This is a post I wrote over a month ago on my blog in Polish. Since the post is still relevant (not because of bugs, but because it’s a great game:) I’m uploading the translation here.
Cyberpunk – a great game that shows that marketing should not mess with the roadmap. At the beginning of December a version was released which, to say the least, is below expectations. In this post I will focus on the interface. The broader “experience” and impressions are a river topic for a separate entry. The entry itself is quite detailed, but I try not to write hermetically. Back to interfaces:
Lack of consistency
The main action button is extremely inconsistently defined. We practically use all the primary buttons on the console as the “Confirm” button. To give you an idea of how inconsistent this is, I’ll quote the first messages we see when starting the game. And here it is:
- Press “O” to continue
- Press “Options” to continue
- “X” select
And that’s literally the first three screens of the game. After that, it’s just as bad
Shortfall of native navigation
When playing on a console, you have a whole bunch of buttons that can enhance your interface navigation. Unfortunately, you won’t experience this in CDRP latest production. Thus:
- In the game’s main menu, you cannot navigate using the R1 and L1 buttons. This is possible only after entering the details of each option.
- When browsing through quests you don’t have a defined button to watch the quest.
- You can’t use the left/right buttons on the pad to scroll through time
Believe me – there is more
Driving a vehicle
No dynamic option to change the radio station. Currently you do it on a popup. Seriously. With the array of navigation options available, I fell for the popup.
The navigation system, which is great for walking around Night City, is simply not usable in a car. You find out about the need to change directions once you’re in the middle of an intersection.
Developing dedicated navigation for vehicles should not be difficult. Especially since the same problem is brilliantly solved when navigating the wilderness in one of the game’s main storylines.
Equipment management
The variety of inventory is so large that filtering and sorting should be one of the basic functionalities. Unfortunately, basic filters are not available from the pad navigation. Sorting is done independently of the selected filter and so, for example, clothes can be sorted by damage dealt.
The filters themselves are not quick and fun to use. In the case of the map it was possible to implement it. In the case of the inventory it didn’t work out. 🙁
Still
Cyberpunk is a good game. It has a chance to be great. Of course, there are many other issues besides the interface, but you can read about them elsewhere. I believe in CD Red Project. I finished the game after about 60 hours of play and I’m unsatisfied. I will definitely come back to this production.