Cyberpunk 2: Life Path Stories

[Cyberdude]

My hope for Cyberpunk 2 is rather than say a 60 hour main story with 3 life paths that don't really have an effect (or little), I would like to see three 20 hour life path stories that show different sides of same story towards the end. Let me explain.

Let's say the overall narrative centers around taking down a powerful rogue AI.

You choose a corpo life path and 90% of your campaign is unique to that life path, leading up to the end - the last 10%. In that last 10% you are storming the data center - let's say - to destroy the AI, but doing it in ways more specific to your life path skills. hacking, tech, computers, etc. But you are not doing this alone, the bonds you've kept throughout your story would be companions or other NPC's joining in the effort (not too unlike 2077).

Now, let's say you do another playthrough as even a Maelstrom gang member, with full story from that perspective - until near the end. The last 10% story events are the same as corpo path except from different perspective. So one of your "bonds" or companions might be an arasaka corpo person. Who helps you with netrunning and computer stuff. The same things YOU would be doing as the corpo if you chose that life path.

You see what I'm getting at here? The bulk of the playthrough is the LIFE if the path you chose leading up to - or MERGING with - the main story events. Rather than the other way around. This give far more interest and meaning to life paths, let's you enjoy the sandbox more (rather than being nagged down a linear path) and then merging with the main narrative towards the end in a way that is different depending on your role or path in those events.

Same amount of content overall - 60 hours - but divided into different paths to a common ending.

 

[Taril]

I think the main concern would be more of the side content rather than the main story.

As it's quite easy to follow a similar story, depending on how its written.

I.e. 2077's story does make sense for each life path. Heist is just you helping a friend out (Jackie wants to reach the big leagues) which isn't life path specific. Then it's all about hunting down a solution to the Relic, which again, isn't life path specific.

You can incorporate some life path stuff into such things, like the NPC's you interact with being different based on life path (Corpo LP has Corpo contacts and Corpo agents as allies. Merc LP has Fixer contacts and Mercs as allies. Nomad LP has Nomad contacts and Nomads as allies. Gangbanger LP has Gangbanger contacts and Gangbanger allies etc.).

Or even some intermediary missions being altered as you go about getting to major plot points a slightly different way. For example, The Heist in 2077 could have been set up and performed differently between life paths. Corpo could have posed as a buyer for the Relic and then things go wrong as Saburo found out about the deal and came in to stop it. While Nomad could have intercepted the AV on its way to the deal (With again, Saburo showing up to confront Yorinobu about the deal). With the Merc line being working with Dex to infiltrate Konpeki Plaza.

The main issue with Life Paths in 2077, is more to do with side content. All the gigs, NCPD alerts and car thefts... They all very much are "Mercenary" content. It's all about working with Fixers or NCPD to get paid for doing jobs.

Which, of course, you can simply do the thing where you just change the contact and have the content being pretty much the same.

But as with main story stuff, the more alterations made specific to life path would help to emphasise each life path more. Different missions, or different goals within the same mission.

That said...

I'm not sure how I feel about putting all this work into making alternate life path content, splitting the story into smaller pieces just to have versions of it dictated by life path...

When said time could instead be put into CHOICE based story alterations. Whereby the different versions of the story are accessed by opting to do things a certain way rather than being dictated entirely by what you chose at character creation.

Like, if they could do both, having life path unique stories that are then also fragmented by choice based directional shifts, then great.

But as it stands (Meaningful) choice based story branches are rare due to relying on the same sort of thing that life path story variations require. Which is writing multiple seperate story arcs to incorporate these differences.

I think I might err towards the side whereby the story is more generic with swapped NPC's (And maybe some minor objective changes) based on life path in favour of meaningful decisions over comprehensive life path based changes but with lack of meaningful choice.

 

[devivre]

Yeah, I don't think that huge separate life paths are realistic when it comes to modern game development. That would be like adding several games to the main story. I'd rather not have to wait a few more years before the game is finished due to too much content, I'm not that young anymore .

