In FO:NV and other games, factions is so great because not only is it its own game mechanic but it is also tied in so closely with the lore, world and story. In CP2077 the emphasis is more on the player as an individual and permanently joining a faction probably won't be a thing. But that doesen't mean faction systems would be out of place.
I think what would be cool would be if gangs and factions are more alive and dynamic. By that, to be specific, I mean:
1: All factions and gangs have control of a starting territory as the game starts
2: The game has neutral territory that the factions and gangs can claim
3: Rival factions and gangs at war, may conquer territory from the other factions, and in some cases, eliminate another faction entirely
4: The progress they make is autonomous. There will be set faction strength + RNG based "rolls" for factions and gangs as they war for territory at set intervals
5: Player agency. You choices and who you help etc. will still be important because you as the player can affect factions directly by helping or opposing them
So let's say a gang called "Omega Squadron" starts in an area of the city. Their signature theme is energy weapons and black market eye implants. Their main rival is "The Hellfire Hellions", their theme is advanced ammunition and vehicles. They will over the course of the game be at war, and may take neutral territory from eachother or even conquer the opposing faction's territories. A roll is made based on the faction strength, their armaments and resources etc. F.eks. one faction has control of an important warehouse, while the other faction has control of some slums. In this case one faction has better equipment, one has more manpower. They will physically be represented ingame at the locations they control with a faction representative and vendors. A randomized roll is given each faction, this is to prevent snowballing and to prevent the system from being a fully determined system.
So here the player comes in. Let's say you want the highest tier eye implants in the game. Which would require total victory for Omega Squadron. You could then manipulate the war by doing more missions for Omega Squadron, aid them in quests etc. This wouldn't lock out the Hellfire Hellion's quests, rather, you can sabotage them and still complete their quests too by lying about a shipment being stolen while handing the shipment over to the other faction. Moral RPG elements taken into account, the way they obtain the eye implants is through kidnapping and experimentation on people. So who you are changes things and can conflict with what you want and how far you are willing to go to get it.
A dynamic faction and gang system would make the game feel more alive and work as a fun game mechanic imo. In one game 2 gangs made peace, in one game the 2 gangs fought it out with no victor. In one game one of these factions destroyed the other. The player can manipulate the outcomes either directly (by force or diplomacy) or indirectly (subterfuge and stealth). There could even be 3-way wars or 1v2 or 2v3 etc. Each faction would have their own theme, leader personalities, morals/ethics, and goals. This would be a automated system with set numbers + RNG rolls to make it interesting, where your actions can shape how the wars or factions gain or lose strength.
The replayability would be immense. One game could have a completely different power hierarchy in the city than another game. Those you help can still lose, leaving you with more enemies. Or you could end up with many allies for when shit goes down. This system could supplement the main story arc. For example: Say you are on a main story mission on the hardest difficulty and there is a really, really tough fight ahead but you helped Omega Squadron. They then provide an attack helicopter for the mission. But it could go even deeper than that. Omega Squadron's attack helicopter has a chance it was attacked in a Hellion raid, because they are still at war at that point. In which case the helicopter will be much weaker. One faction could provide you with a sniper or an attack squad for a main mission. One faction might join the enemy during a mission because you are on bad terms with them, making the story mission harder.
Basically, factions as a game mechanic that can affect main story missions would intertwine the world.
So yeah, this turned into one hell of a wall of text - whops! But if you endured through it all, what are your thoughts?
I think what would be cool would be if gangs and factions are more alive and dynamic. By that, to be specific, I mean:
1: All factions and gangs have control of a starting territory as the game starts
2: The game has neutral territory that the factions and gangs can claim
3: Rival factions and gangs at war, may conquer territory from the other factions, and in some cases, eliminate another faction entirely
4: The progress they make is autonomous. There will be set faction strength + RNG based "rolls" for factions and gangs as they war for territory at set intervals
5: Player agency. You choices and who you help etc. will still be important because you as the player can affect factions directly by helping or opposing them
So let's say a gang called "Omega Squadron" starts in an area of the city. Their signature theme is energy weapons and black market eye implants. Their main rival is "The Hellfire Hellions", their theme is advanced ammunition and vehicles. They will over the course of the game be at war, and may take neutral territory from eachother or even conquer the opposing faction's territories. A roll is made based on the faction strength, their armaments and resources etc. F.eks. one faction has control of an important warehouse, while the other faction has control of some slums. In this case one faction has better equipment, one has more manpower. They will physically be represented ingame at the locations they control with a faction representative and vendors. A randomized roll is given each faction, this is to prevent snowballing and to prevent the system from being a fully determined system.
So here the player comes in. Let's say you want the highest tier eye implants in the game. Which would require total victory for Omega Squadron. You could then manipulate the war by doing more missions for Omega Squadron, aid them in quests etc. This wouldn't lock out the Hellfire Hellion's quests, rather, you can sabotage them and still complete their quests too by lying about a shipment being stolen while handing the shipment over to the other faction. Moral RPG elements taken into account, the way they obtain the eye implants is through kidnapping and experimentation on people. So who you are changes things and can conflict with what you want and how far you are willing to go to get it.
A dynamic faction and gang system would make the game feel more alive and work as a fun game mechanic imo. In one game 2 gangs made peace, in one game the 2 gangs fought it out with no victor. In one game one of these factions destroyed the other. The player can manipulate the outcomes either directly (by force or diplomacy) or indirectly (subterfuge and stealth). There could even be 3-way wars or 1v2 or 2v3 etc. Each faction would have their own theme, leader personalities, morals/ethics, and goals. This would be a automated system with set numbers + RNG rolls to make it interesting, where your actions can shape how the wars or factions gain or lose strength.
The replayability would be immense. One game could have a completely different power hierarchy in the city than another game. Those you help can still lose, leaving you with more enemies. Or you could end up with many allies for when shit goes down. This system could supplement the main story arc. For example: Say you are on a main story mission on the hardest difficulty and there is a really, really tough fight ahead but you helped Omega Squadron. They then provide an attack helicopter for the mission. But it could go even deeper than that. Omega Squadron's attack helicopter has a chance it was attacked in a Hellion raid, because they are still at war at that point. In which case the helicopter will be much weaker. One faction could provide you with a sniper or an attack squad for a main mission. One faction might join the enemy during a mission because you are on bad terms with them, making the story mission harder.
Basically, factions as a game mechanic that can affect main story missions would intertwine the world.
So yeah, this turned into one hell of a wall of text - whops! But if you endured through it all, what are your thoughts?
