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Let’s play a little game. I will describe a video game and you will guess its name. Don’t take it too seriously, ok? ;)
- The game was developed in Poland
- It’s based on pen & paper RPG popular in the 1990s
- It was released in the second week of December
1/17
- The game was developed in Poland
- It’s based on pen & paper RPG popular in the 1990s
- It was released in the second week of December
1/17
- At least some part of it was created in Cracow, Poland
- Not everyone in the credits is Polish
- Story is an extremely important part of the game
- The game is set in the US
Got an idea already? Let’s continue!
2/17
- Not everyone in the credits is Polish
- Story is an extremely important part of the game
- The game is set in the US
Got an idea already? Let’s continue!
2/17
- At the beginning of the game you can choose one of three backgrounds/clans for the protagonist
- The decision affects mostly the very beginning of the game
- Your background/clan’ abilities mildly influence the gameplay
3/17
- The decision affects mostly the very beginning of the game
- Your background/clan’ abilities mildly influence the gameplay
3/17
- The main antagonist of the game is a group with a name starting with the letter A
- The leader of this group is an unnaturally old man (he’s over 150 years old)
Easy, right? But it’s not over yet.
4/17
- The leader of this group is an unnaturally old man (he’s over 150 years old)
Easy, right? But it’s not over yet.
4/17
- One of your main activities is looking for allies (NPCs that will help you fight “A”)
- Your allies can help you at the end of the game, but you can finish it without them
- You can fail all NPCs’ quests and not have anyone to aid you at the end
5/17
- Your allies can help you at the end of the game, but you can finish it without them
- You can fail all NPCs’ quests and not have anyone to aid you at the end
5/17
I could confuse you even more by saying the name of the game starts with the letter C, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth, and I’ve already tricked you enough. The game I’m thinking about is… Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York.
6/17
6/17
It’s our first Vampire: The Masquerade licensed visual novel, that was released December 11th (2019 ;)). And “A” stands for Anarchs.
I spent 100 hours with Cyberpunk 2077 and couldn’t help but notice some random similarities between that game and ours.
7/17
I spent 100 hours with Cyberpunk 2077 and couldn’t help but notice some random similarities between that game and ours.
7/17
Thinking about variations of V’s background and fate reminded me of problems we encountered when we began our journey to make CoNY. We wanted to give players the option to choose the gender of the protagonist and their clan. Out of seven!
8/17
8/17
It quickly turned out to be too difficult to make within our budget and time constraints. Remember, it was supposed to be a visual novel, not an AAA RPG. In the end we changed our plans and stick to the idea of letting players choose one out of three characters.
9/17
9/17
What about other clans? They are represented in the game in form of NPCs you can recruit to your coterie. And for me they are the real stars of the game, not the main character. Just like in CP2077 where Johnny, Panam or Judy are more interesting than V.
10/17
10/17
After CoNY we worked on a standalone DLC called Shadows of New York and decided to stick to just one person. That allowed us to write a much better & coherent story, and create an unforgettable protagonist.
It’s available in Humble Choice this month, so go try it :)
11/17
It’s available in Humble Choice this month, so go try it :)
11/17
I don’t play many RPGs, so I’m hardly an expert, but I don’t remember a video game series that would allow you to play as anyone you want and track your decisions throughout two, three or more games.
12/17
12/17
Think about it. Players spent many hours creating their character, developing their skills, and making various choices. How do you continue their story when you have no idea who their protagonist is anymore?
13/17
13/17
In the Mass Effect trilogy your choices kinda matter (who lives, who dies, who you sleep with), but you are always playing as Shepard and you will decide the fate of the galaxy in the final minutes of the third game.
14/17
14/17
Fallout? I believe there is no continuity when it comes to protagonists. Same with Dragon Age. But like I said, I don’t play many RPGs, so I may simply ask you to show me such games (thanks in advance!).
15/17
15/17
So if you ask me, I don’t think we’ll play as V in the next Cyberpunk game, if there’s one. Maybe in one story DLC, but that’s it. But we’ll hear a lot about them, whoever they were. Btw my V was a black woman, master of revolvers, and a gold-hearted Nomad :D
16/17
16/17
Guess what I’m trying to say is that creating a game with an undefined character as a protagonist can be a pain in the ass ;)
Happy New Year everybody!
17/17
Happy New Year everybody!
17/17
