Cyberpunk designer responds to lack of police chases: ‘Elden Ring won’t have them either’

From VGC: "Cyberpunk 2077 quest director Pawel Sasko has provided a response as to why the game doesn’t feature police chases.

When asked why the game doesn’t feature police chases on a recent live stream, instead opting for police to spawn behind you randomly, the developer pushed back on the idea that “all” open-world games have these encounters, citing some examples."

[VersusDMC]

HA! That's a good excuse for the future. "That game didn't have it!!"

And did the cops in GTA just teleport behind you? Pretty sure they drove in. At least i don't remember them just being behind me.

[n1kki6]

"Sasko goes on to say that the real reason for the lack of car chase mechanics was an inability to get it working in the game before launch and that they eventually gave up on having it."

LOL. Comments like this from CDPR are why they were clearly in over their head, and are still in over their head.
They are building an open word game in a city, that is supposed to feel lived in and they couldn't get police chases working? Dafuq.

[VenomUK]

Police chases were part of the original design but were not included because of an inability to get the function working. This is quite shocking to me as this wasn't' a small team or low budget game, this was an ambitious undertaking with a triple-A budget made over several years. If the tech people couldn't get it working then surely the game director shouldn't leave police chases out but instead should hire more qualified tech people?

[savedsynner]

Yeah seems odd. Either he is lying or the engine they were using made it unnecessarily complicated because all police chases are are cops spawned a little while away and then given a target of the player character...hard to believe that would be hard to implement.

I still love CDPR but the more we learn from CP2077 the more it seems they were way outside their technical comfort zone.

Also keep in mind especially witcher 1 and two were not amazing gameplaywise. Story and character wise they were off the charts, but witcher 1 had an innovative yet clunky combat system which witcher 2 improved upon, but still wasn't great. Witcher 3 was the best of the bunch but also didn't have amazing gameplay(very good yes but not amazing) so it's safe to say gameplay/combat is not CDPRs strong suit.

Since this was going to be an FPS/RPG, rather than have your current staff handle it, they should have got some top FPS talent to lead(maybe they did but I doubt it) since the gun play in CP2077 is good but again, nothing amazing.

FWIW, I think Witcher 4 or whatever the next AAA title they have coming will be amazing as a game because they see the hit studios lie Bioware have taken from multiple sub par releases in a row. Plus they seem to have quite a bit of money(even tho IIRC their stock dropped in response to CP2077's bad launch)

[ufo8mycat]

This sadly shows their lack of game development experience/skills.

They seemed to have just got lucky with The Witcher 3, which I consider one of the greatest games of all time, though I heard a lot of the people that worked on Witcher left and didn’t work on Cyberpunk and it shows.

[bouzebbal]

This studio is a joke! It's official

[fr0sty]

I'm not even a game developer, and I know how to make a police chase mechanic work in PS4's Dreams...

[MrBaskerville]

Tbf, Cyberpunk has more in common with Deus Ex than with GTA, so maybe it's silly to expect the game to be comparable to GTA.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

GTA is the biggest pile of junk in the gaming industry to begin with, lol. So I hope nobody would compare their game to that train wreck franchise.

[TheLigX]

A lot of dummies voting you down… totally get what you’re saying. 1000% accurate.

[Epicor]

This. Although actually in GTA every single NPC and car indeed just teleport close to you. All NPC assets are just pre-programmed 2D models when they are far away. Only when they get close to players the models are changed to actual 3D models.

[MrBaskerville]

True, but they do a better job creating the illusion.

But if you want a crime sandbox where you fuck around with police and stuff, Cyberpunk isn't the answer and it was never meant to be. It's about the story, the missions and the atmosphere. This can work without police chases. It really is the least of the games problems. The bugs were an issue, but it got a whole lot better last february.

[yeahokwhatever]

GTA cops certainly teleport in. Usually from further away than 100m or so behind you, but not always. GTA isnt real, people. lol...

