Companions in Cyberpunk 2077

[Ch1nz]

After a quick search (is there a bug as I‘m unable to search the English forums unless I search all forums?) I was surprised to not find any thread about companions.


In RPGs I usually like having companions as they are a great way for a game to reflect on the choices you made throughout your adventure and give insides into the workings of the world and the lore in an elegant way, now I know from the gameplay demo that you can have temporary companions for certain missions, what are your thoughts on more permanent ones you could recruit?
I am all for it, i am however not sure if it would work well with balancing and the intended feel of the world as you explore it. That said i always enjoy having NPCs with me in other rpgs so here’s hoping that CDPR feels the same.
In Witcher it made sense for Gerald to travel alone most of the time, as a merc you would probably want backup from time to time so what do you think?

 

[animalfather]

i want a ride or die waifu

 

[Draconifors]

After a quick search (is there a bug as I‘m unable to search the English forums unless I search all forums?)

Yes, it's a bug.


Re: topic

I'm not fond of companions if games, because they tend to get in the way. If friendly fire is a thing, it quickly becomes an issue.
So, my vote went to "only in special missions".

Animal companions I find much more tolerable than human/humanoid ones.
Yes, Cyberpunk thread. So, robotic animals or the like count as well.

 

[Mevik1023]

I want all games to end up with JRPG party systems, but for 2077 I'd be more than happy with choosing one NPC ally to have around at any/all times. The lone wolf obviously fit Geralt but even he mixed in some quality interactions on certain quests. No reason for V to not have a travel companion of our choice for additional dialogue and gameplay options. That especially helps to make sure the First Person protagonist keeps his/her personality, like what Elizabeth does for Booker in BioShock Infinite. Some of the most fun in those Bethesda RPGs is buddying up with your favorite follower, providing CDPR doesn't let them drop dead of course.

 

[EngryEngineer]

I have mixed feelings about this, I would very much appreciate being able to hire help when I need/want it even for wandering around as well as missions, but I don't really have any interest in the Bethesda game style companions. I don't know, being able to choose a person to indefinitely follow you around like a lost puppy kind of strips away the illusion of agency for that NPC, and they stop feeling like people. Beyond that, more often than not I find them to be more of a liability than they are helpful. This is just my opinion on an understandably subjective topic, and I still have fun with games that have this style of companion, I just end up using them if I absolutely need to.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

I'm already a bit iffed that the initial pigfaced dude apparently tags along quite often. I hope there won't be "permanent" companions, but the game allows me to go about stuff all by my lonesome if I so choose.

 

[Loostreaks]

I'd like to see a dialogue/persuasion expert companion. This would be interesting way to give that "not everything is in the hands of the player" feel.

Outside of this, I like their approach. You go on a job together, perhaps something further develops, but Without someone following the player like a slave, throwing around "funny banter" and remarks to amuse the player.
Or someone who stands all day long in exactly the same spot at your place, like a mannequin, until you leave the place. It kind of degrades the character.

But I'd like to see them in the world. Npcs with their place, daily routine, agency, etc.

You take on a job, you find yourself on opposite sides...what happens then? Or some completely spontaneous event: you go to relax and grab a drink in Afterlife, and then you run into them and...?

 

[cyberpunkforever]

Yes!, it would be great, and be abl te change their armor and weapons, and give them instructions when to use their skils and super powers. And carry our burdens.

 

[Night_City_Native]

I would be happy with either something like Bioware RPGs where you have permanent companions that accompany you on missions, or something like Witcher 3 where the protagonist has characters he or she regularly interacts with throughout the entire game (ex. Yennefer, Dandelion, ect) and who sometimes tag along on missions, but aren't necessarily around for all of them.

 

[wisdom000]

I like companions, but only if I can choose at any time whether I want them around. The recent fallout games and Saints row 2/3 did it pretty well.

 

[Suhiira]

I like companions, but only if I can choose at any time whether I want them around. The recent fallout games and Saints row 2/3 did it pretty well.

Yep.

The thing to keep in mind is the core concept of Cyberpunk.
"It's not about saving the world, it's about saving yourself."
So while companions are useful the game isn't about "us" it's about "you" (the character).

What kind of person are you going to be?
Cold, ruthless, efficient? More machine then human.

 

[Proxty]

I like the idea but only if they do real damage or some other advantages, like the buddies in Metal Gear V.
Or let me be the lonewolf and do my thing or handle me useful npcs that makes real difference, not some bs mechanic that only serves for story purposes.

 

[Fefe_HUN]

Topic about imortal companions.

They are very lame, even some P&P adventures got backup plans for moving toward with the plot if one of the key NPC's flatlined.

Do you think he can kill the Maelstorm boss by himself if V go and hide somewhere or they phew-phew each other till you kill the poor bastard?

What if the PC kind of psyho who want to kill Jackie, because he got bad day. Can he/she do this?

What is your opinion about them?

 

[xer21]

The problem with non-immortal companions is you're beholden to the AI. Like I'm not a huge fan of the practice, but the AI better be TIGHT. Too many times I've seen friendly AI do some straight suicidal things and you kinda need to have a safety net for that.

I don't know why friendly AI is so hard to code, but man, it must be.

 

[sv3672]

I do not recall anything said about that, but if he is important to the story, then I guess it is more likely than not that he is immortal. In The Witcher 3, most of the time important characters cannot die either in gameplay, nor is friendly fire enabled. Maybe Jackie can die in specific situations, but then it leads to the protagonist also dying (similarly to what happens if Keira Metz is killed by the Wild Hunt in one of the quests in TW3). Or he may die because of a story decision.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

God, I hope they aren't immortal.

I don't know what's more depressing about companions... That I have an immortal tank beside me who kills everyone, or that I have an immortal tank beside me who does fuck all and the player kills everyone because the immortal tank is too much an that edge.

The temporary compaions in Witcher 3 were handled terribly in regards to combat, and they were the latter kind of the above explanation.

Just don't make their AI too aggressive and allow them to die if they do and have consequences for that. And let the player choose if someone is to tag along (no scripted companions).

The "drop to a knee" or "unconscious" method is also silly. There's no concern or consequence and the companios are but air, you don't care about them that way because they'll remain no matter what.

 

[sv3672]

In The Witcher 3, the issue was balanced by most companions dealing barely any damage to enemies. So, Geralt still needs to do much of the fighting himself, the companion is more of a cinematic/narrative addition, other than being able to distract or stagger enemies.

 

[atomowyturysta]

They can probably get knocked out and revive after teh fight, or PC can revive them during the fray. And maybe vice versa. Important mortal NPC will, at one poit, ruin a sandbox game. As in Skyrim where most important, yet not essentisl characters end up dead half into game killed by a dragon, a vampire or just jumped of the bridge and drowned.

 

[Fefe_HUN]

In The Witcher 3, the issue was balanced by most companions dealing barely any damage to enemies. So, Geralt still needs to do much of the fighting himself, the companion is more of a cinematic/narrative addition, other than being able to distract or stagger enemies.

That's f*ckin stupid.

Even the "they passed out/you got to save them/call traumas" is better.

 

[sv3672]

Companions getting knocked out does sound possible, The Witcher 1 already has that, as does Fallout 4, for example. They just do not die if it would break the quest or story.