i agree that ncpd activities are copy pasted. not that it's a valid flaw because you have tons of side quests that are handcrafted. much more than your average game so ncpd activities are just there to add something if people want to play more but it's not like you run out of content in 5 hours without them.
let's break down the side content.
side jobs - handcrafted same production value as main quest. that alone is better than 99% of other games
gigs - handcrafted lower production value but still better than 99% of other games where side quests are usually crap
ncpd activities - copy paste activities to grind money and experience
so you nitpick the low priority ncpd activities and use that to say the world is full of filler lazy copy paste crap when that is not the case. you can easily ignore that content if you don't like it because you have dozens of hours of actually handcrafted gigs and side jobs. you are talking like this game is ubisoft level of copy pasted crap.
if they removed the ncpd missions would you praise the game for how different and unique the side content is?
This break down is similar to the one i once made to some new player in Witcher 3.
I told him about the quest structure the same way you explained this but in a little more detail.
I also used numbers to rank them in terms of priority to playing the game.
(From most important to least important)
Witcher 3:
1- Main Quests (Story)
2- Secondary Quests (Extra Story development for the side and main cast and major influence on ending)
3- Side Quests (Well written and unique side quests, some are funny like the bank in Toussaint some are sad like the one with the werewolf in Velen.) + (Also forgot to add Gwent and fistfight and racing if you want)
4- Contracts (Mini-boss fights with Witcher sense investigation to gather mutagens and fight monsters, well written as well and sometimes has choices too)
5- Random Encounters (All kind of things, adds life to the open world)
6- Treasure Hunts (Gear and exploration, in the 2nd DLC it has good backstory)
7- Points of Interest (Grind and XP, for people who enjoy the gameplay, sometimes leads to a side quest, open up villages and by opening it up you may open a new quest too)
Just like you said, the main quests and secondary quests are both on same production value.
Side quests like you said about gigs, However i would say Witcher 3 ones were better.
Contracts is probably closer to gigs than side quests, a side quest like Paperchase is actually unique and interesting.
Random Encounters are those ! you find on the map in yellow and they sometimes lead to a bigger side quest too. But sometimes they are just an encounter like that dude who wants to duel Geralt to prove he is worthy to his girl. Its a series of encounters actually, another thing Witcher 3 did better imo.
Treasure hunts and Points of interest are kinda repetitive but as you said those are to grind money and test your gameplay abilities on enemies.
Cyberpunk 2077:
1- Main Jobs (Story)
2- Side Jobs (Extra Story development for the side and main cast and major influence on ending)
3- Gigs (Nothing impressive from point of writing, but good to play the game and try different weapons and gameplay approaches)
4- NCPD (as you said grind xp and items)
he needs his worth in hours for what he paid .
