Tempered7
May 11th, 2026, 07:38
For the past week, I was researching Cyberpunk 2077 and Single Player Mode, going back and forth with the video game and design articles, wiki pages for quests, song lists [most quest titles refer to a rock song (https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/l5oggf/songs_that_gave_cyberpunk_2077_its_job_titles/)] and whatnot. And I started to collect the first fruit of my labor.
I used below sources and the sources they refered to [like designer videos] and found out why Cyberpunk 2077 still has 20k players on Steam six years after its release despite its initial problems. I didnt explore all of these principles but found out the essentials and turned them into Infographics. I also mentioned some ways to use them in Solo Mode.
Play, Show, and Tell, Only in this Order
Build Drama in Gameplay
Design with Systems, not Custom Solutions (where possible)
Engage with Choices, Pay Off with Consequences
Telegraph Consequences and Contextualize Every Major Choice
Design Asymmetrical Consequences
Define the Genre and Theme Early: They Will Guide You
Surpass Expectations Strategically
Eradicate the Filler, Keep the Fluff
Amuse and Thrill Your Players
Enjoy!
SOURCES:
Inside CD Projekt Red Quest Design:
https://gamerant.com/cd-projekt-red-witcher-cyberpunk-2077-quest-design-how/
The Witcher 3 Dev Reveals the 'Secret Sauce' of CD Projekt Red Quests
https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-cyberpunk-2077-quests-empathy/
How the Creators of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 Became the Masters of Choice and Consequence
https://www.ign.com/articles/how-the-creators-of-the-witcher-and-cyberpunk-2077-became-the-masters-of-choice-and-consequence
Hidden choices, small ripples: How CDPR merged cinematics and interactivity in Cyberpunk 2077
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hidden-choices-small-ripples-how-cdpr-merged-cinematics-and-interactivity-in-cyberpunk-2077
loGZGaeso4s
Starting and Ending With the Loop: You'll understand it at the end.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67390&stc=1&d=1778482039
I used below sources and the sources they refered to [like designer videos] and found out why Cyberpunk 2077 still has 20k players on Steam six years after its release despite its initial problems. I didnt explore all of these principles but found out the essentials and turned them into Infographics. I also mentioned some ways to use them in Solo Mode.
Play, Show, and Tell, Only in this Order
Build Drama in Gameplay
Design with Systems, not Custom Solutions (where possible)
Engage with Choices, Pay Off with Consequences
Telegraph Consequences and Contextualize Every Major Choice
Design Asymmetrical Consequences
Define the Genre and Theme Early: They Will Guide You
Surpass Expectations Strategically
Eradicate the Filler, Keep the Fluff
Amuse and Thrill Your Players
Enjoy!
SOURCES:
Inside CD Projekt Red Quest Design:
https://gamerant.com/cd-projekt-red-witcher-cyberpunk-2077-quest-design-how/
The Witcher 3 Dev Reveals the 'Secret Sauce' of CD Projekt Red Quests
https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-cyberpunk-2077-quests-empathy/
How the Creators of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 Became the Masters of Choice and Consequence
https://www.ign.com/articles/how-the-creators-of-the-witcher-and-cyberpunk-2077-became-the-masters-of-choice-and-consequence
Hidden choices, small ripples: How CDPR merged cinematics and interactivity in Cyberpunk 2077
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/hidden-choices-small-ripples-how-cdpr-merged-cinematics-and-interactivity-in-cyberpunk-2077
loGZGaeso4s
Starting and Ending With the Loop: You'll understand it at the end.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67390&stc=1&d=1778482039