Original link: https://markonreview.com/2022/10/07/interviewed-cdpr-on-cyberpunk-2077-zh/
After spending a lot of time immersed in the world of “Cyberpunk 2077” (hereinafter referred to as “2077”), the author condensed his personal understanding of various aspects of the game into relevant game reviews, but I am not impressed with “2077” It is difficult for the author to unilaterally determine the factors behind many wonderful designs, but I have always been curious.
It is a great honor for the author to obtain a valuable written interview opportunity from CD Projekt RED (hereinafter referred to as CDPR), which is the most suitable for answering these questions. After submitting the list of questions, the development team commissioned two heavyweight guests to respond to the concerns:
One is Igor Sarzyński , Narritive Director at CDPR, who served as Cinematic Director in “2077”, hereinafter referred to as Igor .
The other is Marcin Blacha , Story Director at CDPR, which is also his title in “2077”, hereinafter referred to as Marcin .
It should be specially reminded that this interview contains thorough spoilers for “2077” and a more in-depth analysis of the relevant game content . Please read it according to your actual needs. Of course, if you are not worried about complete spoilers, you are also very welcome to read the “2077” game review I issued earlier.
The original content of our interview with CDPR was in English, and the full text in English has already been published, which can be accessed here .
Let’s take a look at what the two core producers shared on the following issues and around “2077”.
in game
Q1: About “Advanced Animals”
In our opinion, the mainline quest “Advanced Animals (Automatic Love)” is probably the most complex quest in 2077:
- An important decision involving too much V;
- There are two sex couples with considerable differences in performance to choose from;
- Based on V’s questions and answers, the dialogue interactions provided by the two sex couples are very complex;
- Need to figure out The Clouds and how their sex couples really work, etc.
Hope you guys can share more design ideas about “Advanced Animals” and the entire sprawling questline.
Igor:
Leaving aside the complexity of the paths and choices in the mission, Genting’s commission is always looking at the commodification of intimacy—and whether this commodification will necessarily obliterate the utility of “intimacy” itself. Even though V is interacting with an AI who is merely posing as a human, what the sex couple provides here—sympathy, understanding, intimacy—is exactly what V needs in a way.
Another interesting angle is the alienation of those who spy on the individual from the work they do: Sexual partners are completely unconscious during the service, not even aware of how their bodies are being used. Overall, this depicts a rather inhumane attempt to get sex couples so close to human faces that people tend to accept them.
Marcin:
The “Advanced Animals” quest was designed by Sarah Gruemmer, Magdalena Zych, and Andrzej Stopa, and we think it will be the first mainline quest for most players in the game, so our goal is to introduce players to Night City ( Night City) and show the dark side of the metropolis. In addition to this, the role of this commission is to connect the player with Judy Álvarez.
In the beginning, we didn’t intend to make “Advanced Animals” as all-encompassing as it is now, but the colleagues in charge of this work were very ambitious and decided to put more effort into making “Advanced Animals” as accessible to players as possible Impressed becomes a very diverse quest full of characters, places and choices. Every time I play by myself, I always think that V travels through the worst areas of Night City, it is like a journey through hell, and if the player also goes through these, then the feeling of other places will be relatively better. it is good. At the same time, I also think that facing all the fears in “Higher Animals” with Judy will make players feel particularly attached to her.
Q2: About the members of the Wu Shi band
The stories of the members of the SAMURAI band are very important to this “2077”, but this work has almost all these glamorous contents into the Side Jobs, that is, they are not necessary to clear a week condition. Why did the team decide to put this content into side commissions, and after all, what are “Side Jobs” for “2077”?
Marcin:
In 2077, players can choose whether they want to get to know Johnny Silverhand better and be his friend, or ignore the intruder in their minds, and the story of the Warriors band is strong part of the storyline, so they are optional. However, we hope that players will be able to complete these missions, and the result will be that Johnny becomes as important to V as he is to the band members; of course, another important goal of this series of missions is to make Players are closely connected to Kerry Eurodyne.
These missions are designed to give players a real taste of what it’s like to be a true renegade rocker, and to meet all kinds of oddball characters in the music industry. Our source material, Cyberpunk 2020, contained very little information about the band members, so the designers took inspiration from real-world musician careers and let their imaginations run wild.
Q3: About the ending of suicide
You made a suicide ending for “2077”, allowing players to choose an easy way to kill themselves without being led to the ending, which makes “2077” quite different; even if suicide cuts off a lot of subsequent content, making the game “Stopping abruptly”, the content specifications of the holographic phone in the credits at the end of the credits are not inferior to other endings. We want to know, how did you decide to do such a suicidal ending?
Igor:
Because it fits the cyberpunk theme very well. In a city with no happy endings, perhaps the happiest ending is the one that causes the least pain around you?
Marcin:
2077 is a game about death.
