Cyberpunk 2077 - PS5 and XSeries versions out now + major patch

[Festoon]

1 hour ago, Talk Show Host said:

Any suggestions on how to proceed with the main/side balance? Do some of them affect the main story?

 

The side missions don't massively impact on the direct plot, but perhaps how you feel about characters within it.

 

But! The side missions themselves can be quite long and seemingly small decisions can have very different outcomes.

[Talk Show Host]

16 minutes ago, CarloOos said:

Yeah, I’ve now done the heist, the interlude and the car chase after the interlude (all big set-pieces) and the ray-traced frame-rate has been solid throughout. I have completely disabled all aim-acceleration though, it’s awful and twitchy even on low settings and the controls are much better without it. 

 

Yes, I really do not know what this aim acceleration is all about, I have disabled everything as well. 

 

On the really negative side of things, I do not understand why we can't turn off the trail on the mini map (or have it dynamic or a bar), stop the camera from automatically recentering when driving or why can't we have a font size that is readable for the couch or why we can’t turn off world icons etc…Whole UI seems designed for the PC and it is really frustrating this day and age. 

 

Other than that, I really think only one or two developers do story telling and natural dialogue and worldbuilding like CD. The level of writing -especially for such a huge cast- is stellar.

[Festoon]

I'm amazed that the improvement means I can now locate my apartment, which I had basically lost.

 

Still dressed like Clem Fandango on a field trip though.

[jonamok]

I hear you.

[Festoon]

 

I just loaded a completed game save and had an absolute avalanche of lads contacting me about apartments and fixers all leaving stuff in my stash because I've finished all their missions!

[Floshenbarnical]

1 hour ago, grounded_dreams said:

Can anyone recommend a decent beginners guide for the game? Feel overwhelmed with all the sections, tabs, mods etc that are selectable, what to do, add, choose etc

As there seems to be a bigger improvement and numerous QoL improvements with the new patch, assume any original video guides would be outdated now to watch.

Playing this on PS5, incase anyone was going to link to PC guides, incase they affects recommendations

I would spend a few evenings exploring Watson on foot, quick saving around every corner in case you get ganked. Just get a feel for how you like to play - if you find yourself creeping around assassinating people, you’ll want to put some points into that. If you spend a lot of time looking through security cameras or enjoy the idea of upgrading your Quickhack abilities (basically the spellcasting of 2077) you’ll want to put points into Intelligence. If you like shooting things, you’ll want to put points into body/ reflexes/ technical ability. Technical ability does two things: allows you to put points into crafting/ upgrading, and improves the potency of your grenades. 
 

The reason I recommend putting points into technical ability if you plan on shooting or slicing things is as follows: you are going to be shooting things and getting shot, so you will want to make sure your gear is tip top. There’s an upgrade tab under crafting, which will keep your guns and armor up to date for the enemy scaling arms race. 
 

Up until the end of Act 1 I would just deconstruct anything you don’t want instead of selling it because until you reach a certain level it’s not worth much money so the components are more valuable. After a certain level, selling unwanted gear will make you minted so it’s way cheaper overall to sell loot and then buy crafting/ upgrade components from vendors. 
 

If you are shooting things, put as many perk points into Crit chance and Crit damage as you can, and buy any Crit mods you can find. You will quickly become the terminator. 
 

You may also want to go back and read any of the posts @Thor @Fallows, myself or a few others have made. I personally live for the Overture/ Glass Cannon build in this game, others may prefer different builds. 
 

Once you’ve gotten a bit deeper, you’ll unlock more cyberware options. I personally like Kerenzikov + Maneuvering Thrusters + Reinforced Tendons, which allows you to leap very high into the air, do a slow-mo dodge allowing you to get a headshot or throw a grenade behind cover, before doing another boosted jump. You can reach insane heights and traverse the environment very quickly, flanking and getting the drop on people and opening up stealth routes if you want. You can get Kerenzikov and the Boost jump from the ripper doc off Kabuki Circle but you’ll have to wait until Act 2 for maneuvering thrusters (they allow you to dodge in midair). 
 

But yeah I would just jog around kabuki and little china getting a feel for the gameplay loop and how you like to murder

[pinholestar]

Feel fully vindicated in waiting for the proper next-gen version and for CDPR to have got this into an acceptable state. It’s still a little rough around the edges and a long way short of the genre-redefining masterpiece that they promised, but there’s a huge amount to enjoy and savour here now.
 

