The Belief is in the Binary

1. In the in-game HUD, there are multiple text-based items that provide you with information. The most used text-based tool is the chat window located in the lower left corner of the screenshot. Here is where you look to read what other players in your team or area are saying and also where you can communicate back to them. Another text-based tool is the target window in the upper left corner of the window. Whatever enemy you have targeted, this is where you'll find information on what level he is, what rank he is, and who he is associated with. a third text-based tool is the names of players in your immediate area. Each character that you can physically see in your immediate area has their name floating above their head, so you can easily identify who they are.
2. Non-text-based tool include the color of the floating names above each characters head. For player controlled characters the name is usually blue unless they are a member of your team, then their name is green. For enemies, the color of their name reflects their level compared to yours. Gray means they are below your level, green is equal, yellow is 1 or 2 above your level, and pink is 3 or more. Fighting pinks on your own is a dangerous endeavor. Another non-text-based tool is the target box that surrounds whoever you have targeted. Whenever you target someone, a box forms around them that can be seen from anywhere in the area (even across the map through buildings and other obstructions). A third non-text-based tool is the power window in the bottom right corner of the screen. It contains rows of powers that are represented by icons for each power you can use. Each slot has a keyboard shortcut attached to it for quicker use of powers, or you can just click the icon.
3. Color plays an important roll in the interface design of the game as color tells you how hard an enemy is, who is on your team, and it differentiates all the chat channels in the chat window (gray for broadcast, green for team, yellow for a personal message). It also tells you if something is full (the name of whatever is full will turn red to indicate that you have reached the maximum amount of whatever item you have). Position also plays a major roll in this game as it is a free world type game so there's no specific path to follow, you have to determine your position on the map and move yourself to the goal. Sound, like in any game, allows the game to seem more real. Each power makes a different noise when used, and any cut scenes you watch have audible conversations with NPC's (non-player-characters).
4. When you first build a character, you can choose to enter a tutorial zone to teach you the basics of the game. In the tutorial zone you receive items that you wouldn't otherwise and gain enough experience points to level up by the end and get a new power immediately. You are then introduced to your first contact who gives you easy missions to complete to level up a little more. Once you have 15 or so levels under your belt, the game gets interesting. You can choose who you want as contacts and what missions to do. A casual player like myself has never actually gone through the maze of contacts and missions that the game gives you, i just play with other peoples teams doing whatever mission they happen to have. The game really encourages playing by providing a level system where you have to fight and gain experience points in order to level up and get stronger and learn new powers. Other incentives include getting money from each kill and badges for various achievements and accomplishments. Some badges even give you small but cool powers that can give you a slight edge in any battle.
5. The biggest feature of this game that makes it immersive is the environment. Since it is a free world environment, you can go just about anywhere and do just abut anything. Giving the player control over his actions makes the game very fun and immersive. The socialization with other characters and the creating of teams and supergroups (a sort of club of players that usually play together and even have a supergroup base) also makes the game more real. the ability to talk to other real people,not just talking robots, really draws you in. The biggest thing that breaks the immersion feeling is the interface HUD used to play the game. It crowds the viewing area and is a constant reminder that you are in front of a computer screen. The graphics aren't the greatest thing ever either, so when everything looks unreal, the feeling is unreal.
6. Socializing with other avatars is easy. If you are in a certain area, just type something into the broadcast chat channel, and everyone else in the same area can read and respond to it. To keep it more private, the local chat channel only displays the text to people in your immediate area or the team chat only displays the text to your team members, wherever they are. To get really private, you can send a tell to someone (a private message that only they see). To search for a team to play on, i usually send a broadcast message to the area that says what class i am, what level i am, and that i'm looking for a team (LFT). The name isn't important because each message in the chat window is next to the name of the person that sent it. Sometimes i get immediate team invites but if you are playing on one of the games 10 servers that isn't very populated at the moment, it can be hard to find anybody that is willing to talk.
7. The economy of City of Heroes is ingenious. Every time you kill someone you get infinity (the monetary unit in this world) that can be spent at stores for upgrades to your powers, spent at the Wentworth market to buy items that other players are selling, or to pay for modifications to one of your characters costumes. You can even directly trade items or money with other characters.
8. My favorite in-world activity is teaming and doing missions because you gain a lot of experience points, gain entertainment from the mission storyline, and get to socialize with your other teammates throughout the entire ordeal. The most fun i have is when i team with the people that got me into the game originally. I have four real life friends that play the game and I often play in the game with them.
9. Items in the game are all operated by clicking. At the Wentworth's store, you click on one of the salesmen to bring up the buying/selling window where you can search for what you want and bid money on it. Many functions have keyboard shortcuts for them (power use, targeting, chatting, etc.) but for the most part, other than movement, the game is mostly conducted using the mouse.
10. The biggest part of this game is spacial navigation. Except for a few exceptions, you have to navigate your character through the virtual area to get to your objective. Since it is a free movement type game, each area is strikingly detailed with the addition of roads, trains, trees, grass, and multiple building to move through and around, with varying landscapes of ways to navigate the world. An entire power set in the game is devoted to travel powers with four different types, teleportation, super speed, super jumping, and flight. Each has advantages and disadvantages but the virtual lay of the land is a wonder to behold in itself. The developers of the game spent a long time designing each area and they all came out wonderfully. And although there are enemies spread out throughout the land, it is very easy to avoid them and navigate peacefully. If the enemies are far weaker than you, they won't even bother you if you walk right up to them, therefore allowing each character to successfully discover every inch of an area to their hearts desire. Although the graphics aren't amazing yet, it is still fun to search around the area for cool new things and funny oddities that the devs purposefully put in. The developers are actually working on an upgrade coming soon that will make the graphics rather incredible comparatively (reflections on windows and water and even day cycles with accurate movement of the sun and moon) and a whole new aspect of the game that allows heroes to become villains, villains to become heroes, or the ability to sit in the middle as a rogue. It's an exciting new endeavor and i, and many others, can't wait to see it.