[Spoiler] Three Ways to Make Cyberpunk Even More Immersive (6 minutes read)

[CyberGothika]

The devs keeps updating and getting the game even better each time, and they don't seem to be giving up anytime soon, so I decided to vent something that just won't leave my mind. Every time I restart and do a new game, these three things comes back to my mind. Maybe someone could agree and turn into a mod. But I believe the devs have wider professional tools at their disposal, and make it available for all. I assume we could do something but I don't know how realistic that would be.

Boost replayability and sweet immersion:

1- Mission menu over map markers

GIGs and some side jobs are fun, but they only activate when you get to the location and only then you know what it is about. The map may show things like "thievery" but further details are not given unless you reach the location. Now we can turn off the holocalls from fixers, and receive a text instead, but I thought of something.

I propose, Instead of the exclamation mark spreading on the map and all, these missions could be displayed on a menu for selection with a short brief or description. Some GIGs options would be blocked on that list, due the player's low StreetCred. Potential difficulty could also be shown siding each mission title. Think of it like a limited organizer, and the player would pick the GIGs they believe its the best for their mood or style or wish, before engaging it. A short resume could side the title of each mission---the player picks the mission, the map marks where they should go do the job.

It could be picked anywhere as long the player can access that UI display. Could be a phone call instead, or even going there physically to meet the fixer (and make use of the holocalls dialog but in person with V) or from a computer (this last option seems simpler and cooler). I say this because its more immersive than "who knows what you're going to find."

With that being said, some missions could be replayable (with lower or different rewards or none at all) In that UI display, you could also bribe the cops some money for a few minutes, turn their eyes away from crime so the player can cause chaos, or incite gang wars. Perhaps instead of bribing to avoid, you could incite to cause mayhem too, provoke violent encounters. These would need cooldowns to be used, so no one overuses it, and based on StreetCred and even Eddies. Perhaps the "I-Fixer" or "DeeperNet" would only be available after meeting Rogue or something, it needs to be limited and never overused.

2- Before The Heist and Jackie's death

Jackie could be a temporary recruitable companion before the Heist mission starts, enjoy our friends company a bit more before progressing. I mean that as an option if the player wants it, could call Jackie for that or just meet him at the bar or Misty's for basic missions, during Heywood and nearby districts' lockdown. I tried to ride with him before meeting Mysty, then Jackie literally disappeared from the passenger seat.

That character totally deserves to shine a bit more, before the story progresses to its destiny. Don't even need new lines, Jackie could say a couple recycled things. This could also work with a cooldown, so no one overuses it. After that, imagine if mercs or some other fighter NPCs you once saved or helped could also be temporarily recruited in the future---as long a cooldown is respected, again, so the vibes of solo won't be misused. If this all sounds bad, at least Jackie could be an exception before the Heist.

3- Rules to evolve

We should only be able to level up a character when laying over a Ripper-Doc operating table. Also, only upgrade or create a weapon when inside the apartment's weapon locker room as well. Give what we already have more reason to exist, sweet, sweet immersion will follow. That could and would be a difficulty based thing. Perhaps hard-mode or very-hard mode, or choosen to turn on-off in the options. If someone prefers the old way, just turn the new rule off or play in normal-mode.

The Replay-factor

I currently lost the count of how many times I restarted and finished Cyberpunk since 2021.

All these ideas are favorable to the replay-factor goodies. To make the restart ever smoother, the devs already offered alternative starting point with Phantom Liberty and there is a particular mod with an alternative, resumed faster intro. I don't think anything else is necessary, anything else would be further complications the devs don't need unless the challenge suits them. I would consider Cyberpunk's case finished with all the super-tunning after any of these ideas ever take shape in any form. Does anyone agrees with any of these things?

Thanks for reading! thanks CDPR for Cyberpunk 2077, what a gem. Story, art and dialogue maturity is off the charts. Can't get enough of it.

 

[CyberGothika]

Bumping this one just this once, see if anyone can filter or agree in something

 

[Bartinga2077]

Bumping this one just this once, see if anyone can filter or agree in something

Ask one of the forum moderators to move this to SUGGESTIONS for CDPR to consider.

