In my honest opinion, I think thats a hyper-over-generalization of my post that really doesn't do the argument I presented real justice.
You say my interpretation is uncharitable, but you yourself say that there isn't really a way to satisfy both people on both sides because of the argument that "you see the lack of option as punishment and I see the presence of the option as unnecessary temptation"
(you as in me, and I as in you, yes very confusing because I didn't want to edit your quote lol)
This is what, in my personal opinion, I would actually call uncharitable, or perhaps almost even use the word selfish for the lack of a better word because as I pointed out in my previous post, the feature of New Game + is literally on the line and hanging by a thread over the deep chasm of oblivion, just waiting to fall into the abyss to never return, simply because of the fact that there is a button that doesn't necessarily need to be pushed, unless the player wishes to push it. Nobody is forcing anyone to push the New Game + button that does not want to push it. Just because there are players that are afraid they may accidentally push the New Game + button is no excuse to take it away from all players who would absolutely love New Game +.
You mention self control:
"I am fully capable of using self control to not take the option,I don't really care, but it does take a fun gaming experience and introduces the need for active self-control, similar to the argument against loot boxes & microtransactions."
Self control is important in every single part of life. It's also going to be absolutely constantly present throughout the entire game of Cyberpunk2077. There will be countless choices in the game that require the need for active self control throughout the entire experience.
You mentioned the buffet example, but if anything this is perfect evidence for my point:
"For me that prospect is sort of like an all-you-can-eat-buffet, part of my brain SUPER wants it, I have every option available & I can eat until I can't, it is actually kind of difficult to say no to, but should I say yes, the experience isn't what I had in my head, the glut of options kind of cheapen the overall experience, and I'll undoubtedly walk away overfull, in pain, and generally not as happy as I would have getting one really great, specialized experience."
Cyberpunk is one really great specialized experience, but that experience is made from a huge amount of options and choices that the player is able to choose from. Sure, a buffet is tempting, because a Buffet is a collection of food options, but then again, so is a grocery store full of food, and so is a street, full of different food stores, but do we all feel forced to drive to every store and park and buy everything? No.
New Game + should never be taken away from players, just like grocery stores shouldn't be stripped of all temping food options, just because I really want to buy those chips or soda, but maybe I shouldn't because my doctor said my blood numbers weren't good this time. I could buy them and they taste good or listen to my doctor and maybe my health improves. There are always choices, and actions and consequences for those choices and actions. Cyberpunk2077 as a game is a perfect example of this, 100% through and through.
Every time I go shopping, I am completely overwhelmed by a massive variety of choices, but I have to exercise my self control otherwise I will accidentally buy the entire store by accident. I will just be shopping and suddenly I will rip the entire store off of its concrete and steel foundations and drop the entire grocery store into my shopping cart. How do I pay for the store if the cash register is in the store, and the store is inside my shopping cart?
Nobody is forcing me to put everything in my shopping cart and buy things that I don't actually want to buy. There are millions of examples of choices and self control like this in every day life. There is no part of life, or Cyberpunk2077 that is free from these choices and need for self control.I actually suffer from depression and I must even go as far as to exercise self control inside my own head to control what thoughts I decide and choose to think or avoid thinking about so that I can hold my self together and make it through the day.
On the other side, if you say that New Game + should be removed for all players because you are tempted to push the New Game + button, then isn't this implying that you actually do want to push the button and play New Game +? There is an implication of some level of desire to use this feature. If you feel tempted, then why don't you play New Game +? If you see it as a bad thing, then just don't play New Game +. Very simple facts. Another option that you could do, is play without New Game + once, and then some other time, use New Game + and enjoy it. You don't always have to use it, and you also have the choice to never use it. Freedom is at your fingertips, waiting for you to do whatever you like. However, removing New Game + would actually technically count as the removal of a choice or possibility, for 100% of all players.
Should CDPR actually consider putting New Game + behind a secret code? Like every time someone wants to push the button and play New Game +, a code needs to be entered, but first, the player must call CDPR on the phone.
