Full Sync
So I've been playing Hitman Absolution for the first time, and one thing I really love about that game is the scoring system. It encourages experimentation, and honing your skills no matter which path you want to take. It got me thinking about how this system compares to Full Sync.
Because full sync is based off a percentage instead of a score, failing to complete it implies that you haven't really finished the level. With hitman's system, you're simply being told how impressive your manner of completion was. It encourages people who care to replay and find new ways to improve their score (competing against their friend's score), and doesn't overly discourage people who are just happy to have made it through.
It still allows for separate objectives like stealing evidence or whatnot, but that's supplementary to your own pure skill at moving through the level, not the focus. Different types of Assassin-like behavior can be more encouraged: sparing lives other than that of your target can be rewarded, but exterminating literally everyone in the area without being spotted can be rewarded too.
What do you think? Should full sync be changed to "Synchronization Points"? Should some other system be employed? is the system ok as it is now?
Thematically, I don't think so, not with how "full sync" was introduced anyway.
Full Sync = Reliving the memory according to what your ancestor actually did.
Sure, Ezio isn't the most creative guy (e.g., kill from bench), but that's not what you, the protagonist, are after. You are trying to relive your ancestor's memories as exactly as possible in order to synchronize with him/her and open up new memories.
Until there is evidence that the Animus technology doesn't need synchronization with the ancestor to crack open harder/deeper/recessed memories, it wouldn't make sense thematically to change it. Maybe the AC4 Animus can bridge this, as it appears you aren't even prying into your own DNA any more... but you still need the synchronization to explore the tougher bits.
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Gameplay wise, sure. Call it what it is and call it "Creativity Index" or something. Keeping synchronization in the name of the scoring wouldn't work though.
“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus
Thematically, I don't think so, not with how "full sync" was introduced anyway.Full Sync = Reliving the memory according to what your ancestor actually did.
Sure, Ezio isn't the most creative guy (e.g., kill from bench), but that's not what you, the protagonist, are after. You are trying to relive your ancestor's memories as exactly as possible in order to synchronize with him/her and open up new memories.
Until there is evidence that the Animus technology doesn't need synchronization with the ancestor to crack open harder/deeper/recessed memories, it wouldn't make sense thematically to change it. Maybe the AC4 Animus can bridge this, as it appears you aren't even prying into your own DNA any more... but you still need the synchronization to explore the tougher bits.
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Gameplay wise, sure. Call it what it is and call it "Creativity Index" or something. Keeping synchronization in the name of the scoring wouldn't work though.
Synchronization was introduced in AC1 as simply staying in line with assassin-like behavior. this is just going back to that. The idea being that you're completing missions in a way that makes sense for your ancestor, not in terms of doing it the exact same way, but in a skillful way. You're synchronizing with their way of doing things, not just that exact memory. The animus has always been able to support different ways of obtaining full sync objectives, and as it advances there's no reason an even more approximate system couldn't be used to increase sync, one less limited by a hard ceiling.
But yes, I don't really care about the name. just the function.
Synchronization was introduced in AC1 as simply staying in line with assassin-like behavior. this is just going back to that. The idea being that you're completing missions in a way that makes sense for your ancestor,
Correct. But that's not what we're talking about. You asked a question on FULL Sync...
not in terms of doing it the exact same way, but in a skillful way. You're synchronizing with their way of doing things, not just that exact memory.
And here is where we disagree.
Synchronization, in a general sense, is as you describe it, as introduced early.
FULL Synchronization was introduced with the Animus 2.01 - which was in ACB.
And, as I understand it, to achieve full synchronization, Desmond was required to relive memories exactly as his ancestor had.
To be fair, full sync was an introduction to the universe by the Assassins, and not Abstergo. Why Abstergo included full sync in AC4 at all is what doesn't make sense. It seems to me that their technology wouldn't require living exactly as your ancestor did to access recessed memories... because, well, you don't even need your own ancestor.
