The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

I like this idea as maybe a 19th century Assassin (but with the sword at his side, not on his back).
I hope they make Desmond much more subtle than past Assassins, but that's just me.

Ye like i said when i finished i realized the sword was on his back, and i was like *facepalm* but i was tired and ill continue working on this 2morrow

I've tried doing sketches of what a modern-day Assassin would look like, but failed miserably. I couldn't decide what to do, because you can't give someone much of anything these days (someone with a sheathed sword will get some attention in a modern-day city).

I'll just wait and see what they do in AC3.

I was thinking about losing the sword altogether, as its a big give-away. Perhaps a small, concealed dagger, and a pistol

If there is to be a modern day sword, it would have to be concealed inside something else, like an umbrella or a cane (both corny examples). He would have to carry a smaller blade, something possibly foldable (like something used by the military) and either held on the belt or in a boot sheath. He would also have to carry a handgun, possibly two, concealed in shoulder holsters and preferrably silenced. The use of a poisoned weapon becomes more of a challenge. Desmond only carries one hidden blade, and would most likely not want to have a poisoned attachment. This leads to the use of either a syringe or possibly a dart gun with poison darts.

I think a conventional longsword would be out of place in the modern world for Desmond as it would draw too much attention and wouldn't be much use against guards who may have guns.

The hidden blade is obviously more useful as it is concealed and can be used for stealth assassinations on unaware enemies. I'm still dubious as to how open combat will be approached but I don't think a longsword is the answer.

Who else thinks we'll be stuck with batons?

Ninja'd. I'll post something in a couple of seconds.

I was thinking this I've said before that I thought the guards with batons at the end of ACII were ridiculous. Why wouldn't you bring a gun FFS?!

Oh right, because AC isn't a shooter and Desmond can't be killed or hurt in any way, of course

I think that the perfect choice for melee open combat would be a retractable baton. It is very lightweitgh, has a good range and is fairly common in modern days, it can also be hidden almost anywhere and with little to medium effort has enough force to brake bones. As well other more stylish weapons came to mind, always taking into account that stealth and portability are what we aim for.

Spoiler: Highlight to view

Kama

Perhaps a little too flashy, yet a proper sized pair could be easily fit the back and used combined with flashy animations could be very cool, still not too probable. (Just let me have fun ).

Spoiler: Highlight to view

Yawara

Used in the hand to start throws, pressure points strikes and brake bones. Perfect for hand combat, maybe a replacement to the metal cestus, you know, if it had different animations.

Don't get me wrong, I still don't like batons, yet is the most common choice.

It makes no sense for batons to be a main weapon in a modern day setting for the game. They went to great lengths in the past 3 main games to create detailed weapons. The batons would be like saying, "we spent a ton of time creating weapons for our other games, but for the series finale (we assume) we're going to use a glorified stick as a main weapon". They hold very little relavance in modern day combat. We have to assume that guns will play a much larger role in a modern day setting, which would only lend batons to stealth assassinations. That would be pointless without the ability to specifically target certain areas of the body as a baton isn't going to yield a fatal blow unless the blow occurs above the shoulders. This would also be pointless for stealth assassinations as you would probably use the hidden blade instead.

I've been thinking about a pistol with a knife attached to the end...

I want to think about CQC look a-la-MGS. But maybe is not for AC.

Here's my interpretation of Desmond's Assassin outfit. It's not really that imaginative but I like it anway. I basically copied the AC:B portrayal of Desmond (released by Ubisoft), added a hood (inspired by a photoshop edit found on Google) and added my own hidden blade, throwing knives and short blade

That's pretty insane patrick. That is probably the closest Desmond could get to an Assassin's outfit without being an obvious giveaway.

Thanks Yeah, that's kind of what I was going for. In AC:B it seemed like they were slowly trying to introduce the idea of Desmond as an Assassin in his own right, with the new, red-adorned hoodie, extra parkour and use of the hidden blade etc.

I tried to add to this with only subtle changes such as small weapons and of course, the simplest disguise, putting his hood up!

I think Desmond should wear the least ostentatious outfit yet - really, if he put his hood up that would work for me.

how about something like this

Something like that would be good.

Perhaps make a sword that functions like ezio's hidden blade. With multiple conveyors

That is one cool sword but it still seems pretty big even when folded. I can't help thinking that it would considerably hinder Desmond while free-running. As Arrrogance said, one that folds down even smaller, like the hidden blade would be cool.

ya i didn't mean that exactly but i meant the same type of idea behind it. btw check out the guy that made it he has made allot of really awsome swords and what not. they have even made a full scale masamune (Sephiroth's sword).

Wow actaul size? Sephiroths sword is HUGE

JOEY, IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX THESE FAIL DRAWINGS!

I've noticed a pattern in this thread:
People who can come up with good ideas can't draw
People who can draw can't come up with good ideas.

