Safehouses - yes or no? - or how to make them work?

[wisdom000]

I gotta agree with Chris...

A CEO isn't a viable player character in most games. At that point the risks aren't worth the gains... he has effectively won, if he wants to make more money, gain more power, he does it by delegation, his hands get no where near the dirt anymore. Even if he wanted too, the company would not allow it. He is no longer a cyberpunk, he is who cyberpunks want to bring down. At best he becomes an NPC... at worst he is a villain, because you don;t get to the top without leaving a trail of broken lives in your wake.

 

[Tir_Eoghan]

true, that should probably be the end game, where your character no longer plays as a PC but becomes a NPC corporate head honcho.

As that would really step outside of the Cyberpunk gameplay ideal, and simply become a corporate empire building sim.

Its similar to Raistlin in Forgotten Realms fighting the god and taking over as a god (did that actually happen, it's been awhile since I read those books). Yes it should be possible as endgame material (unlikely to ever be achieved), but for obvious reasons that player can no longer be played in a regular campaign.

However I would like to see things like the ability to take over a smuggling operation, or something of that ilk.. Own a Night Club that performs as a cover for your illegal dealings, run a underground cybernetics clinic, etc.

I've found it silly in RPG games where the character after playing hundreds of hours has enough cash stored up to build a castle and hire his own small army, yet he's still running around in dungeons looting armor off of monsters he kills. Makes no logical sense.

Really these ideas would be better suited for a PVP MMO cyberpunk game... Any interest dev's? maybe the next project?

 

[guidokpd]

I do not remember any of my characters who would have wanted to wind up as a CEO of a corp. One wound up with a square block of revitalized combat zone patrolled by his own army. On the block he had a hotel that had been redone and now was a brothel/porn studio/safehouse. This was after he retired. So he wound up as a slumlord/pimp/pornographer. He has made appearances as an NPC in later games. He is someone who might fit the toughest boss last mode. However if you were tough enough to get through his army he probably wouldn't be in his office at the end.

Were most of the CEOs former solos, or were they career business men who rose to the top?

 

[Tir_Eoghan]

I do not remember any of my characters who would have wanted to wind up as a CEO of a corp. One wound up with a square block of revitalized combat zone patrolled by his own army. On the block he had a hotel that had been redone and now was a brothel/porn studio/safehouse. This was after he retired. So he wound up as a slumlord/pimp/pornographer. He has made appearances as an NPC in later games. He is someone who might fit the toughest boss last mode. However if you were tough enough to get through his army he probably wouldn't be in his office at the end.

Were most of the CEOs former solos, or were they career business men who rose to the top?

That sounds like what I'd want most of my characters to become as well, CEO is just illustrative of the level of immersion into the game worlds core I'd like to be available.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

My first character from 2020 wound up founding his own R&D firm, (think tsunami arms but less 'outside the box',) though that was after needing an FBC job.

He is now used as an employer for teams on games.

 

[wisdom000]

A solo who suvives and is successful enough to become wealthy rarely becomes a CEO, usually they just retire somewhere to a tropical island full of cheap booze and loose women and live out their remaining days enjoying the good life..

No solo worth his salt is going to use his success to turn himself into just another target.

 

[Sardukhar]

Australia. Some remote part of.

That's where my longest-played character retired to. Good times. That was....oh...20 years ago now? I am waaay out of practice as a player.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

II always assumed that Solo's who lived long enough to be rich had already blown it all on booze and loose women, therefore could not afford said island...

 

[Sardukhar]

WITHOUT STEPPING ON ONETRUEWAY TOES,

I'd presume a Solo who was good enough to make it to retirement, was smart enough to avoid those things.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

WITHOUT STEPPING ON ONETRUEWAY TOES,

I'd presume a Solo who was good enough to make it to retirement, was smart enough to avoid those things.

That's why I didn't say retire. I firmly believe that the best Solo's would only retire via a pine box. If nothing else, they would have an awesome reputation, which there would be plenty of people willing to kill them over just to say they beat them.

 

[Sardukhar]

Ah, I'd agree with you, except, well..Angels. Also Morgan.


And that the very best might be really hard to identify and find.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

Ah, I'd agree with you, except, well..Angels. Also Morgan.


And that the very best might be really hard to identify and find.

Morgan Blackhand was on top of the Arasaka Tower when the nuke went off inside it, fighting Adam Smasher.

Surely that proves my point.


And there is always a way to find the best. You just use the same ways that an employer would.

 

[Sardukhar]

You...think Morgan is dead?

AhahahaHAHAHAHAHAhahah! I think it proves my point.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

I am open to the possibility that he could have survived what equated to a point blank 2KT blast, but Adam Smasher was trying to kill him because of his rep.

He would never be able to retire because someone would always be trying to kill him. (Unless he faked his own death...)

 

[Decatonkeil]

Well, just playing SR2 and... yep, safehouses, cool. And luxurious ones, why not? If that's your priority, having a luxurious safehouse, why not spend the money others would spend in gear there? Decoration... it isn't half bad in SR2, and while not being a fan of the calmer kind of games (like the Sims or Animal Crossing) that give it a lot of importance, what's there makes me wish there were more options, also in variety (not just LV1 for 1500, LV2 for 3800 and LV3 for 19000). If they aren't going to allow for decoration (which is just a facet of character customization) I would appreciate mementos for accomplished missions like in Vice City (the broken Tiki revealing its content, the sportsbag with money, the box of an RC helicopter)...
I like the idea of hearing the environmental noise of traffic, clubs, neighbours from our safehouse... even having to jump over the garbage bags of our neighbours or... well, our neighbours sleeping on the stairs:

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

I know there was a good chunk of discussion about decor in the property ownership thread.

