Inspect a vanilla questphase
Here you will extract one named game resource into a disposable WolvenKit project, inspect its ownership and graph shape, and record observations without shipping CD Projekt RED’s file.
| Record | Value |
|---|---|
| Extraction target | Cyberpunk 2077 2.31a Windows archives |
| Inspection tool | WolvenKit 8.19.0 |
| Runtime test | Not applicable; read-only research procedure |
Vanilla reference: the depot path and focused behavior below are Observed in vanilla. A retained research extraction reported game version
2310, was extracted on 2026-07-24, and was serialized for inspection with WolvenKit 8.17.4. No extracted binary or complete serialization is included in this book. Re-extract it from the pinned2.31ainstallation with WolvenKit 8.19.0 before relying on its current structure.
Why use a separate inspection project
Use a project such as CQA_Vanilla_Inspection, not the Lab 1 project. Adding a
vanilla file to a WolvenKit project places the cooked resource beneath that
project’s source\archive; packing the project would therefore copy the
vanilla resource into a distributable archive.
A separate project creates a simple safety boundary:
- extracted game resources stay local;
- notes can cite their original depot paths;
- tutorial projects contain only mod-owned resources;
- the inspection project is never packaged or committed.
The reference is evidence, not a template. It contains quest-local facts, NodeRefs, journal paths, scenes, devices, and nested phases that will not become valid merely because the file was copied.
Extract the named resource
Create or open the disposable project, then enable the Asset Browser from WolvenKit’s View menu if it is hidden. Ensure Mod Browsing mode is off so the search covers the installed base-game archives.
Search for this exact depot path:
base\quest\side_quests\sq021\phases\sq021_randys_room.questphase
Select the exact result, open its context menu, and choose Add selected items to project. The official Asset Browser guide documents that action and explains that it extracts individual files from installed archives without uncooking the entire game.
Verify that the project now contains:
source\archive\base\quest\side_quests\sq021\phases\sq021_randys_room.questphase
The leading source\archive is project structure. The depot path begins at
base. Do not rename the extracted file before recording its provenance.
If you only want to browse another reference without retaining it, Open without adding to project is the safer read-only route. It does not satisfy this extraction checkpoint because no project copy is retained. The upstream File Editor documentation describes both workflows.
Inspect ownership before graph layout
Open the project copy. Start with the resource tree/properties, then use the quest graph view as an index into exact nodes. Record these facts:
| Question | What this resource shows |
|---|---|
| What is the resource root? | questQuestPhaseResource |
| What owns executable topology? | Its questGraphDefinition and nested phase graphs |
| How can execution enter or leave? | Named input/output node sockets, not the filename |
| Are all dependencies embedded? | No; nodes refer to quest-local facts, journal paths, a computer NodeRef, and a scene |
| Can screen position prove order? | No; socket connections and node semantics prove flow |
Do not take a graph screenshot as your structural record. Write down node ID, concrete type, decisive properties, input/output socket names, and connected node/socket pairs. That record survives editor zoom, layout, and theme changes.
The resource is intentionally large. Do not try to understand all of it on the first pass. The focused computer-document sequence is useful because it shows ownership crossing from a device/scene flow into a fact-backed quest wait:
| Node | Focused observation |
|---|---|
175 | Computer manager enables UI interactivity for #sq021_randy_pc |
176 | Waits for sq021_randy_pc_webfile_found > 0 |
177 | Disables computer UI interactivity |
182 | Activates journal page internet_sites/drugs_are_bad/05_secret_page |
191 | Sets sq021_thisisfucked_read = 1 from the computer-page output |
192 | Waits until sq021_thisisfucked_read > 0 |
193 | Sets the next quest fact after the read signal is observed |
These rows are Observed in vanilla, not a universal recipe. The important boundary is that the authored computer flow emits a dedicated fact and the questphase waits for it. The journal activation alone is not evidence that an arbitrary document-read condition exists.
Record provenance, not the asset
For a research note, retain:
- the exact depot path;
- game and WolvenKit versions;
- extraction date;
- the small node/property excerpt needed for the claim;
- optionally, a local SHA-256 of the extracted file;
- your interpretation and its evidence label.
Do not publish the cooked .questphase, a complete CR2W-JSON export, or a ZIP
containing the inspection project. A hash identifies your local reference but
does not grant redistribution permission.
When the game updates, extract again into a fresh disposable project and compare focused facts. Do not silently carry a previous-build observation forward.
Inspection checkpoint
You are ready to continue when you can explain why:
- the Windows path and depot path are different;
- adding the file to a project extracts a distributable cooked resource;
- a vanilla phase’s external references do not become mod-owned dependencies;
- node sockets, not visual placement, establish execution;
- your notes can support a claim without redistributing the source asset.
Next, read Graph execution and the rest of Foundations.