Cyberpunk 2: The Best Story is No Story

[Cyberdude]

I think we are seeing an evolution in video game content, from linear to branching, from single narrative to many, from story to sandbox.

The cyberpunk setting is a ruthless, unforgiving and sometimes lonely place as was themed in 2077. And while it was a great ride, it was still a story designed by other people that players "played through". It wasn't OUR story or OUR character we were role playing. It was someone elses.

And that's fine. But I think we are seeing a growing trend where people want the game world to be living without needing their attention. 2077 definitely plants the seeds for this. And a growing population of players want to exist in these worlds, role play their character builds, play style, daily jobs even. In other words, the sandbox is becoming the game. And in terms of longevity, it definitely will keep player engaged long after the voice acting of a main story has ended.

So what I'm appealing to is to shift the needle some in this direction. Instead of making a game that is 90% designed in service of a pre-determined story with 1 or a few story paths, move that needle more in the direction of the sandbox and all the "emergent" joy and stories that would arise directly from the players own agency, goals, role playing pursuits etc. I think THIS is where the future really is - especially when it comes to player retention.

A main story might get people to buy a game [...], but a compelling living world where you can almost do anything, or be anyone, and get involved in countless interactions, encounters and emergent stories driven by YOU and not the game-on-rails engine. This I think is what is coming. GTA6 will definitely raise the bar in this regard - moving the balance between story and sandbox more towards the center.

I think Cyberpunk 2 needs to really blow past expectations even beyond that. Some things I would expect by then (2032-2034 timeline).

1. Deep interactions, characters, dialogs, missions, affinities ("standing") with EVERY faction in the setting. Every gang, corp, NCPD, fixers, dealers, and whatever else.
If my chosen path (my story) is to just work the city and be a solo, doing gigs, getting in good with gangs, sitting at sushi bars at night eating rice bowls, then heading home to rest and repeat the next day. Then THAT IS MY STORY. Maybe I get promoted to captain in one of the gangs. That is my end game. There is no "ending". No "story". Just cause and effect.

2. If I want to be a car hustler going around stealing cars, taking them to my chop shop that I built (base building needs to be there), mod them and list them for auction (in game and also server based so other players can buy my modded cars). Than that is MY STORY. That's my fun. Never ends.

3. If I want to be a secretive net runner, build and underground lair, do netrunning gigs in an actual cyberspace (a totally new and separate cyberworld with a IRL VR mode) and build out my cyberspace oasis fort. Then that is MY STORY.

This is what it should be.
If you read this far, thank you.

 

[northwold]

I buy games from CDPR because everything is built in service of the story and they are very, very, VERY good at it. I used to buy games from Bethesda because everything is built in service of player wish fulfilment, which is what they used to be good at.

To be honest, I think when studios are good at SUCH different things I prefer it when they play to that, rather than try to be something they're not. Especially when it's story versus sandbox. It's pretty difficult to have both and the one or the other not end up totally compromised because they're almost inherently incompatible. You can't have a story with stakes if the player has to be able to do whatever the hell they like and still end up the hero. You can't have a good sandbox if the story beats dictate a certain, highly specific direction that gets in the way of the player really being able to do as they please.

 

[Tarille]

I think we are seeing an evolution in video game content, from linear to branching, from single narrative to many, from story to sandbox.

Uhh... Not really.

Besides GTA5's online or Minecraft, there really isn't anything that's pushing for sandbox design.

Even "Sandbox-y" titles like Bethesda or Ubisoft games, still revolve around playing a character and going through a story. Just with a bunch of non-linear side activities.

But I think we are seeing a growing trend where people want the game world to be living without needing their attention. 2077 definitely plants the seeds for this. And a growing population of players want to exist in these worlds, role play their character builds, play style, daily jobs even.

I'm not seeing that trend. It's not as if GTA/Minecraft are getting more popular. On the contrary, their popularity is waning.

People are more hyped about story driven titles like Jedi Survivor or Expedition 33 than they are about any sandbox stuff. Even sucessful sandbox-y games like Elden Ring, one of the main complaints about it IS the open world nature of it (Especially compared to its more linear predecessors)

Heck, the MMO market which was the main genre that provided this description of game, has long since passed its prime. With the direction shifting more towards linear gameplay in order to attract more players because the old style of variation lost popularity long before the genre's prime.

This desire for a pure sandbox experience remains a niche market from what I see in terms of video game popularity. Tabletop is a different story, as things are being made more accessible and more mainstream (Especially D&D, where 5e is much easier to understand and you have big titles like BG3 to increase popularity in the IP)

I think Cyberpunk 2 needs to really blow past expectations even beyond that.

I don't think so.

CDPR have made a name for themselves with their story driven games. The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 are both very much focus on telling the story of the protagonist.

This is what they're known for and what people expect from them. Deviating from this would be alienating for fans of their games.

Maybe their new IP (The one that they're creating from scratch rather than obtaining a licence from an existing IP) could have more room to be a different style of game, one with a more sandbox-y approach. But their existing series have already laid the groundwork for expectations, which is the idea of being story driven titles.

Which has already been confirmed that this will be the case for their future entries in the series.

Of course, they're also looking into the prospects of multiplayer modes. To which something akin to GTA5's online could be a possibility, with its sandbox design. But their main focus is of course their story driven single player modes.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

I think we are seeing an evolution in video game content, from linear to branching, from single narrative to many, from story to sandbox.

Honestly I don't think so
The most praised and rewarded games the last years weren't sandbox games. Sure, sandbox are (very) populars, at least some of them, but a large majority of players are mainly seeking for good stories, a domain in which CDPR is amount the best out there.
Knowing CDPR already announced they will keep doing story driven games, I'm pretty sure Cyberpunk 2 will never be a sandbox

 

[R001c]

I was struck, in my last playthrough, by just how well Hansens party was done . There is quite a lot of downtime where there is no combat and nothing but roleplay and story. In even the best RPGs I have played these are sections that usually have some good bits, some okay bits and then some, frankly, dodgy bits. Hansens party was great from start to finish. The detail, authentcity and subtle(and not so subtle) reactions of the characters were superb. This was not by accident. CDPR, as has been stated, is very good at this becuase they work hard at it They really make first person RPG roleplay work. I don't think they are done with that yet I think it is something they are evolving even now. It very much shows in many places in phantom liberty.
So I think story driven narrative within a well built beautiful cohesive world with should be the priority. That said though, I would also like to see many of the things the OP is talking about. It's been five years and lots of us are still playing this game. The environment and world beg for more content or maybe thats just me. I know, I know I was supposed to leave, get killed or some such but I keep comming back. I think it might be too late. I'm a denzien of Night city now. I'm down to stealin cars for Muamar and stealin Barghest supplies now but someone will call. Yeah, theres a nice fat juicy gig with my name on it out there......somwhere....

 

[Jmp0ut]

Maelstrom babies that latch onto you and npc's like s-vests and start clamping orders to draw thematic street map based iterative plots.
CTF in trauma hospital ward against the grey goo the maelstrom babies let loose.
The side-gaming for cyberpunk is endless at ground 0 singapore, cya then