“This city always has your promise.” V said to himself for the first time Cyberpunk 2077 trailer. “This may be a lie, an illusion, but it’s there, just around the corner. It keeps you going.”
In the years before “Cyberpunk” was released, potential players made a living with similar promises. Before CD Projekt Red’s ambitious eight-year bet came true, it has always existed as a pure potential among fans-under the guidance of the trailer, they can let their dreams fly here. The technologically advanced future environment, coupled with the premise that seems to combine the free-form chaos of GTA with the wizard’s branch RPG selection, proved to be a powerful fuel for imagination.
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“CDPR allows players to have huge robotic arms, eyes that can emit small beams, and hand modules that allow you to climb buildings like Spider-Man,” a module maker named Crazy Potato told me. “The possibilities are endless.”
For part of the Cyberpunk 2077 module and thousands of fans who downloaded their work, this free space is where they want to return. Like the lotus eaters in Greek mythology, they try to forget disappointment and live in a night city that is in contact with reality without tarnishing-a pre-pandemic world, where a group of excited people can tell Keanu Lee Weiss was breathtaking and was called breathtaking in return.
For most people, giant robotic arms and laser eyes are not necessary. Many players are just looking for souvenirs, which is an evocative item that can bring them back to the exciting days of E3 2018. For example, SpookieCL’s Samurai Jacket mod has been downloaded, which reproduces the LED glowing leather jacket V 3,804 times that Cyberpunk wore in the initial presentation. “I like the original trailer. I watched it many times and I was impressed by many details,” Spookie said. “The jacket in the final product is different and doesn’t suit my taste, so I chose the original look because it feels just right. Many people feel the same.”
At the same time, Crazy Potato discovered the unused mesh model and texture files of Female V because she appeared in the first E3 show. After restoration, they were downloaded 11,991 times. “I want to at least bring it back to life, so that many people can enjoy something, no matter it is a small thing, it has been disappeared by CDPR for any reason,” Crazy said.
The exchange of assets also includes changes to the cyberpunk atmosphere. WT3WD spent a few days adjusting the lighting of the game, chasing the “magnificent” lights and “beautiful” clouds of the first E3 demo. “Many people claim that the colors are better now,” WT3WD said. “No more neon blue, then [it] No longer let the eyes feel tired, yes, they even expressed their gratitude for removing the yellow pee color. “
As the Cyberpunk E3 repair catalog of NexusMods continues to increase, others are also inspired by the feeling of contributing to the greater community efforts. Joell560 redesigned the female V clothing shown in the early demo footage of the game-full of belt chains from the glory days of the new metal-which has been downloaded 12,345 times. “I think putting all these modules together, you can get some kind of E3 experience,” Joel said. “Seeing the reaction to the mod and getting others to work with it, I know I made the right decision.”
It is important to note that the community has not reached a consensus on what is missing in the final cyberpunk. Some of the mod makers I interviewed complained about the lack of features such as wall penetration and NPC invasion-both of which appeared in early shots-or lack of branching options. Others have more fine-grained concerns, such as being unable to cut hair in the game, or not having enough lighting changes between areas. One person talked about an elusive “soul” that does not exist. “What we end up with is the shell of a greater game, and sadly now, it has been forgotten by time,” Crazy said.
However, in general, the cyberpunk mod makers I interviewed loved the game. Some people are even optimistic about their future. “I’m totally certain that CD Projekt Red can reverse the criticism of the game and its stigma of being “a mess” by listening to the audience,” Spookie said. “By actually repairing the game as they have done so far, and releasing important and high-quality storylines/game content to satisfy the desire for more content.”
“We will have to wait until CDPR releases their proposed free DLC and extensions to see if they can restore some of the content they showed,” said TheArcaneEagle, who restored the pink vest shown in the E3 2018 demo and downloaded 4,726 times. “Now, the modder seems to be two steps ahead of them when it comes to providing some key fixes that should have been there since release.”
In the past, the overly ambitious E3 demonstration caused strong backlash, and developers had to endure it for many years. But any such impulses in the cyberpunk mod community are alleviated by a better understanding of what the E3 demo really is. More than one module maker I have spoken to realized early on that the cyberpunk demo might be a vertical slice representing the goal of CD Projekt, rather than a real picture of the entire game.
“I think a lot of people are expecting something different from what we received in retail stores. The E3 version is real and they were cheated,” Joel said. “But in fact, it’s just to hype the upcoming version. I can say that some potential is wasted, but for a game of this size, something will definitely be missed.”
“The E3 version always presents the game in the best way, because they are designed to arouse people’s interest in the game,” TheArcaneEagle added. “So far, for whatever reason, no one should be surprised when it was completely different when it was released. At the same time, it’s always difficult to review what’s shown and realize what might happen, so if something The elements can be restored, and I can’t blame the players for wanting to play the E3 version.”
Maybe the mod makers are pragmatists in nature-they are determined to make the most of what they have. If the cyberpunk journey taught them to lower their expectations, then this is a useful lesson that they can apply to their work.
“I do understand why people want to play the’E3 version’, but it doesn’t exist,” Joel said. “The rest are some unused files in the files used by the module maker.”
