What if the new cyberpunk game reused the open world of 2077?

[Davin_Dittrich]

Broadly speaking I think that reusing geometry data of Night City would be pretty much a non-issue as you can indeed use raw geometry across various game engines. And it might even be possible to basically rebuild the old city and landscape that way by using UE5's material data and then polishing up the rest with individual characteristics. But that's still a lot of work for a baseline.

But I'm all for intelligent recycling to save time and found Night City to be a great location overall, just not dense enough. But a sequel can fix a lot of that very easily.

Also, just because Night City is the location once more it doesn't mean that there won't be differences to its current form. For example, the sequel could start with Night City after a small unrest, an uprising against the corporations that was silenced by force, by setting ablaze a whole district of the city and by bombings against strategic buildings. And if the sequel plays a few years later that would give the option to replace parts of the destroyed city blocks and buildings with new, pro-corp propagandist buildings, monuments to the gods that are the corporate leaders. Would also lead to a good general leitmotif to start with.

Further the city could be expanded upon, especially the wastelands, but also some sky scrapers could be filled with small ecosystems of NPC's quests and side quests. But it's all dependant on what CDPR wants the sequel to be. The possibilities are basically endless.

 

[0248991]

Hey,
what comes to my mind is the integration of 2077 with the new game.

Stuff like:
- save file integration (e.g. damaged Arasaka tower after V dug under it with nomads,...)
- possibly meeting old characters (Victor, Misty,... - they don't seem like types to leave NC - Misty even said so)
- updated locations (e.g. the stadium in Pacifica could be occupied by some gang)
- ...

The possibilities are truly endless

 

[BabaBooey88]

To elaborate on my thoughts from earlier - I think Phantom Liberty may serve as a test case for this. While they have emphasized it's a story based expansion, it sounds rather large and from the IR meeting comment that it's "very advanced" I'm guessing that coupled with the next update(s) it could redefine the entire game much in the way a sequel would.

Rather than trying to deliver like they did with TW3, which seems to have set unrealistic expectations for CDPR fans for what can be accomplished in what amount of time marketing entirely aside, and practically double the amount of play time in less than a year post-launch; they'll use the previously developed world, open previously locked areas, add new areas, new stories, characters, etc and make improvements on the existing map and of course improve the tech. Making seemingly bigger and bigger games with each consecutive delivery. At least that seems reasonable to me.

I hope that's the case as it's the only way I can see them keeping their word to their employees about QoL while delivering that many games at scale and quality in such a short amount of time.

 

[DjSpyder]

Hey,
what comes to my mind is the integration of 2077 with the new game.

Stuff like:
- save file integration (e.g. damaged Arasaka tower after V dug under it with nomads,...)
- possibly meeting old characters (Victor, Misty,... - they don't seem like types to leave NC - Misty even said so)
- updated locations (e.g. the stadium in Pacifica could be occupied by some gang)
- ...

The possibilities are truly endless

I want to start by saying to my knowledge this is not 100% confirmed just my interpretation of the trailer and the little we do know about PL. But it looks like the stadium will be opened up during the expansion, I'm not 100% sure if the stadium is the new area known as "The Combat Zone" because I don't recall it being definitively confirmed anywhere but I think the Pacifica stadium is the combat zone and will have its own economy and ecosystem of gangs and power dynamics. But I could be wrong as again, I don't think any of this will be confirmed until sometime in June when they start talking more about the expansion.

Having said that, let's say the CP sequel takes place 1-2 years after CP2077, the events of PL could re-shape the combat zone so we could get a significant update on what the expansion is already adding, which would be very cool. But yes, in general taking some of the lesser used areas of the game (Like the oil fields or stadium or BioTechnica flats) and making them more than just empty set dressing would be much appreciated, I'm optimistic that Phantom Liberty will start that process and then the sequel will of course continue to update an already great map.

