Pledge Manager Reminder + Expansion Gangs Design Diary
about 2 years ago – Sat, Aug 27, 2022 at 07:01:42 AM

Hey choomba!

We hope everyone is well!

Now that the campaign is behind us, we've got lots to do as we start going full swing into production mode! We have completed our playtest rounds and also received valuable feedback from the TTS module, so we've have been working on refining the game as well as making improvements to the text of components. Soon, we'll be preparing all files for one more editing/proofreading pass before moving to graphics. Meanwhile, we're also working with manufacturers to continue reviewing resin figures, which are arriving at a steady pace. 

And, before we get to this week's Design Diary update, we'd also like to remind to you that the Pledge Manager will be closing on October 9th 2022, so make sure you confirm and submit your survey by the deadline! 

Completion of the survey is the single most important part of ensuring that you receive your pledge.

MAKE SURE TO PAY AND SUBMIT YOUR SURVEY BY THE DEADLINE. Please be advised that this is the final deadline to guarantee your pledge and that we will produce based on the numbers of confirmed orders in Backerkit. If you fail to confirm your survey by the deadline, we will be completely unable to offer you a pledge later.

If you haven't done so yet, please make sure to read the previous update where we go into details and important information about ensuring the delivery of your pledge. 

Now, let's get to today's content! 

During the campaign, we've seen details on each of the Core Box Gangs and their abilities. If you'd like to catch up on those, you can read about them here. Today, Francesco Rugerfred Sedda will talk about the design process behind the other Gangs in the game, offering insights into what makes each gang tick and how you can best use them. Enter Rugerfred. 

When we were tasked with the design of each gang in the game, we wanted to apply the same principle we applied across the various other parts of the game: appeal to different play styles and be coherent with the lore and history of the world of Cyberpunk 2077.

In the Core Box, we needed to make each Gang’s appeal clear:

• Maelstrom for hot interaction & aggressive players.
• Valentinos on the opposite side of the spectrum, with a bigger focus on resource management.
• Voodoo Boys for the long-term, push-your-luck aspects.
• Tyger Claws for players who are vengeful and carry grudges.

However, for the Stretch Goals and Expansions Gangs, we could introduce more complexity and peculiar gameplay, while keeping the balance between Gang abilities and also making them coherent with their lore and history, as we did with the core. Let's take a look at each Gang individually, starting with the 6th Street, which was unlocked to all backers through a series of Stretch Goals! 

The 6th Street are patriot vigilantes focused on keeping an eye on their territory. Their vigilante patrols are represented by tokens that can be placed in Districts where they have Presence at the end of their Activate. These tokens grant them Street Cred when opponents lose Units in Firefights there, allowing them to "control" their territory.  It also gives them room to swap between aggression and defense with more than just their Units in their territories and create a deterrent for other Gangs if they want to attack the 6th Streets’ locations. This especially appeals to players that prefer a defensive strategy. However, a more aggressive tactic is not off the table, either, as players may also opt to place vigilante patrols in districts where other Gangs have their hideouts.

When it came to Families and Outcasts expansion, we introduced a new resource-scarce District, but with a very interesting Point of Interest. The two Gangs that start from there are peculiar because both have a replacement for the Build a Hideout Action disc and can’t build new hideouts in the city.

Aldecaldos are, before anything else, a community and a family, so we wanted them to be able to recruit outcasts from the other Gangs. This was mechanically translated by having them converting defeated Units from other Gangs in Firefights they didn’t initiate. On top of this, the bigger their community is, the more resource they can gather every RECLAIM turn. But of course, everything has a downside. Aside from converting opponent’s Units, it’s difficult for them to bring a large number of recruits into play, although hiring Edgerunners is, of course, still a viable alternative. They have a unique play style that some players might consider more challenging than others, appealing more to players interested in explorative and experimental ways of approaching the game.

Wraiths are very aggressive and we wanted them to be both a Gang with lots of direct interaction and able to reduce other players’ resource acquisition. Their main dynamic is city-oriented raids where they enter a District with their Solo Units. If they survive a Firefight, they raid that District’s resources, preventing any other gang from gaining them until the Wraiths take a Reclaim turn, claiming these resources for themselves. They need to come back after a raid, though, as they are forced to bring back all their Units to the Badlands at the end of each Reclaim turn. Like Maelstrom, they appeal to players that like a lot of interaction, but from a different tactical angle. Players need to plan their raids very well when playing as the Wraiths.

And finally, we have the Gang Wars expansion Gangs.