The tone, direction and conversational fluency of the character interactions are absolutely first-rate. Just the sequence at the start of the game where you meet Evelyn among the blissed-out clientele lolling under a techno blanket in Lizzie’s Bar, get the lowdown from her in the pornographically holographic private room, and then descend into the basement to Judy’s lair festooned with glowing screens and get guided through the braindance episode was one of the most gripping and immersive experiences I’ve ever had in a game. The subtle facial movements and fluid but understated character animations really help to nail that taut and sordid undercurrent of danger that defines the very best cyberpunk. I’ve been dreaming about playing something like that since I was a spotty teenager reading Neuromancer in my dimly lit bedroom and when the illusion holds it can stand alongside the very best that this medium’s offered.

 

You can see what they were reaching for and on the occasions when it all comes together as intended it’s absolutely stunning, it’s just a shame that their ambition got the better of them, they promised the moon on a stick and ultimately they weren’t able to infuse the more freeform open-world and combat encounter aspects of the game with that same level of high-quality sheen that exemplifies it at its best. 

The menus, inventory, mods, skills, crafting and economy are all a little unwieldy and don’t quite hang together as they should, but the rebalancing of a lot of those aspects in this patch at least seem to have produced something that can function as an RPG competently enough, although I still fear that even playing it on hard difficulty sooner or later it will become a cakewalk. That’s a trap that just about every expansive open-world game with a skill tree falls into though and CDPR have never been the best when it comes to compelling gameplay balance in their games.

Treat it as a mechanically passable Deus Ex game set in a stunningly rendered but ultimately rather shallow set dressing of a cyberpunk city with brilliant characterisation and some compelling narrative lines and you’ll have a great time. Just don’t expect a masterpiece that elevates the open-world RPG to a hitherto unimagined level. It’s a bold attempt as it stands now but they clearly bit off more than they could chew.

 

If, like me, you were waiting to see if it was going to be turned around for next-gen consoles then I’d highly recommend picking it up now for £20/£25 on PS5/Series X. It’s absolutely worth playing now for that price on those platforms. A fascinating folly in many ways, but there’s undeniably some neon-drenched magic to be found in the murky corners of its seedy depths.

[Thor]

Conversely to @Floshenbarnical, I prefer a full hacking build, @grounded_dreams, where you can make people commit suicide and have that spread like a virus to other enemies who then also commit suicide. Hacking is also so much better if prefer stealth in your approach to missions.

 

[Talk Show Host]

2 hours ago, pinholestar said:

Feel fully vindicated in waiting for the proper next-gen version and for CDPR to have got this into an acceptable state. It’s still a little rough around the edges and a long way short of the genre-redefining masterpiece that they promised but there’s a huge amount to enjoy and savour here now.
 

The tone, direction and conversational fluency of the character interactions are absolutely first-rate. Just the sequence at the start of the game where you meet Evelyn among the blissed-out clientele lolling under a techno blanket in Lizzie’s Bar, get the lowdown from her in the pornographically holographic private room and then descend into the basement to Judy’s lair festooned with glowing screens and get guided through the braindance episode was one of the most gripping and immersive experiences I’ve ever had in a game. The subtle facial movements and fluid but understated character animations really help to nail that taut and sordid undercurrent of danger that defines the very best cyberpunk. I’ve been dreaming about playing something like that since I was a spotty teenager reading Neuromancer in my dimly lit bedroom and when the illusion holds it can stand alongside the very best that this medium’s offered.

 

You can see what they were reaching for and on the occasions when it all comes together as intended it’s absolutely stunning, it’s just a shame that their ambition got the better of them, they promised the moon on a stick and ultimately they weren’t able to infuse the more freeform open-world and combat encounter aspects of the game with that same level of high-quality sheen that exemplifies it at its best. 

The menus, inventory, mods, skills, crafting and economy are all a little unwieldy and don’t quite hang together as they should but the rebalancing of a lot of those aspects in this patch at least seem to have produced something that can function as an RPG competently enough, although I still fear that even playing it on hard difficulty sooner or later it will become a cakewalk. That’s a trap that just about every expansive open-world game with a skill tree falls into though and CDPR have never been the best when it comes to compelling gameplay balance in their games.

Treat it as a mechanically passable Deus Ex game set in a stunningly rendered but ultimately rather shallow set dressing of a cyberpunk city with brilliant characterisation and some compelling narrative lines and you’ll have a great time. Just don’t expect a masterpiece that elevates the open-world RPG to a hitherto unimagined level. It’s a bold attempt as it stands now but they clearly bit off more than they could chew.

 

If, like me, you were waiting to see if it was going to be turned around for next-gen consoles then I’d highly recommend picking it up now for £20/£25 on PS5/Series X. It’s absolutely worth playing now for that price on those platforms. A fascinating folly in many ways but there’s undeniably some neon-drenched magic to be found in the murky corners of its seedy depths.

