I don't think it is that hard for a game to support role-playing (or at least what I understand from it). Even having a book character such as Geralt as the playable character can be handled as long as you give players some breathing room. Consider the case in the original post: V smoking. If when Judy offered the cigarette, player were presented with a choice to accept or refuse, new scenes would have to be created. But the presented choices can also be:
1. [Accept]
2. [Accept unwillingly]
and no additional scenes have to be used.
Even this much would make that scene more role-playing friendly. I am not saying that this should have been done. This is just an example to support the idea that supporting role-playing is not necessarily difficult or too costly in terms of development time.
Also, as I already mentioned, I like it that this game gives the player the option to choose whether or not V drinks alcohol, or believes in a god. Sometimes you have the option to let the timer run and say nothing, which is great if you prefer to roleplay the silent type. Someone who replied to the original post reminded me that we can also refuse to smoke when Johnny "begs" us for one last cigarette at the beginning. In general I like how they approach diologue options, even though sometimes I cannot find the thing my V would say among the options. That is OK. But I hope this "forced smoking" scene is a blunder, and not a sign of what we will see from them in the future.
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Now lets hear how the smokers defend this poor "forced smoking" scene instead of admitting to themselves that they were weak and the tobacco companies used their weakness to make them believe that smoking is a natural part of sexuality.
Aye, you can add choices in videogames to get the rpg feeling, you can get sort of limited freedom in your actions or how to approach different situations. But thats the thing, there is always a limit, unlike in tabletop rpgs, where gm has the ultimate say in matters and how things unfold. It is this complete freedom that is hard to bring into a videogame. People can code and animate only so many things, and even simple decissions in videogames require hours of work, often from many people. What you are asking is someone, or more like a group of someones dedicates their life to bring you seemingly unlimited options for a vidrogame. And even that would have limits.
You see how that is not going to work?
True rpg in a videogame format would require an A.I that oversees everything and generates fitting options. We are not there yet.
And you wanted to hear an opinion from a smoker? Its whatever, it does not have anything more to do with sexuality than.. lets say glasses. Some people find them hot, some are disgusted.. most have no real opinion. It would have been cool to V have the option, but then again, its whatever. Shit, I dont do drugs and barely any alcohol, but if the love of my life did offer me a drink or joint, I could say yes, depending on the mood and the way it is offered. Weakness of the moment, as they say.
And in the game you are often forced to kill, to steal, to sometimes do very shady things. Smoking seems rather tame compared to that, but still one forced cigarette that was offered by V's love is a big no. Sounds twisted to me.
Especially when smoking is not seen as bad in 2077, as it is now. People don't give a fuck. People do drugs, shootouts, organ thefts.. all sorts of shit daily. V, for some reason can be against it, but as I said, even the strongest convictions sometimes fail. Humans are weak and greedy, that is the base teaching of cyberpunk.
It could be taken as lession; In cyberpunk everyone are weak, greedy and cruel and things never are truly in your control. Thats the real Cyberpunk.