 

[bauerkn]

1. Giant buildings like the casino actually having a purpose.
2. Some of the taller buildings being open with content inside of them.

Man when I first stood in front of the new Arasaka tower and couldn't get in, it was sad.

Also to those points.. it drives me nuts that in every elevator you can go to 1, maybe 2 floors of 100 in the building.. I dont need every building and every floor, sure.. but going from Megabuilding A, floor X to Megabuilding B, Floor Y.. when those are the only ones available anyway, it doesn't feel like an open world. You can't even use the elevator to another deck on your garage

 

[CyberpunkRoslyn]

Knowing CDPR, it wouldn't surprise me if they are secretly working on another city right now. In the Cynerpunk lore, Night City is classified as a independent city that is not under the authority of the United States Government. Who's to say that some city in Japan or China didn't do the same thing after they saw Night City's early success. Let's take time to consider that Night City resembles Los Angeles and New York's cultural melting pot image. People of all cultures are residents of Night City.

It would make sense that a Cyberpunk sequel would take place a short amount of time after the events of the first game. Also, consider the fact that we don't know how much future content CDPR will create for the current game. There is still a lot of un-used content that CDPR needs to take advantage of for the current game, before they even consider a functional sequel. I don't think they'd want to go too far in the past, because the technology may be less developed. Given the popularity in the new neo-metropolises being developed in the middle east; it wouldn't surprise me if CDPR chose that route.

 

[pliskards]

Knowing CDPR, it wouldn't surprise me if they are secretly working on another city right now. In the Cynerpunk lore, Night City is classified as a independent city that is not under the authority of the United States Government. Who's to say that some city in Japan or China didn't do the same thing after they saw Night City's early success. Let's take time to consider that Night City resembles Los Angeles and New York's cultural melting pot image. People of all cultures are residents of Night City.

It would make sense that a Cyberpunk sequel would take place a short amount of time after the events of the first game. Also, consider the fact that we don't know how much future content CDPR will create for the current game. There is still a lot of un-used content that CDPR needs to take advantage of for the current game, before they even consider a functional sequel. I don't think they'd want to go too far in the past, because the technology may be less developed. Given the popularity in the new neo-metropolises being developed in the middle east; it wouldn't surprise me if CDPR chose that route.

I would be surprised. Night City is kind of the main character in Cyberpunk in and of itself.

 

[northwold]

I don't mind reusing the old map for some segment of the game, but in sequels I prefer to see completely new worlds rather than a retread set only in existing ones. Part of my reason for playing games like this is to have the thrill of exploring new environments.

 

[CyberpunkRoslyn]

It will all depend on how well CDPR can expand on the current existing map. This isn't set back in the day of the Witcher. Given Cyberpunk's lore, Night City could eventually convert to being a United States city under government law, which could push politicians and corporations inside Night City to venture off to the continent of Asia or the middle east to create another city that is free from the government. I kind of like that idea, because it spawns creativity. I'd like to think that it's currently happening in the Cyberpunk universe as we speak.

When considering the current space that is still available, I'd say that CDPR has barely scraped the surface. We'll be introduced to the combat zone inside Pacifica very shortly. Let's also consider that there is a boundary restricted area that sits outside of the badlands. Is that area regulated by US law? When entering the Night City border, it says "Leaving Southern California". So there is still expansion to be done in areas that might be classified as a "dead zone" in between government regulated "southern California".

 

[psymind]

I wouldnt mind if they adapted this city for a sequel as long as it was also improved

 

[tavellone]

It'd be cool if there was a different setting for a sequel, but I'd be equally as happy if it were set in Night City. My only wish is that it would be slightly bigger, especially the badlands. I found it a little hilarious when you are helping the Aldecaldos and V has a seizure and they move in the meantime and Panam tells you they had to move to hide from the Raffen Shiv and you check on the map and they moved literally five minutes away. Like, for real, they couldn't chase you over A HILL?

