In my opinion most modern video game RPGs don't get the roleplaying right, if you compare it to tabletop RPGs (Exception: Disco Elysium). Why? Because the roleplaying stops after the character creator and after that most players start playing for min-maxing – not specifically for builds (like in Dark Souls etc.) but to have the most options and possibilities in one playthrough. One example is the paragon-renegade-system in Mass Effect: Although I liked roleplaying a certain Shepard-character, I still had to make some decisions based on that meter because I knew, eventually if I'm not badass/diplomatic enough, some quests are going to fail. So I slowly gave up on roleplaying and made decisions based on colors in menus.
Now, I also think, that CDPR knows that and that they are trying to force us (=the players) – in a good sense – to roleplay. They already do it in The Witcher, for example:
a) You get way more EXP for quests then for random kills. I still remember getting off the horse to kill some wolves, seeing that the kills grant 1 EXP per kill (instead of, say, 200 for a small quest) and thinking: Wait, would Geralt of Rivia really stop to kill some wolves, if he doesn't have to? No, he wouldn't. So I did more quests, followed his story and that means: I roleplayed.
b) The consequences of most decisions are only visible much later, so you can't savescum and instead you make decisions based on what you feel is right, which in turn makes the players identify more with their character.
I've been reading and watching almost all previews that aired after Night City Wire and I found two aspects that almost everybody mentioned:
1. Being (positively) excited about the openness of the world and the quests
AND/OR
2. Being (negatively) overwhelmed by the openness of the world and the quests
I remember a quote by Miles Tost (Senior Level Designer) where he said, the main story is shorter than Wild Hunt, because they hope that people will replay the game more to see all the different possibilities that already start with the corpo/nomad/street kid-choice. And another quote by Pawel Sasko where he said that no quest can fail, which means: There's always a way to solve it, just some are better and some are worse and some take extra effort or a certain build.
What I think it comes down to is: CDPR is making a game where they truly want us to roleplay and create our character with his/her specific way through the story.
When I stop thinking about the need to see everything/all possibilities (like in example 2) I can get excited (like example 1) because no choice is wrong, because I play to make choices (or simulate them), not to always make right choices.
And I like that, a lot. What do you think?
Now, I also think, that CDPR knows that and that they are trying to force us (=the players) – in a good sense – to roleplay. They already do it in The Witcher, for example:
a) You get way more EXP for quests then for random kills. I still remember getting off the horse to kill some wolves, seeing that the kills grant 1 EXP per kill (instead of, say, 200 for a small quest) and thinking: Wait, would Geralt of Rivia really stop to kill some wolves, if he doesn't have to? No, he wouldn't. So I did more quests, followed his story and that means: I roleplayed.
b) The consequences of most decisions are only visible much later, so you can't savescum and instead you make decisions based on what you feel is right, which in turn makes the players identify more with their character.
I've been reading and watching almost all previews that aired after Night City Wire and I found two aspects that almost everybody mentioned:
1. Being (positively) excited about the openness of the world and the quests
AND/OR
2. Being (negatively) overwhelmed by the openness of the world and the quests
I remember a quote by Miles Tost (Senior Level Designer) where he said, the main story is shorter than Wild Hunt, because they hope that people will replay the game more to see all the different possibilities that already start with the corpo/nomad/street kid-choice. And another quote by Pawel Sasko where he said that no quest can fail, which means: There's always a way to solve it, just some are better and some are worse and some take extra effort or a certain build.
What I think it comes down to is: CDPR is making a game where they truly want us to roleplay and create our character with his/her specific way through the story.
When I stop thinking about the need to see everything/all possibilities (like in example 2) I can get excited (like example 1) because no choice is wrong, because I play to make choices (or simulate them), not to always make right choices.
And I like that, a lot. What do you think?
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