V is trying to survive, but he can also give up and cut himself off. Each ending tells a story about the last months of V’s life in a different way, depending on the player’s choice, while the suicide ending expresses: there is no such thing as “the last few months”, you are dead, Death is sudden and inevitable, and the world goes on when you are gone, and those who are still alive still remember you and miss you.
Just because a suicide has a quick and abrupt ending doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. In my opinion, the suicide ending clearly shows what death really is by contrasting it with the other endings.
Q4: Regarding the hidden ending – why five minutes?
Let’s talk about the hidden ending route of “one-on-one” with Johnny Arasaka Tower, we are particularly concerned, why wait for five minutes after all the pre-preparations are done, instead of a shorter one?
Igor:
Five minutes makes it a kind of “secret”, but in the Internet age, after the game is released, almost all easter eggs and secrets can be found immediately, so in a word, how long is the trigger time? , in fact, it is not that important!
Q5: Where did Johnny’s design come from?
Although Johnny Silverhand made his debut in the original board game, Johnny in “2077” seems to be more than a simple continuation of the board game role. Can you share with us some general considerations or reference prototype information for recreating Johnny?
Marcin:
The Johnny Silverhand in our original material is very different from the Johnny Silverhand in 2077. Based on the information provided by Cyberpunk 2020, we tried to create a very complex character who is annoying and disgusting at the beginning of the game, but at the end of the game V will want to give his life for Johnny .
The character was primarily created by Aleksandra Motyka and I, and in preparing to write Johnny, we read a lot of biographies of punk musicians and even got inspired by Lord Byron’s romantic hero image. We finally settled that Johnny would be an informal character, and whatever he did, right or wrong, had to do it on a grand scale, with huge consequences. In the end, we created a character who sees death as nothing and always ends up in his own beliefs. Johnny was destined to change in the game flow, and it was really hard for us to design a transition from a “completely uncaring asshole” to a “friend who cared about V”.
Q6: Johnny Silverhand and Pacific Island
Although it may be just my own feelings, during the play, we seem to notice that Johnny has some kind of strong bond with the Pacifica region. Is this really the case? If so, what’s the point of doing this?
Marcin:
Taiping Island is important to Johnny as Johnny experiences his own introspection and transformation in this neighborhood, from a suspicious fugitive to a charismatic, determined leader. On top of that, Johnny feels a connection to the residents of Taiping, the poorest neighborhood in Night City, and believes that his fight with the company is to protect people like the residents of Taiping.
Q7: Kerry’s relationship with Johnny
Obviously, Kerry and Johnny have a wonderful bond that spans time and space. I wonder if there are any real-life anecdotes of the band and its members when designing it?
Marcin:
Kerry Orodian is another archetype of rock musicians: someone who is brilliant but can’t escape the shadow of a team leader. Like everyone else around Johnny Silverhand, Kerry couldn’t find his way as long as Johnny was alive, and was confused even after Johnny’s death. It wasn’t until his meeting with V (and then Johnny) that Kerry made it clear what he wanted in life. When V met Kerry, the musician was no longer young, and his story told us that, no matter the age, a person can find freedom and his own style.
Q8: About the release trailer
The pre-release trailer “V” of “2077” is really good. Do you have any interesting information about the creation of this trailer? And why at such an important juncture, the film is almost filled with sideline commissions?
Igor:
This trailer was actually written by our publicity team, so it’s hard for me to give any insight into the actual creative process. But to be sure, our goal is to use a more emotional, personal narrative tone in this trailer, after all, building drama, emotional elements around the characters is our strong suit. The main story of “2077” maintains the focus on the small plots and conspiracies in the city, so we also covered a lot of side commissions in this trailer to show the various characters we have written.
Q9: A tribute to the “27 Club”
Considering V’s age setting in the game and her death at the end, can we consider her/him as a member of “The 27 Club”? (Author’s Note: This “club” refers to a group of well-known artists who died at the age of 27, whose cause of death may be positively related to their high-risk lifestyle)
Marcin:
Despite the older age set in the game, Johnny is undoubtedly a better fit for Club 27, a desperado who was born with passion and died with vigour, while V just wanted to live.
Q10: Third-person perspective at the epilogue
Most of the time in the process, the player observes the outside world from the main perspective of V, but only at the end, the player will jump to the third person. I personally feel that the immersion in V has been broken at this moment. Why did you make this “Out of Body” design at the last moment of “2077”?
Igor:
As the camera moves away from V’s body, players can observe their character from a different perspective – a more external perspective, and relive the journey. The point here is no longer about immersion – it’s about seeing how far you’ve come and, yes, slowly getting out of your V.
V is not you anymore , your side-by-side adventure is over, you and V are separated.
