Quest hubs intstead of cellphone

[faverodefavero]

So I originally posted this as part of a reply to a thread, but decided to make a new thread to gather other people specific opinions about the topic...

First of all, I don't blame the actual developers, the programers for anything, seccond I love the Cyberpunk2020/RED setting and ruleset and third Cyberpunk2077 is just beutiful when running well, indeed very very pretty.

Now here we go...

I believe most of the game quests should not be given via cellphone, but at quest hubs, bars and restaurants or visiting your fixers from time to time...

Case in point, let's take the afterlife, you could go there from time to time to take some drink or food that gives bonuses to specific things, Jackie's drink could give bonuses while using revolvers and riding his motorcycle, could also make you remember things he said while riding his bike... anyways, talking to Claire while drinking unlocks quests and people of interest in the bar to talk to, you learn about the races and end up unlocking romantic options with her and other bar patrons, even if quick ones, also some quests might require you to be drunk or under the effect of some drug to appear to you. No quests in this hub have markers on the minimap it's all hidden within conversations / eating / drinking / lounging / chilling at said hub. At one point when you finished all races you might unlock the hability to tune your car with Claire, and so on... Even when there are no quests in the hubs you can still get specific bonuses and learn via conversations and news all about the game lore and world, insights. Hubs should also have mini games.

Now, expand that to minor levels for each fixer and bar / restaurant in the game and remove most of the calls: there you go. Many RPGs do that: have many hidden side quest chains with lot's of dialog and quest hubs that you need to visit often. This is what I expect, much better than calls.

What do you fellows think about the above gameplay suggestion? It has been done in games like Morrowind, Oblivion, Yakuza, Shenmue, and many many others, it's nothing new and generally expected from open world games and specially RPGs of any sort.

 

[xXAerilonXx]

So I originally posted this as part of a reply to a thread, but decided to make a new thread to gather other people specific opinions about the topic...

First of all, I don't blame the actual developers, the programers for anything, seccond I love the Cyberpunk2020/RED setting and ruleset and third Cyberpunk2077 is just beutiful when running well, indeed very very pretty.

Now here we go...

I believe most of the game quests should not be given via cellphone, but at quest hubs, bars and restaurants or visiting your fixers from time to time...

Case in point, let's take the afterlife, you could go there from time to time to take some drink or food that gives bonuses to specific things, Jackie's drink could give bonuses while using revolvers and riding his motorcycle, could also make you remember things he said while riding his bike... anyways, talking to Claire while drinking unlocks quests and people of interest in the bar to talk to, you learn about the races and end up unlocking romantic options with her and other bar patrons, even if quick ones, also some quests might require you to be drunk or under the effect of some drug to appear to you. No quests in this hub have markers on the minimap it's all hidden within conversations / eating / drinking / lounging / chilling at said hub. At one point when you finished all races you might unlock the hability to tune your car with Claire, and so on... Even when there are no quests in the hubs you can still get specific bonuses and learn via conversations and news all about the game lore and world, insights. Hubs should also have mini games.

Now, expand that to minor levels for each fixer and bar / restaurant in the game and remove most of the calls: there you go. Many RPGs do that: have many hidden side quest chains with lot's of dialog and quest hubs that you need to visit often. This is what I expect, much better than calls.

What do you fellows think about the above gameplay suggestion? It has been done in games like Morrowind, Oblivion, Yakuza, Shenmue, and many many others, it's nothing new and generally expected from open world games and specially RPGs of any sort.

In my opinion your ideas are good as an Addition to the Phone calls. I really like it that people Call you or Text you. That is what I would expect in a real World cyberpunk future As a mercenary.



But I'd like to give the oppurtunity to dismiss a Call. Then they Call you again Later or Text you instead. I hate it that every Call is accepted autimatica lly.

 

[faverodefavero]

In my opinion your ideas are good as an Addition to the Phone calls. I really like it that people Call you or Text you. That is what I would expect in a real World cyberpunk future As a mercenary.



But I'd like to give the oppurtunity to dismiss a Call. Then they Call you again Later or Text you instead. I hate it that every Call is accepted autimatica lly.

