PoE2 Infinite Atlas Fix

As we approach 0.5.0, and as I have familiarized myself more with PoE1 and the atlas of that game, some key issues with the infinite atlas system have come to mind that I don't believe are actually addressable at a core level with how it is currently set up.

These would include:
1. Players have little to no control over what they do in the infinite atlas
2. Players lack fixed, deterministic goals
3. Players only play a limited number of maps every league

The problem here is that there doesn't appear to be any way to fix this without what are essentially band-aid solutions, like The Grand Project tablets, for example. However, even with that, players still have a limited number of maps they are going to run in any given league, and as a result, having to get to a tower will inevitably require running content the player doesn't care about (the tower included) just to hope that they find something they like nearby. This obviously doesn't "respect" a player's time, and as long as the atlas remains fixed and randomly generated in the way it is currently, this will always be the case. Sure, you can make more items that do things to the map, but those bloat map preparation time significantly, and it doesn't address the issue of maps showing up that people don't want to run. Not only that, but as more points of interest are added to the atlas, things will inevitably become cluttered and finding what you want to do will be even more of a chore, or require more contrived band-aid solutions.

So how do we fix this?

My proposed solution is something like a Dynamic Instanced Atlas, allowing for GGG's vision of increased player exploration while also giving players control over what shows up and is actively compatible with the scaling nature of the game's content, including your push for more points of interest.

What is meant by 'Dynamic Instanced Atlas'?

The idea here is to have a section of Wraeclast generate in the map device window. This will consist of 20 to 40 nodes (however much you feel is right) that consist of the biomes the current atlas has, plus whatever ones GGG adds in the future.
This 'instance' can be generated anew by the player when they meet some condition like reaching the edge of the instance, a button that allows them to move on, or something else GGG comes up with (portals?).

This allows for a new sort of atlas passive tree more catered to player choice. It would let players determine the following, in addition to what league mechanics they want showing up:
1. What biome is more likely (and eventually guaranteed?) to show up
2. What specific points of interest they want more of (lineage supports, pinnacle bosses, and whatever is added later)
3. When they want to move on and where they want to go

Additional Benefits:
1. Points of interest can be more curated by the developers (unique and interesting layouts, like an instance where you have three paths and can only choose one of the three with a special reward at the end of the path)
2. Players won't get lost, nor will you need a search feature. Performance also improves since you no longer have to cull and render as the player moves around.
3. You can have items that affect the whole atlas instance, as well as points of interest
4. Objectives can easily be scripted to show up after a certain number of maps, making player progression quests easier to implement without having some players feel they've been cheated by RNG, or simply miss it if they are new.
5. GUI improvements can be made to allow players to more easily access the 'splinter portal' that allows the player to fight Xesht and others.
6. The 'clean slate' of each instance improves replayability since it adds that sense of mystery lurking just around the corner that I think was intended with the infinite atlas.
7. It also simplifies things for newer players, helping to onboard them and ease them into the endgame experience instead of overwhelm them with the scale of it all and the lack of a sense of direction.
8. The limited nature of each instance actually helps players feel a subconscious sense of accomplishment and progression naturally, especially as each instance introduces new things.
9. As GGG inevitably adds more content to the atlas, the instanced version avoids clutter and chaos that will inevitably arise in the infinite version as the game grows.

Very nice and sensible approach to the atlas, I like it. I wonder what GGG has been preparing for 0.5 if it's not something like this.