 

[Dunaedine]

1. Doesn't sure about the menu but I'm agreeing the current state of the quest on map are counter immersive. Logically, in theory, the fixer woud just call you, or the NCPD will post bounty (with a lifetime). Problem is, in theory, your character is on a timer... But strangely, the events go in fact too fast to have time to do many secondary quests. More delay in the execution woud be interesing because currently we have to choose to do secondary stuff over the main quest. The possibility to corrupt the NCPD or other gang is clearly interesting .
2. Doable , no need for a new interface, maybe some AI difficulty.
3. There is currently mod to do something similar so yeah, also very doable with option.

So think the first isn't very probable for this game. Maybe for Orion. We can have some hope for minor update with Virtuos, so the two others, maybe?

 

[CyberGothika]

I'm not sure how to do that? If they read us they can totally move to suggestion. I tried to find it but maybe I missed it? Thanks for replying.

Post automatically merged: Feb 3, 2025

1. Doesn't sure about the menu but I'm agreeing the current state of the quest on map are counter immersive. Logically, in theory, the fixer woud just call you, or the NCPD will post bounty (with a lifetime). Problem is, in theory, your character is on a timer... But strangely, the events go in fact too fast to have time to do many secondary quests. More delay in the execution woud be interesing because currently we have to choose to do secondary stuff over the main quest. The possibility to corrupt the NCPD or other gang is clearly interesting .
2. Doable , no need for a new interface, maybe some AI difficulty.
3. There is currently mod to do something similar so yeah, also very doable with option.

So think the first isn't very probable for this game. Maybe for Orion. We can have some hope for minor update with Virtuos, so the two others, maybe?

No offense to mods but they're limited somewhat. NCart mod metro system existed, the devs created a new one anyway. Because when devs do such a thing it is naturally better, for they have better tools and details at hand.

The menu could work like when you choose where to go with a NCart, or what color to change. A menu inside the head, the HUD itself to pop. Anything would work really it just served as an example to modernize the missions rather tha spread em in the map.

The third thing, I have seen a mod that only allows upgrading from the apartment, its true. I was thinking that maybe if the devs themselves do it, they could use better resources perhaps even better idea than ours. Animations or requirements, not CET based with outter interfaces.

 

[Draconifors]

If they read us they can totally move to suggestion. I tried to find it but maybe I missed it?

We read everything.

Thread moved.
Suggestions is a subforum of General.

 

[WhiteYoghurt]

Hey,
I have an idea for Cyberpunk 2:

What if equipped items were shown on a player character (like a pistol in a sheath on a leg, a katana hung on a hip, etc.)?
And what if items like glasses and helmets changed the view (e.g. visible hoops, darker image because of sun filter,...) (similar to KCD),...
Something similar could be done with e.g. phones, earphones, hair,...

And what if the general gameplay was in FPP, but some parts (e.g. key quest moments, arriving at a new location,...) were "narrated" by someone else (e.g. Johny, some AI, camera system,...) and were shown from their perspective (or some other perspective) and shown a player character in all its glory?

Edit: Nevermind, the TPP was pretty much like that in the CP77 demo.

 

[Jackiedaw]

I remember that when CP2077 was released, so many people complained that the whole initial 'slideshow' representing V and Jackie's initial adventures throughout Night City was a cheesy budget-cutting attempt of shallowing the relationship with Jackie and thats a fact apparently... There should've been a lot more engagement with him to build an actual bond, rather than just a slideshow and he dies 3 missions later. We even have a funeral mission afterwards, all these talks with Mama Welles, Misty, options to phone-call him after his death, etc. -> we can see so much effort put into this and pain in V's voice along with this hole everyone felt after Jackie was gone (esp as he was referenced many times by V throughout many other quests).

 

[ClearVall]

Add. Hands. Visual. Modifications. In vanilla. Game.

 

[UnagiDaBishop]

Yep

 

[northwold]

I remember that when CP2077 was released, so many people complained that the whole initial 'slideshow' representing V and Jackie's initial adventures throughout Night City was a cheesy budget-cutting attempt of shallowing the relationship with Jackie and thats a fact apparently... There should've been a lot more engagement with him to build an actual bond, rather than just a slideshow and he dies 3 missions later. We even have a funeral mission afterwards, all these talks with Mama Welles, Misty, options to phone-call him after his death, etc. -> we can see so much effort put into this and pain in V's voice along with this hole everyone felt after Jackie was gone (esp as he was referenced many times by V throughout many other quests).

