Focused Feedback: Tour Guide Missions (Release Candidates)

[Cobalt Arachne]

On 3/14/2021 at 9:32 PM, Glacier Peak said:

I wouldn't dare ask for more Tour Guide tips for these zones because this is a brand new feature being tested in 36 zones already. Amazing job as well! So maybe in Page 3 or later could they be added? 

I can say odds are looking favorable that those remaining zones will get Tour Guide missions in the future; Page 3 most likely.

[Doc_Scorpion]

- Took my Rogue redside to the Nerva Archipelago and collected a tip from even level (not grey) mob.
- Took him Blueside to The Hollows and collected a tip from a grey conning mob.

(This should be WAI right?  That's consistent with other Rogue abilities.)

- Took him to Steel and collected a tip from a grey conning mob.
- Took him to Perez and arrested enough mobs that I'm confident I should have collected a fourth tip if any were forthcoming.

(Also should be WAI, three total rather than three from each side, but never hurts to check.)

Also getting some weird sorting issues...  Same character, before and after zoning (several times):

Edited March 16, 2021 by Doc_Scorpion

[TheCorvus]

That's...that's just amazing.

[WindDemon21]

On 3/13/2021 at 11:13 AM, MsSmart said:

could you also please add Historical markers, please, please

 

Sue

Was JUST coming on to this thread to suggest this as well, pleassseee lol

[WindDemon21]

Is there/can there also be a way to have them know which badges/plaques you've already been too as well as to not make you go to the same badge marker that you've already gotten.

[Doc_Scorpion]

14 minutes ago, WindDemon21 said:

Is there/can there also be a way to have them know which badges/plaques you've already been too as well as to not make you go to the same badge marker that you've already gotten.

Already done - the tip will not send you somewhere you've already been.

From the patch notes in the first post in the thread:

• If you earn the exploration badge for a specific tip before investigating it, it will point you towards a different exploration badge in that zone
• If you earn the exploration accolade before investigating the tip, you will only be able to dismiss it

[SteelRaines]

As no one ever plays on Redside (Best Side is Redside) I went and took a look at one of the zones that my lvl 50 Rogue had yet to unlock - Grandville. 

All the tip markers were in the exact right locations.  I can see why you did Passing Fab second last and then had Guttersnipe last as that's on your way out of the zone. 

 

Knowing the drop table (that is the tip drops faster from Bosses) I focus my sweeping on Super Arachnoids and was able to pick get the tips I needed in a reasonable amount of time. 

 

(The changes to the super jump power really made moving around Grandville much easier)

 

When I have a chance to look over the text of the tips in the morning, I might comment on them. Overall, it made the process much easier. 

 

As my character still has valentine tips to complete, part way through the tour, the tip order got a little confused. To clarify: The order of the tips in the tip window. 

[gameboy1234]

On 3/13/2021 at 7:21 AM, Faultline said:

Big shout out to @Nayreia who wrote the text for all those missions.

I got my first Tour Guide mission yesterday and it was pretty funny and well written, especially for just being such a simple mission (Unlucky in IP, any time you have the Freakshow talking in l33ts34k it's great).  Kudos for spending so much time and energy making these fun to read.

 

[UltraAlt]

No bosses in Atlas.

I guess I should have guessed.

Onward to King's Row!

-edit-

made a new character and ran around the lake. Took out three minions and tip dropped.

Edited March 17, 2021 by UltraAlt

[UltraAlt]

Just went looking for bosses.

found and fought like 7-8 bosses in Kings Row.

Two Travel tip drops.

Found like 4-5 grey/green bosses to a level 15. First boss downed gave a tip. 

Paladin event started/stumbled into event area, so that that gave me several conduits which were bosses. first conduit downed gave a tip.

Edited March 17, 2021 by UltraAlt

[UltraAlt]

Steel Canyon

two bosses - both dropped tips - just looked for bosses to fight

Fought 5 clockwork minions at a badge marker and a tip dropped

[Cobalt Arachne]

1 hour ago, UltraAlt said:

No bosses in Atlas.

I guess I should have guessed.

Onward to King's Row!

The tips will drop off any standard rank enemy, bosses are just optimal if/when they can be found, but in lieu of bosses, lieutenants can work just as well.

[UltraAlt]

10 minutes ago, Nayreia said:

The tips will drop off any standard rank enemy, bosses are just optimal if/when they can be found, but in lieu of bosses, lieutenants can work just as well.

 

Yeah, had drops with even minions. Was trying to hunt down Bosses because it seemed like it was intended for them to have a higher drop rate.

With the amount of testing I did so far, it the tips seem to drop more the higher they con to the character ... but random isn't always random.

[Doc_Scorpion]

Love how the badge text shows up in the Rewards channel!  Is there some way to extend that to badges you find "normally"  (not through the Tip system)?

[Aberrant]

@Nayreia Very, very minor issue I have: In Skyway City the "Inspect the MedCom's central node" tour mission. This mission text and the Healing Node badge description it leads you to are as far as I'm aware, the ONLY places in game that still call it the "MedCom" system/network (and out of game, I think one Paragon Times article. part of the Peregrine Island description from the story bible, and by extension some guidebooks that use that info). Everywhere else in the game from the tutorial, npc dialogue, souvenirs and even the signs on Hospitals, refers to it as MediCom or Medicom. Was wondering if it was within scope to change the badge description, and by extension the mission text to MediCom to remove this ancient inconsistency?

Edited March 18, 2021 by Aberrant

[Myrmidon]

You know, of everything that is in Page 2, I want to see these hit HC live the most.

[Doc_Scorpion]

3 hours ago, Myrmidon said:

You know, of everything that is in Page 2, I want to see these hit HC live the most.

