Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Is Teasing An Interesting Scenario Regarding Progression And Player Communication

Cyberpunk 2077 developers CD Projekt RED have been asking some interesting questions about gameplay mechanics that might seem quite straightforward at first glance. Kyle Rowley, who’s working as an associate design director on the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, recently took to Twitter to ask some interesting questions, though he mentioned very specifically that his posts don’t have anything to do with the game itself.

Rowley brought up the topic of headshots, and asked how they may function in an RPG with guns- what if you land a headshot on an enemy that is ten levels higher? Do you get an instant kill, seeing as it’s a headshot, or should it be centered around what level you and your target are? Several people replied with suggestions, with one particular person suggesting having enemies classfied as part of the same encounter. But how would a game communicate something like that to the player, is the question that Rowley asked in response.

Another person suggested that a headshot should result in an instant kill, regardless of what level you or your enemies are. And while that might make sense on paper, it clashes with progression mechanics. Rowley said the same thing in response, further asking if progression mechanics were even all that important in such a scenario. Meanwhile, another person suggested levelling up and decaying mechanics based on how much the player does or does not use their skills, similar to Elder Scrolls but with decaying added. Rowley said in response that it might result in the players having to micromanage how much they use each of their skills.

Yes, Rowley did indeed say that none of his posts have anything to do with Cyberpunk 2077, but it’s interesting to see all these questions, which are indeed worth thinking about. Games such as Fallout and Deus Ex have combined shooting and role playing mechanics quite well over the years, so maybe CDPR might look at them for inspiration.

So, you're playing your dream RPG, it has guns. You fire your gun at a human enemy 10 levels higher than you – headshot. What happens, why?

— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) October 24, 2017

How would you communicate that to the player? How do I know which enemies are part of the same encounter? What if I aggro other enemies? 😀

— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) October 24, 2017

How would you get the feeling of progression if everything can be one shotted? Or it's not so important?

— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) October 24, 2017

Like Elder Scrolls games but with decaying after no use? I think it will result in players having to micromanage how often they use skills.

— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) October 24, 2017