The Access node system is something everyone has to deal with if they want to continue the game past level 15 and because of some problems with it I think it discourages new players from staying with the game.  What are these problems? Well first off the system is not explained very well in the game. A new player will be sent on a mission at level 16 to Westview and get the restricted area warning when he crosses a bridge.  So now what, he finds he needs an access card from some high level mob in Richland. A problem here is that the drops for the cards are based on the old district level flow from a couple years ago.  So one card drops in Mara a lower area, none drop in Apollyon or Eshean Projects and if he gets one in Kedemouth or Dannah how is he suppose to know another one drops in those areas? After he gets a card he gets to search around restricted areas for a node that can be almost anywhere, including on the roofs of buildings. This might be fun a couple times, but there are quite a few nodes in the game.  I would bet most people look up the node locations on a fan site instead of searching around for all of them.  I think a lot of new players just get discouraged and quit the game.  So what are my ideas for improving this system? Well.........

1. Fix the drops in the Richland area. Pull the card off the Mara drop table.  Also split up the Kedemouth and Dannah cards.  Take these extra cards and have them drop in Midian, Eshean and Apollyon. By doing this a new player will understand a card needs to be found in each new zone he comes to. As it is now it is kind of a hodgepodge.

2. To help new players get into the system put an npc on the bridge going to Westview and also by the blue line subways in Dannah and Camen Heights. These npcs would warn the player that they are going to restricted areas and that they need an access card to hack the nodes. Also these npcs could sell the first card for the new player to use. So when the bridge npc would sell the Sobra Shore card and the subway npcs would sell the card to Sai Kung.  This would get the new player going on the node system.

3. Add a skill that shows the location of access nodes on a map. I think it would make a good branch off of Download Mission Map. I think players of all levels would like to have this skill not just the new players.

I think these improvements would help retain more new players so what do you think?

Not a bad idea overall, and I definitely like the idea of moving some of the card locations in Richland around to better suit the higher level areas there as well as to avoid Tisiphone and Gabriel each dropping 2 different cards.

I do definitely like the idea of putting an NPC at access points to restricted areas to explain what being in a restricted area means, how to get an area unrestricted, and that if you are Zion aligned you will be targeted by some Agents anyway.  Not sure I agree with them selling an access node key though.  The most they should do is give you coordinates for one of the gang leaders who drops a key, if not just mentioning that area gang leaders carry the keys you need to unlock restricted zones and leaving it at that.

I'm also not sure about an ability to find access nodes as most of them are rather easy to find as it is due their rather visible nature and restricted area in which they can be located.

What could perhaps be done is have the neighbourhood trader or mission contact tell you where the gang leader in their area is once you've completed their tasks.  After all, most (all?) traders are doing what they are doing because they don't like the gang for the neighbourhood they are in.  It makes sense to me that once you've proven yourself as an ally, they may let slip where the gang boss is located so that you can take them out as well.

1.) I Believe the reason for these guys having multiple cards is due to the level of the areas the cards belong to they have tried to balance it so to get the card for the area of your level you have to kill someone your level.

Perhaps for helping people find them clues can be given be certain "spy" npcs when you talk to them they say stuff like "Hey have you noticed the furies have been visiting Sai kung a lot recently?" and posibly even hint as to where the nodes are.

2.) I dont think they can make an NPC that initiates a conversation with you so there would need to be a clear hint that you need to talk to them.

3.) Not sure how feasable this is. but it sounds like a good idea to me. although i think it would do better as an awakened ability possibly part of the Data mining branch

I think it would be cool if there was a way to use a device that whispers to you the direction of the nearest node eg.

nodetracker whispers>Weak Signal detected to the Southeast

Weak Signal more than 500mtrs
Signal 200-500mtrs
Strong Signal less than 200mtrs

But i would imagine that to be far to complicated to set up

The reason they have multiple cards I believe is because the before the flow change there were several low level areas to start in. As I remember Apollyon, Eshean, Midian, Tabor and Camon were all starting areas. Uriah, Zia and Aschan were the next step up and then Mara, Mannsdale with Dannah and Kedemouth the highest areas at around 9. Then at 10 you went to Sobra or Ike. With so many starting areas there wasnt enough higher areas for all the cards. Now there is.