Animals swap between doing bodyguard gigs and their drug-smuggling business. This, mechanically, is represented by two abilities. Their side job grants them an extra source of income when they use their Wild Action disc while their other ability allows them to stash some steroids for extra power in the fights when they seize a Braindance or Cyberware deal. These give the Animals a unique playstyle, swapping between seizing Opportunities and aggression. They were designed for flexible players, who look to adapt their playstyle to the current tactical situation and be able to shift their plans. The extra income can also be directed to hiring Edgerunners, allowing them to also expand their tactical possibilities easily.

We knew from the first moment of working on the game that building Hideouts around the city would not be a good fit for the Moxes. They have Lizzie’s Bar and that’s it. On the other hand, the bar is not just your regular hideout. Mechanically, when they use their Build Hideout Action disc, they improve their base, giving them extra passive abilities in any order they choose. This allows them to be an adaptive Gang that  is not looking to start Firefights, but that has a lot to gain from them. Of course, the extra income gained from the ability is counterbalanced by the fact that they can never have Dominance in any District but their own.

Originally designed as a Module, we found during testing that the Opportunity cards crafted for the Scavengers Module incorporated well into the gameplay, making the Scavengers also playable as a Gang.

Scavengers are disorganized, chaotic, and play by their own rules. With that in mind, they don’t start from a predetermined District and they can’t build Hideouts and have a second Wild Action disc. Their great instability is also conveyed by the fact that they are the only Gang that can be eliminated from the game as well as by their need to consume resources every time they want to recruit Units. The core of their play style is seizing Opportunities since doing so triggers many undesirable effects for the other players. They are one of the most complex gangs to play, but their incredibly tactical adaptability potential and the unique effects triggered by their Opportunity cards make them a very intriguing Gang in the game.

And there you have it! All the gangs with their abilities laid out in full. What gang are you most excited to get onto the table? 

Until the next one, C-YA.

Pledge Manager Launching!
about 2 years ago – Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 05:51:27 AM

Hey, choomba!

We've pleased to announce that the Pledge Manager for Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City is now open via the Backerkit platform! If you haven't yet, very soon you’ll be receiving a link to your pledge manager: the Backerkit survey!

The invitation process can take some time, but our goal is to have all surveys sent out by tomorrow, so please don't worry if you haven't received your email yet. Also, please note that you don’t need to create a Backerkit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, just click the survey link to respond.

Completion of the survey is the single most important part of ensuring that you receive your pledge.

On the survey system, you will be able to select individual Optional Buys you want to include in your pledge and even change pledge levels, if you'd like. If you want additional Pledges (Stretch Goals included) or additional copies of the Optional Buys, you will be able to purchase those as well. You will also define and confirm your shipping address and pay for your shipping cost once everything is selected.

MAKE SURE TO PAY AND SUBMIT YOUR SURVEY BY THE DEADLINE. Please be advised that this is the final deadline to guarantee your pledge and that we will produce based on the numbers of confirmed orders in Backerkit. If you fail to confirm your survey by the deadline, we will be completely unable to offer you a pledge later.

For backers familiar with the BackerKit system, please be advised that your payment will be processed immediately upon placing the order. You can still edit your address until the deadline, but your pledge level, optional buys, and additional items will be locked the moment the order is finalized. So be sure to fill out your survey carefully, including all the products you want, within the October 9th deadline.

You will receive the survey in the same email that you used to back the Kickstarter project (or the late pledge through the Backerkit pre-order). To check your information or pledge status at any time, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in the email or request a new link under "Lost your survey?" on the Cyberpunk 2077 product page. If you don't receive your survey invite by the end of the week, you should also be able to locate it on the Backerkit project page.

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the Backerkit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, or If you have any issues/questions, please make sure to contact Support.

Until the next one, C-YA.

Core Box Resins
about 2 years ago – Fri, Aug 05, 2022 at 04:16:57 PM

 Hey, choomba!

With the Kickstarter campaign officially complete, we're shifting to full production mode! Before we get into what we've been doing so far, showing you the core box resins, here're 2 painted figures by BigChild Creatives we did not manage to show during the campaign.

CORE BOX RESINS

Let's take a quick look at the resin samples from the Core Box. We've shown these before, during our week in review live streams, but we thought it would be nice to recap and allow you to see them in pictures, especially in case you missed it.

For the figures, their base shapes define their unit type.

•  Solos have Pentagonal bases.
•  Techies and Drones share the Octagonal base.
•  Netrunners have Square bases.
•  Edgerunners have Round Circular bases.

Each of the gangs needed to be unmistakable in its visual identity and unique designs between each unit type. With distinct silhouettes, even without the color or base shape separating the units, you can tell at a glance who your gang is based on their clothes and style.

