Miles Tost 2077 level designer did a panel at GDC today and talked about the short comings and lessons learned from making Cyberpunk. A really insightful read and worth your time, if this is the mindset going forward it bodes well for Project Orioin. Here is a snip;
When criticizing Cyberpunk 2077, many reviewers point to this aspect as one of its fundamental weaknesses, and perhaps a crucial reason that no amount of polish can ever make it a truly great RPG. But in analyzing Cyberpunk 2077’s level design, Tost came away with a handful of new design principles he hopes will inform CD Projekt’s work going forward.
He begins by citing Dishonored 1 and 2 as key influences, pointing out how Arkane’s stealth series tends to do a better job of rewarding players for finding a different path.
“We need to treat paths as special,” Tost explains. “This is what creates value in the choices players make.”
By contrast, Cyberpunk 2077’s generic path would often have what he called a “cool, bespoke experience,” such as custom interactions or chatter. Often, Tost says, Cyberpunk’s paths would come together in a bottleneck filled with these rewards, leaving players with the sense that none of their choices ever mattered.
Remedying this problem can be as simple as placing separate paths further away from one another, observing that as long as two paths are close to one another, they’re perceived as the same path. The more isolated or exclusive a path feels, Tost says, the more special it can become in the player’s mind, allowing them to “fully focus on experiencing the chosen path.” It also produces a heightened sense of curiosity, he explains, making players wonder what they might have missed.