NoA integrates scanner station into black box quests

During my current playthrough I didn’t do the black boxes in NoA’s order because the temptation to explore freely won over. This meant I found most of the boxes before ever receiving info from the NoA, however the downside to this was I didn’t get to experience all of what NoA had to say when it comes to locating each of them. This made me think of an idea, what if NoA uploaded the locations of the black box signals to the scanner station a few at a time, then the player must interact with the station to see the signals and retrieve the information from the box before bringing it back to NoA. After a certain amount are found, NoA then loads more locations onto the scanner station. This would encourage the player to integrate using the scanner station while doing quests, while also giving the player some choice on what area(s) to choose to explore while looking for the boxes, I think requiring the player to return info from the black box so that the NoA can analyze it to uncover more information for the players next quest(s), would help ensure that all of the story is being heard / witnessed by the player.

Adding onto this, I think anytime you can integrate or connect player base functionality (like the scanner station) in with aspects of the quests and story, it will greatly improve the cohesiveness of the game, so that base building does not feel like a fun game within a game, but a symbiotic part of the main focus helping push forward the narrative in an interactive and creative way, so that the player feels like their construction is both an essential + versatile way to go about accomplishing the in games quests.

I feel, while this is an interesting idea, it would be more efficient (and immersive) if instead of interacting with NOA, it was related to the PDA notification system..

• instead of an annoyance all the time, the PDA would act so once (until one blackbox is retrieved)..
• returning to NOA, it could be noted distance is a detriment to the investigation, prompting the player (and giving the recipe) to print a communication rellay..
• from then on, instead of “NOA has a message”, the PDA would relay NOA’s comment on the blackbox (detected nearby)..
• and instead of listening to the blackbox on pickup, you have to return to NOA for decription.