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[Hero_of_the_Day]

Fine by me. The idea of multiplayer Witcher 3 is what scares me.

kinda hope it's online-only just for the QQing that would result (or maybe they'd get a pass since they're not EA)

LOL. Not a chance of this happening. CDPR aren't a bunch of fucking idiots.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I've always found the knee jerk horror directed towards every CRPG announced for multiplayer pretty damn hilarious. Cyberpunk 2077 is derivative of Cyberpunk 2020. You know, the table top RPG, which is inherently mulitplayer by nature, like 99% of table top games.

No reason it can't work if done right, and no need to make sweeping concessions to game design just to throw more players into the mix. Not sure of CDP can pull it off, but I'm also not entirely sure if they can pull off Cyberpunk's role playing in general. It's no Witcher.

Here here. Especially given CDPs track record (even tho its only been 2 games) I have no reason to believe MP is going to ruin the SP or anything along those lines. Will it be worth playing? Who knows, but I ha e the utmost faith in the SP campaign.

 

[PFD]

Too early to comment one way or the other. I have faith in CDPR though.

 

[ironcreed]

As long as they deliver a compelling single player experience, then I really don't give a damn.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Anyone with reservations should read the full interview posted in the OP.

 

[Zeliard]

We seem to be starting at the potential denial stage where "multiplayer features" /clearly/ means Dark Souls or leaderboards, so I expect this to be a long process.

One reason it could mimic what Demon's Souls did at least in concept is that CDPR are huge fans of the game, and it was influential during Witcher 2's development.

 

[RedSwirl]

I don't know how the original tabletop game works. Aren't those usually played with multiple people?

 

[sflufan]

I don't know how the original tabletop game works. Aren't those usually played with multiple people?

Not usually -- ALWAYS!

 

[SneakyStephan]

CDPR

Knock yourselves out cdpr as long as you don't shoehorn this shit into the singleplayer and as long as the game can still be played properly, saved properly and accessed properly without an internet connection.

@Eatchildren, can you people blame us for kneejerk reacting after sim city , ubisoft shenanigans in general and certain publishers clamoring that singleplayer is dead and all games should have multiplayer aspects in the campaign.

Fuck all of that noise, a standalone/coop multiplayer addition is fine (and always has been) as long as neither mode has to suffer for the sake of the other
e.g:
- ratchet and clank all 4 one being a stinker solo because it was designed as a coop game
- bf3 lacking content and having a garbage throwaway singleplayer campaign, what a waste of everyone's time and money, I'd have taken a few more mp maps and vehicles over that worthless singleplayer

Dark souls (which I'm not a fan of) at least did it right with not forcing it on you or designing the entire game around it, so I can see why people mention it positively

 

[Nirolak]

One reason it could mimic what Demon's Souls did at least in concept is that CDPR are huge fans of the game, and it was influential during Witcher 2's development.

While I don't think such a thing is impossible, I don't usually get that impression when people bill that their game has multiplayer without phrasing it as "radical and new" or something like that.

Here are their two job postings relating to this (the first one has been filled):

The Multiplayer Producer at CDPRED will spearhead the design and implementation of all multiplayer related initiatives in the studio for our RPG games currently in development
Responsibilities:

Work with game designers to write the design documents describing the multiplayer elements needed for the current games in production
Work with Programmers to develop the technical design requirements
Plan out the projects to be in line with our release schedules using MS Project
Work with the QA Lead to create test plans
Recommend and hire the resources needed for development of the features and/ or recommend outsource dev teams
Working with business development and production management to write contract work specifications and milestone planning for external developers if needed
Day to day management of the teams involved with the production of the features

Required skills & experience:

Previous experience as a Games Producer working on current gen multiplayer games
PC and console games (PS3, Xbox360) experience
Background in games design
Excellent knowledge of games, especially RPGs and Multiplayer Games
MS Project proficient
Practical agile development experience
Have successfully managed multidisciplinary teams
Have successfully worked with external contractors and or dev teams
Fluent in English
Strong leadership & time management skills

Pluses:

Experience developing real time social games for the core gamer market
Experience in the RTS genre

Multiplayer Programmer

CD Projekt RED is looking for an experienced multiplayer programmer to work in our core team. Your main responsibility will be to prepare our engine for challenges of upcoming online component of our future games. You will lead our studio through necessary steps to adapt to the new tasks and different way of thinking where necessary.

Responsibilities:

Creating a roadmap of changes necessary to add multiplayer to the Red Engine
Designing and implementing network layer of the Red Engine.
Helping in design and implementation of multiplayer changes to existing systems
Participating in shaping the future of the Red Engine

Required skills & experience:

Expertise in C/C++ language and OO programming.
Thorough understanding of TCP/IP, UDP, NAT and network issues
At least one shipped multi-platform, multiplayer title
Familiarity with existing network and replication solutions
Experience with matchmaking solutions on different platforms

Pluses:

Title shipped for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
Experience in developing RPG games
Experience with physics in multiplayer environment
Experience creating gameplay systems in multiplayer environment

To me it would be kind of odd to look at potentially having an out of house developer make their multiplayer to develop something like Dark Souls unless they were doing something like that in addition to other types a la Watch_Dogs.