(Author’s note: Igor helmed the design of this third-person rendition, and he was also the last Geralt of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansion Blood and Wine. ) Affectionate face capture)
Q11: The cat in the night city
“2077” depicts the image of the “cat” very deeply, especially connecting it with “death” and “soul”. Does this have any special meaning?
Marcin:
The mysterious cat figure also appeared in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I don’t want to reveal their roles, because then they are no longer mysterious, and they may appear in our games in the future.
Influencing factors outside the game
Q12: Artists, rebels
“2077” created the identity of a rock musician and a violent rebel for a core character like Johnny at the same time. Why do it?
Marcin:
Rock music, especially punk music, has always expressed rebellion. Violence is fairly common in the dystopian social reality of 2077, so it’s only natural that musicians aren’t content to sing rebellion. They are armed and ready to change the world.
We need the role of Johnny to contrast with V. At first, the player’s role was just a thief who only cared about himself, but under the influence of Johnny, they began to rebel, began to fight for their lives firmly, and finally embarked on the challenge of “the company”, the all-powerful force. way back.
Q13: Rock music culture
The game is full of insightful rock reviews, and there are plenty of rock clubs for V to visit… rock music is especially present in this game. For you guys, how much influence did rock music have on this game?
Marcin:
Cyberpunk as a genre was at its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, the glory days of rock and roll. Music always expresses the spirit of the times, so it’s no surprise that Cyberpunk 2077 is written to the rhythm of classic rock. The energy, rebellion, and authenticity of this music inspires us deeply, and we hope that players will be reminded of what it means to be a loud rebel.
Q14: Your favorite songs (the ones in the mission name)
You use countless classics to name the missions in the game, right? That being the case, can you please mention one of your favorites?
Igor:
“Spellbound”.
(Author’s Note: Corresponding to the sideline entrustment in the game “Magic Book”, the content is to help Nix in Afterlife to get a “Spellbook”)
Marcin:
This is too difficult to choose, maybe “Transmission”.
(Author’s Note: Corresponding to the mainline entrustment “Electric Wave” in the game, that is, the content after entering the cyberspace with the help of the Voodoo Boys and completing the negotiation)
Q15: “Fight Club”
Tell me, how much did Fight Club influence you?
Marcin:
We know that V and Johnny’s situation has similarities to the concept of Fight Club, but the film was neither a creative inspiration nor a significant reference.
Finally, some discussion around the game
Q16: How do you answer your own soul torture?
In the “Temperance” ending there is a conversation between Johnny and the boy where they discuss “the meaning of creation” – which also seems like the development team is having a discussion with the players. What the author is curious about is, what kind of answer would you give when faced with the three options of “write more for people”, “write about what you know” and “write about the truth”?
Igor:
Any answer can be considered “right” or “wrong” in some sense, which makes this choice interesting. If I had to choose, I would answer “write what you know”. It’s very difficult to write believably about things you don’t feel and don’t know.
Marcin:
I would choose “Write What You Know” because it probably also has an element of writing and writing about the truth for people. The job of a writer is to gather knowledge, extract the essence, distill real experience, and then dedicate the output to the public.
Q17: A big difference between “2077” and “The Witcher 3”
In the author’s opinion, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” is a relatively peaceful work, because many important decisions thrown in the middle and late game do not necessarily have to be sacrificed by the player, but the final climax of “2077” is completely Not so, how do you interpret this change?
Igor:
While both of the worldviews mentioned are ruthless, the lack of a happy ending seems to be the core idea of ”cyberpunk” that the world cannot be saved, and often even the people within it. Every victory has a price, and every gain requires sacrifice. So we reflected that in the story design.
Marcin:
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a game about family, while 2077 is about death. When you tell a story about fighting for fate while simultaneously expounding on the inevitability of death, it can’t have a good outcome. All serious endings are like that.
Q18: Expression of “2077”
The last thing I want to ask is, what exactly do you want to convey through “2077” and how to achieve the corresponding expression?
Igor:
I think we’ve covered a whole bunch of troubling topics: death, having dreams, ambitions but not being able to follow, the unstoppable force of the system we all live in, and the ultimate — if it’s doomed, we can stay next what? Is it about fame, about doing the right thing in the world, or about changing the lives of a select group of people and being remembered by them? These themes are loud and lingering in the story of V and Johnny.
The above is the entire content of this written interview. I would like to thank CDPR again for the precious opportunity given, and I look forward to more opportunities to peek at the intentions behind the works in the future. Recently, due to the popularity of the animation “Cyberpunk: Edgerunner (Cyberpunk: Edgerunner)”, many players have flocked to Night City and embarked on adventures. Interested players are also welcome to come back after everything they have experienced. Readme and verify the judgment of “2077”.
This article is reprinted from: https://markonreview.com/2022/10/07/interviewed-cdpr-on-cyberpunk-2077-en/
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.