The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

Not surprised. Ubisoft is gonna do anything to keep AC relevant for the next three or four years. Even if it means use other franchises within the company to do so.Ubisoft and AC are like the WWE and john cena (not many will get that) or like D.C. and Batman. You get where i'm going?

One thing about the modern day story I wanted to talk about is that I.T. guy:

I haven't beaten it, but here are my thoughts on the first half:

I renamed this thread to Story Discussion rather than Modern Day discussion.
Still, I'm likely to focus more on the Present Day aspect.

So I just beat it.
That. Was. Crazy.
Like, it's an ending that made more sense than the endings of previous titles, but it was STILL CRAZY. And in some senses, it was even MORE insane, just in a more subtle and creepy way.

I was so startled I jumped in my seat near the end when;

As you will find out watching this video. This is a article you find hacking around Absertgo entertainment.

Yup, I saw that. It was pretty interesting to see that all of those are possibilities. And all WITHOUT stepping away from Sample 17. Then again, if there are that many possible locations in Desmond's DNA, imagine what they could do with Subject One (Aveline de Grandpre's descendant, who had a seizure and died using the Prototype Animus).

That was so fucking crazy how they just laid out EVERYTHING. We know all the things of note in Desmond's bloodline, and they even specified that they probably won't do any stuff set in times where cars exist. And they even made mention of how Abstergo Entertainment was releasing "interactive experiences" on a yearly schedule.

And I had been wondering who John from IT was for the whole game. I had first through he was another undercover Assassin, but as soon as Juno appeared (holy shit that was creepy) and he got upset that she wasn't able to POSSESS ME (Holy shit) I assumed he was just some crazy normal guy who she had contacted somehow.

It wasn't until I saw his face that it all made sense. Why is he such an amazing hacker? Because he was one of the most technically gifted of Those Who Came Before! And THAT'S why they always made sure to not show his face!

Aita was an amazing character, in both his forms. Terrifying, but interesting.

I also really liked Edward's story, and I didn't mind that he wasn't officially an Assassin until the end. There were SO MANY Assassinations though, both in the main story and then so many side missions and stuff. I love the stuff with going to the bureau before assassinating Woodes and "Governor Torres". Such a cool callback to AC1.

Playing this game made me realize just how good AC3 could have been if they had more realistic goals and enough time to properly polish the game. I honestly think this is the best Assassin's Creed yet.

But, even though I liked Edward and his development as a person over the course of the game, I still kinda miss Connor, and would love for a French Revolution game starring him. He was friends with Lafayette, he rebuilt the colonial order, and there's really nothing for him on his native land any more, they could use next-gen to do more interesting things with large-scale battles, plus it's a radical enough change of setting to make it feel different from AC3. I could see it working, and I hope they do that some way down the line.

Oh, and one more thing: young Warren Vidic is just as much of an asshole. Moreso, even.

EDIT: Oh, and the videos where every Ancestor except for Aveline gets rejected for production as an entertainment experience are awesome. I especially liked how they poked fun at Connor-haters

Yeah, I pretty much agree with everything. Hack every computer you see, if you haven't already. There are lots of scary things in all of them. And of course, all the Sticky Notes as well. It seems the thread for Manifesto of the Instruments of the First Will has a Reply, I'm gonna hop over there and check it out.

I hacked all the computers, yeah. One thing I only recently did that you may not have done... go hack the security rooms. You can playback a recorded conversation on each camera angle except the ones used in the main path!

Oh man, that's awesome! I'm gonna go do that right now! Also, if YOU haven't done this already, press Start in Modern Day and go to the Diary section. Read all of your Diary entries. My favorite one is still, "And then he seemed to calm down. I'm scared."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

That's the only sound I can make right now out loud.

I kind of wish I could move faster in Modern Day. Yes, I can High Profile to jog but I wish I could move even FASTER haha. That would get me some funny looks.

Okay, so...

It seems as though TWCB have mastered their scientific version of reincarnation. Juno is just having a problem with it. We still don't know anything about "Eve", although I'm sure we're a descendant and we'll do a lot more first-person-ing investigations for the Assassins by our own choice in the next game. BUT WHAT THE HELL DID WE GET INJECTED WITH?? NANOBYTES? FIRST CIV DNA? KOOL-AID??