I played some on HC Live last night and started street sweeping for tour guide tips...  Then I remembered, "oh, right".

[Cobalt Arachne]

On 3/18/2021 at 6:28 AM, Aberrant said:

@Nayreia Very, very minor issue I have: In Skyway City the "Inspect the MedCom's central node" tour mission. This mission text and the Healing Node badge description it leads you to are as far as I'm aware, the ONLY places in game that still call it the "MedCom" system/network (and out of game, I think one Paragon Times article. part of the Peregrine Island description from the story bible, and by extension some guidebooks that use that info). Everywhere else in the game from the tutorial, npc dialogue, souvenirs and even the signs on Hospitals, refers to it as MediCom or Medicom. Was wondering if it was within scope to change the badge description, and by extension the mission text to MediCom to remove this ancient inconsistency?

I can get this fixed in both the original badge and the tip's mentions. 👍

[Cobalt Arachne]

5 hours ago, Myrmidon said:

You know, of everything that is in Page 2, I want to see these hit HC live the most.

 

1 hour ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

I played some on HC Live last night and started street sweeping for tour guide tips...  Then I remembered, "oh, right".

Same!

Haha; The system is fairly minor, but robustly intrusive? These tips will pop-up in players' inventory doing other things and make everything feel more vibrant/alive for it.

Especially new players, given the outdoor mission sections in the starting zones where all those enemies will be eligible to drop the Tour Guide tips. They'll be made aware right away of several systems that will help orient them if they do the whole zone and unlock the Long-Range Teleporter.

So the system naturally introduces new players to:
-Tips and tip missions
-Exploration badges and badges as a system
-Accolade badges and powers with the Long-Range Teleporter

-Reward merits from the exploration accolade
-Minor tidbits of the world's lore that rewards them digging in

[AboveTheChemist]

On 3/15/2021 at 11:42 PM, Nayreia said:

I can say odds are looking favorable that those remaining zones will get Tour Guide missions in the future; Page 3 most likely.

How feasible would it be to add them for the single exploration badges inside the safeguard/mayhem missions? Or would there be issues trying to assign a mission from within an instance? It might give folks extra incentive to stay longer and defeat more enemies.

[siolfir]

4 hours ago, AboveTheChemist said:

How feasible would it be to add them for the single exploration badges inside the safeguard/mayhem missions? Or would there be issues trying to assign a mission from within an instance? It might give folks extra incentive to stay longer and defeat more enemies.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the mission system would support that. Since the only way to get the badges in mayhems and safeguards is through a door mission, and you wouldn't be able to set the tip mission as the active mission while inside the mission (there's already a mission set) or outside of the mission (the badge isn't in the zone).

 

There might be a workaround if it could set a waypoint as an objective, though?

[WindDemon21]

Missed some but if these could please include the history plaques too that would be a GODSEND.

[Arcanum]

Build 2 - March 20th

 

Tour Guide Missions

Issue 27, Page 2 introduces a brand new type of mission: Tour Guide Missions. These are special tip missions which drop when street sweeping in most zones, and will direct you to any exploration badges that you haven't yet earned in that zone. This is especially helpful for unlocking Long Range Teleporter destinations without needing to rely on VidiotMaps.

 

Detailed Info

• Enemies in most zones now have a small chance to drop a Tour Guide Mission Tip
  • The tips will only drop when street sweeping, by defeating enemies out on the streets (critters spawned through other means will not count)
  • The tips will drop regardless of your level - grey conned mobs will still drop tips - however, the tip drop rate increases based on the rank of the enemy you're fighting (ie: bosses are more likely to drop tips)
  • Tour Guide Missions are classed as Tips, and will show up in the Tips tab of the Contacts window
  • You can only hold one tip per zone at a time, but can carry a total of three
• Investigating this tip will direct you to one of the exploration badges in that zone
  • Once accepted, these missions cannot be abandoned, autocompleted, or team completed - you must visit the badge location, which will auto-complete the mission
  • If you earn the exploration badge for a specific tip before investigating it, it will point you towards a different exploration badge in that zone
  • If you earn the exploration accolade before investigating the tip, you will only be able to dismiss it
• They do not grant any additional rewards beyond the badge
• All zones which can be unlocked in the Long Range Teleporter have Tour Guide Missions set up (apart from Pocket D and Kallisti Wharf), which is a total of 288 missions!
• Fixed various text fields for typos, inconsistencies and clarity adjustments per feedback received
• Rikti War Zone's Homewrecker badge tip mission rewritten
• Egg Hunter navigation text updated to help with locating the badge's hidden location
• The "Tipped Off" badge will now be awarded if your first tip drop is a Tour Guide tip, not just on Alignment tips

 

Step 1: Go. Hunt. Kill Skuls.

 

Step 2: Acquire Tips.

 

Step 3: Collect Badges.

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by GM Arcanum

[Heraclea]

Not directly relevant, but.....

 

Quote

The "Tipped Off" badge will now be awarded if your first tip drop is a Tour Guide tip, not just on Alignment tips

One thing that's ever been the case AFAICR, but is a lot more noticeable after i27.  It is possible to earn or obtain merit rewards, especially the reward from collecting a zone exploration accolade, without seeing the "You have earned your first Merit Reward" popup.  That, instead, waits until you have run your first task force.  (Not sure if it appears for running a story arc that awards merits, either).   Since collecting a zone exploration accolade is a day one job for every new character now, its absence is more noticeable. 

[Xing]

As someone who has already hunted many exploration badges but would like to read the hard work @Nayreia has written, is there a chance the tips can be posted somewhere else (perhaps on hcwiki)?