Please add an option to disable timed decisions & QTE's.

[luzarius]

Please add an option to disable timed decisions & QTE's.

Please add the option to disable timed decisions & QTE's in CyberPunk. I'm not sure if these will be in the game, but if they are please add the option to disable them.

If you insist that players face timed decisions, could you based the time decision length on difficulty? I like to drink a couple of beers while I play CDPR games and sometimes those timed decisions are too difficult when you got a buzz going on.

Easy difficulty = 30 second timed decision.
Normal difficulty = 20 second timed decision.
Hard difficulty = 10 second timed decision.
Nightmare difficulty = 6 second time decision.

I'm not a save scummer. I play games Ironman, so that's why this is such an issue. I don't reload my decisions once I've made them. Oh that reminds me, will you guys add an Ironman mode like you had in Witcher 2? You guys kind of let me down when you didn't add an Ironman mode for Witcher 3. *sigh*

Thank you for reading!

(Oh and if you can drive a car in Cyberpunk and the driving is anything like the broken horseback riding in Witcher 3, please let us disable driving all together. I'd rather not deal with that level of frustration).

 

[Lisbeth_Salander]

You should add another one:

Cyberpunked difficulty: 2 seconds time decision

EDIT: But seriously, timed decisions should depend on which situation, and that means they shouldn't at some points not exist at all.

 

[walkingdarkly]

NO! Give us a Hardcore Mode named Maximum Mike Mode that takes the 2020 Core Combat rules to the Extreme Edge!

 

[Hoplite_22]

timed decisions are good and they where done very well in the Witcher 3. QTE's on the other hand can fuck right off in a pit full of septic tank scrapings.

 

[Sardukhar]

QTE's on the other hand can fuck right off in a pit full of septic tank scrapings.

Heh.

I love that it's a pit full of the -scrapings-. Who collects these?!

Also, QTE suck.

 

[NukeTheMoon]

TW3 didn't have QTEs, niether did TW1, only TW2 did, and then it was a very simplistic and easy QTE.
But I suspect given what happened with QTE not being present in TW3 it is reasonable assume they will not be in CP77 at all.

Regarding timed decisions, I don't think difficulty should effect time to choose.
Interesting idea, but I disagree.

Players should have the time to slowly read the dialogue lines
(keep in mind that reading time varies, especially for people reading text in their none primary language!),
and then make a choice, and it should be the same time approximate on all difficulties.

 

[walkingdarkly]

TW3 didn't have QTEs, niether did TW1, only TW2 did, and then it was a very simplistic and easy QTE.
But I suspect given what happened with QTE not being present in TW3 it is reasonable assume they will not be in CP77 at all.

Regarding timed decisions, I don't think difficulty should effect time to choose.
Interesting idea, but I disagree.

Players should have the time to slowly read the dialogue lines
(keep in mind that reading time varies, especially for people reading text in their none primary language!),
and then make a choice, and it should be the same time approximate on all difficulties.

What would be interesting about this is if there were some decisions you needed to make and there was a timer behind the scene that depending on how long it took you to answer, the response from the NPC would be different like calling you out for taking so long. And to add on to that, say there's some kind of party system, you're going through a main story mission that has your party get suckered by a trapdoor trap in the floor. Say you have just 3 others to make it simple, you get up first and the replies you receive when you check on your party members change on who you spoke to first and maybe even how connected you are to them and how long you got around to checking on them.

These ideas came from an old Playstation 1 RPG I played back in the day called Thousand Arms, where such events did happen from npc's calling out for taking to long to answer a question to when the party fell off a shallow cliff and they answered and reacted differently depending on who you talked to first and last.

 

[Hoplite_22]

Heh.

I love that it's a pit full of the -scrapings-. Who collects these?!

Also, QTE suck.

well you have to properly clean out a septic tank every so often so you need to dump the scrapings some where.

 

[Rawls]

Disagree on timed decisions. Agree on QTEs.

I'm not a save scummer. I play games Ironman, so that's why this is such an issue. I don't reload my decisions once I've made them.

Well taking 2 minutes to make a decision is arguably just as game-y as reloading a save. Make the decision fast and don't reload. That's what I do on my first play through.

 

[Suhiira]

Disagree on timed decisions. Agree on QTEs.

If the timed discussions aren't so quick you don't have time to read the options (vice take a quick glance at them) I'm OK with them, but would really prefer not.
QTEs suck! And have no business in an RPG.

 

[Eltyris]

What's this...Luzarius thread without mention of romance?

Timed decisions, yes, but sparingly and based on "reading" npc reactions, instead of simple time expiration icon. There is no challenge or involvement there, and tension becomes annoyance after you get used to it a couple of times ( Alpha Protocol).

