After seeing so many trailers and demos for Assassin’s Creed III, you might start to think you understand the game. But then you start to think about it, and you realize you don’t actually know anything. How the heck is Connor navigating trees so fluidly? How is that combat happening? And what is going on with the boats?
Today we were able to finally ask Ubisoft a few questions during a live demonstration of the game that took us through the Frontier, the naval Caribbean segment we saw during Sony’s press conference, and Boston. One thing we quickly learned - there’s a lot going on in this game that’s different, but much of it is behind the scenes to make this game still feel like Assassin’s Creed - albeit a massively upgraded one.
Connor’s Two Hands
We’ve been hearing a bit about two-handed combat, but without much detail. Basically players are able to assign two types of items to Connor - tools to his right hand, and weapons to his left. The weapons are more hand-to-hand items like his tomahawk or hidden blade. Tools tend to be a bit more about range and also have multiple functions - say his bow and arrow or a pistol. These aren’t just used for combat, but can be used for hunting and more functional ideas along those lines.
The Stunning Kills
You’ve seen some impressive kills in ACIII, something that seems even more prevalent than in previous AC titles. Similar to other games in the franchise, a lot of this is contextual, based on enemy location as well as the items that Connor has available to him. In Boston we saw Connor, musket in hand, run up behind a British soldier who was talking to a fellow Redcoat. The assassin jammed the musket through the enemy facing away from him, then fired the weapon to kill the second man. It’s stunning, but it all worked because of every precise detail of that moment. Change any part of that scenario, and things play out differently.
Navigating the Wilderness
One interesting thing about everything we’ve seen regarding Connor in trees or climbing rocks - it’s not as different as you might think. Ubisoft is doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that moving through the forest isn’t all that complicated. In previous games, navigating the city was about ‘reading’ visual clues - seeing where roofs were positioned, judging distance and how buildings flowed from one to the next. That’s actually the same here.
What’s key is how Ubisoft has ‘gamed’ the trees themselves, using ‘Y’ branches almost as junction points that allow players decide if they want to adjust their movement. The same actually applies to some elements of the city - as the designers implemented some of the wilderness ideas, they realized some of it would apply back to the ‘pre-urban jungle’ of early America.
Countering
There is a fundamental similarity to countering in AC that still applies to this version - react to your opponent’s attack to throw them off guard. However, Ubisoft views the concept more as a combo ‘opener’ which will give Connor a host of options. As always, his two-handed style gives him access to both a weapon and a tool. Add in the more context-sensitive kill animations and that’s how you’ve been seeing some of the more artful material out there.
Bringing the ‘Flawless’ Playing to the Players
How many times have you watched a demonstration of a video game, and been amazed, only to get the game home and realize you can’t actually do anything you just saw? The level of precision and flawless execution some developers have when presenting their games can sometimes be stunning - and it’s because they rehearse the same sequence over and over. One of Ubisoft’s goals this time around was to bring that kind of polished, incredible experience directly to the players, to make it more accessible. What you’ve been seeing from ACIII so far is designed to be relatively easy to execute, and based on what we’ve learned at E3, it seems as though you won’t have to throw out everything you’ve learned about AC to do it.
More Killing
Two moments really stood out to us in the Frontier demo - the spot where Connor grabs a musket from a rack, stabs a man with its bayonet - without stopping his pursuit of a target - and then the air assassination that ended that chase, which was clearly scripted. Air assassinations will now be able to be performed by any weapon, not just the hidden blade. So players wanting to recreate that airborne musket attack can do just that - and not in the flashy sequence we saw that typically signals the end of a mission.
The running assault is part of Ubisoft’s attempt to make the game more aggressive, more fluid and to change up the dynamics of the game ever so slightly. And it’s easy to pull off. Just run up to a target and hold the attack button. Connor will take out his prey and keep moving.
Navigating the High Seas
ACIII’s boat sequence first revealed at Sony’s press conference was certainly impressive, but how would it work? Steering a sail-driven, cannon-loaded ship would not seem to be the easiest thing. During a live demo of that sequence, Ubisoft told us the development team had considered going for a more ‘simulation’ approach, meaning the boat would handle as it should, but decided the controls should be a bit more true to their franchise - fluid, responsive and fast.
Killing on the High Seas
Connor will have access to two broad types of attacks while on the ocean - a swivel turret and the broadside cannons. The swivel turret allows for quick, positioned shots with typical cannon balls. It’s designed specifically to target weaker points on ships, which will be helpful as we’ll explain below.
The broadside cannons are more restrictive in when they’re used, but have more shot options - chain shots to take out masts, grape shots to sweep soldiers off of decks, and even heat shots which, get this, are on fire. A quick selection menu similar to Connor’s typical weapons layout allows him to access these different types.
Executing these attacks is very simple, as each type of cannon is mapped to L1/LB or R1/RB. Holding down an attack button will allow Connor to place his attack with the swivel mount or lay out a dynamic grid showing the width and depth of his broadside attack. Releasing the button will then signal to fire. Keeping the broadside attack button pressed will hold the attack for the right moment, narrowing the grid if Connor needs to strategically focus on one specific area.
Mission Variety
At first glance, these boat segments might seem a bit trivial. While they’re only a small part of the larger game, Ubisoft has built in some mission variety so players aren’t simply going out to sea to blow up some targets. In addition to some navigational type goals - getting from point A to B while moving through narrow passes surrounded by rocks, the actual battle goals will differ. Sometimes Connor will need to destroy a ship. Sometimes he must disable it. And while Ubisoft’s demo ends with a scripted sequence in which Connor and his allies board an enemy vessel, we were told that would eventually be more in the control of players.
The Occupation
Seeing a short sequence set in Boston allowed us to see how the city life is more dynamic than ever before. The citizens, resentful of the occupying British forces, will actually help you take on your enemies, luring them down alleys while you wait around the corner. The more you help them, the more they’ll favor you.
Cloak and Dagger
Moving through crowds in stealth is far easier now. Connor must no longer insert himself into a small mob - he only has to be around a couple people. Similar kinds of visual Animus clues will allow players to know when Connor is ‘cloaked’, but the most helpful of these are small white ‘strands’ that reach out from the assassin and the civilians. If those disappear, players will know they’re more exposed. It’s simple but will allow a more seamless crowd navigation, which was something that significantly limited options in past games.
Welcome to the Indoors
Though the AC franchise has featured indoor elements, they were always separated from the city segments. There was no seamless transition from one to the other without some loading. While bigger indoor moments will still no doubt need this, players are now able to access interiors through open windows and doors, and these actually serve as chase breakers, which is a concept AC multiplayer fans will know well. If Connor is being chased by troops, he can jump up a building and escape by passing through it to the other side. It’s a way to add more options and build a more dynamic environment.
Summoning Assassins
The concept of an assassin’s guild is back, and while we don’t know how or if Connor will recruit and train allies, we do know they are capable of doing more than killing now. With a quick menu selection, Connor was able to summon assassin’s dressed as British soldiers, who then placed our hero in handcuffs to lead him past a military checkpoint. Ubisoft called it the ‘Wookie Maneuver’ though we’re sure that’s not the official term.
What day is it again? Rich is an executive editor at IGN, and isn't even sure where to find his normal signature. It's E3, after all. He's totally on Twitter and stuff. Follow him there.
Source : ign[dot]com
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