“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus
How about instead of replacing full synch, it gets supplemented with challenges. Since full synch is all about reliving memories the way they happened, there is only so much focus on making it challenging, which they are a lot; but with challenges it brings whole new objectives. Of course they should focus these challenges more on main assassinations than other memories to bring back motivation for creative assassinations. Some examples of challenges on assassinations:
1. Kill target as fast as you can.
2. Also while anonymous.
3. Shoot target from as far away as possible.
4. Be as stealthy as possible. The stealthiest would be kill only the target without been seen or using any distractions, or anyone seeing you after the assassination, or anyone even seeing the target's dead body.
5. A poetic justice challenge. This one is just for fun; you have to figure out what way is poetic justice (usually involves killing the target with a certain weapon or in a certain way). I'm thinking you get a clue after completing all the other challenges.
How about instead of replacing full synch, it gets supplemented with challenges. Since full synch is all about reliving memories the way they happened, there is only so much focus on making it challenging, which they are a lot; but with challenges it brings whole new objectives. Of course they should focus these challenges more on main assassinations than other memories to bring back motivation for creative assassinations. Some examples of challenges on assassinations:1. Kill target as fast as you can.
2. Also while anonymous.
3. Shoot target from as far away as possible.
4. Be as stealthy as possible. The stealthiest would be kill only the target without been seen or using any distractions, or anyone seeing you after the assassination, or anyone even seeing the target's dead body.
5. A poetic justice challenge. This one is just for fun; you have to figure out what way is poetic justice (usually involves killing the target with a certain weapon or in a certain way). I'm thinking you get a clue after completing all the other challenges.
Love it. I don't think it should replace full synch, so this seems a perfect solution. You have full synch to relive the memories exactly as your ancestor did, and the additional challenges to give you opportunities to be creative. I wonder how they will explain that as an in-game mechanic though. I mean, full synch was meant to speed up the genetic research, but what purpose do these challenges serve in the eyes of an Abstergo employee/Assassin/Initiate?
It could be considered additional training, or merely testing out skills/creativity. They don't need a big reason. Right now I'm trying to remember the reason Rebecca added VR training and can't remember much.
It could be considered additional training, or merely testing out skills/creativity. They don't need a big reason. Right now I'm trying to remember the reason Rebecca added VR training and can't remember much.
You've just said it. Training.
"I made some improvements to the Animus and I've also patched in a new VR Training program. Here you can show off all those flashy moves you've picked up from your ancestors."
―Rebecca Crane to Desmond Miles.The Animus Virtual Training Program was a simulation feature incorporated into the Animus 2.01 by Rebecca Crane. It served as a series of tutorial missions for Desmond Miles, in order to improve his skills in open combat, freerunning, and assassinations.
Even though Rebecca didn't say this (AFAIK), indirectly this is helping the Animus research, because with better skills you'll encounter less desynchs and you'll move through the memories as swiftly and efficiently as possible.
Another thing everyone needs to keep in mind is that it could straight-up be packaged... As a video game.
In that case, all explanations for Challenges and Full Syncs would be very easy - if a bit uncreative.
Assassin's Creed: Liberation is a game made by Abstergo, and Devils of the Caribbean (Black Flag) was a movie made by Abstergo. If Unity is a game released by Abstergo, there's no reason why it couldn't be a Single Player experience to be played on everyone's Animus Console. And then, naturally, we start to get the little bugs and flickers, glitches and Erudito whispering for us to get out of there because The Matrix has us.
Another thing everyone needs to keep in mind is that it could straight-up be packaged... As a video game.
In that case, all explanations for Challenges and Full Syncs would be very easy - if a bit uncreative.Assassin's Creed: Liberation is a game made by Abstergo, and Devils of the Caribbean (Black Flag) was a movie made by Abstergo. If Unity is a game released by Abstergo, there's no reason why it couldn't be a Single Player experience to be played on everyone's Animus Console. And then, naturally, we start to get the little bugs and flickers, glitches and Erudito whispering for us to get out of there because The Matrix has us.