This would work perfectly with dialogue system in style of Far Cry ( cinematic First person) that puts more emphasis on character in front of you, than the player.

Over the course of the dialogue, based on npc body language, player would sometimes have a brief time window to turn dialogue in his/her favor...same sentence could have stronger impact, if the player reads situation correctly and uses it at the right moment.

QTE's on the other hand are not always bad and can also be used to add more dynamic to conversation ( not in gameplay), and would be available based on player stats/skills.

Intimidation attempt as npc tries to shake down the player by grabbing him/her by the throat:

High Cool stat... Npc sees it's not working and quickly releases you
High Strength( or Body stat)...player has opportunity to break the grip
High Unarmed martial skill...Npc realizes that was a really bad idea.

 

[Hoplite_22]

QTE's on the other hand are not always bad and can also be used to add more dynamic to conversation ( not in gameplay), and would be available based on player stats/skills.

Intimidation attempt as npc tries to shake down the player by grabbing him/her by the throat:

High Cool stat... Npc sees it's not working and quickly releases you
High Strength( or Body stat)...player has opportunity to break the grip
High Unarmed martial skill...Npc realizes that was a really bad idea.

This is not a QTE, it requires no input from the player at all. I am not sure you understand what a QTE is, it's a reaction trigger, not a RPG mechanic.

 

[Meccanical]

QTEs are not ideal I agree, but much like anything in this world, they aren't inherently bad. It's all about execution.

I actually like the timed decisions though because sometimes situations should force you to make decisions on the fly.

 

[Eltyris]

This is not a QTE, it requires no input from the player at all. I am not sure you understand what a QTE is, it's a reaction trigger, not a RPG mechanic.

Two actually are, and can be used as an rpg mechanic...it would be no different than basic stat checks->action dialogue options in crpgs, only experienced directly.
Like post above, it's how and when you use it that is relevant.

 

[lord_blex]

Two actually are

I don't think any of that really counts as QTE. failing a QTE is pretty much always the wrong thing to do. they exist to keep players engaged during cutscenes, nothing more. calling something with actual choice involved a QTE is doing it a disservice, because of the reputation of the word. for example I wouldn't call the mass effect interrupts QTE.



but this is just semantics.
I'd love it if they made the interrupt system more robust. I'm also against removing timed decisions, or making them really easy. they are great at conveying how tense a situation is. you shouldn't get to think 10 minutes about putting out someone on fire. on a slightly related note, I also wouldn't mind a few timed missions, when they make sense, to shake things up a bit. prey did this well - they were basically small puzzles or challenges that popped up as you explored. the key with all of these is not overdoing them and not making the consequences too severe.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

QTE's suck, but longer term timed content that's also dynamic in that it's not a "doomsday clock" you need to follow, would add a lot to the game and its dynamics.

That is to say, if there's a house on fire, it doesn't burn indefinitely until the player bothers; if there's a timebomb, the timer doesn't tick indefinitely until the player bothers with it; if there's someone to chase down, he doesn't wait for the player to bother.

The game in general should take advantage from the passage of time and have content interact with it dynamically to not let the player be the center of th universe. If you get intel that posergang is planning to raid and invade a warehouse in a couple of days, then couple of days it is. If the player can't bother within the given timeframe, then he arrives to an invaded warehouse (or the result might also be random) and what ever possibilities were there before, are now gone and replaced with new ones (for better or worse).

 

[Rawls]

That is to say, if there's a house on fire, it doesn't burn indefinitely until the player bothers; if there's a timebomb, the timer doesn't tick indefinitely until the player bothers with it; if there's someone to chase down, he doesn't wait for the player to bother.
The game in general should take advantage from the passage of time and have content interact with it dynamically to not let the player be the center of th universe. If you get intel that posergang is planning to raid and invade a warehouse in a couple of days, then couple of days it is. If the player can't bother within the given timeframe, then he arrives to an invaded warehouse (or the result might also be random) and what ever possibilities were there before, are now gone and replaced with new ones (for better or worse).

I always kind of liked the way Mass Effect 2 did timed things (though it would need to be less linear for an open world game). It didn't give you a clock, but after X number of missions / quests an event occurred that had to be dealt with immediately.

Changing the last bit to just say after you complete x number of missions after y quest, side event z immediately triggers ... and you can choose to do it, or not do it and the quest fails if you complete another mission first. If they wanted to do it for main quests just make it a negative consequence in the main quest since you didn't respond immediately. As you say it makes it so you aren't the center of the universe and sometimes things just happen outside of the PCs control, and must be dealt with or you face consequences.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

I always kind of liked the way Mass Effect 2 did timed things (though it would need to be less linear for an open world game). It didn't give you a clock, but after X number of missions / quests an event occurred that had to be dealt with immediately.