I know it's a video game and you're kind of expect to imagine the distance is greater but really.

 

[DjSpyder]

It'd be cool if there was a different setting for a sequel, but I'd be equally as happy if it were set in Night City. My only wish is that it would be slightly bigger, especially the badlands. I found it a little hilarious when you are helping the Aldecaldos and V has a seizure and they move in the meantime and Panam tells you they had to move to hide from the Raffen Shiv and you check on the map and they moved literally five minutes away. Like, for real, they couldn't chase you over A HILL?

I know it's a video game and you're kind of expect to imagine the distance is greater but really.

I know it's a little bit of a tangent, but the reason the Aldecaldos pick that spot, is they have "Better control of the land" more cover funnel points etc.... I think that matters more than distance, from a lore perspective.

From gameplay, Yeah, the badlands could be a little bigger, also creating an entire small town just outside the border of NC, that you only see for 4 mins, in only 1 life path, that cannot be returned to or accessed any other way feel like a waste of the space they did have. But for me, I'd like Night City to be Night City in general layout and size, I'd like it to be a close to 1 to 1 recreation, Now the details of the city are where I'd love to see changes, depending on time period Having different landmarks, locations, more interiors is a big one for me, Having a completely locked down megabuilding felt like a waste, and having such limited access to the buildings you can enter felt a little disappointing.

SO, I would love more of the night city we have, just more places to explore on the interiors and maybe even something like an "Urban Expansion Project" in the lore, that explains a new district existing.

 

[tavellone]

I know it's a little bit of a tangent, but the reason the Aldecaldos pick that spot, is they have "Better control of the land" more cover funnel points etc.... I think that matters more than distance, from a lore perspective.

From gameplay, Yeah, the badlands could be a little bigger, also creating an entire small town just outside the border of NC, that you only see for 4 mins, in only 1 life path, that cannot be returned to or accessed any other way feel like a waste of the space they did have. But for me, I'd like Night City to be Night City in general layout and size, I'd like it to be a close to 1 to 1 recreation, Now the details of the city are where I'd love to see changes, depending on time period Having different landmarks, locations, more interiors is a big one for me, Having a completely locked down megabuilding felt like a waste, and having such limited access to the buildings you can enter felt a little disappointing.

SO, I would love more of the night city we have, just more places to explore on the interiors and maybe even something like an "Urban Expansion Project" in the lore, that explains a new district existing.

Now that you mention it, yeah I think Night City would do better to be internally scaled and fundamentally keep the size of the city the same. I stick to my point about the Badlands though. It doesn't make sense from any perspective that if you're hiding from a mobile enemy that knows the land as well as you do that you'd move literally in viewing distance from where you last were at.

 

[DjSpyder]

Now that you mention it, yeah I think Night City would do better to be internally scaled and fundamentally keep the size of the city the same. I stick to my point about the Badlands though. It doesn't make sense from any perspective that if you're hiding from a mobile enemy that knows the land as well as you do that you'd move literally in viewing distance from where you last were at.

I agree, It was probably more of a map limitations issue than a purely creative choice, something along the lines of "Where can we fit this reworked camp, with the tank, that we can drop on the map halfway through the game." And that was the only place within the borders of the badlands that worked. Maybe an example of a little bit of troubled development.

Just pointing out, they at least attempted to explain the choice of location.

 

[pliskards]

As a note -

CDPR has said that after the next Witcher game releases they believe that they can churn out the next two sequels three and six years after the initial release. My guess is because they are going to do exactly what this thread is talking about. They are going to reuse locations, models, assets, etc. It wouldn't shock me if Night City also stays somewhat similar the next two-three games.

I actually don't mind this either. Seems like what God of War 2018 and Ragnarok ended up doing. I'd much rather have a new game every three-four years rather than waiting five to six years for something 'completely new'.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

I actually don't mind this either. Seems like what God of War 2018 and Ragnarok ended up doing. I'd much rather have a new game every three-four years rather than waiting five to six years for something 'completely new'.