As much as I liked that in AC: Liberation, it seems a bit lazy if they'll start explaining too much stuff that way. I'm sure they can come up with a better explanation. That is, IF they even implement the additional challenges.
hypothetical: Animus technology advances allow for more general ancestor-like behaviors to transfer synchronization level for a given memory, the old process is obsolete and less efficient, its name is co-opted and it's referred to as something different when talking about old techniques.
this happens with technology all the time.
anyways, it really doesn't matter how the justify it, if they follow my thinking or not, my point is they aren't obligated to change the name. I don't actually care what they call it, but it's not at all an impossible or difficult thing to justify with a few seconds spent thinking about it.
I didn't actually come at this from a lore-based in-universe perspective, I'm thinking solely about the videogamey part of it and what's most interesting in terms of trying to accomplish in a mission besides the main objective, and encouraging people to play in various styles.
Whatever the hell this thing gets called, does anyone other than me have any interest in the aforementioned system similar to hitman or splinter-cell's method of scoring you for all your actions, not just completing challenges or specific objectives.
Whatever the hell this thing gets called, does anyone other than me have any interest in the aforementioned system similar to hitman or splinter-cell's method of scoring you for all your actions, not just completing challenges or specific objectives.
Abso-freaking-lutely.
More Assassin's Creed is more Assassin's Creed, and more Assassin's Creed is never a bad thing as long as it's made interesting and done well. You have no idea (well, actually, Calvar totally does have an idea) of how much I would play, replay, and how differently I'd play from run to run if this mechanic were in the game. I'd adore the living Sync out of this.
Hidden Body +5
Stealth Assassinate +10
Exposed Assassinate +5
Dual Assassinate +10
Ledge Assassinate +10
Exposed -10
Combat Kill +5
Hostiles Undisturbed + 15 x Hostile
I like the look of that already!
Ace Combat 6 gives you a medal for doing a whole playthrough with certain constraints. The first three are:
NIGHT OWL - Use only Attacker type aircraft.
RAGING FALCON - Use only Fighter type aircraft
BLAZING GRIFFIN - Use only Multirole type aircraft.
That's three whole playthroughs right there. The other medals are more interesting:
GUARDIAN - Don't let your wingman die.
QUICKSILVER - Complete the campaign in under 2:15:00
SHARPSHOOTER - Only use the machine gun.
LEGENDARY ACE - Take zero damage.
I managed to do GUARDIAN and QUICKSILVER on the same playthrough. The missions went by so quickly that my wingman didn't have time to get shot down! Of course you can stick to one type of aircraft and pick up a medal from the first list as well.
What do you get for collecting all the medals? One achievement worth 50 gamerpoints. 
I like the concept though and would like to see something like it in Assassin's Creed. Quicksilver = speed run, Sharpshooter = Eagle's Bruise (fists only), etc.
Ace Combat 6 gives you a medal for doing a whole playthrough with certain constraints. The first three are:NIGHT OWL - Use only Attacker type aircraft.
RAGING FALCON - Use only Fighter type aircraft
BLAZING GRIFFIN - Use only Multirole type aircraft.That's three whole playthroughs right there. The other medals are more interesting:
GUARDIAN - Don't let your wingman die.
QUICKSILVER - Complete the campaign in under 2:15:00
SHARPSHOOTER - Only use the machine gun.
LEGENDARY ACE - Take zero damage.I managed to do GUARDIAN and QUICKSILVER on the same playthrough. The missions went by so quickly that my wingman didn't have time to get shot down! Of course you can stick to one type of aircraft and pick up a medal from the first list as well.
What do you get for collecting all the medals? One achievement worth 50 gamerpoints.
game-long challenges could definitely fit in as well as mission-specific ones. I feel like "complete all missions in (x) time" would work well as part of the challenge system as introduced in black flag, a lot of long-term goals were part of that.
The missions went by so quickly that my wingman didn't have time to get shot down!
I forgot to mention that my wingman did most of the heavy lifting on my take no damage playthrough. I'd say to him, "This is clearly a suicide mission. Why don't you go in there alone? I'll be along later to mop up."