Here are some for starters (more definitely to vome):
- Optional first person turnbased mode. Actual tb that covers the lack of fastpaced FPS shooting with tb-relevant tactical actions, not some Bethesda bullettime VATS shit.
- Much higher level of skill-based interactivity with the world, objects and NPCs that lets the player try things out in and out of combat to influence the
- More non-combat skills (social, utility, exploration, stealth) with clever uses and combinations in problem solving - problems, not all of which deal with combat and or killing, or the avoidance thereof. There are problems in the world that require ingenuity that isn’t in some way related to violence.
- Skills and stats more impactful. Threshold checks only where it is logical, otherwise %-checks that allow different success and failure states (failure doesn’t always need to mean ”quest/task failed”, it could also mean opening a different door somewhere else, or surprising ways of character progression.
- Bring the choice roles and their relevant skillpackages. And give them proper weight, even if not totally game hanging.
- No predetermined character. Make storytelling open and let the player carve out their own path through it. The story can still be ”epic” and personal, even if it is nit as railroaded.
- No mandatory bossfights, and where bosses occur, give multiple ways to approach/avoid them.
- Adjust the combat and skills such that the enemies do NOT need to be bullet sponges, or the weapons and armor some sort of Diablo charicatures. A Magnum .44 is just as deadly with inept hands as it is in the hands of a pro IF the round connects.
- More over, looting and getting better gear should feel rewarding and a prize for going through some trouble. Take a page from Gothic games and Risen 1. Doesn’t need to ve as restrictive, but availability, prices and soft sill&stat requirements can be made to adjust the feel.
- Drop the mandatory tutorial level and other overt handholding (too precise quest markers) and let the player find things out themselves (think of a futuristic Morrowind).
- If the player needs guidance put a manual in the Main Menu, and apply Library Search and Streetwise skills for the player to seek lore and tips from the streets.
- Don’t focus on graphics. They were already giod enough in 2077. Or at least let the player opt to install just the old fashioned 1080p game instead of 200GB of 4K graphics. Modular installation would be very welcome in these days where games unnecessarily grow to ridiculous sizes for little benefit.
- At least an option for non-voiced dialog. And proper dialog lines to choose from. And drop the coloured ”quest-dialog”.
- More over… Traditional dialog. Not that jarring trite where a line starts a full uninteractable conversation before the next line.
- Dialog can be a much more dynamic event thant choosing a line and watching an NPC tell the story of their life. The player could interrupt (with consequences), try an action (pickpocket, violence, concentration to figure out a deception on the fly, tou name it).
- More nuanced minigames where the characters skill matters on multiple levels - and an autoattempt choice baded fully on %-check. Not just some repetitive busywork.
But there are more ways to hack than one, there are more kinds of locks than one, etc.
- Optional first person turnbased mode. Actual tb that covers the lack of fastpaced FPS shooting with tb-relevant tactical actions, not some Bethesda bullettime VATS shit.
- Much higher level of skill-based interactivity with the world, objects and NPCs that lets the player try things out in and out of combat to influence the
- More non-combat skills (social, utility, exploration, stealth) with clever uses and combinations in problem solving - problems, not all of which deal with combat and or killing, or the avoidance thereof. There are problems in the world that require ingenuity that isn’t in some way related to violence.
- Skills and stats more impactful. Threshold checks only where it is logical, otherwise %-checks that allow different success and failure states (failure doesn’t always need to mean ”quest/task failed”, it could also mean opening a different door somewhere else, or surprising ways of character progression.
- Bring the choice roles and their relevant skillpackages. And give them proper weight, even if not totally game hanging.
- No predetermined character. Make storytelling open and let the player carve out their own path through it. The story can still be ”epic” and personal, even if it is nit as railroaded.
- No mandatory bossfights, and where bosses occur, give multiple ways to approach/avoid them.
- Adjust the combat and skills such that the enemies do NOT need to be bullet sponges, or the weapons and armor some sort of Diablo charicatures. A Magnum .44 is just as deadly with inept hands as it is in the hands of a pro IF the round connects.
- More over, looting and getting better gear should feel rewarding and a prize for going through some trouble. Take a page from Gothic games and Risen 1. Doesn’t need to ve as restrictive, but availability, prices and soft sill&stat requirements can be made to adjust the feel.
- Drop the mandatory tutorial level and other overt handholding (too precise quest markers) and let the player find things out themselves (think of a futuristic Morrowind).
- If the player needs guidance put a manual in the Main Menu, and apply Library Search and Streetwise skills for the player to seek lore and tips from the streets.
- Don’t focus on graphics. They were already giod enough in 2077. Or at least let the player opt to install just the old fashioned 1080p game instead of 200GB of 4K graphics. Modular installation would be very welcome in these days where games unnecessarily grow to ridiculous sizes for little benefit.
- At least an option for non-voiced dialog. And proper dialog lines to choose from. And drop the coloured ”quest-dialog”.
- More over… Traditional dialog. Not that jarring trite where a line starts a full uninteractable conversation before the next line.
- Dialog can be a much more dynamic event thant choosing a line and watching an NPC tell the story of their life. The player could interrupt (with consequences), try an action (pickpocket, violence, concentration to figure out a deception on the fly, tou name it).
- More nuanced minigames where the characters skill matters on multiple levels - and an autoattempt choice baded fully on %-check. Not just some repetitive busywork.
But there are more ways to hack than one, there are more kinds of locks than one, etc.
