4 ms·

This is right on the money for games which are impactful for me, and I noticed the writing being on-point in CP2077's decisions entirely: there were plenty of m

by XorNot 4y ago

This is right on the money for games which are impactful for me, and I noticed the writing being on-point in CP2077's decisions entirely: there were plenty of moment in my playthrough where I didn't have to stop and think about what a dialogue option was, it felt entirely natural to hit one of the prompts the moment I saw it because the way I was playing my character, that's what they would've done. That felt great, compared to say, Mass Effect which did tend to suffer from a mismatch between the prompt and what would actually happen - it's a credit to CDPR that I never felt betrayed by a dialogue choice (except one, at the ending).

blargey 4y ago
Interesting, I felt the opposite - consistent mismatches between the expectation and reality of Cyberpunk’s dialogue choices. A lot of optional dialogue was just cues to make the NPC roll their eyes and explain obvious “subtext” to the biggest dork in Night City, instead of a cue to play out two inhabitants of this world just naturally discussing and elaborating on a point of shared understanding. V’s lines in mandatory dialogue weren’t much better, though, so perhaps it’s a problem with CDPR’s rigid vision of what “V” is supposed to be like - simultaneously a cyberpunk native and a fish out of water. Either way, I had to politely ignore and headcanon most of it to get any actual role-playing satisfaction.
- jltsiren 4y ago
  I think it's more about Mike Pondsmith's vision than CDPR's vision. It's not the kind of setting where you tell stories about competent and successful characters. The main characters are supposed to be losers and misfits who often turn to crime because they don't have other options. They are good at some things and bad at others, and they have far more ambition than common sense. The expected outcome is a failure, and there are no happy endings.
  - blargey 4y ago
    Perhaps. The setting and themes are certainly bleak. But the dialogue I’m thinking of feels more like complete lapses in common sense / social skills / street smarts one would expect even from a loser/misfit, given any of V’s background story options. I’d chalk some of it up to awkward exposition, but stuff like “background check” equivalents tend to feel stilted too. The many gameplay and plot concessions made towards run-and-gun action and power fantasy cause 2077 to stray far from the “you’re not special” theme of “proper” cyberpunk stories, in general. Especially with the defeat of a certain character at the hands of V.

by XorNot 4y ago

blargey 4y ago

Interesting, I felt the opposite - consistent mismatches between the expectation and reality of Cyberpunk’s dialogue choices. A lot of optional dialogue was just cues to make the NPC roll their eyes and explain obvious “subtext” to the biggest dork in Night City, instead of a cue to play out two inhabitants of this world just naturally discussing and elaborating on a point of shared understanding. V’s lines in mandatory dialogue weren’t much better, though, so perhaps it’s a problem with CDPR’s rigid vision of what “V” is supposed to be like - simultaneously a cyberpunk native and a fish out of water. Either way, I had to politely ignore and headcanon most of it to get any actual role-playing satisfaction.

jltsiren 4y ago
I think it's more about Mike Pondsmith's vision than CDPR's vision. It's not the kind of setting where you tell stories about competent and successful characters. The main characters are supposed to be losers and misfits who often turn to crime because they don't have other options. They are good at some things and bad at others, and they have far more ambition than common sense. The expected outcome is a failure, and there are no happy endings.
- blargey 4y ago
  Perhaps. The setting and themes are certainly bleak. But the dialogue I’m thinking of feels more like complete lapses in common sense / social skills / street smarts one would expect even from a loser/misfit, given any of V’s background story options. I’d chalk some of it up to awkward exposition, but stuff like “background check” equivalents tend to feel stilted too. The many gameplay and plot concessions made towards run-and-gun action and power fantasy cause 2077 to stray far from the “you’re not special” theme of “proper” cyberpunk stories, in general. Especially with the defeat of a certain character at the hands of V.