Public transportation system in Night City could be quite impressive as one of the interactive aspects of CP2077. Right now the player can not take a taxi or ride a monorail train, although both means of transit are present in the game.
During my gameplay I tried to follow most of the monorail tracks in NC. This little investigation lead me to the conclusion that the whole city structure was designed with the train system in mind. There are many fake NCART (Night City Area Rapid Transit) stations in the game. They are located both underground and above street level, yet always in the places where the rail network is already present. The whole system could work, if the players were given the ability to ride a monorail.
Unfortunately, at some point in development the decision was made to stop working on the interactive transit system. I have no idea what was the reasoning behind this decision. It could be due to the time constrains or the lack of ability to properly implement this quite complex aspect of the gameplay. The leftovers of the unfortunate process of cutting this interactive monorail out are quite noticeable. Instead, we were presented with pretty "unimmersive" fast travel points that could work as an optional way of transit (e.g. in the form of interactive maps located in the train stations).
We do not have a proper modding tools (SDK) that would make some kind of a complete implementation of this monorail system possible. The skeleton of this system is in the game: the tracks are usually in the right places and some stations are located properly, populated and accessible via elevators. Unfortunately, the full implementation of the monorail system requires rebuilding some parts of the town, creating the interiors of some stations and interactive cars that the player and NPCs could enter. And, most of all, it would be necessary to design a smart transit AI for this game. Yes, an impossible task if we consider the fact that the city traffic AI in CP2077 does not work very well.
The city looks amazing from above. That is why riding a monorail, although not the most important aspect of the game, would greatly increase the immersion and improve our gaming experience. As soon as I acquired Double Jump I started looking for a way to ride a monorail.
I discovered that there are a several places in the city where the player can jump, climb and get on the tracks: especially in Downtown, Little China and Northside. I am sure the developers were well aware of that, so they tried to make it as difficult as possible for the player to get there and placed many invisible walls around certain areas (e.g. in the vicinity of the Afterlife) and on the tracks. Still, the player might get through some of them and ride a monorail.
There are huge parts of the tracks where it's possible to enjoy a ride for almost a minute (before the train disappears or the invisible wall blocks the way). It is an incredible experience. The vistas are breathtaking (pun intended). I highly recommend anyone to try it. If you liked riding a rollercoaster with Johnny, then you'll be having a blast with the monorail. There are no problems with performance, missing textures etc. during the ride, so it should not be a problem for any PC user. The city looks as impressive from above as it is on the street level. It's a pity that we are not able to fully enjoy this experience. Still, one can get a taste of it by taking advantage of the whole immersive sim systems that are available in the game (without resorting to any "cheats" or mods).
I wish the developers, after taking care of the more pressing issues with the game, could bring interactive transit system back to life. What do you think? Do you miss properly implemented NCART in NC?
Here are some shots I took while riding a monorail in various districts:
During my gameplay I tried to follow most of the monorail tracks in NC. This little investigation lead me to the conclusion that the whole city structure was designed with the train system in mind. There are many fake NCART (Night City Area Rapid Transit) stations in the game. They are located both underground and above street level, yet always in the places where the rail network is already present. The whole system could work, if the players were given the ability to ride a monorail.
Unfortunately, at some point in development the decision was made to stop working on the interactive transit system. I have no idea what was the reasoning behind this decision. It could be due to the time constrains or the lack of ability to properly implement this quite complex aspect of the gameplay. The leftovers of the unfortunate process of cutting this interactive monorail out are quite noticeable. Instead, we were presented with pretty "unimmersive" fast travel points that could work as an optional way of transit (e.g. in the form of interactive maps located in the train stations).
We do not have a proper modding tools (SDK) that would make some kind of a complete implementation of this monorail system possible. The skeleton of this system is in the game: the tracks are usually in the right places and some stations are located properly, populated and accessible via elevators. Unfortunately, the full implementation of the monorail system requires rebuilding some parts of the town, creating the interiors of some stations and interactive cars that the player and NPCs could enter. And, most of all, it would be necessary to design a smart transit AI for this game. Yes, an impossible task if we consider the fact that the city traffic AI in CP2077 does not work very well.
The city looks amazing from above. That is why riding a monorail, although not the most important aspect of the game, would greatly increase the immersion and improve our gaming experience. As soon as I acquired Double Jump I started looking for a way to ride a monorail.
I discovered that there are a several places in the city where the player can jump, climb and get on the tracks: especially in Downtown, Little China and Northside. I am sure the developers were well aware of that, so they tried to make it as difficult as possible for the player to get there and placed many invisible walls around certain areas (e.g. in the vicinity of the Afterlife) and on the tracks. Still, the player might get through some of them and ride a monorail.
There are huge parts of the tracks where it's possible to enjoy a ride for almost a minute (before the train disappears or the invisible wall blocks the way). It is an incredible experience. The vistas are breathtaking (pun intended). I highly recommend anyone to try it. If you liked riding a rollercoaster with Johnny, then you'll be having a blast with the monorail. There are no problems with performance, missing textures etc. during the ride, so it should not be a problem for any PC user. The city looks as impressive from above as it is on the street level. It's a pity that we are not able to fully enjoy this experience. Still, one can get a taste of it by taking advantage of the whole immersive sim systems that are available in the game (without resorting to any "cheats" or mods).
I wish the developers, after taking care of the more pressing issues with the game, could bring interactive transit system back to life. What do you think? Do you miss properly implemented NCART in NC?
Here are some shots I took while riding a monorail in various districts: