Why is there no real Netrunning / Decking in CP2077?

[Elle-Iza]

Many people have criticized the sparse use of Braindance in the game, and although I'd still love to see a more creative and brave way of these multi-sensual movies being implemented into the game, I ask myself since day 1: Why is there no real Netrunning (or for my fellow Shadowrunners Decking) in the game?
The Matrix is a huge and important component of the Cyberpunk universe, and while Netrunners and their equipment are everywhere, we don't have the chance to run the net / deck into the matrix just once. And I'm super bummed by that.
With Jackie's and T-Bug's "Practice Makes Perfect" VR-app we see, how netrunning / decking could look like. Customizing our own Matrix persona, learn and buy hacks, code and programs, jack into access points, run the 'Trix, break into corp systems, fight against / outsmart ICE and corp deckers, steal data, gain access to files, cams, elevators, play games, meet other deckers in Shadowland BBS...
In my opinion it would be such a simple yet fun way to enrich the game.

What's your opinion about netrunning?

 

[cartlidge]

the issue with netrunning I suspect is the same problem the tabletop games have both shadowrun and cyberpunk,.. it's boring/invisible for non-netrunners which in the single player game cp2077 must cater for so the work has limited reach.

As a netrunner they could implement a proper matrix but to do this for every network I think is anything but simple/trivial and would amount to almost a separate game sitting on what is currently there. (I hesitate to say mini game because I think a mini game is something like the breach protocol or space invaders on an arcade machine)

I'd love netrunning in the game as you envisage, but I think the resources and time to implement something like this would increase the workload tremendously given the amount of use it would get and I would be surprised if we ever saw something like that

 

[Didacgomez]

Many people have criticized the sparse use of Braindance in the game, and although I'd still love to see a more creative and brave way of these multi-sensual movies being implemented into the game, I ask myself since day 1: Why is there no real Netrunning (or for my fellow Shadowrunners Decking) in the game?
The Matrix is a huge and important component of the Cyberpunk universe, and while Netrunners and their equipment are everywhere, we don't have the chance to run the net / deck into the matrix just once. And I'm super bummed by that.
With Jackie's and T-Bug's "Practice Makes Perfect" VR-app we see, how netrunning / decking could look like. Customizing our own Matrix persona, learn and buy hacks, code and programs, jack into access points, run the 'Trix, break into corp systems, fight against / outsmart ICE and corp deckers, steal data, gain access to files, cams, elevators, play games, meet other deckers in Shadowland BBS...
In my opinion it would be such a simple yet fun way to enrich the game.

What's your opinion about netrunning?

As per lore post 2020 in Rtalsorian there is no Gibsonian cyberspace except the old net that between CPRED (2045) and CP2077 is confined behind the Black Wall (is more the other way around, human net islands are surrounded by savage net). In 2077, all is more like isolated LANs with point to point connections.
The real reason both for tabletop and computer is what @cartlidge pointed: is two different games and forces duplication of game worlds. Even in shadowrun computer games, i remember the disconnect of some scenes: a room with enemies, my meat team fighting,my decker decking....several turns later my decker still decking while my grunts are already talking about the weekend. Its difficult to mix them if the timescales are not like "accelerated" for net. You can find an interview with Mike Pondsmith also talking about getting rid of Gibsonian netrunning in CPRED.

Post automatically merged: Sep 15, 2021

Just arrived home, in case somebody is interested about Mike Pondsmith interview (strictly CPRED tabletop)

https://www.dicebreaker.com/categor...rpg-almost-killed-us-mike-pondsmith-interview

"One of the major changes in Cyberpunk Red compared to previous editions is how netrunners - the game’s cyberspace-surfing hackers - operate. Instead of being able to jack into the ‘net and go anywhere, the localisation of networks due to the net being severely damaged during the Fourth Corporate War means that netrunners must now be physically close to the system they want to interface with.

The upshot of this is that netrunners now have to be much more part of the team, rather than being separated from everyone else as they explored the digital world, one of the main problems with the previous editions.


“When I originally wrote netrunning, we were trying to simulate flying, out in cyberspace, which was prevalent in the way they did things in Gibson,” says Pondsmith. “The problem with it is that most of the protagonists were doing something and then having to wait for the netrunner to do something. We deliberately made netrunning more personal.”"

 

[Species8472rc3]

I think CDPR was just too busy trying to get the city/outside environments playable in time... if you look closely around the game-world, you'll find a ton of stuff that's blocked off... most building interiors, the hospital, all MegaBuildings save a couple special floors of MB10, the sewers, and those black "There's nothing here for you... yet" regions of the map.) I'm betting Cyberspace and NetRunning will feature more prominently once they have time to finish that part of the game. Really, there's almost nothing at all in what we've seen so far, aside from T-Bug's training mission, and then as a backdrop for several conversations with Brigitte, Johnny, and Alt... Don't forget, there's also that mysterious tab at the bottom of the skill-tree that's disabled at the moment... I'm betting it flips to a "decking" skill tree full of stuff that only works for V inside of cyberspace...

Spoiler

which is kind of where the first little snippet of gameplay leaves you, right?

Hmmm....