Fans got their first glimpse at Cyberpunk 2077 combat in the recent gameplay demo released by CD Projekt Red. The demo showed off combat at low and high levels, and also showed a variety of different weapons and abilities; clearly, combat in Cyberpunk 2077 will let players play in a lot of different ways. In a recent Q&A, developers from CD Projekt Red explained the role of “Smart Guns,” and how they differ from regular firearms.
The Role of Smart Guns in Cyberpunk 2077 Combat
CD Projekt Red recently hosted a fan Q&A on the studio’s official forums. Fans were able to ask two of the game’s developers, Philipp Weber and Kyle Rowley, about the game. One such question addressed smart guns. Specifically, how they work in Cyberpunk 2077 and whether they would be affected by RPG-elements; “While we are still balancing all of this the general idea is that there will be a trade-off,” explains Weber; “so a weapon that requires aim will generally do more damage compared to a weapon that has smart aim.”
Rowley proceeded to give a much more detailed description of how smart guns will work in Cyberpunk 2077 combat; “In order to actually use smart guns you will need a specific connection to the gun via a piece of cyberware,” he explains; “that will unlock the ability to use the targeting system that will actually multi-highlight the enemies, so when you pull the trigger the bullets track them. The player’s actual skills do not affect the smart weapon technology at all, it’s all based on the gun. The targeting system itself is from an eye augment so that is what unlocks the bullet tracking, but how efficient it is at tracking is based on the weapon, not the player skill.”
Tech Guns vs. Street Guns
So, for the most part, smart guns won’t be affected by RPG elements. However, it sounds as though they will be heavily reliant on cyberware. As such, they’re likely to be favored by players making heavy use of cybernetics rather than pure combat skills. Rowley goes on to draw a key distinction between “Street” and “Tech” guns.
“The way the weapons work now,” continues Rowley; “obviously this is all very much work in progress so anything can change, but what we have right now are pistols, shotguns, rifles – they can be either Tech or Street. A large percentage of those weapons can fit modules that can change they way they handle, those modules being Tech, Smart or Power. So I can aquire a Tech pistol but I can replace the module so it can become a Power or Smart pistol. Gameplay mechanics can change based on what modules you pick and modules will also have rarities attached to them as well.”