Gaming Altair You a New One: The Assassin's Creed Series

I assumed it would be like the other games so I was buying everything. I've fully upgraded the hideout and bought not only every non-Elite Jackdaw upgrade, but every cosmetic upgrade too.

Yet it would still require another 250,000 reales to get the outfits, swords, pistols and Elite upgrades. There's no easy way to make that much money. It's off to grind Man O' Wars, which I simply find tedious now. I'm not even taking the time to board them, it's more efficient to just sink one and move on to another.

Which part of it was dull for you? I really enjoyed the actual Homestead missions as you got to know each resident.

In terms of making money from it, all you had to do was buy 24 pelts from Myriam and then sell them at a massive profit. You did have to slot each one into the convoy individually but it took no time at all compared to sinking Man O' Wars for significantly less reward.

 

But why is that even in the game? Getting to know the residents of the homestead is nice, but man, it serves next to no purpose. I think I maybe had three or four upgrades on the Aquila and I was able to beat the game just fine. My point is this stuff isn't adding a damn thing to the game, it's just yet another thing for the sake of having more things in the toybox, even if they're not really fun or truly engaging. What's the design purpose? What's the man making the game trying to get you to do?

 

The purpose was showing that a society could be truly free and work, without Templar overseers, if only on a small-scale. That's what the Assassins have been striving for throughout the whole series, and it showed that Ratonhnhake:ton was working towards that, for all.

But I obviously did find it fun and engaging, so there's clearly a difference in opinion here.

My main problem with it was that it locked off crafting until you had every Homestead resident moved in, which wouldn't be until Sequence 9.

 

Story and immersion. That's the purpose. Everything relating to the Homestead in Assassin's Creed III existed to tell a supporting angle to the main story, where Connor is not only tearing the bad people down, but lifting the good people up. A second look that shows that for every battle and villain hunt, there were quiet moments of character building and glimpses of the life of peace that your actions were helping to defend. The Homestead embodies the promise of what America could have been, what Connor believed with every breath that it would be: a community of varied individuals living together and supporting each other in peaceful coexistence and kinship.

So knowing that many people just wouldn't care for all that touchy-feely story nonsense and wanted to get back to all the stabbing dudes and killing stuff in its never ending glory, they tried to entice players to engage in this community by offering gameplay rewards. Bring in Ellen, get to know her, and help her with her problems and we'll give you bigger pouches. Delve into Achilles' history and help him find some peace and we'll give you a new outfit to play in. The upgrades and all are really just bait, there to lure a player in with moderately useful rewards in order to get them to engage in a story arc that can be passed up entirely on the way to completing the game.

 

I found you can get money rather quick with hunting, raiding convoys and the fleet mini game.

 

I would have gladly welcomed more involved narratives with the Homestead if it was actually presented to me as more than make-work. There's got to be a better way for them to tell those stories than throwing them in an awkward economic system. I barely upgraded any pouches this time simply because I didn't feel any need to, unlike previous games; I wasn't drawn in by anything other than Connor's story, and that wound up being rather disappointing. The high points were great, don't get me wrong, in terms of both design and narrative, but there were too many low points, and a serious lack of cohesion. There are so many great ideas in AC3, but it spread itself too thin - in my opinion, of course.

 

AC3 also did an incredibly poor job of portraying and explaining its Homestead economic system. I remember needing to come online for explanations. I have a friend who needed me to explain it to him because the game fails to do so.

 

Fun and innovation?

 

The annualization of the franchise is what's hurting it. If UbiSoft was willing to release things "when they're done" with their big franchises, I don't think there'd be a problem with their properties. We had a three year gap between Splinter Cell games, and that worked, they've been able to revitalize the brand and bring back much of what's been missing. AC4 seems to be a return to form, but they need to slow down. If they make the games true must-haves, not only will they make the money they want to make, they'll have everyone's attention.

 

100% agree. The yearly titles have made this franchise a tired one faster than it had any right to. That nonsense was expected of Activision and its no-longer-good-for-sushi CoD and it's a shame Ubisoft felt the need to go down that road. This lead to nearly no gameplay innovation with each new installment and the new bits of innovation have had mixed results (i.e., the disastrous den assault in Revelations vs. the more welcome naval combat in AC3).