 

[Snuggles]

Maybe I'm hella forgetful, but what games have been ruined because of multiplayer inclusion lately?

I can't think of many cases, if any at all, where a single player campaign clearly suffered due to the inclusion of a separate multiplayer mode. Worst case scenario it's a throw away to be ignored, best case scenario it's actually a worthwhile way to spend more time with a game you enjoy. Hell, there are even cases like Mass Effect 3 or Uncharted 2 where the added multiplayer modes are as enjoyable as the single player campaign.

You could make an argument for forced co-op (like Resident Evil 5 and 6), since being stuck with an AI can suck for those of us without friends to play with, but that's likely not going to be the case for Cyberpunk.

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

kinda hope it's online-only just for the QQing that would result

You enjoy seeing anti-consumer methods imposed on consumers. Okay.

(or maybe they'd get a pass since they're not EA)

This is a danger. Online-only functionality needs to bring on the full hate-brigade, regardless of the developer.

 

[KKRT00]

People were complaining about Mass Effect 3 multiplayer announcement and see how that turned out.
I have no problem with MP functionality, as long as its good.

 

[Zeliard]

While I don't think such a thing is impossible, I don't usually get that impression when people bill that their game has multiplayer without phrasing it as "radical and new" or something like that.

Here are their two job postings relating to this (the first one has been filled):




To me it would be kind of odd to look at potentially having an out of house developer make their multiplayer to make something like Dark Souls unless they were doing something like that in addition to other types a la Watch_Dogs.

It's hard to get a sense of the scope of the multiplayer till we get more info. My guess would be that some full-fledged P&P-esque multiplayer mode would be a fairly extensive offering and possibly more likely to be relegated to a spin-off to do properly.

"Multiplayer features" during single-player ala Demon's Souls and such could viably add some interesting elements without necessitating significant investment beyond potential server cost, if there's direct player interaction and they don't use P2P.

It's tricky; while Cyberpunk is primarily known as a tabletop game, CDPR has only ever made meaty single-player games, so my sense is that their first stab at Cyberpunk will lean largely SP.

 

[Nirolak]

It's hard to get a sense of the scope of the multiplayer till we get more info. My guess would be that some full-fledged P&P-esque multiplayer mode would be a fairly extensive offering and possibly more likely to be relegated to a spin-off to do properly.

"Multiplayer features" during single-player ala Demon's Souls and such could viably add some interesting elements without necessitating significant investment beyond potential server cost, if there's direct player interaction and they don't use P2P.

It's tricky; while Cyberpunk is primarily known as a tabletop game, CDPR has only ever made meaty single-player games, so my sense is that their first stab at Cyberpunk will lean largely SP.

My guess was actually that The Witcher 3 will have the "light" multiplayer components the way they phrased it, leading up to a larger scale production in Cyberpunk (which is presumably launching about a year later).

They're apparently still at the small team pre-production stage according to the interview in the OP, whereas Witcher 3 is in full on production.

They seem to be viewing Cyberpunk as their huge breakout hit on consoles and in North America, so I could see their business logic matching up with this as well.

But yeah they've been quiet on the whole thing so far outside of acknowledging existence, so it's hard to tell, given that it likely doesn't even exist in a notable state right now.

 

[Derrick01]

People were complaining about Mass Effect 3 multiplayer announcement and see how that turned out.

A single player with so many clearly rushed elements and plot points?

I mean I'm not saying that was thanks to including what's basically a horde mode with crummy F2P elements and microtransactions, but you don't exactly have a rock solid argument with that example. Should have stuck with uncharted 2 which is what most people use.

 

[KKRT00]

what's basically a horde mode with crummy F2P elements and microtransactions,

Which was still one of the best multiplatform multiplayer games of this generation with amazing support.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Woah, just what the PC fans were clamoring for!

 

[squidyj]

Wait, wait.... experience with the RTS genre?

 

[abunai]

I'm hoping it's something like co-op, instead of competitive. The tabletop cyberpunk 2020 would lend itself well to co-op. I had tons of fun with Neverwinter Nights co-op and that was D&D based, so I could see this working well. If it's deathmatch, I will roll my eyes quite hard.

 

[FStop7]

Could be amazing if it's a team based mixture of infiltration, hacking, and shooting.

 

[Nirolak]

Wait, wait.... experience with the RTS genre?

Well:

CD Projekt Red has its hands full, then, but Badowski said the studio was also "working on some prototypes" presumably for other games. "But again, sorry for that Robert - it's too early [to tell you what they are]," he apologised.