And the theatre ending to Edward's story? Jesus Christ...that means a lot if you read Forsaken. If I wasn't so damn manly, I'd be crying right now........hang on, I need to punch a hole in my wall.

JoeyFogey review: 8.5/5 missing ring fingers

"No real Pirates were harmed in the making of this game" at the end of the credits. Nice, Ubisoft.

Diary Entries

Welcome To Abstergo Entertainment
work diary - week 1

My first day at work, and I have been assigned to the most prestigious project in the company - the Sample 17 project. My job is to research the life of the pirate, Edward Kenway, and find promising footage for use in future Abstergo products.

Sample 17 executive producer, Melanie Lemay, is a passionate and energetic leader. And the company's CCO, Olivier Garneau, seems like a fun guy. I can't wait to settle in and get to work...

A Small Favour
work diary - week 2

Talked to Melanie Lemay about rewards and bonuses.

Visited Olivier Garneau in his office. He asked me to prioritize Edward's search for something called The Observatory.

Was contacted by "John from I.T." He asked me to access a colleague's computer and recover a video file for him.

I delivered this video file (a strange autopsy video) to a courier named Rebecca in the lobby.

I also noticed the barista here is a bit of a dandy... A bit annoying.

So far, so good. A really productive week!

Corporate Pressure
work diary - week 3

An unsettling week, to say the least! I logged out and received a message to meet Melanie near the elevator. Together we rode the elevator to Olivier's office, but he barred me from the meeting at the last minute.

While waiting, John contacted me again. He asked me to help him recalibrate some security cameras. This resulted in me spying on Olivier's meeting with Melanie by accident. They were on the phone with a woman named Laetitia - an Abstergo Entertainment executive by the sound of it.

Laetitia demanded that they intensify their search for the Observatory. Melanie tried to reassure her that this was happening. Olivier tried to contain his anger. But John, listening in, was ecstatic. The call concluded with a mention of a shareholders meeting in Chicago.

This is where things got weird: John erupted in a fit of rage and demanded that I break into Olivier's office to steal the shareholder's meeting schedule, threatening to expose me for hacking computers and camera systems if I did not. Having no other options , I sneaked into Olivier's office via the terrace, hacked his computer, and recovered the meeting schedule.

John ranted about Templars, claiming they "own Abstergo" and another group. He appears to be mentally ill.

Once again, I delivered the schedule to the woman, Rebecca, who appears to be more than a simple courier.

John seemed to calm down after this. He said I was free to return to work. I'm scared.

The Bunker
work diary - week 4

When I logged out of my ANIMUS session, I discovered that I was no longer in my cubicle. Someone had transported me, while I was in the ANIMUS and vulnerable to a different location.

Melanie's face appeared on a nearby screen, and she told me I was in some sort of containment facility with some of my other colleagues. They were conducting an internal investigation and had moved us here to keep an eye on. And for our own safety, supposedly. She seemed sympathetic, and advised me to keep up hope and try to get some work done.

Almost immediately after she logged off, John called. He was unperturbed by my predicament, but at least promised to help me clear my name. He unlocked the doors to my cell and sent me to sneak into the server room for the entire building. Melanie was in there for some reason, but John managed to get her out of the way.

The moment I hacked the server, an apparition appeared in front of me. She kept talking about it being too early, while at the same time, John kept losing his cool over the communicator. When she left, John left little doubt about what he had expected to happen here - he wanted this apparition to possess my body and was audibly enraged when that didn't happen.

In the end, I tried to seek refuge in my work. Perhaps Edward's memories and the secrets within could bring clarity to my present predicament.

A Face From The Past
work diary - week 5

John tried to kill me. I awoke with him looming over me like an old snake. He looked oddly familiar at first, and when he spoke, I knew why right away: he was the spitting image of Bartholomew Roberts. He ranted for a time about his Beloved - the specter from the server room I assume - and about how he was a reborn figure of some sort. Before he could elaborate further however, Abstergo security guards were upon him. John resisted and they shot him dead.

