what went wrong? analysis

[crawfordman]

Errors in cp2077 development analysis:

• Overconfidence and complacency of and by management (developers were not to blame for the "general failure" of the game)
• Fell for the belief of the "Bioware magic trap" (illusion that a miracle of developers could make a great game in said period amount of time in similar fashion of how bioware made DA:I)
• Witcher 3's success reinforced and feed into belief of the "magic trap" (note: the magic is more of trap than of actual help to game development studios)
• Unrealistic deadlines with overly ambitious goals
• negligence of astuteness regarding other companies' blunders (eg. NMS, ME3, Epic, etc.)
• alluring Tempting sales of the holidays plus PS5 and XB2
• Over-saturation of marketing for game (lead to hype and excitement which resulted in disappointment)

Avoidable Solutions:

• delay game from Dec 2020 to at least 2022 to 2024. 2026 at maximum (development began roughly around 2016) (also to reduce crunch to low minimum)
• Focus single development on PC only then port/release it to PS5 and XB2 afterwards (cheaper, simpler and streamlined)
• scrap porting cp2077 to XB1 and PS4 (give refunds or have preorders "convert" into XB2 or PS5 at no additional cost) (note: XB1 and PS4 are obsolete with XB2 and PS5 available)
• reduce marketing for game (1 trailer at least. 2-3 maximum no more no less)
• no posting of "night city wires" whatsoever (also attributed to market over-saturation) focus on development only

 

[MAXXVOLTAGE]

of course this is only valid if you hold the subjective negative opinion that they game is a "failure" .

 

[crawfordman]

of course this is only valid if you hold the subjective negative opinion that they game is a "failure" .

the game is fun but it's like an "undercooked" dish that needed more time in the oven

 

[piercehead]

Just saying stuff doesn't exactly count as "analysis"

 

[crawfordman]

Just saying stuff doesn't exactly count as "analysis"

what would you call it then?

 

[Droladya]

Over-saturation of marketing for game ( disagree )
Focus single development on PC ( agree )

Have a good marketing job is OK.
If it's over-saturation is depend on the quality.
They need to make a good game first.
If they need more time, just give more time.
If they need money, just release the EA version.

 

[crawfordman]

Over-saturation of marketing for game ( disagree )
Focus single development on PC ( agree )

Have a good marketing job is OK.
If it's over-saturation is depend on the quality.
They need to make a good game first.
If they need more time, just give more time.
If they need money, just release the EA version.

you do understand that everything we saw in the 2018 demo was fake right? i was looking forward to that or close second but instead i got...something else.

 

[cartlidge]

you do understand that everything we saw in the 2018 demo was fake right? i was looking forward to that or close second but instead i got...something else.

What you saw was a mock up of the current idea of what they could do with the game back then. This is pretty standard in the industry because no one has a working copy of their game two years before release. I used to make mock up interfaces during the analysis stage just so we could get an idea of what we are aiming for full of psuedologic to make it look like a working app. The design keeps getting changed and refined as time increases, (especially on interfaces) Screaming fake is all drama by the hand bags dawn brigade

 

[Dark-Exa]

-Never make a game on PC with high specs when the game is scheduled for consoles (PS4 and Xbox one ), I can understand the challenge but even a finished imbecile like me finds it stupid because the downgrade (among others problems ) is too much important

 

[Droladya]

you do understand that everything we saw in the 2018 demo was fake right? i was looking forward to that or close second but instead i got...something else.

It would be fake only if they not finish it.
But you know you are talking about " Avoidable Solutions " right?
They can make everything real if there is endless money and time.

 

[crawfordman]

What you saw was a mock up of the current idea of what they could do with the game back then. This is pretty standard in the industry because no one has a working copy of their game two years before release. I used to make mock up interfaces during the analysis stage just so we could get an idea of what we are aiming for full of psuedologic to make it look like a working app. The design keeps getting changed and refined as time increases, (especially on interfaces) Screaming fake is all drama by the hand bags dawn brigade

well it was true of the demo being "fake "in a way even though what everything was as you say: a mock up. most of everything in the demo was either cut or heavily changed. the biggest one/pet peeve was the lack of choice and consequences of actions which could result in different outcomes. that never happened.

 

[Valethaar]

what would you call it then?

Regurgitation of things other 'analysts' have already said?

