Suggestion: Secrets per map

[jinxology]

Ratchet and Clank had a neat feature that (if I recall correctly) began hinting at which areas contained secrets when you hit around 75% game completion. For the completionists, it really helped knock out those final secrets, rather than crawling the entire world for hours on end.

After finishing the game with 68/77 secrets, I found myself wishing for something similar. For example, it would be really nice to have a 3/5 type nomenclature on each map to narrow down the missing secrets just a bit. I ended up just looking at the atlas in the hints forum to see what I missed, but there's very little achievement in that of course. As an aside, there was one secret in the Bog that I would have NEVER found (well, unless I knew there was a secret somewhere on that map I guess).

SpoilerShow

It was that bush across the little pit that was blocking a pressure plate.

[LastFootnote]

Seconded. I would love to have this feature.

[Kirinyale]

I finished with 73/77 secrets and 10/11 treasures (really wanted to find the rest myself, but eventually gave up and looked them up on the internet)... and still I'm against it. At least as a "core" feature. If some people want it, they can have it as an option, but personally, I think this would lessen the value of "find all secrets" achievements and such (not that they can't be easily spoiled right now, but at least not by any in-game hints, except some automap drawbacks).

I strongly believe that If you want to find everything yourself - you just go find it. If you can't - then you've already failed as a completionist, so any extra hints, even very small, as to missing secrets' whereabouts are actually a spoiler which shouldn't make you feel better. I really don't see much difference between looking at the guide to find the missing secret or looking at a per-map counter to know it's there even before you can count it as "missing".

[jinxology]

I strongly believe that If you want to find everything yourself - you just go find it. If you can't - then you've already failed as a completionist, so any extra hints, even very small, as to missing secrets' whereabouts are actually a spoiler which shouldn't make you feel better. I really don't see much difference between looking at the guide to find the missing secret or looking at a per-map counter to know it's there even before you can count it as "missing".

By your logic, why isn't it a "hint" when Statistics shows you that there is 77 total secrets to be found in the game? So, that's NOT a spoiler, but a "per map" secret counter IS? Shouldn't you have to wander the map finding secrets until the achievement pops up for "found all secrets"? In my opinion, by your logic, if you went and looked at statistics, you have already looked at spoilers.

[sapientCrow]

I liked how they did the treasure chests with specific notes and riddles.
I finished my first playthrough with 75/77 and all treasures.
The last 2 were in the Crystal Mines and so obvious.

When I go back and playthrough a game I sometimes like the idea of having a list of possible secrets per area. Mostly because I can forget how many I found in one area. The numerical value 77 is really the reason why we search for secrets so another numerical value could be useful.
However I would much rather have riddles and puzzles that guide me to the secrets than a number.
It is although quite rewarding finding that out of the way place that goes ding.

A pop up on the screen saying all secrets found I would found disgusting and would find anyway I could to hack that feature out like I do in many games that give me so many hand holding HUD messages.
However a list perhaps even written in a riddle that gives a number could work.

Some minor addition to perhaps alleviate some of the frustration of finding that last secret. But then again persevering through that frustration is much more rewarding.

[Rithrin]

Heh, I didn't even notice the 'stats' screen until I was basically done with the game. Found out I was at 75/77 and did not have the effort to double check all my secrets vs guides online.

Definitely agree that, if they are going to give us a number of all secrets/special items/etc in the game anyways, they should also specify how many are on each map.

[Kirinyale]

Knowing that there's 77 secrets total in the whole game world consisting of 30+ locations is nowhere near knowing that there's 1/2 more secrets in this specific location, especially if you remember that any small "basement" area is counted as a separate location by the game. The first at least keeps some intrigue as to where you might find them (until you think that you've explored everything, which is at the endgame), and it doesn't even take the hidden relic achievement into account. The second would allow you to "finalize" most locations early on and be sure that you never ever would have to come back there. That's not good for me. I know that many people hate backtracking (some even go as far as to call it "bad design"), but personally, I love it. I don't want that "cleared out" labels on locations. I've had enough in Skyrim (though they never even worked properly there).

And yes, I believe that statistics screen contains some info that shouldn't have been there. Like total location count (having cartographer achievement is more than enough), or even total number of power gems (I don't see how you can possibly forget how much you've found unless you just throw them away, and knowing there's 20 when you've just started the game and don't have any idea what they are all about is just weird).