Melanie apologized profusely for my detainment, and thanked me for my work. I think I believe her. She has always struck me as sincere...

Shaken by the whole experience, I wanted only to go home... But I was soon contacted by the courier and the barista from a few weeks earlier. My instincts about them proved correct. They seem to belong to this "Assassin" collective, and they encouraged me to continue hacking Abstergo's servers. With the security level I have now, it is doubtful I will ever be caught again. Not any time soon anyway. I'm not sure what to do next... Quit my job? Or press forward. There is still so much work to do...

Sticky Notes Collected; 20/20
These strange notes contain the ravings of a rather fanatical individual. And when arranged in the right sequence, they reveal a bizarre symbol of some kind. Religious perhaps? Something else?

Message From William Miles
I don't have the exact message because it disappeared from my Inventory. When you hack every single computer, and before you go back into the Animus, go take a look at your Diary page and scroll down to Quests > Computers Hacked. There'll be a message from William telling you that they'll keep you safe, and that you'll join them soon.

EDIT: NEVER MIND, it's under Mission Log.
EDIT2: GOT IT!

Much thanks for all your hard work, friend. We know it wasn't easy. Hasn't been for us either. Losing Desmond was a terrible blow, and we've needed the past year just to get back on our feet. But we're standing, and ready to jump. Everything you acquired here, everything you sent us, will be useful in some way. Don't wonder about that. So for now, keep your head down and your eyes on the task ahead. We may come calling soon... We hope you'll be ready. All the best. -Bill.

------

In a bit I'll type out the entirety of the Letters in Bottles Aita left all over the Caribbean.

Now, be honest.
Who, other than me tried clicking in the Left Stick at the end of AC4 in Present Day to see if I had Eagle Vision?
Sadly, I don't

I tried that, lol.

Hey, I'd also like to mention that although Blume is indeed referenced and that appears to link this game to watch_Dogs, I seriously doubt there will be any actual relationship in PLOT between these two series at all.

Far Cry 3 had an Abstergo reference, but that doesn't mean Far Cry is now merged with the AC series.

True enough. Darby McDevitt mentioned on Twitter that Watch_Dogs will also have an Assassin's Creed reference in it.

Yeah, so basically if we wanted to define it, we would have to say that a company very similar to the one in Watch_Dogs in every way, including it's name exists in the AC universe, but it's not actually the same one.

One more thing about Aita I was thinking about this morning: now that Abstergo has a record of what Sages look like, I don't think they would make the best secret organization, given how easily they could be identified with Abstergo's face-recognition tech. Sure, they could all wear hoods, but it would be immensely hard to operate if every single operative had to conceal their face at all times. sometimes hoods are conspicuous.

And my more realistic reason for thinking they won't do it is because they leaned pretty heavily on the whole concept of Sages in this game, and I expect that the writers will want to explore different things for the most part.

About Aita, that's very true. Perhaps they don't WANT to be secret? I mean, Juno's inside the Internet now. She could strike any time she wanted to. As far as I know, she's just waiting for one of the Animus players to fit her expectations for what she wants her body to be like. (Play more Multiplayer, it's awesome.)

Another thing I was thinking about was that Abstergo will no doubt go check out The Observatory. Sure enough, after I beat the game a Database Entry popped up under Locations:

"The Observatory seems to have been a surveillance device built by the precursor "First Civilization" about eighty millenia ago. Its cavernous ante-chamber was built as a security measure, while its long corridors were used to store thousands of crystal blood vials containing the DNA of those whom the First Civ wished to spy on.

At the heart of the Observatory was a large theater lined with seats. At the fore was a massive device like an armillary sphere with a crystal skull housed at its center. When loaded with a crystal vial containing a subject's blood, the observatory device would come to life, illuminating the room with a holographic projection of a real time feed from the subject's own eyes and ears. In this way, the First Civ could spy for an indefinite period on this subject and those with whom he or she was associated, without fear of detection.

Note too that the crystal skull can also be removed from its perch, turning it into a portable device, but also rendering the Observatory itself inoperable.

