The illusion of time pressure

[JoshShaw]

Unfortunately, this "illusion of time pressure" in the main story, while you are supposed to do side content first, is a problem many games have. This creates a disconnect to me. Not sure what a good solution might be - perhaps building in some major breaks into the main story, so you don't feel bad for doing side content?

You've got the solution right there. You write in clear, explicit breaks to allow for side content without a weird dissonance. Morrowind outright tells you at points in the main quest to go and get more experience in the world while your handler dude awaits intel/communications with superiors. It's an elegant solution.

 

[IskrasFemme]

Im doing only the side content. At next year i ll try do only it.

 

[DgitalHype]

Im doing only the side content. At next year i ll try do only it.

This is a wise decision if you plan on completing all the side quests. Otherwise the continuity is entirely broken when you return to NC after completing the main story. Because of the way the game designers have intertwined Johnny's and V's story arc with all the side quests, they are forced to reset the main story to the "point of no return warning spot" after you beat the game and return to NC. This reset point is about 5 hours of gameplay of main story.

Spoiler: possible mild spoiler if you are very early in game

Unfortunately this means you also have to suffer with the negative visual effects and interruptions from the Soulkiller shard for the entire time you play the game. You never get to experience NC without this annoyance, even after you "beat the game".

 

[VincentS4]

Fallout 4 for example. You are told your son is in immediate danger, and yet you are told to build settlements for others first? Hmmm ...

I don't remember the game telling you that your son is in immediate danger and that you should hurry up and save him.

 

[MRM70]

I don't remember the game telling you that your son is in immediate danger and that you should hurry up and save him.

All you know when you leave the vault is, that the guy who just murdered your husband/wife kidnapped your son and as far as you know that might have happened just yet. And next, after leaving Sanctuary, you meet Preston and his group, and they want you to build a settlement in Sanctuary for them (why can't they do it on their own, what about my son)

 

[IskrasFemme]

This is a wise decision if you plan on completing all the side quests. Otherwise the continuity is entirely broken when you return to NC after completing the main story. Because of the way the game designers have intertwined Johnny's and V's story arc with all the side quests, they are forced to reset the main story to the "point of no return warning spot" after you beat the game and return to NC. This reset point is about 5 hours of gameplay of main story.

Spoiler: possible mild spoiler if you are very early in game

Unfortunately this means you also have to suffer with the negative visual effects and interruptions from the Soulkiller shard for the entire time you play the game. You never get to experience NC without this annoyance, even after you "beat the game".

From the main story, I just rescued and took that girl who had given me the main job (stealing that 'pen') to an apartment, she is hurt ... and I didn't follow up on the rest. I did some missions with Panan too, but I stopped at the one in the 'war tank'. And I have to call a guy who forgot his name, but I won't be calling now. I just do services and be careful not to interfere with the main story, in addition to those open world quests. I set up a routine myself, do 'x' things, go back to the apartment. Well, this is the individual part of my immersion and my 'in game' purpose. I use it as if it were an online game.

 

[VincentS4]

All you know when you leave the vault is, that the guy who just murdered your husband/wife kidnapped your son and as far as you know that might have happened just yet. And next, after leaving Sanctuary, you meet Preston and his group, and they want you to build a settlement in Sanctuary for them (why can't they do it on their own, what about my son)

Sure but no one is telling you to do the main quest immediately, you don't know where your son is or what could happen to him, you still need to find clues to start searching for him.
In short the game doesn't pressure you with a time limit like CP77 does.

 

[rudyvassar]

I don't care about them because the game world doesn't care. About me, or them, or anyone.

Welcome to Night City. This is the horrifying future cyberpunk authors warned us about, and we let it come true. This is the world brought to you by rampant consumerism and runaway capitalism.

Thank the rotting corpse of Ronald Reagan for this.

 

[Spockprime]

I'm finding it weird how the critical path keeps urging you to move forward, with characters waiting for you and even messaging you trying to hurry you up.

Yet unless you engage with some of the cruft that passes for side content, you won't be sufficiently levelled or equipped to deal with it. My understanding is that there are no consequences to leaving your quest buddies hanging, but it hurts my sense of RPG, engaging with the urgency of the story (particularly in Act 2).

I find I'm trying hard to pick up all the side-content en route to main missions, just to keep my character growing.

How are you dealing with this?

I'm not actually dealing with it. I'm just ignoring it, as well as any messages, comments, etc., from other characters in the game. I'm treating it as some sort of waking dream that my character is enduring, due to me installing too much cyberware. It's not actually "real" in my game. I do the missions because it's the only way to progress the game, but they are just dreams to my character.