The conversation would go something like this:
"Hello I need the secret code to play New Game + please""Are you sure you want to play New Game + ?""Uhhhh no...? I MEAN YES!""Hmmm you don't sound so sure...""NO NO ACTUALLY... YES... I need the code""Hmmmmmmmmm, maybe call us tomorrow, just to be sure""No no wait! I need it! I want to play New Game + really really bad!""Oh really... How bad?""REAAAAALLLYY BAD TIMES A MILLION!""Oh okay.. Fine, you seem like you really want to play New game +""Yes! YES I DO!""Okay the code is 1234, have fun""Yay New Game +"Is this really necessary? No of course not! This is totally silly! If you want to start your game over and keep your items and skills and level, obviously use New Game +If you want to start the game all over from the beginning and you intentionally want to knowingly and willingly lose all your items and skills and level and character, delete your save file (so that you are no longer tempted to play New Game +... as if that's a bad thing?) and select "New Game"This is really really basic stuff friend. There is no reason to take New Game + away from all players in the entire world, just because you are unwilling to choose to click New Game, instead of New Game +.There isn't even an argument or a debate or even an issue here, it's just full stop, obvious solutions to simple and easy basic problems, problems that are not even actual problems. The only problem is that anyone ever even considered removing New Game + in the first place so that human beings could avoid having to make a normal human choice in normal every day life. I have to wake up every single day and make choices. I have to choose "do I want peanut butter granola and nutella strawberry sandwich, or sesameseedbutter pickle hummus cucumber potato sandwich?" Life is life.
We can pretend to avoid it (and it's still life) or we can face it forward and actually make good choices. That sounds like New Game Minus.
Honestly, I feel that this is a perfect example of extreme levels of tedium and grind, and completely defeats the very purpose of New Game + by turning something that is supposed to relieve and lessen grind and tedium and allow the player to finally escape from it and simply just have fun and play the game without frustration, and turning it into another extremely slow and long drawn out tedious grind.Compromised hulls sink ships. I do not want a compromise to a problem that does not actually exist in the first place. Don't want New Game +, simply do not use it. Select "New Game". Please do not ruin New Game + for the people who wanted it and then call it a compromise like everyone is magically happy now.
So now I'm stuck doing several New Game +'s in a row over and over and over (Lets totally disregard the very fact that I already wanted to replay the game multiple times, and needed no extra incentive to do this) But now I feel like the entire experience as one long never ending punishment, in which case I would just lose interest very early on, quit the game, uninstall it, and walk away and forget about it and never come back. It has happened to me with countless games before, because those games did not understand what made things fun, or tedious, and did not understand the concept of the player just wanting to have fun, and did not care if the player got stuck there. (Again totally disregarding the fact that I will be playing Cyberpunk2077 for example, for many many hours and many days, weeks, months even, and much more, and need no extra punishment-like incentive to force me to keep playing what I already intended to play)
The biggest and most frustrating thing for me here is, that everyone seems to keep pretending that just because New Game + button exists, that the normal "New Game" button (the one where you starts 100% new) somehow doesn't exist anymore. This is the largest and most unbelievable assumption, if that is the case.
I don't want to grind. I don't want to feel like I'm forced to do a chore. I don't want to suffer through tedium. These things make me abandon games.
New Game + to me means I keep 100% of everything I have. I'm level 100 when I beat the game? I'm still level 100. I keep all of my clothing, armor, weapons, cyberware, upgrades, literally everything. My vehicles too! My Eddies ($Money) Everything! I keep.... Everything. I can then avoid all the grind and tedium, and focus 100% on the story and choices and all the fun things I want to do. I can even keep New Game +(ing) over and over and experience every part of the entire game, and just feel a sense of freedom to enjoy the deep lore of the Cyberpunk2077 world.
If I ever want to grind and suffer and have tedium, I'll just click the normal "New Game" button. Really this is not a big deal, Please CDPR do not remove New Game +. Please do not ruin New Game + by turning it into essentially "New Game - " I beg you CDPR, please save the New Game + crowd!
If for some reason New Game + needs to be some horrible tedious grind, Please make an optional New Game ++ that's the real New Game + for people like me who really truly want to avoid suffering. Please consider this CDPR, if you are reading this.
Real Life is painful enough and I face it head on, still hurts, it is what it is. I play video games to have a moment where I can just relax and have fun, even if it's very intense, it's still relaxing compared to life.
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