of information that people should know but the game doesn't tell them.

For example, until I accessed the forums, I had no idea why it was always nighttime. It was awhile before I noticed, and I suspected it had something to do with my graphics settings but didn't find it important enough to check out. Until someone in my supergroup pointed it out to me, I had no idea how to access the signature story arcs or get to the First Ward.

Maybe this is intentional. Maybe this is to keep people constantly going to the website or to their in-game friends. I find it annoying, and kind of sloppy.

I don't have a definite suggestion on how this information should be available. Maybe new announcements should be released not only on the website, but in computer terminals in-game. Or something. Maybe we can have actual news vendor contacts to keep you up-to-date on in-game things you should know.

I think there needs to be a definite analysis of how much information is given to new players, and how and when that information is distributed. I don't think we should just assume people will find out on their own "somehow".

I first realized this when I went hunting for the Medallion of Atlas badge. Doing that was actually kind of fun because for once I wasn't just following someone else's mission instructions. I had my own objectives, completely optional, with a list of sub-objectives I could follow in any order, for a reward I specifically wanted. I even recruited a friend saying "this is going to take me awhile, will you help me with this" and felt more like a real superhero teamup (as opposed to missions that would scale down in difficulty if I didn't have help).

And yet, despite how useful and kinda' fun this was, the instructions weren't found anywhere in-game. I found them on a website. I was following instructions on a website. Why aren't the in-game contacts providing me with this kind of information? Why aren't groups like the Midnighters or Twinshot's group giving me guidance on optional things I can do to sort of form my own mission.

I think there's something wrong when you assume players read the forums and all the website announcements and thus you don't have to put your game pieces in some sort of logical order. I think its wrong to put goals, mission areas, and new content in seemingly-random places and just expect it to work without putting in supporting text in other game areas that make it seem like part of a cohesive whole.

I realize some of this is being worked on. The new starting contacts and the brand new tutorial are evidence of this.

I'm not saying this need is immediate. But at some point, I would like it if this content and its associated instructions could be introduced to players in-game in some way other than "bing! New contact wants to speak with you!"

(Btw, If you do decide to go the way of information announcement terminals, I'd really like to see these added to superbases.)

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@Altus Vir
Triumph Server

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You'll never see the Info Terminals outside of Paragon City due to their server resource use. It's why they were never put into the Rogue Isles or Praetoria. In fact, I'm not even sure why they were added back to Atlas Park during the zone revamp.

That being said, I think being able to find certain things, like how to get to First Ward, should be made easier. Other things, like the locations of badges, should be left to 3rd party sites IMPO - if the devs wanted to make exploration badges easier to find, for example, they'd just put map markers on the map (which you can already get from a third party site if that's how you want to find them).

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