[VerminSC]

So stupid. It’s like saying “we didn’t have flying cars in the game but neither did Skyrim!”

[SenorFartCushion]

They’re not saying specifically that, they’re talking about mechanics. Chase mechanics in general. They’re not really talking police-focussed changes, just chases in general.

It’s not a good answer regardless, and on top of it all, they did actually try to have chases in the game; they just failed.

[CorndogBurglar]

Exactly, I don't know why you're getting downvoted. It's like in Skyrim. They had police chases also, but the "police" were city guards. And they chased you on foot. But they came running from wherever they were stationed. They didn't just spawn in right behind you.

And considering that skyrim and even oblivion was so big, the guards likely spawned in somewhere before they started chasing you, but it certainly wasn't right behind you. You can see them running toward you from far away, and from the direction that they were previously.

[CorndogBurglar]

Not really. They are talking about chase mechanics in general.

For example, Skyrim did have police chases. But the police were guards in cities and they had to chase on foot. And to compare that to Cyberpunk, the guards in Skyrim didn't just Spawn in behind you instantly. They literally chased you on foot and came running from where ever their post was in the city. Same with Oblivion.

But thats the difference. Those games had NPC's with a daily "cycle" or "schedule/route" that they followed every day. Cyberpunk doesn't have that.

[Levii_92]

Wow.. you have completely lost it CDPR

[Flewid638]

Of all the most generic, "done it a million times" things you could do in a video game....THIS is that important?

[n1kki6]

Absolutely. Given the story of the game and wanted the world to feel lived in their should be chases. Given this answer they thought there should too, but couldn't figure it out.

"Sasko goes on to say that the real reason for the lack of car chase mechanics was an inability to get it working in the game before launch and that they eventually gave up on having it."

If they didn't think it should have chases, he would have said, they didn't fee like it added to the game or the experience.

[DVAcme]

Yes. Cause the Night City Police Department is an ESSENTIAL part of the Cyberpunk tabletop experience, not only the regular beat cops, but the Psycho Squad that gets called in whenever a cyborg goes on a rampage, i.e. the one they should call ON YOU. You know, the Psycho Squad that WAS SHOWN IN THE GAME'S FUCKING REVEAL TRAILER 7 YEARS AGO?

[mostarr]

Nice try, Pawel

[0hMyGandhi]

Yeah. It is that important.

[Vx_]

this game is trash.

[TheTony316]

What an idiot.

[Killer2020UK]

I mean, Elden Ring isn't trying to simulate a city and its mechanics...

[GameZenith]

It isnt trying to simulate GTA mechanics either.

[thorstein]

Oh look, CDProjektRed devs are showing up in the comments to get downvoted. How about go work on the game rather than spread misinformation online.

[Killer2020UK]

"GTA mechanics" aka the mechanics of a working city...

[mkis007]

Name a game with police and an open world where there is no wanted system.

[GameZenith]

I mean the gameplay loop does not even make sense for it.

Only those crying are those who expected GTA: Cyberpunk which is what this game was never about.

[chronoforce]

The developer admits a fleshed out wanted system was being developed and that the reason it is not in the game is because they could not finish it. What is in the game is the vestiges of their unfinished attempt at a proper wanted system with police chases.

CDPR themselves said they wanted to make night city the most believable open world in any game. What exactly were people to think that meant? CDPR clearly wanted to make GTA: Cyberpunk at some point but as this developer reveals they just could not do it.

[GameZenith]

No, CDPR never meant to make GTA Cyberpunk. That was just what the perception many fans had because of whatever reasons.

CP2077 is closer to an open world Deus Ex than it is a GTA Cyberpunk.

[chronoforce]

"CDPR never meant to make GTA Cyberpunk" Well, somehow they have ended up making GTA Cyberpunk. Maybe the people at CPDR have never played a GTA game and were unware the wanted system, the traffic and pedestrian system, being able to jack cars among other systems were going to pull them in that direction.

