Will Old Gen Consoles Hold Back The Next Gen Patch?

[Mybrokenenglish]

Have they ever released and optimized their game for 9 different platforms at once before? No, they haven't. IMO this was the biggest mistake.

Considering they didn't manage it for "only" 3 platforms with TW3 and then start the "when it's ready" claim, I'd say that the lesson was not learned, in particular when in an interview they said "we learned from TW3 so cyberpunk is developed with consoles in mind" . Anyhow, still OT and not very important. I've learned the lesson, that's the important part for me.

 

[N3vErB0rED]

I just want to say for the record, I'm in no way angry at CDPR. I do love the game as it is despite the ridiculous bugs that occur. I still play the game on multiple platforms. I never did the refund, and I won't ask for one. I do know what it's like to develop mods for a game at the very least, and even at the small level of C++ I had to use as a one man team, I know it's not easy to solve the multitude of problems. I apologize if my rant came off as a call to arms -- it's not.

On further retrospection, I have no idea if the constant attention to old gen consoles will or have delayed the next gen optimizations. I should have realized that learning in any capacity or progress anywhere in the game -- whether it's from working from the deep end in the base code, or working on tweaks to get it optimized for next gen, all of this could very well be hand-in-hand; in other words, this all leads to the same end.

I'm more or less a "one crisis at a time" person, so I tend to lean towards doing one platform at a time, but this all comes down to how CDPR works as a team. If they feel like their energy is better spent on one thing rather than another, and as long as they know where their strengths are, no matter how long it takes, they will get it all done.

My big fear has always been, "I hope they don't go the route of EA or Activision -- who drops their IPs 6 months into release, and stops optimizing, and gives up..."

 

[Azulath]

I'm more or less a "one crisis at a time" person, so I tend to lean towards doing one platform at a time, but this all comes down to how CDPR works as a team, and if they feel like their energy is better spent on one thing rather than another, and as long as they know where their strengths are, no matter how long it takes, they will get it all done.

I think they allocate their people regarding to their specific skill set with priorities in mind. So, if someone excels at optimising things for PC then this person will probably continue to do so. However, if consoles and PC are within this person's skills then consoles will probably be the focus. That being said, it is hard to assume anything without having worked for the company. So, my guess is as good as anyone's.

My big fear has always been, "I hope they don't go the route of EA or Activision -- who drops their IPs 6 months into release, and stops optimizing, and gives up..."

I doubt that. Both EA and Activision have their cash cows and the projects they abandoned were not that successful in comparison to the cash cow games. CDPR depends on it's reputation, which has taken a bit of a hit now. However, I would also like to point out that things a probably not as grim as they seem since many people do actually enjoy CP2077. Those that do not like to complain though...

 

[SigilFey]

I think people are forgetting that business is still a major concern. If I open and run a business, I don't have the luxury of saying: I'm aiming for 3 years, but I'll take 10 if that's what is needed. Yes, that's a laudable approach, but reality is going to come knocking eventually.

If I am in charge of a business, I don't get to do whatever I want. I'm now responsible for people that are working for my business. They're under contract. They are making a living off of the paychecks that I provide for them. I cannot -- under law -- make a conscious decision that would result in me not having the ability to pay people's salaries or wages. That would be negligence or fraud. So, if I get into a situation where my dreams start conflicting with the contractual obligations I have to my employees, partners, and/or investors...I must honor those contracts.

Hence, though the actual, honest, 100% dedicated ideal I began working under was, "We'll take all the time we need," that can very suddenly become, "We're out of time," when real-life finances and logistics come to the door. My choices at that point in time are to do whatever can be done to ensure that I still have a way of moving forward, though it will be less than ideal...or I can foolishly and childishly stamp my feet, refuse to accept that my ideals are not being respected by real life, and drive my company into bankruptcy, leaving me with no ability to accomplish any of my goals.

And still at other times, it's totally possible for me to think I have achieved my goals, when I haven't. A situation like:

"I've got this! I got it!! I so got it!!!

...

...oh...

I don't got it..."

Not saying that I know for sure which one happened with Cyberpunk. My guess, especially given the chaos the pandemic caused, is that it was a little of both.

When companies intentionally release empty products for the sole purpose of taking advantage of their consumers, they go out of business. Even the elephant in the room for this, which I would argue is EA, has still released amazing products that were definitely labors of love. Yes, a branch of EA seemed to go down the wrong path for a while...as consumers complained while continuing to fund and support it...but one glance at the actual gameplay for things like Battlefield, Battlefront and Jedi: Fallen Order, The Sims, Titanfall, Need for Speed, etc. shows that there's a lot of solid development going on as well.

It's business as well as art. Mistakes will be made. Bad calls will be made. Problems will crop up, and people will fix them. Everything will take time. Nothing is perfect.

 

[Azulath]

Also, I would like to add to your statement that CDPR is also a publicly traded company and spokespersons of such companies have to be very careful about any public statement that could influence the value of the company's stock price because they could be held accountable to a certain degree.

 

[LeonidLoren]

Mistakes will be made. Bad calls will be made. Problems will crop up, and people will fix them. Everything will take time. Nothing is perfect.

This should be ingrained in everyone's mind.