The missed opportunity of Netrunners

[eran5005]

I hear people talk about stuff like police chases, car customization, adding motorcycle riders to the city traffic... Are these REALLY important things? Why don't we focus on asking for things that will affect play? Things that are actually Cyberpunk? And what is more Cyberpunk than Netrunners?

Currently, netrunners are a joke. They only use the Overheat hack, which is barely an annoyance if you pop a health item, or literally nothing is you get burn immunity.

Why can't netrunners use all the hacks that V can use? With the exception of some of the Ultimate quickhacks, cause stuff like Suicide and System Reset are obviously unfair. I think most if not all of the normal quickhacks can add a very interesting and challenging obstacles for us to overcome and make netrunners a real threat that will force V to come up with counters, adjusted tactics or make damn sure they take the netrunner out first.

Some examples:

Weapon malfunction: disables the ranged weapon you are currently holding, forcing you to switch, stronger netrunners might even cause it to backfire and damage you (not destroying it, cause that would suck)

Cyberware malfunction: disables your mantis blades, Sandevistan and even your cyberdeck for a period.

Reboot optics: giving you a black screen would suck too bad, but why not disable your reticle? give the screen blips and interference, make enemies and objects jump position back and forth, disable your marking of them?

Cripple movement: Your legs ain't working choomba, and the gangoons are closing in!

Sonic shock: No longer can hear footsteps, gunfire or the enemies combat banter.

I can go on, but you get the picture i think.

I love this game so much, i want it to be better, and Netrunners should be scary!

 

[lyin321]

Especially as there is a feat that shows you who is hacking you. I don't know how good it works as I haven't used it, but I wouldn't mind it being almost a must have, because the netrunners are so dangerous. And from RPG game perspective I don't see a problem, as in all other RPGs the mage is someone you focus on first

 

[-SAVAGERY-]

I must say I agree with this. I myself was torn between creating a Netrunner character or a super-strong V. I ended up going with something in the middle because as much as I enjoyed the idea of being a net running ninja with all the best quick hacks and perks at my disposal, I didn't like the possibility of being locked out of doors that I might be able to use strength on or Fights where being a brute would come in handy. As it stands now I'm about to dive into this new update see what has been added. I personally would like to see more content added for Netrunners as players and NPCs! I think the netrunners should be a MAJOR MAJOR part of the cyberpunk landscape. After all, Night City and the world it exists within is a tech-driven place!

 

[LeKill3rFou]

I'm quite confident that we will see that in a futur update

 

[Ouroboros612]

Probably cut. Hopefully makes it in. It's kind of silly that netrunners are NOT a priority target, but rather as you say, a small annoyance. Just adding 2-3 more enemy hacks would make a world of difference.

 

[devivre]

I kinda have to agree. Besides, it would give combat an interesting spin, if you had to act fast to prevent a potentially lethal quickhack attack from happening before the time runs out. But yeah, it could make netrunners a lot more interesting.

 

[FiberPunk]

More importantly, "the net" needs to be a place you actually visit, with location correlation to the real world. You should be able to move to a building in cyberspace, penetrate its defenses in a lore-correct way, and then gain control of various aspects of it. Read how it's handled in the CP2020 RPG to get some ideas of how this can be done.

Quickhacks and breach protocol are silly and don't seem cyberpunk at all. Having to use programs as weapons to defeat a metallic three-headed wolf in cyberspace to get access to your enemy's implants...THAT is cyberpunk.

 

[Hayte]

Yes its definitely a missed opportunity. They ended up as a kind of realspace spellcaster but in Cyberpunk RED its not really like that at all.

In RED the old global internet as we know it is dead and what remains are clusters of isolated local nets hidden behind the blackwall. Outside the blackwall is what remains of the old net and is now the domain of RABIDS mutations and unshackled AIs.

If I were to re-imagine netrunning in Cyberpunk 2077, I would think of it as a transform ability. You must find an access point and breach it. Upon successful breach you can now enter the local net. Cyberspace can be depicted much like real space (as in The Matrix) so you don't necessarily have to spend all your gam etime with tron graphics.

The perimeter of the local net is marked. Stepping outside will kick you back into your body. While you are in cyberspace, your real body remains vulnerable in real space. You can see your own body at all times (like a pinged target). Enemies in real space can find and kill your realspace body, which will kill you in cyberspace.

While in cyberspace you move really fast and can blink. Enemies can't see you. You become a highly mobile assassin/infiltrator/melee type on the net. Your monowire is just a whip/garrote in realspace but in the net it can be used to upload hacks and stuff. Killing enemies in real space from cyberspace can alert their friends. When you get discovered, you get ICEed.

ICE and black ICE can be represented like Matrix agents. Think of it like Maxtac. ICE agents seek and destroy you like Oda and if they down you, you get kicked out of cyberspace and cant enter the local net again or say 5 mins.

If a black ICE agent downs you in cyberspace, you fully die.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Ziggy Q & Cyberspace specialist - TV Show