I can't imagine an open world Deus Ex game where one could perform car jackings or sleep with hookers. CP2077 has all of the hallmarks of a GTA game, one of the developers has now confirmed what people had suspected in that many of game's systems are just unfinished but were otherwise intended to be every bit as good as a GTA game.

[GameZenith]

So sleeping with a prostitute and pulling people out of cars all of a sudden makes it a GTA game/clone. How old are you, 14?

Your response is the exact epitome of gamers coming up with their own wild expectations for CP2077 that CDPR never intended for and then getting mad at CDPR for not living up to that. Same with those fans expecting this to be The Elder Scrolls: Cyberpunk.

CP2077 is and has always been intended and marketed as an open world action RPG. If you went in expecting GTA: Cyberpunk then that is your own fault.

[chronoforce]

Being able to jack cars is a hallmark, a mainstay of the GTA series. Perhaps you are the 14 year old here and hence literally not around when GTA became popular or maybe you don't know what GTA actually stands for. These types of systems, particularly in the context of an open world are made to make the world and the simulation more believable as CDPR might put it. Like how Witcher 3 has you use different currencies depending on what city you are in.

CDPR 100% intended to make systems akin to GTA that functioned like they do in GTA. The developer quoted in the article has shed light on the fact the wanted system is unfinished. If it was finished it would have been a wanted system akin to GTA. It seems likely the poorly simulated pedestrians and traffic went through the same fate and were left unfinished.

The only games that attempt to simulate a city in this way are GTA and the many games it has influenced.

Edit
"The most believable city in any open-world game to date" those are words of CDPR, not mine. If that is not a shot for Rockstar's throne I don't know what to say.

[GameZenith]

Perhaps you are new to gaming but it is common for gameplay systems from other games/genres to be included in other games.

Going by your logic, CDPR also intended for TW3 to be a RDR clone cause in both games you can ride horses and play cards.

Oh and I guess AC Valhalla was meant to be RDR: Vikings because in RDR you can fish and in Valhalla you can also fish.

Again, you are the posterboy for gamers who expected CP2077 to be something it was never advertised to be and now you are bitter so you engage in your internet crusade to bash CDPR/CP2077 whenever you can like a 4 year old who got their candy stolen from them.

[Stanjara]

Dude, every investor and consumer got the Cyber GTA speach. Consumer for gameplay and investor for success of GTA- money.
They were basically drawing concept art for 5 years and then turn their dev pcs in the last two.

[GameZenith]

Sorry but the only speeches I got was how this was going to be an open world action RPG in a setting that is faithful to the 1980s TTRPG version by Mike Pondsmith.

Please link me to where they said this was going to be GTA: Cyberpunk.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Thats a lie. These people kept saying for years that Rockstar was their role model and how they wanted to make a game like them, even shifting comparisons to GTAV and red dead 2 all throughout development. For you to claim them to take the opposite stance magically despite all the claims from their mouths is 180 from the truth.

[GameZenith]

Looking up to how a developer makes their games in terms of attention to detail is not the same as actually trying to copy their game.

And please, link me to where CDPR ever said their goal was to make a Cyberpunk version of GTA. Please do because I know you wont.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Here I'll do you one better, I have a whole conference transcript of them not only referring to Rockstar as their competitor, but also claiming their game would be as polished as Red dead 2 was, and that they would score at least a 95 on metacritic

https://www.cdprojekt.com/e...

You moved the goalpost and claimed I said they wanted to make a GTA clone when I was saying they wanted a game that was attentive to detail and as big as GTA or Red dead. Don't try to twist what I wrote.

[GameZenith]

This article is about police chases in CP2077. People here are claiming that CP2077 was meant to he a GTA Cyberpunk which it wasnt. Just scroll up and read chronoforce comment and that'll tell you everything you need to know.

So the goal post was never moved. CDPR failed at making a game as polished as RDR2, fine. But what they did not fail at was making GTA: Cyberpunk which was never their intention. So again, link me to an article in which CDPR mentioned how they wanted to make GTA in a Cyberpunk setting.

