Really appreciate that thin line between that reality and ours, sometimes difficult to say where it goes. But aaaww.. you snipped the philosophy stuff and I was building towards how if nothing else one could come here and start making weird arguments how CDRP should add Kurt Cobain skin for Silverhand and in the ending to should be a shotgun instead of pistol (to shave the grunge beard, the right way) and trolling with something quite solid, to make moderating even more weird. Long after I have left these forums of course, so I won't be involved...I think that's a bullseye. It's also the heart and soul of what RPGs are all about. Moving forward, the best way to accomplish this is to let players continue with their own stories from the beginning. New game...new characters...less pre-definition...same universe.
But really, what things build towards? is it just more candy or something with substance.
I happened to read 1984 at grade school too and that creepy sensation that kept building and then. But it's a novel that keeps being read and it keeps selling, for its substance even today and that wouldn't be if it didn't portray how hopeless struggle it's for mere individual if things are let to get past certain point.That's the core mentality that allows for it. Kind of the core of all dystopian literature, really. Complacency. Empty tradition. Justifying atrocity by willingly allowing one's self to be brainwashed. That thin line between maintaining a system for growth and progression...and just maintaining a system because we have no idea what else we would do. I was in grade school when I first read 1984, and I remember being knocked down by the ending. I don't think I had ever experienced that sort of slowly creeping horror sensation before.
Yeah, CP 2077 is definitely on better side on this, it just happens to be a video game.Precisely. And that's why I'm trying to make it very apparent that critiquing CP2077 according to the comfy and familiar formulas that Hollywood and network television regurgitate solely for profits won't apply to actual works of literature. It's how the industry defines "fluff" -- writing that may be enjoyable, but carries no literary significance. It's fun...but it's just candy. There's no actual nutrition. Cyberpunk 2077 (the story -- not talking about the gameplay) is a whole meal.
It's actually very cyberpunk topic, if we had no food joints but more candy stores? Cyberpunk take on that is that we would actually have less and even worse, we would lose actual food recipes. There's very little for culture and history in the Night City and citizens don't care, don't know what they are missing.
There are some very clever and fun things in game, I just don't always have a heart to write about everything. But they totally knew what they were doing, and I like to image that at least as far as writing goes, they had some great moments in there working on this game. Then there are things that are very delicate and they aced them too, it's like getting feed from very clever people who are off the leash to show what they can do. Then that foundation makes some additions look a bit... weird too.I really think they'll honor that, regardless of the negative criticism. I don't think that they would simultaneously have the talent to develop and so meaningfully and faithfully craft something along such a pronounced literary theme...then throw that out the window and develop a cartoon holiday special as a sequel. (Not as part of the actual series, anyway...
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(They have their fun.)
But anyway I think, several people here has pointed out ques for players and pacing and I think one reason might be cultural conditioning so players expectations might be lowered as they may experience ques as "it pretends to be edgy" or dramatic. I wonder if that can happen to the point of even not registering things. Video games are in general considered escapist media, which also can add bias to feedback, which then leads this back to writing and writers. Lot's of feedback here about how game is too short but in general, most players don't have time for 100+ hours games and who the heck wants to spend their career for writing for 5% when, writing something like this, and there might be a lot of options available then.
Then I think there's a matter of agency and I kinda feel for people who post and that they tried to just to find a way for their V survive and now it's not looking good but it's that Night City is this huge character in this story and there are options, sound observations to continue their exploration. "My V told me about something...." It's not for everyone perhaps, but what you do.