GamesRPGCyberpunk 2077The making of Cyberpunk 2077’s metro system: “From day one, we considered the NCART to be a roleplaying feature first and foremost"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGCyberpunk 2077The making of Cyberpunk 2077’s metro system: “From day one, we considered the NCART to be a roleplaying feature first and foremost"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
While the metro has always been a part of the makeup of Night City, it wasn’t until the2.1 updateback inDecember last yearthatCD Projekt Redtook the opportunity to introduce a functional rail network we can now hop onto.
“The metro network was always part of Night City lore and urban planning,” lead quest designer Danisz Markiewicz says. “We’d been toying with the idea in some shape or form on and off during development, but the idea to make it a reality, in the form it is now, didn’t come around until shortly beforePhantom Libertyreleased, when we began planning Patch 2.1. A lot of people think we probably had it tucked away somewhere, but in reality almost everything was put together between Phantom Liberty and the release of Patch 2.1, with the exception of some models. We assembled a small, interdisciplinary team and got to work.”
All aboard
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
One of the Cyberpunk 2077 trailers that always sticks in my mind is the one fromE3 2018. Showing off V as they make their way down a train carriage, we see a map of the rail network before the cityscape flits past the window. Of course, when the game released at the end of 2020, there was no metro to ride, but such a feature has been on fans' minds ever since. It’s something that CD Projekt was well aware of when it came to officially bringing the metro system to life for the 2.1 update.
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
Phantom Liberty(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review: “The culmination of CD Projekt Red’s efforts”
Phantom Liberty
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review: “The culmination of CD Projekt Red’s efforts”
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review: “The culmination of CD Projekt Red’s efforts”
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What’s my line?
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
“At one point we prepared a whole list of ideas for small ‘slice of life’ moments that can randomly happen, drawing from our own personal experiences and stories. There is a lot of Warsaw subway in there, but also London, Berlin, and Los Angeles, as people from all over the world pitched in. Some of those touches are small, some developed into whole scenes that play out. I personally like the ‘creepy stare’. We’ve all been there, feeling uncomfortable as a strange person on the train keeps staring at us. Night City is no different. Well, except for the fact that those eyes could be glowing.”
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
“NCART stations and tracks were already part of the city layout, and in fact there were some fan-made maps outlining how different lines would operate.“Danisz Markiewicz
“NCART stations and tracks were already part of the city layout, and in fact there were some fan-made maps outlining how different lines would operate.”
Drawing from their own personal stories across the team helped inform the team’s approach to the experience on board the NCART carriage, but when it came to actually designing the functional metro system within Night City, the lines proved to be the greatest challenge for CD Projekt Red. “Planning the lines was in fact the most challenging thing regarding this whole endeavor,” Markiewicz says. “I spent hours with our environment city coordinator Wiktoria Stachowska considering options and discussing changes. NCART stations and tracks were already part of the city layout, and in fact there were some fan-made maps outlining how different lines would operate. We had to make sure that our lines overlapped in a way that would be convenient to players, but also would make a believable commute for Night City residents. That meant adding some tracks or turns where there were none, or expanding certain stations, like Corporate Plaza.”
“Game lore was also a consideration, of which Line C is a perfect example. If you look at the map, it’s very short and even odd at first glance, connecting Corporate Plaza with Pacifica, two very unlikely destinations. Until you consider Kurt Hansen, the de facto ruler of Dogtown [in the Phantom Liberty expansion], and his influence and connections. If not for Hansen, this line and probably the entire Pacifica station would be shut down.”
When I originally returned to Night City for the 2.1 update,I was in it for the romantic hangouts. Little did I know I would end up restarting my adventure with V all over again thanks to other additions like the NCART city pass and functional metro system. During my time revisiting the RPG, I’ve found myself hopping onto the metro several times to kick back and enjoy the sights of a neon-tinted city that’s so often throwing me into the action - and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
“The feedback and reactions made it all worth it,” Markiewicz says. “And watching people discover the tiny details is always fun, like a certain meme recreated with everyone’s favorite rockerboy, or people randomly noticing cats sleeping on the train. I’m pretty sure there are still small things people are still discovering, both with the NCART and Patch 2.1 in general.”
See what else is in store from the studio with our round up ofupcoming CD Projekt Red games.
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