(Fantastic works guys! We found it! I'll send this data to Laetitia and see what she comes up with. I have no douibt she'll want to send a team down there as soon as possible. Likely for those blood vials, as modern day surveillance systems are almost on par with that crystal skull device. --OG)"

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1pz0j2/iama_developer_on_assassins...
So the AC team did an AMA and talked a bit about the present day storyline.

So basically, it sounds like they're trying to make each Present day story a context that serves as the wrapper for the animus story, rather than a massive multi-game spanning plot arc.

So we'll still see advancement along the lines of what's going on in the world, but I don't think we'll see an AC game with a heavy focus on modern plot or a distinct main character like Desmond again.

EDIT:

so, pretty much confirms that abstergo internal email. (both the no modern setting one and that watch dogs is not really in-universe)

Makes sense. I'm fine with that.

That's all fair. While it would have been NICE to have the Modern Day actually cared about as plot, because I love the overall Assassin's Creed story so much, this is still okay. Everything will still be tied together, it just will never be focused on.

Well there goes all anticipation regarding a modern tazer-blade.

Oh well, moving on!

I actualy AC Wiki timelined Edwards daughter after doing the same to connor (looking for the next descendant of either) and realised after reading connor's that he's probably as modern as we're going to get. Nikolai doesn't count. He's of a different line.

Hey, I expect we'll get more looks at how modern assassins operate. It'll probably just be through hacked security footage and cutscenes.

Tazer blades seem useful, I can see them interrupting a conversation with an abstergo colleague using them.

I feel like the best place to go if you want a sense of the overall modern story is acinitiates' surveillance stuff. that will be interesting for filling in the details of what was going down in black flag.

I really love the name abstergo employees use for black flag's player character on acinitiates: "The Noob"

After the security breach in the Modern Story, you can look at the televisions around the offices showing pictures of Rebecca and Shaun in their "undercover" gear. I was hacking the last computers in the lobby when I noticed that Shaun was still wiping down his coffee stand. Shaun, Abstergo is going to kill you! Get out!

Initiates is still wonderful for Modern Day story, but the way I initially experienced the Modern Day was through gameplay, and that's what really made me like it in the first place. That's the way I enjoyed going through it. I liked its mystery, its intricacy, its slow rate of revelation. I really hoped they would focus more on it. And no, unlike what Darby said, Watch_Dogs will not sate my thirst for a Modern Day AC because Watch_Dogs is not Assassin's Creed, not by a longshot - just like how Assassin's Creed isn't Prince of Persia. Watch_Dogs WILL sate my thirst for Watch_Dogs.

WD and AC may share a RIDICULOUS amount of gameplay CONCEPTS and elements, just like PoP and AC do, but none of those are in any way the same thing at all. Does anyone get where I'm coming from?

It'll be fine, of course, it's just a wee bit disheartening to know that they don't really care about Modern Day as much as they do about the past. It's not surprising, but very disappointing nonetheless. You'd think they'd care about both sides of the story with a fairly 50/50 split - that would make the most sense.

It's the Assassin's Creed Team at the end of the day though, so I've no doubt they'll make something that I'm always going to love every bit of, regardless of any neglect to a certain plot angle.

that was a minor annoyance to me as well. guess the art team didn't communicate with the right people on that.

Well I still think they told a great story through gameplay in 4. You do more than you do in AC1, truth be told.
And I don't think it's that they don't care about that aspect of the story, but that they can't keep juggling so many plots at the same time.

self-contained animus stories with a modern context built around it, rather than one complete animus story and part x of a never-ending modern storyline.

Desmond's story definitely hurt from the fact that it was one three-act story split into five parts over six years, and doing a game that both told his full story AND did an ancestor's justice would be so hard.

I got just as must digging into mysteries as I want from an AC's modern setting, and I enjoyed the freedom they had to parallel the story of Black Flag in so many ways, throwing you in a "bunker" at the same time that Edward was locked up in prison, having you do work for both the Assassin's and Templars, and of course, the Aita encounter at the end.

If each new game has a modern setting that's a new approach to the same kind of storytelling, I'll be happy.