 

I agree with most of these but I must also say that we seem to be more demanding of this game than others. On one hand justifiably so, based on the hype. On the other though it borders to unfair. In this state of the game, the city, for example, is no more shallow than any other open world game. NPCs in open worlds behave the same as here more or less, traffic does crazy things in all games and the amount of stuff you can do is at least equal to Rockstar's efforts or CD's own W3. Where RDR2 has the open world activities, this has a vast number of side quests. So, calling it shallow is a stretch. The design of the city, the world building, the attention to detail is second to none. It is beyond belief sometimes.

 

Combat and game styles is a combination which really caters for many tastes, all this in an open world. Is it a true sandbox? No, but it is close. Comparing it to Deus Ex is also unfair because Deus Ex was never tasked with simulating an entire city with this many districts and a huge cast while keeping the design realistic. Everything in Deus Ex is gameplay hubs, nothing makes sense design wise if you think of it as a real city. And frankly, the gameplay in this is much more fun the way it is now. And more important, it is trying something different and, after a year and a half, it is stable enough to show its qualities. Compared to something as predictable as Forbidden West, this feels like a breath of fresh air in how it combines/tries to combine many of its gameplay styles. As for the story, characters, writing and detail, it is astonishing to me how effortlessly everything unfolds, especially in first person.

 

It may not be the second coming we were promised but it is pretty damn close - and from a company which has only made three games before. If it wasn't for the corporate fuckup and it was released in this state now, I have a feeling we would all be much more inclined to accept its revolutionary moments. 

 

And no, I am not talking about its atrocious menu design.

[Floshenbarnical]

23 minutes ago, Thor said:

Conversely to @Floshenbarnical, I prefer a full hacking build, @grounded_dreams, where you can make people commit suicide and have that spread like a virus to other enemies who then also commit suicide. Hacking is also so much better if prefer stealth in your approach to missions.

 

what is stealth

[Thor]

5 minutes ago, Floshenbarnical said:

what is stealth

[Alan Stock]

I got pretty bored of stealth after stealth/hacking a lot of the game, now I often just start combat with a few hacks and then whip out the ol' sniper or smartgun and let rip. It does get a bit boring sneaking around and hacking everything time after time, and quite satisfying to just blow shit up now and again (and much faster to boot).

 

By the way I'm not sure if this was in the game previously, but there's an option now to spend a bunch of eddies to re-speck your perks. That's pretty cool, so you can give melee builds and stuff a go. Its quite expensive but towards the end you make a fair bit of cash anyway. 

[T Pot]

9 hours ago, Talk Show Host said:

 

It really is. Someone said earlier fps tanks in Lizzie's. I'm not sure what was that about. Game was fine, not a single drop.

Because it did for me? Dunno if it does it every time but the first time I went in there with all the lasers and lights and NPCs etc on RT mode it was just a stuttering lag fest.

[Talk Show Host]

8 hours ago, T Pot said:

Because it did for me? Dunno if it does it every time but the first time I went in there with all the lasers and lights and NPCs etc on RT mode it was just a stuttering lag fest.

That’s bad luck I think. Does it still do that? My reply was more lo address the general point that the game is horrible in 30 fps. I am actually having a very smooth experience and It only felt jerky when I started as a nomad. Hopefully it will stay fine.

 

 

[Ste Pickford]

One thing I really liked (I'll put it as a spoiler just in case, but it's only minor - something you see about 20 minutes in) - 

 

Spoiler

After you first get into the city with Jackie I thought there was a bug as the game just cut to the middle of a shoot out - I thought a cut-scene had been skipped or something - then it kept cutting, and I realised it was a montage.  A montage!  I can't remember ever seeing one like this in a game before  Just cutting between different snippets of escapades and missions my character had been on over a 6 month period as I settled into Night City life.  I thought it was a really lovely moment, totally effective (once I twigged it wasn't a janky bug), and really stylish.

 

[ZOK]

12 hours ago, Thor said:

Conversely to @Floshenbarnical, I prefer a full hacking build, @grounded_dreams, where you can make people commit suicide and have that spread like a virus to other enemies who then also commit suicide. Hacking is also so much better if prefer stealth in your approach to missions.

 

I also like hacking everyone - but with a katana, which is the true C2077 street samurai experience.

[Broker]

19 hours ago, Talk Show Host said:

 

I Compared to something as predictable as Forbidden West, this feels like a breath of fresh air in how it combines/tries to combine many of its gameplay styles. 

I must say, I generally find open world games extremely boring and predictable. Horizon is a great example, the first game was so dull. Open world games generally are incredibly generic, all ripping off the GTA formula which became stale years ago. This goes out of its way to offer a very unique experience, which departs from the norm in the genre and has a completely unique feel to it. 