However, I do believe that the main story needs to be shaped more by the chosen life path.
To me, the lack of lifepath impact is the main reason why lifepaths in CP2077 are a bit of a letdown.

So yeah, adding a few unique events during the main story would already do it for me.

I wouldn't mind a cinematic and well-paced ~2-3 hour campaign for each lifepath, but I don't think that's a must-have. Besides, a lot of people do not want to replay a game over and over again only to see all the content. So you might have to make every life path quest accessible, even if the player chooses a different life path.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

My hope for Cyberpunk 2 is rather than say a 60 hour main story with 3 life paths that don't really have an effect (or little), I would like to see three 20 hour life path stories that show different sides of same story towards the end. Let me explain.

I wouldn't like that at all no matter what (20 hours is way, way too short no matter how good it is). But it's just me

 

[Cyberdude]

| I wouldn't like that at all no matter what (20 hours is way, way too short no matter how good it is). But it's just me

It is if that's all there is of course. But my scenario is really just an example. Of course, if time and money are infinite I'll take 3 life path campaigns 60 hours each. But for me at least, I have 2000+ hours in this game and its not from replaying the 35 hour campaign over and over. It's for the immersive world. So, money, being finite, if we can get 3 20 hour playthroughs that are DIFFERENT then that is your 60 hour campaign, just being told from different story paths. It sounds more interesting than same old linear, one and done RPG design. Not that CDPR do that, there are some endings in CP2077 but the bulk of it is the same. I'm suggesting to rethink this old formula and give us very different paths with common (slightly varying) ending.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

It is if that's all there is of course. But my scenario is really just an example. Of course, if time and money are infinite I'll take 3 life path campaigns 60 hours each. But for me at least, I have 2000+ hours in this game and its not from replaying the 35 hour campaign over and over. It's for the immersive world. So, money, being finite, if we can get 3 20 hour playthroughs that are DIFFERENT then that is your 60 hour campaign, just being told from different story paths. It sounds more interesting than same old linear, one and done RPG design. Not that CDPR do that, there are some endings in CP2077 but the bulk of it is the same. I'm suggesting to rethink this old formula and give us very different paths with common (slightly varying) ending.

If the story is good, yes I will play the game... But 20 hours is way too short to reach ending(s).

On top of that, there are at least, half of players who never finish their games (any games) and a very large majority who played their games only once. So for those players, it doesn't matter how different lifepath are...

Personally, I rather prefer CDPR sticking with the "old formula" as you name it, but introducing more role play decisions/consequences/outcomes than there is in CP77, simply to add more replayability for "hardcore gamers" who like replaying their games (a bit like CRPGs).

 

[Taril]

Of course, if time and money are infinite I'll take 3 life path campaigns 60 hours each. But for me at least, I have 2000+ hours in this game and its not from replaying the 35 hour campaign over and over. It's for the immersive world. So, money, being finite, if we can get 3 20 hour playthroughs that are DIFFERENT then that is your 60 hour campaign, just being told from different story paths.

I think the main issue is CDPR's style.

CDPR is known for their story driven game experiences. Between Witcher and Cyberpunk, the brunt of the gameplay is its story. With there being a handful of optional side activities (Like a few gigs in 2077 or side quests and Gwent in Witcher).

This is unlike, say, Bethesda games, which have more focus put onto their side activities and their main story is kind of whatever (And very short). Most of the gameplay is going around and exploring random places and doing many different side quests.

Going from a long central campaign into a much shorter one (With the idea that you play 3 "Different" ones via 3 separate playthroughs) would feel out of place for a CDPR game, and could lead to a much less enjoyable game overall if they're not utilizing the more advanced sandbox design that these other games use to fill the world with tons of non-story content.

Then of course, if they DID do a sandboxe more like other games... Then it could feel repetitive to play the same sandbox 3 times just for a small central story to change. With it being a situation where the story just gets drowned out by all the side content you interact with instead. (Which is a reason why sandbox games have extremely linear main stories, as there's little point putting effort into it to make it dynamic or exciting when it's just a minor part of the overall experience)