Joey, you draw; I shall color.

Basically we need modern day Desmond to....

• Look like any other person
• Have a hidden blade (or two since he's lived through the memories of master assassins)
• Have a small silenced pistol
• Carry a sniper if needed
• Be able to hide throwing knives (need to be black...)
• Show off the original Red and White Assassin Colors
• Needs to have a FOLDING knife, not an open short blade

Put Desmond in this position. Use it as a reference.

Also, his knife would look like so...

Thats a common Buck Knife, a folding lock knife developed for the public.

Possibly throwing knives that are relatively simple

Draw the hidden blade with no shadings. I'll try and make it black as well.

We'll need Desmond to look like the modern day splinter cell....
If Desmond has to infiltrate an area, he'll have to use a black/dark jacket.

I like how Draco's primal instinct is to troll. But you have a point.

I like your ideas, but where would Desmond get a second hidden blade? The Codex says its made from rare metal. Or hard-to-find metal. Either way a second hidden blade would be hard to construct in modern times.

An Assassin carrying a sniper? As if. It's a good idea and good intentions, but come on, its not very subtle. Isn't one of the tenets "Hide in plain sight" ?

Guard:Where is he?!
Guard 2:It might be that one with the sniper rifle on his back!
Guard 3:No wait! Look at that person, he has a knife! Get him!

... (:

P.S
Draco, I have that exact same buck knife.

I'll put your ideas to work, I'm not the best drawer but I can make rough sketches

I like these ideas the best:

If Desmond used a dark jacket, it would take away from the Assassin look he's been evolving in to. Realistically, he'd need the dark clothing, but since it's Assassin's Creed, it would be a sin to give him black spy gear.

Something like this perhaps?

Spoiler: Highlight to view

(I know Desmond has the un-plated hidden blade. I couldn't find a stand-alone picture or render of that particular one, so I cut it from Ezio's Ac:B picture

Guys, your forgetting the modern world. Things change. Before Altair had his finger cut off... Ezio got his finger branded.

But think about it this way. A sniper obviously hides in plain sight. Think of camouflage. It allows you to hide right in the sight of the enemy without getting seen.

The Black Gear is needed for any silent missions. Ezio had his armor died, right?

@Arrogance: haha, no; my primal instinct is to fuck with your mind.

Though the metals may have been rare back then, they can probably be created with modern chemistry. I mean, how much did they know about atoms back in 1400s?? The metal that makes up the hidden blade should be easily made by some nice controlled chemical reactions. Once the metal is extracted, any experienced black smith can craft something like the blade for the hidden blade.

You would then have an engineer create the mechanics for the hidden blade.

I'm sure some Assassin in modern time is skilled in crafting hidden blades. If anyone, Desmond has the most skill in the double hidden blades. He's used it before in his memories... he should be able to use it in real life.

This was a little simplistic. Forgot to add a backpack, yet it is what I had in the top of my mind. Anyway share your thoughts.

Spoiler: Highlight to view

Ah yes, you're right Draco. I never took that in to consideration. Still, with Abstergo controlling so much, how would the team go about getting a second hidden blade.

And perhaps the sniper could work out. But should Desmond need to break off and run, he can't really bring his sniper with him. I doubt the team would approve of Desmond just leaving a sniper rifle for Abstergo to collect. Therefore I can't see it being very handy for a mission.

@james

What's that in his right hand? And whats Eruditos Database?

The thing in his right hand is a gun. I should have tilted it more so it would have been easier to recognize. Erudito is a mysterious person or faction that has been foreshadowed in AC:B ans Project Legacy, being able to hack into both the Assassin's and the Templar's networks with ease. The database is just something I made up, as Erudito is spanish and Italian for scholar.

There are different kinds of Assassins, some could be snipers, but Desmond isn't. He's the Assassin that sends the message to others by the kill. Modern day Assassin snipers could be used as AC3's arrow storms.

Brilliant, Joey. Instead of an arrow barrage, Desmond's enemies could be sniped for a silent kill.
The idea of Desmond being able to carry around a gun other than a pistol would be great, just something smaller that he could strap on his back or something, and still easily parkour up a building.
Watch the beginning of a movie called "The Dark Knight", I'm sure you all have seen it, the Joker uses what appears to be an automatic pistol, or a burst pistol. Perhaps Desmond could get his hands on one of these.

@James
The gun is so long because theres a suppressor on it, right?

@Arrogance Yes.
So, was the drawing any good? I haven't grabbed a pencil in years.