[Floshenbarnical]

Turned on Game mode on my TV and turned off a bunch of crap to improve the refresh rate. Motion blur and input lag are significantly reduced in RT mode but it might take some getting used to. 

[MK-1601]

So has anyone found any new stuff in the city (other than the four new apartments) post-1.5?

 

The patch notes mention new Easter eggs etc. but I'm assuming there's no new side mission content tucked away?

[Floshenbarnical]

1 hour ago, Fallows said:

 

 

This is the first thing any gamer should always do.

 

You should also notice a massive spike in responsiveness without all of that post-processing going on.

Yeah RT mode was immediately better but unplayable still for combat purposes. Fine enough for general roaming and screenshots. Performance mode now feels like 1 million FPS in game mode. I’ve been playing games my entire life without engaging Game Mode, I didn’t know it did anything   
 

 

I can’t believe I ever completed any hard games

 

Also it wasn’t until I’d leveled up enough to use my Overture that I discovered the Kabuki arms dealer sells a crafting spec  

 

Anyway, back on my bullshit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Talk Show Host]

I am not getting how difficulty works in this. I thought moderate was ok for my level but when I did a psycho location mission the enemy I got I had no chance of killing. I haven't bought any new mods or armor, mostly upgrades. Should moderate be this difficult?

[Floshenbarnical]

27 minutes ago, Talk Show Host said:

I am not getting how difficulty works in this. I thought moderate was ok for my level but when I did a psycho location mission the enemy I got I had no chance of killing. I haven't bought any new mods or armor, mostly upgrades. Should moderate be this difficult?

Which location?

 

I find engaging them from range is the hardest way to do it, because their DPS is so much higher and many of them can dodge bullets. I just did one on Very Hard with potato equipment using a tire iron - if you time the block right you parry and stagger them without taking damage, and can rinse and repeat. I got close enough that he switched to melee and then gave him a good hiding. It was the Bodies Hit the Floor (Maelstrom) one, if that helps. 
 

Edit: what @Fallows said. High threat level is doable with preparation, patience, etc, Very High is going to be a very long, drawn-out chipping away at their HP and they just need one hit to kill you, it usually requires some cheesing.

 

If you need breathing room to do damage without taking damage, throw flashbangs. In fact, throw flashbangs everywhere, all the time. 

[Talk Show Host]

2 minutes ago, Floshenbarnical said:

Which location?

 

I find engaging them from range is the hardest way to do it, because their DPS is so much higher and many of them can dodge bullets. I just did one on Very Hard with potato equipment using a tire iron - if you time the block right you parry and stagger them without taking damage, and can rinse and repeat. I got close enough that he switched to melee and then gave him a good hiding. It was the Bodies Hit the Floor (Maelstrom) one, if that helps. 

 
I don’t use melee though. 🙃

[Floshenbarnical]

2 minutes ago, Talk Show Host said:

 
I don’t use melee though. 🙃

Me neither but I think there’s something super badass about walking into fight against a supposedly criminally insane killing machine and casually smacking the living daylights out of them

[KartoffelKopf]

 

[T Pot]

9 hours ago, Talk Show Host said:

That’s bad luck I think. Does it still do that? My reply was more lo address the general point that the game is horrible in 30 fps. I am actually having a very smooth experience and It only felt jerky when I started as a nomad. Hopefully it will stay fine.

 

 

Ive not been there for a while, but a couple of other spots I’ve been to It drops.

 

Here’s two shots on Series X. One with RT one in performance. IMO it’s not worth halfing the frame rate.

 

[T Pot]

[Kevvy Metal]

36 minutes ago, T Pot said:

Ive not been there for a while, but a couple of other spots I’ve been to It drops.

 

Here’s two shots on Series X. One with RT one in performance. IMO it’s not worth halfing the frame rate.

 

From that new DF video, it also drops the resolution on both platforms to 1440p, it also looks quite soft, even FOR 1440p. 
 

Performance mode defo FTWIMO

[Thor]

Because it's clearly not worth it. Those who feel 60fps looks too clean is because they prefer the more filmic look of a lower framerate. It's personal taste at the end of the day. 

 

But just so I'm clear:

 

60fps: Taste

30fps: No taste. 

 

[Talk Show Host]

1 hour ago, T Pot said:

 

Not every angle or scene can show the difference, especially from afar like this. 

 

This video shows many little things that make the non RT scenes look flat, which I actually kind of noticed.

 

Spoiler

 

 

If the 30 fps mode had issues then I would definitely go for 60. But is fine for me, with no stuttering or hiccups or gameplay issues, so I get the best of both worlds. 🙂