 

[Guest 3847602]

Overselling innovativeness of the game, rare occasions of gameplay being shown, not showing footage that does represent the "final shape of the game", being content with ever-growing expectations and doing nothing to deflate the hype of those players who wanted CP2077 to be the next GTA, Skyrim or New Vegas.

 

[madmidder]

Everything we saw in 2018 was fake just because we haven't got it? That make sense /s

If you have gameplay demo 2 years old with "subject to change" text whole time on the video and you are still hyped, your disappointment is only your fault. Sorry to say it, but that's true. As Adam said, in the development things are changing. Some of these features can work in 30min demo, but it doesn't mean they would work in 20-60hrs game. From design to technical, sometimes it's just not possible to get what you see. And btw. you can play that demo almost exactly same, just without some small details.

I'm not saying they did good job, hell no. But expecting same game from (almost) prototype is naive. Imagine we have 5 more systems in the game. How do you think this game would work right now? We have to deal with 2020 was deadline for some reason (we don't know why, we can just guess) and it's game as service title right now.

Look at Bioshock Infinite, they had plan to make very different game, but they realized it's just not possible, so they "cut enough content to make 5-6 full games".

Threads about this are everywhere, but we don't know how to go back in time, learn from mistakes and fix them, yet.

 

[HiltoftheDragon]

Im beginning to believe that threads like these are just written to continue an anguish that cant be let go. It takes less effort to be angry than to just move on and perhaps look at the good side of these type mistakes. Armchair developers and marketers are a dime a dozen....but time to come back to earth.

Yes, there is a good side....yet very small...but still good all the same. There was a huge lesson learned here. Its a lesson that people will remind them about for years to come. Read the fine print....its always there when you see future merchandise coming down the pipe. Its always subject to change. Everybody always seems to miss that one statement in the fine print.

Its been over a month since release and people are still angry. Ive seen much worse launches than this.....why is this one so different now. Is it because of the deceit? Perhaps for many thats a justifiable reason....but why carry it so long on your shoulders.

Good logic > Emotions. Thats my only recommendation.

 

[I_Willenbrock_I]

High turnover among the development teams is also a factor.

 

[FkzAz]

Im beginning to believe that threads like these are just written to continue an anguish that cant be let go. It takes less effort to be angry than to just move on and perhaps look at the good side of these type mistakes. Armchair developers and marketers are a dime a dozen....but time to come back to earth.

Yes, there is a good side....yet very small...but still good all the same. There was a huge lesson learned here. Its a lesson that people will remind them about for years to come. Read the fine print....its always there when you see future merchandise coming down the pipe. Its always subject to change. Everybody always seems to miss that one statement in the fine print.

Its been over a month since release and people are still angry. Ive seen much worse launches than this.....why is this one so different now. Is it because of the deceit? Perhaps for many thats a justifiable reason....but why carry it so long on your shoulders.

Good logic > Emotions. Thats my only recommendation.

Then they shouldn't hype their game. They shouldn't create night City wires, trailers about gameplay that say you can do this and that and even more. It was them that said it.

Why do all of this and spent so much effort on marketing and fake demos when all of that can be nullified with a single line of text ? Why the effort?

You know the reason why as well as us. This type of fake marketing needs to stop.

CDPR needed external investment, since they dont have a steady income revenue like Ubi, EA or Rockstar.

And it was all based of fake marketing. But for someone like you, that all is OK and very justified because there is a simple line of text saying "hey, all you are seeing here might change and you will get Pac-Man instead, who knows.. ".

Just stop. There is no defending for what happened.

 

[DKDArtagnan]

Let's not forget that a contributory reason was that both media and consumers (all but) ignored some gigantic flaws in Witcher 3, because they were captivated by the story, music and visual spectacle.

Some of the biggest issues in Cyberpunk can be traced directly to Witcher 3 - which also suffered from a complete lack of believable immersion features (no crime system, no NPC schedules, cut/paste PoI activities, etc.), terrible itemization, undercooked and underwhelming progression system, awful game balance, and so forth.

For whatever reason, the vast majority of the GAMING audience found the NON-GAMING aspects (story and production values) good enough to warrant 10/10 scores almost across the board.

I never quite understood that. Then again, I'm a game type of gamer - and I really enjoy intricate game mechanics and challenging gameplay - as well as game-related features involving immersion and a compelling open world worth exploring.