But as it is all side quests are given only via cellphone basically, giving to reason to visit different parts of the town or look for hidden quests or just talking to NPCs in bars which should be hidden side quest hubs where talking, drinking, etc., unlocked new quests.

 

[Kieran_Grosvenor]

Tbh the calls were nice to have, it let me know the game has a plethora of content so i just accepted them. It's hardly an issue really... However if you are a fast traveller and they pile up they need a mechanism to show you them in your phone / quest log

 

[xXAerilonXx]

But as it is all side quests are given only via cellphone basically, giving to reason to visit different parts of the town or look for hidden quests or just talking to NPCs in bars which should be hidden side quest hubs where talking, drinking, etc., unlocked new quests.

That is not True! I got several side quests by talking to Strangers (they werde marked though, so it was not random) or sometimes by finding shards in the World or in random dead bodies or certain Emails on computers. So there are different ways how sidequests do Start but yes it is mainly by Phone. But not entirely!

 

[faverodefavero]

Tbh the calls were nice to have, it let me know the game has a plethora of content so i just accepted them. It's hardly an issue really... However if you are a fast traveller and they pile up they need a mechanism to show you them in your phone / quest log

I see, but don't you believe that asside from calls the game world needs more things to look out for and to do in the city and reasons to visit bars, restaurants and clubs? As it is now, it really lacks any sort of exploration and discovery what so ever or reason to be in the city at all.

 

[Kieran_Grosvenor]

That is not True! I got several side quests by talking to Strangers (they werde marked though, so it was not random) or sometimes by finding shards in the World or in random dead bodies or certain Emails on computers. So there are different ways how sidequests do Start but yes it is mainly by Phone. But not entirely!

Its actually really nice how the game unravels itself, i think gamers are abit overwhelmed by how many ways the game does it

 

[faverodefavero]

That is not True! I got several side quests by talking to Strangers (they werde marked though, so it was not random) or sometimes by finding shards in the World or in random dead bodies or certain Emails on computers. So there are different ways how sidequests do Start but yes it is mainly by Phone. But not entirely!

I can accept your point, but I still feel it's lacking many many more quests and reasons to chill and lounge in bars and restaurants, talk to NPCs and explore the city. I never once been able to start a conversation with a random NPC anywhere and start a hidden quest from there. And the way I see it it's one of the biggest complaints (lack of immersion and exploration reasons as well as activites to do in the cityt and excesive handholding) in all the major wanted features threads, so I believe this would be an "easy enough" fix for much of the immersion lacking complaints.

Post automatically merged: Dec 20, 2020

Its actually really nice how the game unravels itself, i think gamers are abit overwhelmed by how many ways the game does it

Never had this feeling with 70 hours of gameplay, older RPGs did this way better. And it's just a general feeling (the lack of overall immersion in the city and reasons to be in places in the city) in any of the major missing feature request threads, that's why I decided to make into a separete post all together because I see this very same request again and again in different forms.

 

[Kieran_Grosvenor]

I can accept your point, but I still feel it's lacking many many more quests and reasons to chill and lounge in bars and restaurants, talk to NPCs and explore the city. I never once been able to start a conversation with a random NPC anywhere and start a hidden quest from there. And the way I see it it's one of the biggest complaints (lack of immersion and exploration reasons as well as activites to do in the cityt and excesive handholding) in all the major wanted features threads, so I believe this would be an "easy enough" fix for much of the immersion lacking complaints.

There is only so much you can expect, not many games can you walk up to a random lifeless npc and expect the world from them, this is one of many arguments i dismiss from the get go, its just not sustainable. Have you seen the amount of content in the game, and there is NPC you walk past who talk and then issue a quest so its defo there?

Post automatically merged: Dec 20, 2020

I can accept your point, but I still feel it's lacking many many more quests and reasons to chill and lounge in bars and restaurants, talk to NPCs and explore the city. I never once been able to start a conversation with a random NPC anywhere and start a hidden quest from there. And the way I see it it's one of the biggest complaints (lack of immersion and exploration reasons as well as activites to do in the cityt and excesive handholding) in all the major wanted features threads, so I believe this would be an "easy enough" fix for much of the immersion lacking complaints.

