Huh. Still meaningless.
I played corpo. Dont remember anything specifically corpo related.
I've done 3 main missions (20 hours of gameplay) and so far for each mission I've played, I had like 3 or 4 specific Corpo choices , some of them being very impactful on the story. So I'm perfectly happy with what they've done with the origin stories.
Bottom line, those saying everywhere that your origin story doesn't impact the game at all sound like they haven't played the game or paid attention to what is written on their screen.
For example when calling Meredith Stout during the Pickup main mission, I had the Corpo choice to tell her the chip she was giving me was carrying a virus, because that's what a Corpo would do and I've been in her shoes. Then I had the option to secretely remove it (or even replicate it for yourself). I decided to replicate the virus and leave it on the chip. Later during the deal I had the option to give them the chip and warn them about the virus on it. They thanked me and I thought it was over, but then Militech came in because they were trailing me and they started busting everything. Ended up with Stout being discharged and Militech letting me walk freely. Pretty impactful so.
Another time which I found very nice is just a bit later when talking with Dex about the Heist mission in the Afterlife. Jackie was trying to get more money out of the job and I pretty much randomly said that money wasn't the most important thing of all to calm everybody down a bit. Then Dex asked me what was the most important thing for me and I had the Corpo choice of telling him it was all about revenge on Arasaka. He chuckled and agreed to raise my pay because he thought that was a great motivation. Very satisfying.
Another time which I found very nice is just a bit later when talking with Dex about the Heist mission in the Afterlife. Jackie was trying to get more money out of the job and I pretty much randomly said that money wasn't the most important thing of all to calm everybody down a bit. Then Dex asked me what was the most important thing for me and I had the Corpo choice of telling him it was all about revenge on Arasaka. He chuckled and agreed to raise my pay because he thought that was a great motivation. Very satisfying.
Bottom line, those saying everywhere that your origin story doesn't impact the game at all sound like they haven't played the game or paid attention to what is written on their screen.
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I would guess people need to actually play through with the different lifepaths to get a sense where things differ.
But I agree that there doesn’t seem to be much that they do outside those few dialog options. Which is, of course, a bleeding shame.
But I agree that there doesn’t seem to be much that they do outside those few dialog options. Which is, of course, a bleeding shame.
Weren't the life paths supposed have an actual proper introduction story? Because starting as a corpo, I got out if being a corpo in about 15 minutes. Half of the time I was adjusting my graphics settings and controls. That was much more dissapoing to me. The virtual training took more time and was better contructed than my origin.
So if down the road it offeres just dialog choices here and there ... the presentation about life paths before release was a straight lie.
So if down the road it offeres just dialog choices here and there ... the presentation about life paths before release was a straight lie.
When doing certain side gigs, like Woman of La Mancha, you'll be able to avoid a moneysink if you're a nomad. The nomad selling to the sushi vendor will talk to you for free. If you're a corpo, he charges you 600$, same as the hooker.
Most of it's flavor text/dialog/lore, for sure, but occasionally there's a tangible benefit like that. As I've restarted a bajillion times at this point, I choose the corpo life path just because it's the quickest I don't have to drive- driving is highly unpleasant in this game, in my and apparently many other player's experiences.
Talk to to the boss, talk to Jackie over the phone, go to the AV, get out at Lizzie's, go inside and talk to Jackie, skip the cutscene, bingo bango you're in the car ready to gonk up some scavs.
Plus I dig the idea of a former corpo who's been burnt and has an axe to grind with Arasaka teaming up with Johnny to help finish what he started using his intricate knowledge of the inns and outs of corporations to their advantage.
Most of it's flavor text/dialog/lore, for sure, but occasionally there's a tangible benefit like that. As I've restarted a bajillion times at this point, I choose the corpo life path just because it's the quickest I don't have to drive- driving is highly unpleasant in this game, in my and apparently many other player's experiences.
Talk to to the boss, talk to Jackie over the phone, go to the AV, get out at Lizzie's, go inside and talk to Jackie, skip the cutscene, bingo bango you're in the car ready to gonk up some scavs.
Plus I dig the idea of a former corpo who's been burnt and has an axe to grind with Arasaka teaming up with Johnny to help finish what he started using his intricate knowledge of the inns and outs of corporations to their advantage.
I'm not sure I have a gripe. Never got to know my boss, the other woman I've never even met and they boot me in 10 minutes. So … whatever, I'm a samurai now and I could not care less. It felt like starting a part time job and quitting the next day because I got a better offer. I have no attachments or feelings towards the corporation. This was a big disappointment right there form the start for me. I never got to be the corporate man, so if they throw it in my face later it will be very weird and undeserved.
Plus the fact that there are no choices in the beginning. It all just happens. I personally could make a quick decision right there on the spot to betray my boss who is stupid enough to do what he did. Give me at least something that I actively do in my life path and thus actually make it matter to me.
Eh, true, but the same argument could be made for each lifepath- it's all just an implied past that you never experience as the player. The only lifepath that you don't change from is the street kid. You go from being a corpo to a street kid. A nomad to a street kid. A street kid to...well, a street kid.
Being on the streets, working for fixers, is an inevitability.