I guess they could add locations of fill up "empty" ones, like they did for Phantom Liberty, I'm totally fine with that

 

[MisterFurious]

Not only do I not see a problem with CDPR reusing the same map for a sequel, I wouldn't mind if other game companies would make Cyberpunk games and just buy the city from CDPR and use it. The city itself is amazing and I'd love to see other studios using it for different Cyberpunk stories.

 

[Greeniewolf]

I'm not an expert like I said, but I don't think it work like that... You probably can't just "copy/past".

It really depends. In many cases it is possible to transfer assets or even entire games from one engine to another. That said, it is almost never quite as simple as performing a straight copy and paste, but some engines either have importers built in or available as side tools. Even when that's not an option sometimes it's still usually possible to build a script to do it (though not always). The question then becomes is it more cost and/or time effective to build an import script from scratch or start completely over.

Keep in mind that even rolling a game between two related engines (say Unreal 4 and Unreal 5) can require lots of additional work to ensure things will still work. The work between two completely unrelated engines would in most cases be even more intensive.

That said, I don't know enough about the engine used in Cyberpunk 2077 nor about their plans for the next game to even be able to guess if it would be feasible or practical, or even if there would be a reason to do it at all.

Source: I write and design characters for video games and have been forced to learn a few things about game development along the way.

Edited a few times for clarity.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

It really depends. In many cases it is possible to transfer assets or even entire games from one engine to another. That said, it is almost never quite as simple as performing a straight copy and paste, but some engines either have importers built in or available as side tools. Even when that's not an option sometimes it's still usually possible to build a script to do it (though not always). The question then becomes is it more cost and/or time effective to build an import script from scratch or start completely over.

Keep in mind that even rolling a game between two related engines (say Unreal 4 and Unreal 5) can require lots of additional work to ensure things will still work. The work between two completely unrelated engines would in most cases be even more intensive.

That said, I don't know enough about the engine used in Cyberpunk 2077 nor about their plans for the next game to even be able to guess if it would be feasible or practical, or even if there would be a reason to do it at all.

Source: I write and design characters for video games and have been forced to learn a few things about game development along the way.

Edited a few times for clarity.

Even if it's not possible (I really don't know^^), I guess it will be faster/easier anyway to "recreate" entirely the city knowing they already have a detailed plan of Night City (better than a blank slate like it was on Red Engine years ago).

 

[CyberpunkRoslyn]

Reusing the open world of 2077., would save CDPR a lot of time. However, the transition from Red Engine to Unreal 5 will determine how many of the game's assets can be transferred over. My guess, is that CDPR is looking into that now. Developing a brand new city will take them a lot of time and we probably woildnt see the sequel foe at least 3 or 4 years. From a narrative point of view, there is still a lot to be done with Night City as far as means of travel and accessibility. The NC rail system would be nice addition as well as using Delamain as a means of travel. The time frame of the sequels story may also influence Night City's appearance and how much we are able to access. There are still a lot of buildings that have yet to be explored.

From a gamers perspective, how entertaining would it be if V already has access to the majority of Night City? Is was rather suspenseful when CDPR introduced the walled off district of DOGTOWN. What is left? A MOON COLONY? Creating shock value in the sequel is no easy task if CDPR brings us back to Night City. More importantly, how distinguishable will the three lifepaths be from one another? What's beyond the boarder snd are there small cities in the Badlands with functional markets that resemble "No Access" theme of dogtown.

The "Who" factor is critical in development of the sequel. If the protagonist is "V", who does he/she come in contact with during this new narrative? CDPR doesn't seem why in bringing many of V's close contacts to their death. It brings the question, of who V will work with in a return to Night City? This weighs heavily on the ending that CDPR chooses. Can V survive the plague of the Arasaka biochip? Can the dangers of the Blackwall be used to help V exist separately from the biochip?