Cyberpunk 2077. THE HYPE TRAIN HAS LEFT THE STATION!

[briankoontz]

Has cyberpunk ever been about the rise of machines? Sure, AI and robots have existed in those genres (blade runner has replicants etc) but shits not like the replicants are taking over. They're just another class in the social order. With their own problems and issues.

Cyberpunk is more about evul capitalism and how the lower rungs of society survives and exists under the thumb of lawful evil mega corporations.

Skynet is never the villain in cyberpunk, Viacom is.

There's more to it. As the ecological world dies (by means of outcomes of industrial capitalism) machines become more and more important, as they are less reliant on the natural world for survival. So what will happen (in the real world) assuming that we avoid a more sudden demise by nuclear annihilation, is a fairly quick death or relocation for the global poor, a slower death for the global middle class, and some very self-protective behavior by the global rich.

This self-protective behavior takes various forms, including the rise of security and surveillance in the modern world, Dragon-like hoarding of wealth and increased inequality, as the world is slowly abandoned.

Machines are crucial to the self-preservation of the global rich, as the vulnerable humans die off and only the rich and their machine assistants remain.

One political benefit of this process is that labor no longer needs to be "exploited" by capital. So the wealthy can claim to be progressive by not utilizing human labor, "freeing" the humans to die while machines take over the role of labor.

 

[briankoontz]

Has cyberpunk ever been about the rise of machines? Sure, AI and robots have existed in those genres (blade runner has replicants etc) but shits not like the replicants are taking over. They're just another class in the social order. With their own problems and issues.

Cyberpunk is more about evul capitalism and how the lower rungs of society survives and exists under the thumb of lawful evil mega corporations.

Skynet is never the villain in cyberpunk, Viacom is.

There's more to it. As the ecological world dies (by means of outcomes of industrial capitalism) machines become more and more important, as they are less reliant on the natural world for survival. So what will happen (in the real world) assuming that we avoid a more sudden demise by nuclear annihilation, is a fairly quick death or relocation for the global poor, a slower death for the global middle class, and some very self-protective behavior by the global rich.

This self-protective behavior takes various forms, including the rise of security and surveillance in the modern world, Dragon-like hoarding of wealth and increased inequality, as the world is slowly abandoned.

Machines are crucial to the self-preservation of the global rich, as the vulnerable humans die off and only the rich, their machine assistants, and those humans who maintain them, remain.

One political benefit of this process is that labor no longer needs to be "exploited" by capital. So the wealthy can claim to be progressive by not utilizing human labor, "freeing" the humans to die while machines take over the role of labor.

 

[stroopwafel]

Cyberpunk is more about evul capitalism and how the lower rungs of society survives and exists under the thumb of lawful evil mega corporations.

Skynet is never the villain in cyberpunk, Viacom is.

Not really, evil mega corporations are more a thematic element. Classic cyberpunk has always been about alienated loners in a world of rapidly evolving(often out-of-control and intrusive) technology with the 'glue' that kept societies together having dissolved(add in some ecological disaster and/or mysterious disease for good measure). Ofcourse, in such a world the evil mega corp is triumphant. Cyberpunk is basically nothing more than extrapolating current events and sprinkling them with (still within the realm of plausibility) sci-fi flavor.

Cyberpunk is one of my most favorite genres though there isn't that much to choose from. For me atleast noir fit the cyberpunk mood the best. Cyberpunk is also different from dystopian fiction for the element of transhumanism in the genre; the potential of humanity to free itself from it's biological chains.

But anyways as much as I would personally have prefered a moody Bladerunner-esque trailer I also realize CDPR's approach might fit a 100+ hour RPG better. They certainly have the skill to make some wonderful stories in that world.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Okay I watched the trailer a few times and I?m still excited but I would like to see some gameplay or a breakdown on how the rpg mechanics will work.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I really couldnt enjoy The Witcher series for some reason. The combat just annoyed me. But Im hoping this is basically going to be like a high budget 'Shadowrun Returns'.

 

[vallorn]

Too much bright does not feel like cyberpunk. No gameplay.

Deus Ex did cyperpunk 20 years ago and better.

The genre tropes do sometimes need a little shake up, my mates entirely predicted that I would start my Shadowrun session with the exact words "It is a dark and stormy night".

