Greetings and salutations, earthlings.
I'd like to talk about what I find makes a good open world role playing game and, conversely, what can very quickly sink an open world RPG.
So, for starters, the success of the game is dependent on the player's experience.
This is fundamental and self-evident, yes?
Even if your personal goal is to use the game to make money the only way you're going to get what you want is to make the game an experience that your consumers want to pay for. An open world RPG means you have created a fantastical world that we get to run around in, explore and live vicariously through our avatar within. This means we want to do what WE want to do... not what you think we should be doing. I want to go anywhere I can get to. I want to do anything I can. Consequences are fine. Bullying the player onto the next set cue... yeah, uhmm. Only if you want really irate players.
So a couple suggestions:
1) Lay off my guy.
By this I mean, unless absolutely necessary, don't do anything to curtail my ability to control my avatar. Every single time you change, hamper, reign-in or otherwise interfere with the way the avatar responds to the player... you're in the way. This is almost ALWAYS a mistake because you're preventing the player from playing the game the way (s)he wants.
Don't do that.
REALLY.
Every time you do that you're grabbing the wheel.
Ever try grabbing the wheel in a car when some old-guy is driving? I don't recommend it.
See, what's happening from the player's perspective, if you've done your job right anyway, is that we are both emotionally invested and RESPONSIBLE FOR the success and well-being of our avatar. Because of that every time you guys grab the wheel you cause immediate stress and anxiety for the player... who often has no idea what is going on until after... whatever... happens. To the player this often feels like driving down the highway when, suddenly, the car stops responding to the steering wheel.
Scary, right?
For us too.... because we care about the characters that we are responsible for and the controls aren't doing what we expect them to.
Now I get that sometimes, for story purposes, you need to bully us around a little but, seriously... do this as rarely as possible and only when there is no other option. (I don't mean when I'm being hit by explosions or walking hip deep in water. I'm referring to bullying the player about to accommodate YOUR NEEDS.)
2) Don't think for me.
Please...
PLEASE...
stop trying to think for me. You have the entire world to play with. As long as the controls are consistent and intuitive you can teach me what to do... and then it's my responsibility, right? Teach me that red health bar = steel sword & white health bar = silver sword... and then get out of the way. It's my job. It's my responsibility. I don't need a script to decide when I'm in combat (that was your first and biggest mistake in TW3). I don't need a script to decide what weapon I'm using. I don't need a script preventing me from opening a door or my inventory or anything else.
it's the PLAYER's job to play the game.
Every time you play the game FOR me... you're in the way. Especially in an open world RPG.
So: Create a gorgeous open world with lots of things to do (check, you guys do a great job in that respect) that unfolds dynamically and intuitively for the player. Eh... you did a good job in TW3 but Cyberpunk is kinda clunky that way. Having every job (that you have the SC to do) already on the map is... meh.
I mean don't get me wrong it's not terrible. It's just nowhere near as good as good be.
Create a player interface that gives us the ability to do what we want when we want (seriously... no walk toggle for M&KB?) and then get out of the way. Don't mess with it. Every single time you do it feels like you're passing the buck and saddling the player with an unnecessary aggravation.
Finally, and yes this is me telling you your business but... I kinda feel like it's necessary... the development team lead NEEDS TO play the game. You need to know what kind of experience you're crafting for the player. If you don't do this it's OBVIOUS. I know you guys didn't play test the game (past a certain point, anyway) because the gameplay itself is often unnecessarily frustrating. (Trash underfoot constantly changing the player's Z-axis during aiming, the weird and counterintuitive follow mechanic (instead of a walk toggle), the constant, clunky hand-holdy way the objective markers update... I really don't need the step by step, guys.) I mean even the way T-Bug talks to the player in Konpeki is, well, kind of insulting. There's literally no room in CP2077 for the player to think for themselves.
It's an open world RPG. I want to do EVERYTHING.... my way.
Alright, I think that's the end of this post.
Cheers and carry on.
Addendum: in the SE corner of Northside the only way north involves going through an alley that can't be driven through with a car.... and that's the way the mapping / pathing directs me.
PLAY
YOUR
GAME
Oh, and double tapping to holster my weapon works less than half the time.
And the text added to the waypoints occasionally makes it very difficult to actually see the street.
