How Would You Implement Headshots in an RPG? CDPR Would Like to Know
When you’re a developer trying to make the perfect game, you have to ask all the right questions. Is CD Projekt RED asking all the right questions?
Kyle Rowley, an associate design director for the Polish studio, working on Cyberpunk 2077, took to Twitter to ask some highly relevant questions. He brought up headshots and how they might function in an RPG with guns. Say, you encounter an enemy 10 levels higher than you; should a headshot be an instakill or should it rely on the player level? And Rowley received several responses.
While the instant kill would make sense, for realism if nothing else, it doesn’t mesh with a progression-based game. Should the progression really matter in a gunfight scenario with enemies? Rowley asked the question, and another response recommendation he received was using skill mechanics like in Elder Scrolls. In Elder Scrolls, the more you use a skill the more potent it becomes; the twist for an RPG with guns would be to include decaying mechanics. As Rowley pointed, however, this could lead to micromanaging your progression.
Seems like an awfully intuitive discussion to have for no reason at all, right? But then Rowley claimed it had nothing to do with Cyberpunk 2077. Of course, even if he wanted to talk about the game, there’s no way CD Projekt RED would let him or any dev do so. What do you think?
Do you think Rowley’s questions pertain to Cyberpunk 2077? What suggestion might you give him, if any? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter.
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
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
Nothing I’m talking about is in relation to CP. Just asking questions :).
— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) October 24, 2017