 

[vallorn]

Please don't have a "Robots/Machines are the futurez, Humans/Organics are obsoletez and must die" story like in Westworld, Terminator, and Matrix please.

So... don't be cyberpunk?
.

Has cyberpunk ever been about the rise of machines? Sure, AI and robots have existed in those genres (blade runner has replicants etc) but shits not like the replicants are taking over. They're just another class in the social order. With their own problems and issues.

Cyberpunk is more about evul capitalism and how the lower rungs of society survives and exists under the thumb of lawful evil mega corporations.

Skynet is never the villain in cyberpunk, Viacom is.

Ehh, Cyberpunk has some interesting stories in it, mostly it's Megacorps, AAA corps, etc ruling over everything as you said, some stories make good use of people fighting that going too far and becoming a danger themselves, like zealots stealing the ingredients for a ditry bomb / nuke / nanite bomb or the like they plan to set off. More generally, I've always viewed Cyberpunk as being about the concentration of power in general, the anti-corporatist aspect is common, but there's also a good number of stories where it's government working with the corps that does it, or the government itself being the villain, or a shadowy meta-government cabal (Like Deus Ex's Illuminati, Majestic 12, WTO/Church groups) pulling the strings of corporations and governments alike.

Well, you have to hand it to CDPR they probably have the best public relations of any company ever.

Digital Extremes may have them there. But it's damn close between the two.

Too much bright does not feel like cyberpunk. No gameplay.

Deus Ex did cyperpunk 20 years ago and better.

Too much bright?

For a genre that's 90 percent massive neon signs?

Cyberpunk means perpetual night and rain to certain people who conflate it with 80s neon wank nostalgia.

To be fair, I do enjoy the noir neon wank nostalgia a lot, but, see above post.

Snip

Quoting yourself, you ok there mate?

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I'm sorry, is this thread about Cyberpunk 2077? I'm too busy being excited to read anything posted here. Could someone just send this thread directly to my brain, kthx. I can't wait to explore that city. I love myself some cyberpunk and a first-person RPG in an open-world futuristic, neon lit city is the pinnacle of what I could ask for.

Trailer looks bloody great, got to see so many different characters and places. They've also spoken a bit about NPCs and questing, building complexes, char creation, "classes" (there are sorta three loosely based on 2020's netrunner, techie and solo). Cars and bikes, cyberware, role-playing narrative driven gameplay...I want to give them my money but they won't let me :-(

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

Too much bright does not feel like cyberpunk. No gameplay.

Deus Ex did cyperpunk 20 years ago and better.

Not if it stays true to it's source material.

If it does, sorry/not sorry, but in terms of setting creation, Mike Pondsmith holds Warren Spector down and pimp slaps him like he betta have his money.

But that's still a big IF...

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

If I recall 2020 properly (and I could probably still run a game from memory), it was pretty much "technology fixes nothing, we're still all a bunch of arseholes". It's way past any human/cybernetic faction conflict, unless for some reason it's taken over 60 years to flare up.

You're recalling properly. Humans are still shit, but now they've got bigger guns, deadlier drugs, and more ways to look cool being shit. The closest any human/cyborg conflict there is whenever a cyberpsycho goes postal, or a luddite boostergang decides to go on crusade.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

You're recalling properly. Humans are still shit, but now they've got bigger guns, deadlier drugs, and more ways to look cool being shit. The closest any human/cyborg conflict there is whenever a cyberpsycho goes postal, or a luddite boostergang decides to go on crusade.

Adam Smasher, we hardly knew ye...

Luddite boostergang?

My biggest question is how they are going to get from 2020 to 2077 and if V3 has been totally dropped (please, please, please).

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

Luddite boostergang?

Or maybe in the case of the Inquisitors (name correct?) just...gang. They were people who ambushed anyone who had cyberware and fucked their shit up. Brave and crazy souls, them.

And yea, I'm hoping V3 was just a bad dream. Nomads as masters of nanotech...fuck me...

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Or maybe in the case of the Inquisitors (name correct?) just...gang. They were people who ambushed anyone who had cyberware and fucked their shit up. Brave and crazy souls, them.

And yea, I'm hoping V3 was just a bad dream. Nomads as masters of nanotech...fuck me...

Correct it is. I'm sure we always used to run into them beating up a young couple for the sin of having designer eyes.

Desnai...fucking Desnai.