Post automatically merged: Dec 20, 2020

Never had this feeling with 70 hours of gameplay, older RPGs did this way better. And it's just a general feeling (the lack of overall immersion in the city and reasons to be in places in the city) in any of the major missing feature request threads, that's why I decided to make into a separete post all together because I see this very same request again and again in different forms.

What value does sitting down and eating add to the game though, its cool to have i agree but then you need to build in hunger mechanics because people will think its half arsed.

 

[faverodefavero]

There is only so much you can expect, not many games can you walk up to a random lifeless npc and expect the world from them, this is one of many arguments i dismiss from the get go, its just not sustainable. Have you seen the amount of content in the game, and there is NPC you walk past who talk and then issue a quest so its defo there?

Post automatically merged: Dec 20, 2020

What value does sitting down and eating add to the game though, its cool to have i agree but then you need to build in hunger mechanics because people will think its half arsed.

Just look at Yakuza, Shenmue, etc., people love the immersion in those games because the city has many mini games and activities to do.

 

[Kieran_Grosvenor]

Just look at Yakuza, Shenmue, etc., people love the immersion in those games because the city has many mini games and activities to do.

I agree minigames would be nice but i'm here for the core game, only time can make this game better but i still think its really good fun

 

[faverodefavero]

This video explains well what I mean:

More world, interactive world, less open and empty, that's what people want.

In old RPGs you never knew when in a tavern whom could give you a quest and who couldn't, and almost all of them had some interesting dialoge that revealed the game lore. It's nothing new.

 

[Cyber.D.G.]

Phone calls are good for generic quests like "shoot some guys over here".
For more complex quests I'd prefer talking to the npc directly.
Like when Kirk gives you a quest to steal some sh...t. Sit somewhere, drink something, talk about misson, chat a bit. Would be cool if devs add more interactions to npcs. NC would feel more alive.

Spoiler

Laughed so hard when Kirk got shot in that quest, stupid mf Wanted to kill him myself

 

[faverodefavero]

Phone calls are good for generic quests like "shoot some guys over here".
For more complex quests I'd prefer talking to the npc directly.
Like when Kirk gives you a quest to steal some sh...t.

Spoiler

Laughed when he got shot, stupid mf Wanted to kill him myself

Exactly. Would love to, for example, visit the Afterlife and talk to Claire to get a shot of Jackie drink which gives xyz bonueses to using revolvers like he did and when riding his motorcycle, and then after some chat and some of the world lore revealed trough dialogue with her she came up with the hidden quest for street racing now that she talked to me and got to know me better.

 

[Cyber.D.G.]

Exactly. Would love to, for example, visit the Afterlife and talk to Claire to get a shot of Jackie drink which gives xyz bonueses to using revolvers like he did and when riding his motorcycle, and then after some chat and some of the world lore revealed trough dialogue with her she came up with the hidden quest for street racing now that she talked to me and got to know me better.

Yea. GOOD RPGs often had some hidden quests, wich you can access throw talking with npc. And not just a few words, like "Hey, give me a quest plz, I need some exp.", but a complex dialog. And you dont even expect it. Well, for the first time.

 

[faverodefavero]

Yea. GOOD RPGs often had some hidden quests, wich you can access throw talking with npc. And not just a few words, like "Hey, give me a quest plz, I need some exp.", but a complex dialog. And you dont even expect it. Well, for the first time.

Exactly my point, now you got it.

 

[Krul2k]

To sort of expand upon your idea because theres a hint of something good there.

I like the idea of a hub and i like the idea of it being Afterlife but personally what i'd do is leave the current mission structure as is bar tweaks and fixes to over lapping dialogue, phone calls etc alone and put representatives, mission and rep givers, for each corp or gang in the club, perhaps a private booth.

My ultimate fear with doing this would be they'd make it a MP hub which im 200% against, i have no interest in seeing ANYONE in any part of my SP experience

 

[faverodefavero]

Talking just about singleplayer, no one could care less for multiplayer in this game right now really. And just to be clear, the dialogue with NPCs doesn't even need to be voice acted for all I care, I just want more interaction than simple phone calls.