I've always loved the Modern Day storyline most of all. It's like cracking a case through reviewing history and learning from it. It's educational as well as intriguing. I don't care how they do the gameplay as long as I feel involved. Maybe the Desmond sequences in previous games were a bit unnecessary, but now it's almost too little compared to that. The hacking is fun, along with learning more of the storyline through that, but give me some more things to do. I was actually expecting some sort of multiplayer through the modern day section this time around, similar to WD's format (a player/friend joins your game without any interruption). You could see your friends in the office using their Animus at their desk. You could see what trophies they collected on their shelves. Maybe Abstergo could put in a program in the Cloud's software that allows you to share your run through a memory to help other "coworkers". Something that socially interactive would be amazing and engaging.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Black Flag's sense of Modern Day gameplay and found very little wrong with it. It was a step in the right direction that at least they were giving me more Modern Day involvement and free roam. Yes, maybe I'm not affecting the course of the story on such a grand scale (but really, we are with the whole John thing), but it's a wonderful change from how little gameplay Desmond had.

Desmond's gameplay was like potato chips. I wanted a bag. Ubisoft gave me maybe around seven chips. One of them wasn't really a full chip, it was just kind of... Broken in half. The dips were nice though. The Altair dip is still my favorite. I ate too much of the Ezio one so I can hold off on it for a while. Connor had an interesting flavor, but Edward is my new second favorite. Wonder what kind of flavor they'll come up with next?

As long as the level of gameplay is similar to Black Flag's and the Modern Day story at least feels like it matters, everything will be tasty and I'll continue buying snacks from the Ubi's across the street. Great corner store. Their Splinter Cell nachos are also pretty great if you want to try those.

Modern story in this felt monumental. It's still so crazy to me that we were almost the vessel for Juno, queEEN OF THE GREY MAY SHE FOREVER RULE

ahem.

Joey, I fully expect co-op multiplayer in the main story freeroam after the series truly starts its transition to next-gen. As it is, making the changes to an already established engine across like 5 platforms would be a major pain in the neck.

And playing Black Flag on 360 made me realize that they must have made a lot of sacrifices to make it run this well on current gen, because it actually got BETTER load times for opening up maps and changing areas, despite getting an obvious visual upgrade. (Every AC game since AC2 has had a worse and more sluggish map, so it really blew me away that they just casually perfected it in this game)

Once they start prioritizing the next gen versions and adding features they don't on current gen, they'll be able to do SO much more stuff.

Calvar, I just finished my Psych midterm and immediately opened THB to check threads. What you said is very encouraging and gives me great hope. I mean, let's be real, we all love Assassin's Creed here, and if even one of those things were true for next gen, that's a really bright thing to look forward to. I'm happy.

Last night I wrote a historically-accurate (for the most part, things that are blatantly Assassin's Creed are OBVIOUSLY fictional) fanfiction that actually features my great grandfather (thank you mom and dad for telling me about him and showing me all his medals) in Russia if anyone cares to read it. Unfortunately, because I'm not a great historian and don't have hundreds of chronological texts, I only really had access to my own bloodline... Which set me as the Modern Day protagonist. Most blatant self-insert ever made, but it's still kind of fun. Part 1 focuses on Modern Day more because it's largely set-up, but this is all I have for now.

http://sparkedsynapse.tumblr.com/post/66181378544/lions-strength-part-1

Awesome! I'll definitely read that.

I totally forgot, I meant to say this as soon as I saw it:
that Italian diplomat whose outfit you steal was TOTALLY Roger Craig Smith doing a slightly different variation of his Ezio voice.

I was fucking smiling the entire time I tailed that guy because of how cool of a reference that was.

Yeah, noticed that too.

Also, the hack videos of an abstergo agent considering wether or not the previous ancestors would make a good product were all voiced by Roger Craig Smith too!

This whole juno thing really confuses me. Juno is a spirit right? Spirits can control and or posses any object or living thing that they please. Why does she feel the need to posses us the player at the end of ACIV? It seems as if she has followers that would be more than willing to act as her vessil.

