This is an open discussion thread on possible ways to give players an incentive to actually do patrols, or as they are more commonly called, "street sweeping".
While nothing in particular will be lost if patrols never get incentivized, I feel a better general experience will be gained if they are incentivized. As it stands, there is a sort of "imbalance" of the number of players out in the overworld areas, compared to the instanced mission maps. Not to mention the complete lack of players in a majority of Hazard Zones that rely on patrol content, such as Perez Park and Boomtown. As an additional benefit, causing patrols to be worthwhile would also make it somewhat easier for HEATs to fight solo, due to less of a requirement to actually interact with Void Hunters.
So, how can Patrols possibly be incentivized? Well, I don't think a hard-and-fast solution such as "2x XP in open-world zones" would work, as there would still be the issue of players focusing on certain zones while avoiding others. I do have a solution for community consideration, however: Crime Levels
Imagine, if you will, that every overworld zone in the game has a corresponding "crime level", ranging from 0% to 100%. This percentage represents the general level of in-the-open crime in the area. This number increases at a certain rate over time, and decreases very slightly for every enemy defeated in the zone. This percentage would be applied as bonus XP to enemies defeated in that zone with 0% Crime being a standard 1x XP, and 100% being 2x XP. I feel that this system would not only incentivize players to actually do patrols, but also encourage players to visit zones that are normally desolate and playerless.
I am of course open to suggestions and potential improvements to this mechanic. It's mostly just a springboard, intended to raise discussion.