After sculpting, the first step is to procure the first physical samples of the figures, these resin samples. During the resin check and reviewing step of the process, we're watching out for things like:

• Character height lineup
• Body proportion consistency
• Weapon and detail thickness

Because this is the first time we get to physically hold these miniatures, we finally get to see their table presence. While many of the specs can be solidified digitally, we'll only get a full sense of their feel on the board when they reach our hands.

Having so many different character body types and poses, they need to be relevant to each other realistically. While the figure height to eyes is 32mm, the reality is that we're dealing with anything from 20-38mm, based on the pose, the height of shoes, or body build (in the case of our larger characters like the Animals).

And while we want details to be thin and intricate, there is a minimum thickness required for molding, which means things like belt buckles, cigarettes, blades, dog tags, clothing hems, flaps, and linings, all need to meet this minimum to be viable during plastic production.

 We're also working on the preparation of the Pledge Manager and expect it to be ready around early August. Each backer will receive a notification when it opens, to be able to enter and confirm your pledge. We'll explain in more detail once the Pledge Manager opens.

We've got lots to do, and we're excited to bring this project to live. Full steam ahead!

Until the next one, C-YA!

We've hit the major leagues!
about 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 08, 2022 at 07:52:59 PM

Hey, choomba!

This is it! In the course of the last hours we purrsevered and unlocked Nibbles!

We got really close, but didn't quite manage to reach Adam Smasher...

... but we are going to go ahead and unlock him anyway to all of our backers! We know how much this guy means to everyone, and we couldn't leave you without him!

And with that, we reach the end of our campaign!

We want to thank you, our backers. We’ve managed to explore many facets of Night City because of each one of you. We hope that you are as excited about this game as we are, and that we deliver to your expectations!

We also have to thank everyone involved in the making of this game. It has been an honor to work with CD Projekt Red on this project, offering invaluable insights about the Cyberpunk 2077 world, and supporting us wholeheartedly throughout the process.

Of course, this would not be possible without the hard work and dedication from the game design team, the artists, the sculptors, the graphic design team, the production team, the marketing team, and the video makers. Thank you for putting in your all to create the best possible version of this board game that we could!

The campaign is over, so what’s the next step?

We’ll use your pledge information to populate an account on our Pledge Manager, and when that’s complete, we’ll send you a link at the email address you have registered on Kickstarter. On the pledge manager, you will be able to specify which items you want, pay for additional items and for shipping. In case you have any trouble processing your payment at the end of the campaign, please visit the Kickstarter’s FAQ Page. We reproduce here the pertinent section:

---

A project I’m backing just succeeded and my card was declined. What do I do?

If your pledge was declined, just log in to Kickstarter and click the “Fix payment” button in the banner at the top of your screen. This will guide you through the process of changing your payment method. We’ll also send you an email every 48 hours with a direct link to correct the issue. Don’t delay, however: backers have 7 days to resolve payment issues before they are dropped from the project. Here are things to look into:

1. Check that you entered a valid credit card number and the correct expiration date. Make sure the card hasn’t expired.

2. Confirm that your billing address and phone number are correct.

3. Make sure you haven’t exceeded the credit limit on your card. If everything checks out, it’s possible your bank put a hold on the charge. Please contact your bank to authorize the pledge. Once you’ve cleared up any issues with your bank or card, you’ll still need to follow the “Fix Payment” link to retry your pledge.

And with the campaign coming to an end, it also comes the inevitable question: What is next for CMON?

We are not quite ready to announce it just yet, but make sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page and live streams throughout next week for some exciting and surprising announcements!

Until the next one, C-YA.

Remember to "Feed Teh Cat"
about 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 08, 2022 at 11:38:59 AM

Hey, choomba!

We're going with the Flow and unlocked a terrifying Netrunner for the roster!

For our next Stretch Goal, you’d better have some cat food ready for your newest feline companion.

If we reach $840k, we will unlock the Kickstarter Exclusive Nibbles for all backers, including her figure and Edgerunner card!

Judging from Night City’s exorbitant pet tax, adopting Nibbles is purely for clout, no one would disagree. You’re definitely gonna rack yourself some reputation for obtaining her, with a chance to gain Street Cred every time you ACTIVATE by rolling a die result higher than the number of opposing units in Nibbles’ District.

But like any cat, Nibbles will still go wherever she damn well pleases. At the end of your RECLAIM, Nibbles will wander into any adjacent District. Just make sure to keep her safe and steer her away from potential Firefights.

Until the next one, C-YA.