And perhaps next time you need to be more precise with your wording. You originally said, "wanted to make a game like them" which could be perceived as making a copy and paste clone but with a Cyberpunk skin. Perhaps you should have mentioned then about how that was more about attention to detail and not gameplay.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

GTA = Crap
Cyberpunk = Brilliant

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Every crime game in a city has police chases.

No excuses.

[Amplitude]

Even Driver on PS1 had police that chase you lol
There's even mods for Cyberpunk that add them in and it didn't take long. Quite absurd they were never added

[H9]

CDPR are joking about this because they think of their fans and their arguments as a joke, I don't know how many middle fingers the fans of this studio have taken in the last year but it's gotta be a world record

[-Foxtrot]

I don’t get how people can defend these guys or the game

Their ego has inflated to the max

[Rangerman1208]

I remember when people used to praise CDPR as gods, to the point where people wanted them make any game just because who much of an masterpiece Witcher 3 was. Now though, it's a shame how much they fallen. I'd still have hopes for them to make a comeback, but they really shouldn't raise their ego just because the praise of their previous work.

[Hofstaderman]

What a twat.

[CrimsonWing69]

Oh no, this is when you need to just shut up and not respond anymore.

[Bobertt]

Yeah definitely not buying anything from them again. Even an 8 year old GTA 5 had better police than Cyberpunk.

[Vanfernal]

Even GTAIII from 20 years ago did...

[zarbor]

Lesson to all, read the full story.

“I don’t think that the Sonic or the Elden Ring open-world game will have it”. While some have assumed this was an attempt at a joke, it has not gone down well with fans.

Sasko goes on to say that the real reason for the lack of car chase mechanics was an inability to get it working in the game before launch and that they eventually gave up on having it.

Still it speaks volumes about CDPR that the game was so broken they gave up on trying to get it to work. I'm going to skip on their next few game since its look more like the Witcher 3 was a fluke.

[DigitallyAfflicted]

Stupid replay, I'm thinking that all they doing now is saving themselves from the angered investors, all the promises they make are just for show. CDPR had so much respect and trust in the gaming community and they lost it all.

[Outlawzz]

I haven't played the game yet but it seems an understandable feature to have given the nature of the game. Not sure if they stated the game would include this or not.

In either case, it's not very professional to snub the fans with sarcastic comments like this even if they may cause frustration on their part especially considering the disaster with the games release.

[DVAcme]

Absolutely disgraceful. Cyberpunk 2077 shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as a From Software game.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

From Software aren't as good at game development as CDRP. They don't even understand what accessibility is.

[DVAcme]

*ahem*

Git gud.

[Skate-AK]

That's not even the bad quote. He mentioned the new Sonic game being open world but not having police chases. 😂

[CobraKai]

He said Sonic and Elden Ring won’t have police chases. It’s clear he was joking, but he’s not really in the best position to be doing so.

[Vithar]

dafuq kind of comparaison is that lmao!

[nommers]

This is coming from the quest director too...you know the game design aspect from CDPR that was supposed to be well above and beyond everybody else.

[FYouDad]

Imagine taking videogames this seriously. It was clearly a joke. Jesus.

[CobraKai]

I’m still always shocked that people can’t tell when someone is joking. I mean he laid it on really thick.

[OMNlPOTENT]

What a fall from grace. Witcher 3 being one of the greatest games and biggest surprises of the generation to Cyberpunk being one of the biggest letdowns.

[SharnOfTheDEAD]

"Visions of Dragons with sirens on their heads"

[fitofficial]

"Look at this better game and stop making fun of us plz"

[DOMination-]

A lot of weird revisionism with these devs. The Witcher was mediocre and panned at launch. The second one was better but people only started to think it was good after they gave away the enhanced edition as a free upgrade which made PC gamers fall in love with them.

Third was great no doubt. But prestigious devs they ain't. One in 4 is hardly something to care about

[lucian229]

What in the hell kind of comment. Dear lord someone sounds like a hater lmaoooo