City Hotspots

City Hotspots refer to landmarks located in one of the six districts of Chicago. Hotspots can also refer to the data you hack while accessing a ctOS security router. These are distinctly different and unrelated terms.

Overview
When you access your smartphone's menu, one of the options is the City Hotspots App. This useful device allows you to complete the following:

Check in at city hotspots

Access history and information about the city

Leave gifts for other players and earn badges

Become the mayor of a specific location

There are a total of 100 city hotspots, and each location contains interactions that you can complete.

Checking In
As you move around Chicago and check your map (provided you've uncovered the areas by accessing the ctOS control centers and towers), you'll notice small check mark icons. These indicate city hotspots. Marks that are filled in indicate locations that you've previously visited. You can plot a GPS course to any of them. Adjacent locations within your smartphone's radius are also shown, whether you've found them or not.



When you approach a city hotspot, look for a square plaque that displays a check (tick) mark. This allows you to check in. Your smartphone app launches at this point. Checking in at city hotspots allows you to discover history and information about the city of Chicago, earn badges, and pick up gifts left there or leave gifts for other players.

App Features
When you select the City Hotspots App, you're greeted with the screen which shows you how many places you've visited (check-ins) and how many badges you've earned. The 30 nearest hotspots to your current location are also listed. You can separate this list into those that you have or have not visited, along with icons showing the distance, whether you've check in, and the available number of gifts.



History and Information
When you access a city hotspot or bring up and select a previously visited hotspot, a submenu appears, where you can view details of the location:
 * The name and how many times you've checked in
 * History and other pertinent information
 * Who the "mayor" is
 * Whether gifts have been left by you or are available for you

Gifts
Inside of the app, you can leave or receive gifts from other players. The gifts that you can provide of receive include:
 * Ammunition for any weapon
 * Items for crafting
 * Cash

Earning Badges
A variety of badges are available specifically related to hotspots. This includes badges for:
 * Checking in at a specific number of hotspots
 * Checking in with a specific total (e.g. 300 times)
 * Checking in at a specific type of hotspot (e.g. hotels)
 * Checking in within time limits
 * Checking in under certain conditions (e.g. rain)
 * Checking in on a certain day (e.g. July 4)
 * Checking in with friends

Becoming Mayor
By checking in at a location more times than anyone else over the course of a seven-day period, you become mayor. There are badges to claim by becoming mayor.

Note: There is a time delay of one hour between check ins, disallowing you to check in several times in a row.