Changing the last bit to just say after you complete x number of missions after y quest, side event z immediately triggers ... and you can choose to do it, or not do it and the quest fails if you complete another mission first. If they wanted to do it for main quests just make it a negative consequence in the main quest since you didn't respond immediately. As you say it makes it so you aren't the center of the universe and sometimes things just happen outside of the PCs control, and must be dealt with or you face consequences.

I haven't played Mass Effect 2 so I might misinterpret this a bit. That sounds swell for more or less random mission offers, something you mght hear from the police radio, or you get a call from an employer in need of some mercenaries. "BAM, there's a situation at the docs right now! Go there immediately or someone else will do it! No options. Yes or no, which is it?" It doesn't give you much time or info to consider, just go immediately or not do it at all and be denied of the "pay". There's a pressure there, and that's not bad, but it does sound like something you get called for in a more or less random fashion (kind of like the stuff in the "sandbox content" thread).

I'm talking more about those longer term missions than ones that offer a clock in the UI where 10 minutes ticks down. Something that says "It's now September 20th 17:10. X will happen at October 7th at afternoon, find a way to prevent it." You can do what ever you want in the given time, but if you have not followed the clues and found out what it is you should do, X will happen and the you have a different situation in your hands, X has happened for better or worse and you have to deal with it whether it is something to your benefit (and that should be possible, opportunistic playstyle should be allowed) or the opposite.

 

[Rawls]

I haven't played Mass Effect 2 so I might misinterpret this a bit. That sounds swell for more or less random mission offers, something you mght hear from the police radio, or you get a call from an employer in need of some mercenaries. "BAM, there's a situation at the docs right now! Go there immediately or someone else will do it! No options. Yes or no, which is it?" It doesn't give you much time or info to consider, just go immediately or not do it at all and be denied of the "pay". There's a pressure there, and that's not bad, but it does sound like something you get called for in a more or less random fashion (kind of like the stuff in the "sandbox content" thread).

In Mass Effect 2, it's actually how the main quest proceeds. After a certain number of missions are completed at a couple points, your boss "the Illusive Man" calls and basically says you need to do this now. In ME2 you don't have a choice but to do it two of the times. The third time your given a choice.

Spoiler

If you go immediately, you end up saving all of your crew. If you do a side thing or two first, you save half your crew, you you wait a long time, everyone on your crew but one person dies (except for you party members ... it's crew like the ship's mechanic, mess hall officer, navigator, intelligence officer etc).

It was a good pressure setting mechanic and also made you feel like you weren't in total control (which I like). However, I was suggesting a way that it could be implemented to make the design less linear ... like the last option where you have the choice to proceed ... and if you don't do it in a timely fashion there are consequences.

I'm talking more about those longer term missions than ones that offer a clock in the UI where 10 minutes ticks down. Something that says "It's now September 20th 17:10. X will happen at October 7th at afternoon, find a way to prevent it." You can do what ever you want in the given time, but if you have not followed the clues and found out what it is you should do, X will happen and the you have a different situation in your hands, X has happened for better or worse and you have to deal with it whether it is something to your benefit (and that should be possible, opportunistic playstyle should be allowed) or the opposite.

I'm for it.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

I was suggesting a way that it could be implemented to make the design less linear ... like the last option where you have the choice to proceed ... and if you don't do it in a timely fashion there are consequences.

Yeah, that's cool, I got it.

Sounds a bit like different mission stages.
"Do X [completed]
-> Do Y [completed]
-> Do Z [optional]"
If you leave and collect the reward, the optional part is forfeit.

Or, another one... I remember reading about Alpha Protocol somewhere around when it was newish, and it came up in an interview that Obsidian used a sort of "honeycomb" design to their quests where you had the "main objective" and around that you have optional (smaller) satellite missions that would affect the conditions in the main objective. For example, if a satellite mission had you intercept an envoy of troops, the main objective would have less enemies; if you did a mission to destroy a surveillance center there'd be far less security systems in the main objective. Those are not "actual" missions in AP, but that was the idea.

Your Mass Effect derived idea might be mixed up with that in a certain manner where you'd not be forced to make an uneducated choice of doing forced missions, but rather given the option to choose between different satellitemissions. Let's say there'd be four. Each that'd be left undone would have a negative impact in the conditions of the main objective. You'd only have time or possibility to do 2 of the four. And each iteration might have a small narrative hook to be revealed during or by the end of the mission.