It's a nice design, James. Looks like he's wearing a sports-jacket though. I've also noticed you drew the hidden-blade under the sleeve. I'm unsure if it was intentional or you couldn't draw the hidden blade (no offense)

Perhaps Desmond should have his hidden blade under his sleeve in future AC games. Then when he walks around in public, Templar Spies wont be able to pick him out by looking for the Assassin symbol on a gauntlet on his left arm

EDIT: I can't believe i have not thought of this yet. Bullet-proof vest! With all the guns in modern times, I doubt Desmond could take a bullet as easily as Ezio could. Considering in Brotherhood, the only guns were flintlock pistols that were like a 5 second reload, as opposed to automatic rifles

(Sorry for double post, james posted as i finished an edit)

I'd give it a thumbs up. Not bad for not drawing in years (exaggeration or not)

Also, Ezio DID dye his clothing, but that was just a game mechanic for rpg lovers (to take in more players/buyers). It's not necessary, so leave it for the AC3 ancestor, not Desmond.

Also it is stated somewhere (I think the unofficial AC wiki) that only the head of the assassin order may change the color of his robes. Traditionally black

Al Mualim: Black robes
Altair: Black robe/armor thing
Ezio: Altair's black robe/armor thing, or Ebony dye

Mario didn't really have robes, just an Auditore cape thing on his back

Thanks. I put the hidden blade under the sleeve intentionally. I don't really see wearing a vambrace really common this days, Desmond even ditched this and only had the mechanism with some leather straps to his arm, replacing the design with a tattoo. It made more sense in my mind if I wasn't shown at all, although I will miss the vambraces.

And it wasn't an exaggeration. The last time I drew something was in art class in 5th grade(currently in 10th).

BUMP. I second this. As part of the canon, black robes are used to identify the Mentor of the Order.
As well I agree with Joey, the possibility to dye Ezio's clothes was merely to give a sense of customization to the game.

{Hidden Gun

Aim mode activation: Weapon Hand

Fire (while in aim mode): Right trigger

Aim (while in aim mode): Right stick (configurable)

Modern: In aim mode, hud zooms 1.5x. 20 shots, headshots are only more effective when the rest of the guard's body is armored, some guards may have helmets, on those guards, headshots would be most effective. Two shots to kill an unarmored guard. Clip size is 3. minimum delay between shots is 0.3 seconds. can move while in aim mode, at a normal walk. Aiming is third person still, but aiming is manual with the left stick. hidden gun bullets can be looted from all guards who carry pistols.

This is from my thread about weapons in AC. Advantage of having hidden gun, gameplay-wise: can be used for long range kills, brings actual manual aiming in AC. Ways to combat overpoweredness: Not giving the player a good line of sight on the target untill they're almost within throwing knife range of the target, and/or giving some targets bulletproof armor, requiring a headshot. Aiming should have no aim acceleration (where you slowly crank up to top aiming speed), and no "slow down aiming even more so you can more easily kill at long range", like cod.

I say this stuff because I think desmond should have one hidden blade, a hidden gun, and throwing knives. his style of combat should be one of being the lightly armored but nimble fighter, who wins not by parrying blows and striking, but AVOIDING them altogether, and then stabbing the enemy while he's off balance. And I don't want dodging to be a simple button press at all times. In combat, you should have to press the left stick in a direction while an enemy is attacking to get the option to counter. Yes, counters should not be as passive. The only type of counter is when you manually dodge and attack.

But I'm getting off topic. because of these things, I want desmond's weapons to be concealed at all times, unless being used. He should be wearing a white hoodie with red highlights, and jeans that are not baggy, while at the same time not being too tight to move. He should have wristguards that help to conceal his blade and gun, and his only symbol should be a silver eagle buckle on his belt. He should look nondescript, except for the red lines. How will he explain his rooftop shenanigans? Well, I just described the appearance of a stereotypical parkour dude, didn't I? Guards and people should react to him as such. Everyone knows about parkour in our time, so it's not something that will be as shocking as it was in the middle ages or crusades. And to add even more realism, lots of npcs should be wearing white hoodies and jeans. Since that is ubiquitous these days.

I don't think he should have any visible weapons because no matter if you have killed a man or not, a guard will look at you more suspiciously if you have sharp things in a belt strapped across your shoulder. The old idea of the assassin's "to hide in plain sight"(with weapons showing and stuff) came from a time when their order was dominant over the templars. Nowadays a whole TEAM of assassin's can't stand up to the security of ONE building, let a lone a whole city, without being decimated.

Desmond needs to look very discreet, and I think completely rehauling the animation system could help to make that work. But seriously, the modern hidden blade should be strong enough to be used as a close range knife, and sword combat should not be in the game, whatsoever. Hand to baton combat against non-abstergo affiliated security, fine. Hand and stealth hidden blade to nightstick and gun combat against police: fine. But abstergo personell should have state of the art weaponry, and use it at long and close range. they should be tough to defeat, and it should be almost impossible to do so without taking them by surprise, and picking them off, one by one, Arkham asylum style. Bullets should not be able to be looted from them because the hidden gun would obviously only use a specific type of round. Think of the guards we fought so far in the present as being the backup squad for the emergency reserve backup squad.