I'd like to talk about what I find makes a good open world role playing game and, conversely, what can very quickly sink an open world RPG.
So, for starters, the success of the game is dependent on the player's experience.
This is fundamental and self-evident, yes?
Even if your personal goal is to use the game to make money the only way you're going to get what you want is to make the game an experience that your consumers want to pay for. An open world RPG means you have created a fantastical world that we get to run around in, explore and live vicariously through our avatar within. This means we want to do what WE want to do... not what you think we should be doing. I want to go anywhere I can get to. I want to do anything I can. Consequences are fine. Bullying the player onto the next set cue... yeah, uhmm. Only if you want really irate players.
So a couple suggestions:
1) Lay off my guy.
By this I mean, unless absolutely necessary, don't do anything to curtail my ability to control my avatar. Every single time you change, hamper, reign-in or otherwise interfere with the way the avatar responds to the player... you're in the way. This is almost ALWAYS a mistake because you're preventing the player from playing the game the way (s)he wants.
Don't do that.
REALLY.
Every time you do that you're grabbing the wheel.
Ever try grabbing the wheel in a car when some old-guy is driving? I don't recommend it.
See, what's happening from the player's perspective, if you've done your job right anyway, is that we are both emotionally invested and RESPONSIBLE FOR the success and well-being of our avatar. Because of that every time you guys grab the wheel you cause immediate stress and anxiety for the player... who often has no idea what is going on until after... whatever... happens. To the player this often feels like driving down the highway when, suddenly, the car stops responding to the steering wheel.
Scary, right?
For us too.... because we care about the characters that we are responsible for and the controls aren't doing what we expect them to.
Now I get that sometimes, for story purposes, you need to bully us around a little but, seriously... do this as rarely as possible and only when there is no other option. (I don't mean when I'm being hit by explosions or walking hip deep in water. I'm referring to bullying the player about to accommodate YOUR NEEDS.)
2) Don't think for me.
Please...
PLEASE...
stop trying to think for me. You have the entire world to play with. As long as the controls are consistent and intuitive you can teach me what to do... and then it's my responsibility, right? Teach me that red health bar = steel sword & white health bar = silver sword... and then get out of the way. It's my job. It's my responsibility. I don't need a script to decide when I'm in combat (that was your first and biggest mistake in TW3). I don't need a script to decide what weapon I'm using. I don't need a script preventing me from opening a door or my inventory or anything else.
it's the PLAYER's job to play the game.
Every time you play the game FOR me... you're in the way. Especially in an open world RPG.
So: Create a gorgeous open world with lots of things to do (check, you guys do a great job in that respect) that unfolds dynamically and intuitively for the player. Eh... you did a good job in TW3 but Cyberpunk is kinda clunky that way. Having every job (that you have the SC to do) already on the map is... meh.
I mean don't get me wrong it's not terrible. It's just nowhere near as good as good be.
Create a player interface that gives us the ability to do what we want when we want (seriously... no walk toggle for M&KB?) and then get out of the way. Don't mess with it. Every single time you do it feels like you're passing the buck and saddling the player with an unnecessary aggravation.
Finally, and yes this is me telling you your business but... I kinda feel like it's necessary... the development team lead NEEDS TO play the game. You need to know what kind of experience you're crafting for the player. If you don't do this it's OBVIOUS. I know you guys didn't play test the game (past a certain point, anyway) because the gameplay itself is often unnecessarily frustrating. (Trash underfoot constantly changing the player's Z-axis during aiming, the weird and counterintuitive follow mechanic (instead of a walk toggle), the constant, clunky hand-holdy way the objective markers update... I really don't need the step by step, guys.) I mean even the way T-Bug talks to the player in Konpeki is, well, kind of insulting. There's literally no room in CP2077 for the player to think for themselves.
It's an open world RPG. I want to do EVERYTHING.... my way.
Alright, I think that's the end of this post.
Cheers and carry on.
Post automatically merged:
Addendum: in the SE corner of Northside the only way north involves going through an alley that can't be driven through with a car.... and that's the way the mapping / pathing directs me.
PLAY
YOUR
GAME
Post automatically merged:
Oh, and double tapping to holster my weapon works less than half the time.
Post automatically merged:
And the text added to the waypoints occasionally makes it very difficult to actually see the street.
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