Post automatically merged: Dec 17, 2020

After dealing with time restrictions while playing Pathfinder Kingmaker, I'm really glad CDPR was inspired enough to not include them in this game. Time pressure might sound good on paper but in reality it's very frustrating. A decision I'm behind 1000%

I'm in agreement about not actually enforcing time pressure. But completely in disagreement with implementing a main story that tries to move you along at rocket pace, with nothing left but ending credits after finishing the last mission.

 

[mewpokemon]

I think that there shouldn't be any specific mention of a time frame in V's demise nor so much prodding with a notion that there is not much time left.

Not only does it get old but it makes you think you shouldn't be doing the side quests, in a way.

For example, Vik shouldn't say you only have a few weeks left, only that you will eventually die and should generally be more hopeful of a solution or at least of V living a good life with the time he has left... This way you feel like you still have the option of investing time in the quests, especially at the start.

Of course, it should become more and more bleak but give V a bit of slack?

 

[Jetro30087]

I mean you could argue that's a dilemma in every RPG. Why are you racing chocobo's when Sephiroth is on the lose or whatever?

Would it really feel better if you were on an invisible clock to get certain endings?

 

[mewpokemon]

Would it really feel better if you were on an invisible clock to get certain endings?

No, I think your affairs with NPCs should be used to make variations in the ending sequences.

 

[Jetro30087]

No, I think your affairs with NPCs should be used to make variations in the ending sequences.

Like in the Outerworlds? Yeah, that'd be pretty cool..

 

[Shoklen]

This game dose have a lot of "pressure" to proceed the main story; and an overwhelming bombardment of calls, messages and alerts.

On my second play-through, I now and stopped the Main Quest just after the car ride with Dex - enjoying the game immensely with no pressure at all (from the game, at the moment); and no Johnny in my head. V is living life in the City.

That all said this game could use "breather" moments where no one is on your back and you can just explore for a few in-game days and go about whatever you'd like; at least without the artificial pressure.

 

[Krul2k]

I feel absolutely zero pressure to move forward neither in a good or bad way.

Days and nights last long enough that i can complete quite a few side quests between each story beat and day/night cycle ontop of recieving a phone call after one is complete to begin another,

1 for Goro
1 for Panam
1 for Judy

They normally flow pretty well for me with 1 finishing and another beginning and i've normally got plenty time for side missions inbetween which is normally just ticking of Moderate danger lvl and below

The dialogue from none of the characters when i meet them even hints at annoyance regardless of how long the quest been in my journal so i feel zero pressure to rush to anyone or do anything after getting there quest regardless of the dialogue said upon accepting the quest

 

[mewpokemon]

On my second play-through, I now and stopped the Main Quest just after the car ride with Dex - enjoying the game immensely with no pressure at all (from the game, at the moment); and no Johnny in my head. V is living life in the City.

I did that too but you're locked down in terms of where you can go given you can't leave the district.

 

[hulkman2456]

I'm finding it weird how the critical path keeps urging you to move forward, with characters waiting for you and even messaging you trying to hurry you up.

Yet unless you engage with some of the cruft that passes for side content, you won't be sufficiently levelled or equipped to deal with it. My understanding is that there are no consequences to leaving your quest buddies hanging, but it hurts my sense of RPG, engaging with the urgency of the story (particularly in Act 2).

I find I'm trying hard to pick up all the side-content en route to main missions, just to keep my character growing.

How are you dealing with this?

You mean like almost every other RPG. Breath of the Wild, for example. Zelda holding Gannon back for 100 years. Link cooking 20 dinners. Think about what you're asking for. Johnny would take you over after time jumps. The relic damage effect would get annoying. And you'd get pissed off being forced to play missions you didn't want to. No. The story waits for me. Regardless weather it makes sense. Would you be happy if you had to wait out time in the game? Get to a destination, or sit through every car ride? Time doesn't even advance when you use fast travel.

 

[vyvexthorne]

I think I've just gotten used to this in games as so many just try to rush you through the story. These days if a quest marker tells me to go one way I instinctively want to go the other way just to rebel against that damn quest marker. "Stop telling me where to go game.. I'll get there eventually!" A lot of older games didn't tell you shit and so you wandered around sometimes completely lost as to what the hell you were supposed to be doing. I miss that.

 

[hulkman2456]

You've got the solution right there. You write in clear, explicit breaks to allow for side content without a weird dissonance. Morrowind outright tells you at points in the main quest to go and get more experience in the world while your handler dude awaits intel/communications with superiors. It's an elegant solution.

This breaks too. Just level up and grind for a whole in-game year. That guy still doesn't show up.

 

[Swarth161]

I am glad there is no time limit but it does make the game feel a bit disconnected at times, wish they said a few years instead of weeks then that issue would have been solved