Which is fine, I mean that is the point of the story that you end up being a samurai. Just that the life path, at least for the time being, does not matter because you don't get to form an attachment to it. I remember the life path being present as small story by itself. As I said, right now it does not feel like I worked for the corporation, thus there is no turnaround in my life. V makes a fuzz about it in the bar, but I as the player did not feel it.
To draw a direct comparison the separation from previous life in Deus Ex Mankind Divided was much more impactful and you got a proper intro to setup the change. So I as I player felt it too.
Right, but that problem isn't exclusive to the corpo lifepath. It's in all life paths. You never got to experience life as a nomad, in a nomad clan. If anything, that problem is even more exacerbated as a nomad.
As a corpo, you get to experience 10 minutes of life as a corpo, more if you choose to eaves drop on all your coworkers and talk to your old acquaintance Frank. You get to decide whether a possibly compromised agent at biotech is extracted or not after assessing the risks, your computer at your desk has access to different parts of the net you won't see on any other computer, you have an assistant bringing you the reports you asked for (you get the option to harry him for being late or to just send it to you because you're in a rush) and you even have the option to be truly nasty and entitled- demanding the Mox watch your illegally parked AV, beating up the rightfully angered basket ballers you nearly landed on top of in a horrifying fashion, etc. etc. etc.
As a nomad, you've already left the life before the game even starts. You don't get one iota of what your life as a nomad was about. You don't meet any of the people from your old life, except for one over the radio, and you don't get to raid any convoys or fuel depots. It's all long over before the game even starts.
Street kids are basically Samurai in training to begin with. It's the only life path you start with and stick to. But even then, you have this whole implied past of growing up in Heywood and trying to move to Atlanta to start a new life only to be disappointed and then come back home.
Even the game's leveling system is called "Street Cred" and you need a bunch of it to progress.
Yeah and does any of that matter? Do you get to know the fate of that spy? Does the information from net help you in any manner? Does Frank play any role later? Do you meet the basket players later and go like, yo dog I was a corporate asshole before but not anymore? Do you even have more money at the start when you take it?
I mean they could have worked with at least the little that they gave us. But my main point is, I have no stand on the corporation itself. I don't feel in anyway motivated to burn them or just deal with them later in general. Gameplay wise it feels just like a random gig. For something that should define your background and possibly give you motivations later, that is very week. I mean the obvious conflict here should be the decision between staying a samurai and return to corporate life. Does at least that happen? Because from the montage between corpo and samurai I took the message that I walked away and never looked back.
There is an achievement for saying your lifepath-related choice in dialog 10 times. Thats about it. I am not feeling the impact of the choices either, as the dialog seems to be more like "small talk". I have yet to see lifepath dialog be useful in any way.
But people in lifepath intro seem to be just... gone. Forgotten. Ignored? I've done two lifepaths now and both seem to more or less ignore where you came from after you meet with Jackie. No personal lifepath-related quests or anything.
SOME NPCs recognize your lifepath in dialog, but thats it. Im not seeing any functional effects. (edited)
"You're just a dirtgirl from Heywood who thought she could walk few blocks away from home."
- Johnny Silverhand
But people in lifepath intro seem to be just... gone. Forgotten. Ignored? I've done two lifepaths now and both seem to more or less ignore where you came from after you meet with Jackie. No personal lifepath-related quests or anything.
SOME NPCs recognize your lifepath in dialog, but thats it. Im not seeing any functional effects. (edited)
"You're just a dirtgirl from Heywood who thought she could walk few blocks away from home."
- Johnny Silverhand
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How does a random NPC know my prior life anyway? Seem like everybody knows my past life ... except me.
As a nomad it's easy to connect to other nomads that are in the NC "I used to ride with X" and "I ride with X" tells everything in this culture. Finding old ride and certain corpses is satisfying, and If you just pushing thru main story only you missing a point. Main story have the same backbone, the same line for every life path. It must. It starts whey you put the shard in you skull and from that point what you did, who you are does not really mater. This is basically second beginning in game.
And skipping side-missions is generally bad in other way, doing things before you go for hist will benefit you later. Some side missions are connected to main plot and will give you leverage later in game. Some are connected to what you did in the past.
As for argument about coming back to corpo or staying samurai... 1 you were "DD" from corp, then you messed on the streets, you got fame, and stink trailing behind you... you don't really need cut scene where you hear "no". Only way to came back to corpo is as assassin - low chances as your loyalty is questionable, or as merc - bodyguard.
It's like in pen and paper game, your former life ended. Welcome to the streets of NC your life starts now.
And skipping side-missions is generally bad in other way, doing things before you go for hist will benefit you later. Some side missions are connected to main plot and will give you leverage later in game. Some are connected to what you did in the past.
As for argument about coming back to corpo or staying samurai... 1 you were "DD" from corp, then you messed on the streets, you got fame, and stink trailing behind you... you don't really need cut scene where you hear "no". Only way to came back to corpo is as assassin - low chances as your loyalty is questionable, or as merc - bodyguard.
It's like in pen and paper game, your former life ended. Welcome to the streets of NC your life starts now.