Does she have followers? She's a part of a race that doesn't exist anymore. Only Templars and Assassins actually know what she is (not really a "spirit", but more of a "consciousness") and where she comes from. We have the Sage that is reborn every generation somehow and knows exactly who she is personally. If the games follow each year's schedule from now on (every year we get a game, a year passes in the game universe as well), then possibly she'll reach out somehow and gain followers "cult-style".

She's not exactly a spirit, but a consciousness like Joey said. Think of Subject 16, the way he was a "spirit" that existed inside a machine. Which is funny. I've been thinking recently. At the end of Assassin's Creed III, a group of hackers say that they upload Desmond's data to the cloud. Now, I believe this group of hackers is not only Erudito (which was previously established by fan theory) but Abstergo do not know that Desmond's data has been uploaded. Where? Well, actually, to Abstergo's Cloud Server (the huge one you hack in the Bunker).

Some excerpts from a conversation with a friend (this is all theory. Keeping in mind I predicted the Aita/Sage/Blood plot twist before Black Flag was even made known to anyone, I wouldn't dismiss me immediately, but we'll see);

Actually, it WAS Abstergo who uploaded his DNA. Trying to get the link now, but Marc-Alexis Cote confirmed it was Abstergo who uploaded Desmond's DNA to the cloud at the end of AC3. It was said in a Q&A on Raptr.

http://raptr.com/UbiGabe/news/5125780515d40ed291/raptr-q-a-assassins-cre...

Interesting. In any case, that only really knocks out one of my theories, that Erudito were the ones who had something to do with it. However, they definitely at least have access to Abstergo's servers - especially their Animus Network, because how else could they communicate with its players? - and aren't afraid to use it when they need to. It's just curious, because so much can happen now. In the previous games, it kind of felt at times that they'd written themselves into a corner with the Modern Day story, but now there's no such feeling. It could go in any wild direction from here. I'm tingly.

so, this is obvs a really old thread but I found this kinda interesting and it got me to thinking. wall of text about AC4's take on the modern portion of the story incoming.

I was listening to an older episode of the Idle Thumbs podcast, which is done by a bunch of game developers with pretty discerning opinions and taste.

One of them had started playing Assassin's Creed 4, and they talked for a bit about how much they liked the modern part of the game, partially because of the surrealness of coming home from work and then playing a game about being an employee working on a video game, and partially because of how self-aware and weird the premise was.

they specifically called out the self-serious nature of previous games and basically ended up agreeing that it's much more interesting for a game with a crazy premise to use that to do weird and interesting things rather than take it seriously to the point where it almost feels unnecessary for that layer to exist.

And I think that loosening up in that way can make things feel less like the universe is afraid you might make fun of it, which ends up creating a very artificial atmosphere that feels like a vehicle for plot rather than a world full of real people.

If you compare ac3's temple to abstergo entertainment's building, the first feels like it's the primary setting so that it forces the characters to keep their mind on the plot, instead of a less alien main location that could actually feels like a home where folks might be naturally expected to chat about things unrelated to ancient space architecture.

Abstergo entertainment on the other hand feels like a real, grounded place, and thus doesn't have the inherent obligation to make everything mostly focused on things that normal people can't directly relate to. And when black flag does get into weird stuff, it does it in a creepy basement prison, which is a place a normal human would naturally associate with weird stuff. it gives you something to contrast the bright, welcoming home of the upper floors with, and that contrast makes the shift more narratively interesting. (and also sneakily tied into Edward being imprisoned in his story at the same time as the player is in the modern day)

I think AC3's choices make sense in the context of four preceding games that all featured modern settings that relatively felt pretty homey (except revelations) and the Temple basically WAS the creepy basement analogue of that story arc. And I think that's exactly why being so bound to a very involved overall story arc on top of telling a separate primary historical story was a mistake for the AC series.

Taking cues from the perspective-shifting of the historical side is a smart thematic unification, and it seems like it's helping with making the larger AC universe feel more welcoming and interesting to enter.

I do think that stories told from a completely alienating point of view have value, but I don't think it's possible to do that well without having that constant unrelatable perspective fully in focus. multiple complex story layers should exist in harmony, not in competition.