I more or less expected the exaggerated quality of Witcher 3 to impact the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 in a very detrimental way, and - unfortunately - that was the correct assumption.

What I did NOT expect, however, was one of the most blatantly deceitful marketing campaigns and, on top, one of the most incompetent examples of game managment of all time.

No, that's not hyperbole - that's reality.

This is THE best example of hubris and arrogance in gaming, in modern times - and I have a feeling it will remain so for years to come.

 

[OdiousMortem]

The way I see it from a humble gamer is the game just wasn't finished. It is a traffic game. I have enjoyed so many hours of it so far on PC and I will continue to enjoy many hours more.

I dont get into the nuts and bolts that goes on behind closed doors too much. I do understand it a little bit. You have miscommunication internally plus the shareholder problem which is its whole separate animal.

I am in the US, I am not shareholder. But I really do enjoy the game on PC. I think it's a work of art. The game just needs to be finished. I will not ask for a refund because it doesn't deserve that. The game will evolve and I am optimistic about the DLCs.

That's it. The creativity is there, the missions are emotional, the voice acting is great, the music is great. I don't have anything to complain about as a whole. I have my criticisms about bits and pieces of the game, but over all I love it.

I also purchased the game for my younger brother who also loves it so far, PC version. My step-dad, I also purchase the game for him, PC version and he said he has a hard time grabbing on to the characters and the story. He doesn't identify with the people or the story. I think he cant put himself in the shoes of those people in Night CIty at that in their situation. He's an older guy, harder to please.

Personally I like the nomad missions the best. Those people I like, Panam and the Aldacadoes all the way to the end! Their vehicles are the best too.

That said, the graphics could be tightened up a bit. The NPCs could a little bit more engaging, they seem to be bugged. They hunker down in fear and dont move even after danger is over. There are a lot of bugs I could point out even in the PC version which I hope will get ironed out. I believe they will.

I am not finished with the story yet. But my advice to CDPR is to tweak the human perspective a little bit. Bring life to characters as they started to. Tweak the romance scenes a little bit, bring some unique angles. Emphasize some individuality. They seem to understand that in the core game very well. Give some cut scenes.

Also the other thing is I enjoy unique take-downs depending on what weapon I have. Let me use my monowire to take down someone, or a knife, or any few other potentially silent weapons. Let me takedown some douchebag scavanger by grabbing him by the neck and knifing him in the back, or using a monowire! They are jerks anyway. They deserve it.

 

[Rivian2805]

Let's not forget that a contributory reason was that both media and consumers (all but) ignored some gigantic flaws in Witcher 3, because they were captivated by the story, music and visual spectacle.

Some of the biggest issues in Cyberpunk can be traced directly to Witcher 3 - which also suffered from a complete lack of believable immersion features (no crime system, no NPC schedules, cut/paste PoI activities, etc.), terrible itemization, undercooked and underwhelming progression system, awful game balance, and so forth.

For whatever reason, the vast majority of the GAMING audience found the NON-GAMING aspects (story and production values) good enough to warrant 10/10 scores almost across the board.

I never quite understood that. Then again, I'm a game type of gamer - and I really enjoy intricate game mechanics and challenging gameplay - as well as game-related features involving immersion and a compelling open world worth exploring.

I more or less expected the exaggerated quality of Witcher 3 to impact the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 in a very detrimental way, and - unfortunately - that was the correct assumption.

What I did NOT expect, however, was one of the most blatantly deceitful marketing campaigns and, on top, one of the most incompetent examples of game managment of all time.

No, that's not hyperbole - that's reality.

This is THE best example of hubris and arrogance in gaming, in modern times - and I have a feeling it will remain so for years to come.

Its overlooked in the witcher 3 because Geralt is not a mass murdering psychopath like a lot of people wanted to play V. Due to the already hateful PoV against Witchers in the universe and suspicions against them it makes no sense for Geralt to run around and be a crimelord. Atleast not without context in the story. I guess this is part of the reason the game had more leniency in those areas. The balance of the game itself was also not well done. Its worse in cyberpunk but yea, unless you made self-inflicted stipulations for your own run, using everything that is provided to you also makes the highest difficulty a walk in the park in the witcher 3. But its nowhere near as bad as this game.

Witcher 3 had def. a level of polish that Cyberpunk obviously lacks. And it takes about 5 sec to realize that.