I don't think I've ever heard it describe as budget cutting, just a story decision that dwelling in the adventures of Jackie and V would have got in the way of the narrative arc of the game (I very strongly agree with that as it happens -- Jackie's life isn't that deep and I think hanging around too long would damage the vibe of the game and how it evolved).

That said, I felt that Jackie was part of my life the first time I played. I think part of the issue is that the game makes it possible in act 1 to play literally the main quest and nothing else, and a lot of people did do that. If it's played without gigs, wandering around, etcetera, you never feel Jackie's just "around" as a character in your life, because he's either constantly with you or you've reached act 2.

I do wonder if a more restrictive story mode that would have required you to do x gigs or whatever to make the act 1 main quest progress could have been helpful with player immersion. In that vein, I wouldn't mind the OP's companion idea, as long as Jackie shut up, to achieve the same kind of feeling. Trouble when he talks is that Jackie has been written to be instantly likable and as deep as a piece of paper. That works very well for a character to whom you have relatively little exposure. He'd get annoying incredibly fast if he was talking the whole time, though.

 

[Tarille]

In regards to point 1:

If we wanted immersion... We'd directly contact the fixers of the area to get gigs. Either by texting/calling them or meeting them in person (With potential bonuses for actually going out of our way to meet with them. Like, maybe they give us some things to help with completing bonus conditions, like a non-lethal weapon or something silenced)

Whenever you go into a district, all the fixers contact you saying "If you need anything, hit me up" but then what we actually do is bumble around the map and THEY contact us when we get near a gig... Which should be a rarity. Fixers would only realistically go out of their way to contact a specific merc for high profile gigs that they feel warrants a merc who's proven themselves. (Of course, such gigs don't exist in this game besides the Relic Heist - Thanks to the gigs being built off the 1.0 version where they were all readily available from the outset)

While NCPD alerts, should be random encounters more so than these static "Gigs". Where they can randomly pop up and then we hear the NCPD radio alerts about them and have a short window to go deal with them if we choose. (Of course, they'd need to not be tied to specific, exclusive, rewards as they are now and have a reward scheme more akin to El Capitan's car "Acquisition" missions in PL)

In regards to point 2:

It's a tricky one. Though mostly because Jackie feels kind of shoehorned in. He's not important to the story as a whole (Which is more focused on the Relic itself, Johnny and his life, rather than V and their life). So it's like, how much effort should be put into this side character who's literally only around for the prologue and Act 1?

Here's hoping that the next CP game has more of a focus on the PC's story so that side characters can become more significant overall. With also the potential for multiple mercs to be encountered - Both friendly (Co-operating on gigs, potentially becoming partners you can call up to do high profile jobs with) and enemy (Mercs doing the same gig as you at the same time... Who want to get the reward for themselves and will try to murk you)

Of course, the relevance of such systems would be subject to the overal framing for the next game's protagonist. We might not actually be in the position of playing a merc and thus such things would be less relevant.

In regards to point 3:

Personally, I'd love to see some potential character progression that exists outside of cyberware.

Like, one of the main things I recall from pre-release marketing was stuff like "Deciding" whether or not to mod oneself. But the reality of the game is that literally every build just gets more chromed than Adam Smasher...

If such things existed, then level rewards would exist outside of a Ripper-Doc.

As for having to go to dedicated areas to dismantle/craft items... Sure I guess. Though convenience vs immersion argument arises here. As well as general systems. Like, if they continue this "Quasi-ARPG" style loot then it'd get very annoying very fast. But a more refined loot system that has less volume and overall junk would be more manageable.

In regards to making housing more relevant... I'd rather them provide more options for it than simply shoehorning other systems into it. Things like bonuses for actually sleeping/eating/showering, more clothing to warrant returning to the wardrobe to make outfits from, netrunning chairs that let you enter cyberspace, deeper interactions with LI's who can let themselves into your homes etc...