If we could keep mementos, then I would like them to be objects we collect during the mission, things like ears and teeth for the psychos, guns and armour prices for the 'warrior' types and gadets, pictures and other stuff for hose that want it. Options would be great.

 

[d1am0ndback]

I want a place to call home in Night City. Corporates should have their luxurious apartments, I'll be cool living in the slums in a remote location with high security.

 

[Decatonkeil]

Some decoration ideas could be Karesansui or Japanese rock garden for very luxurious safehouses for the corporate or solo

a shelf with prizes or a board with press clippings (or whatever analogy we can find in CP2077, what's the place for printed media?) for the media, junk sculptures for the techie, maybe even the nomad as long as it doesn't interfere with his or her nomadic lifestyle; string webs, post its and pictures of targets for netrunners, cops and solos; golden records, guitars hanging from the walls and pop-art for rockerboys... ceremonial katanas, posters of icons like Che Guevara or V/Guy Fawkes (mask)/Anonymous, graffiti for squatters...
And also all kinds of commodities, not just security.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

This is exactly the direction I was thinking. No-one in 2077 should be 100% trustworthy and no-one should be untouchable. Staying alive should include staying off the radar as well as dodging bullets.


Getting robbed should always be a possibility. And, if the corps decide you have something they want, they will land on it and take it. They may even leave your domacile intact, or they may blow it up. They may even be inside waiting for you. They may come for you while you sleep...

It's for reasons like these that I used to turn apartments in 2020 into glorified bunkers. Claymores and mono-wire lined the entry hall and there were multiple secret stashes. Not to mention a secret saferoom and a bolt hole. Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't coming for you...


Indeed. Though the banks are probably open 24/7 anyway. I don't expect a fat lot of difference between day and night in CP2077. Transit Depot storage lockers are an idea. As are the sorts of lock-ups that Adam Jensen got to pilfer from in random public locations.

I've been thinking some more about our hideouts.

I say hideouts, because even in the 2020 rulebook it specifically states that having more than one place to crash is must. So, we rent a few apartments and we set up stashes in them...

So we will need somewhere in these places to put our gear. I cannot stress enough how much I loved being able to display weapons and armour in Skyrim.

We really need this sort of option. I have no problem with a 'gun cabinet' whcih we open which has ll our guns in, but I really want a display option.

Sort of like this Fallout 3 Mod. But rather than a couple of spaces for every weapon there is, (because I am hoping for a lot more variety, as well as many weapons you come across having been adapted with mods and such by their former owners,) I am looking for a generic rack where I can mount weapons. A grid system similar to Deus Ex's inventory would be great for this.

Also, in Fallout 3 we could decorate our homes with 'themes'. That was nice and all, but I think 2077 can go one better. By all means have 'Themes' for general colourschemes and such, but let us buy or make our own 'furniture'. I may want a living room that is clean, crisp and white with smooth, ultramodern minimalist feel to it:

Or, more likely, I want a glorified workshop/garage full of half completed projects.

I would be happy with a couple of 'standard' style options, with choices in colour scheme and a extra option based on your role.

I never played any of the saints row titles, so I just had to look up the 'Cribs' customisastion. Its not bad, though it is a bit 'Sims'esque. It diod, however, give me an idea for the fixers pad. It totally needs hired' entertainment' and a pole.

We need to rent a warehouse. Regular apartments just wont cut it.

As much as my utterly paranoid character would love an ex military bunker, (though in the 8 years of play time I had with him he ended up running a small weaponry R&D corp,) I don't think there are many bunkers available to rent in NC. Warehouses, Apartments and Cubes, sure.

Copied from the "Property Ownership" thread for relevance.

 

[thewarsend]

Well, just playing SR2 and... yep, safehouses, cool. And luxurious ones, why not? If that's your priority, having a luxurious safehouse, why not spend the money others would spend in gear there? Decoration... it isn't half bad in SR2, and while not being a fan of the calmer kind of games (like the Sims or Animal Crossing) that give it a lot of importance, what's there makes me wish there were more options, also in variety (not just LV1 for 1500, LV2 for 3800 and LV3 for 19000). If they aren't going to allow for decoration (which is just a facet of character customization) I would appreciate mementos for accomplished missions like in Vice City (the broken Tiki revealing its content, the sportsbag with money, the box of an RC helicopter)...
I like the idea of hearing the environmental noise of traffic, clubs, neighbours from our safehouse... even having to jump over the garbage bags of our neighbours or... well, our neighbours sleeping on the stairs:

I just played SR2 (and SR3) as well and i think the safehouses in SR2 are better than any i have seen in any other video games.. The way you could customize your safehouses was great.. The way you could buy a place that you can easily call a dump and turn it into a livable place by spending some cash was awesome.. (There was a light house that you could turn into a classy place and it was awesome!) And it showed me that you could have customizable safehouses without turning the game into a bloody sims game. You could pick one of few themes that can turn your safehouse into a classy place.. Only game that comes close to that is Fallout 3.. (Where you could customize your Megaton house by picking one of few theme options.) Still, CDPR could do it even better..