Or just hopeless fools, used only for the reason of letting us escape and find the PoE's for Abstergo. ; )
I'm a deece drawist, I might mock you up something, though I'm sure you can imagine what he'd look like from my discription.

That was quite a brilliant and detailed post, calvar. And you make excellent points. I especially agree with the counter theory you have going. In the 3 main AC games, killing becomes noticeably easier. I think for Desmond, he can't walk up in plain site ready to take on a group of guards. (If Ubi doesn't give modern guards some sort of gun, I will be extremely disappointed) but even with a bullet proof vest on, he's most likely to take a bullet to the head sooner or later. Poor assassin, his job was so much easier when he could die all he wanted and respawn whenever

As a master assassin, Ezio was expected be a master of all weapons. As such, Desmond has been molded in his and Altair's likeness. This would require Desmond to be a master of all weapons he could use at his disposal. A sniper rifle is a great tool for any stealth assassination. The Assassins appear to have resources, and you would think they would be able to secure a military grade sniper rifle. Most of these break down and assemble quickly to roughly an 18 inch length. If Desmond carries a backpack as shown in AC:B it would be easy for it to be outfitted to hold a sniper rifle with a few magazines. The barrel and silencer would each screw off, the stock would be foldable, and the tripod collapses. Also, many are now made of a carbon fiber stock with a light weight metal for the barrel, lending to a light weight weapon that is easy to transport.

As far as the folding knife, I was thinking something more along the lines of a tactical assited open knife. While the Buck knife picture above is a classic, they're not always quick to open at the drop of a dime. An assisted open knife (with a black matte finish to reduce glare) would be optimal.

Silenced pistols would be optimal, preferably 2. I still think a sword is going to be too hard to conceal if it is longer than 18 inches. You could accomplish this with a folding blade, but it would need to be concealed either beneath his clothing or in the backpack.

Technically, Desmond's a master of all weapons that existed in 1507. Since he ran away from the Farm to become a nondescript bartender, I doubt Desmond even knows how to use a gun you hold in your hands.

Rather than go guns-guns-guns, I'd like to see Desmond go nuts with all sorts of alternative weapons. I'm sure there'll be taser batons at the Assassin HQ, and maybe there'll be a handheld version of the LRAD in a year and a half.

Guys, why are you so anxious to have all these weapons be detached? Ezio was one of the "kill with witnesses" assassins and even HE used a concealed gun! It stands to reason that the Assassins would have continued compartmentalizing weapons into their blade-guards, like the poison and gun was. So why not have the gun on one wristguard, and the hidden blade (and possibly my grappling hook idea) on the other. The gun wristguard could have a smoke or flash grenade attachment, if people really want it to.

I really don't think that desmond should have any close range weapon other than his hidden blade (and if they must a dagger of some sort, but it seems sort of pointless since a modern hidden blade should be as effective if not more than a conventional dagger) and no long range weapon except throwing knives, and his gun. read my above post to see how I think the gun should work.

In regards to an arrow storm style sniping ability, tapping the button for it should show you the lines of sight of the various snipers positioned around you (oh yeah, and they should only be there for assassination missions, unless its one of the later story mission ones in which case you should fight through on your own, for story related reasons and to up the difficulty) And then pressing it a second time after locking on an enemy (which should be controlled by there being a crosshair at your screen's center and pulling the left trigger over a target, or normally when close enough.) should get him sniped by whatever sniper has an available line of sight. (if there is one.)

i think since 500 years ago the assassins already had hidden guns it would be kind of a step back to go with handheld pistols and i like the baton idea by the way

well my idea would be desmond wearing black pea coat

That seems too conspicuous to me. The vast majority of people in a crowd will be wearing a hoodie these days. Exposing your face and wearing striking clothing is a good way to get noticed. Desmond's outfit should be understated, but unique in a way you couldn't tell from a first glance. I think I mentioned his hidden blades could look like wrist guards, fitting for a parkour person. They shouldn't look like trash, but they shouldn't look to new and distracting. His fingers and most of his palm should be showing. His hoodie's pouch should have no zippers, but have compact gadgets slotted into straps, completely unseeable at all times. Sleeves should be loose enough to not be skin-tight, and instead of jeans he should wear some type of black materialed pants. Probably with a red logo or stripe on the pants, or hem of the hoodie.

Probably just reiterating myself here, but long-story short, KEEP HIM IN A HOODIE AND LOOSE THE JEANS, RUNNING IN JEANS SUCKS.

If you look at the new AC: Revelations Avatar clothing for Xbox LIVE, there's a "Desmond hoodie" you can buy and it's all black. And yes, I bought one...it's snug and warm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rhro5FL7bU