The developer says the design of Cyberpunk 2077 has an important flaw
Cyberpunk 2077 developer and level designer Miles Tost has given his best assessment yet of exactly what happened to the level design in CD Projekt Red’s sci-fi RPG.
During a panel at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Tost had the opportunity to make observations about his own level design philosophy as well as his account of what team points can be. do better with Electronic 2077. Tost has made it clear that “we are proud to be storytellers, and we don’t want to prevent players who lack foresight from [preventing them] enjoy the story” (through IGN (opens in a new tab)).
However, this leads to the existence of a “common path”, for anyone who does not specify their character in a particular direction. This path is often obvious and thus encourages players to move towards it instead of finding their own path based on their own play style.
When talking about what he learned from this mistake, he concluded that “we need to treat roads as special [because] this is what creates value in the choices players make.” He also commented that Electronic 2077 often filled with bottlenecks that undermine the sense of player self-determination brought about by the game.
Tost also mentions the core ambition of Electronic 2077. The game aims to be a “big step forward” for CD Projekt Red. “It sounds crazy, but it also sounds amazing, and boy, we’re up to the challenge.”
Triangle Strategy
Tost used his panel, titled “What Cyberpunk 2077 Teaches Us About Nonlinear Level Design,” to illustrate his three-pronged approach to level design. A great level must have “gap perception” between the different paths provided, a sense of exclusivity for each given road, and finally, a sense of “authenticity” by making each one “worth it” way. [players’] time… [with] Exclusive scenes, encounters or world building.
This all-round model seems like a pretty tall order for even the most successful game developers. It does show, however, that Tost certainly has its priorities in place when it comes to design. His approach does a great job of explaining exactly why some levels in Electronic 2077 work very efficiently, while others do not.
IN Cyberpunk 2077 In the first act, V, the game’s protagonist, must infiltrate a factory held by the Maelstrom gang and their fearsome army of cyborgs. While it’s possible to progress through the level through stealth, combat power, or charm, all the different routes end with the protagonist getting his hands on Flathead – a drone military was initially held by Maelstrom, without it the final Act 1 mission would not have been possible.
I always found the level to be overwhelming and now, thanks to Tost, I know why. Since each of the levels’ different paths lead to this common outcome, the level lacks the “authentic” feel that Tost mentioned in his panel.
If different task approaches yield clearly different results, I’m likely to find much more rewarding. While your choices in the factory do affect some side quests later in the game, the consequences come too late for them to have the desired effect on the player.
Hopefully the lessons learned and discoveries in Tost’s console will make CD Projekt Red games better in the future. I would love to see the upcoming Electronic 2077 expansion ghost of freedom use Tost’s design paradigm and, in doing so, create some truly memorable sequences worthy of Best role playing game.