Companion Intrigue
Despite their staple in RPGs, companion artificial intelligence ranges from terrible to pretty good. But in the Cyberpunk 2077 demo, we see an entire range of abilities and behaviors from just one character. Some of them might have slipped under your radar, which is why I’ve decided to highlight them below. My AI observations pertain to Jackie, whose detail and behavioral depth makes me wonder if the player will have more useful partners.
6) When V and Jackie are exchanging ballistics with the baddie in the sealed-off apartment room, we see V distract him while Jackie attacks from the front. In this demo, Jackie executes him via environmental kill.
7) Jackie picks up the weapon left by the dead NPC and uses it for the rest of the mission. Can he do this with other weapons? Does he have his own inventory space? If so, does the player have access to that inventory? I may be stuck in my Fallout state of thinking.
8) When V pulls Sandra Dorsett out of the water at timestamp 5:47, there’s a dialogue option to switch places with Jackie. While we never the result, such alternatives present a never-before-seen dimension to companions and demonstrate some sophisticated AI work. The sophistication is additionally highlighted at 41:59,when Jackie jumps from the ground floor to a catwalk; and at 44:30, when Jackie lifts up a freaken car and uses it for cover.