TBH, Black Flag should have been considered an expansion to AC3 much like Brotherhood was to AC2 (except, of course, Brotherhood was much more fun), and the title IV should have been given to a next gen game with radical gameplay innovation, graphics, story, etc. I dunno, something like setting the next game in the near future, with Abstergo/the Templars finally being in full and open control of the world (with Juno being the power behind the throne, so to speak), and the Assassins being the only active resistance. No more ancestor or Animus crap, just open war with new weapons and tactics.

 

Exactly, they need to sit on the franchise and design something really exciting that will draw folks in. Pirates are good, don't get me wrong, but the pattern seems to be each successive game fixes what was broken with the last one as opposed to truly crafting a new experience that people need to play.

 

This story mode is very short. Did two more sequences last night so I'm on 10. Also tried a legendary ship and died after I took out one and the other had a hair of health left. Lame. Probably won't go back and do those. Jackdaw is 87 percent upgraded on weapons so really if I can't defeat them now I probably never can.

 

I've taken one, not the two together, and my Jackdaw's not as upgraded as yours. Or wasn't, rather. I've been taking on two or three manowars at once, and it's crucial to not just make sure you use mortars effectively, but that you always have the weather gage in an engagement. Proper sailing, and keeping the stern of the other ship exposed to your broadside, is critical.

 

I did the one near Dry Tortuga, is that the only one where there are two ships? Or is each scenario different?

And can you fool the AI with tacking and random speed changes in these engagements or have they upped the anti?

I know what I did wrong in the first one though, I wasn't taking it seriously and ran down the gullet of both ships and they both broadsided me. I just wanted to see how the fights went. I'm gonna try it again though.

 

Dear lord man! You took on two first rate Ships of the Line in a brig in a straight engagement?

They have three gun decks to your one. So you faced effectively 60 guns at once?

the AI is less fooled than it was in AC3. They'll use speed to affect turns, and will try to position you for a good walloping at any turn.

 

LOL yeah I did . it was foolish but I almost got em with my heavy shot but I missed once and that was the end. Next time I'll be more strategic and conservative. Plus I want to upgrade my mortar to full. That will help.

 

I was messing around in the south with no Elite upgrades and was fine. You'll be surprised how easily Man O' Wars go down if you hit 'em with Heavy Shot a couple times. AND I wasn't bracing or boarding, because I couldn't be bothered.

Those Legendary ships are another thing though. The one in the top left that rams you and takes off 50% of your health instantly. Mortars do almost no damage. I'm guessing you need at least Elite Hull and Elite Heavy Shot to beat it.

 

I've been doing just fine so far without the elite upgrades. But now I want to take on Legendary ships, so I've been searching for the elite plans. I have to say, searching through sunken ships and swimming around sharks has become quite the thankless burden. Anyone got any advice on how to deal with the sharks? Also, if I die underwater after opening chests in a wreckage, do I respawn with the contents of those chests, or must I go back for another horrible swim?

 

Hide in seaweed, that's the only solution to avoid the sharks and when you die, everything you got will be counted so you don't have to swim to get everything again

 

Actually I killed it by just ordering down the sails when it came at me and then making a sharp turn, usually it then misses with the ram, after that just broadside it and as you turn try to get behind them to tail them so you can destroy the sails and take them down that way.

 

The sharks are the worst damn thing when youre underwater, well nevermind, any underwater creature is terrible. I would have been happy exploring with no enemies. Taking in the underwater and whatnot, but with enemies you have to rush and you can't look at the beautiful scenery.

Also, won't spoil anything, but the start to the present day fourth mission after sequence 9 or 10 is DAMN creepy. That alone salvages some of the game for me.

 

Aside from naval combat, this game is making me rethink how bad I thought AC3 was. I keep thinking to myself that I enjoyed 3 much better. I didn't think that would be possible.

 

The Assassins Creed part of the game is awful. The Pirates Creed part of the game is enjoyable, if repetitive. Edward is more interesting to watch than Connor, but not as gripping a character as Ezio.

The AC series peaked with AC Brotherhood imo.

 

http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2013/12/assassins-creed-black-flag-review.html

Here's my review of Black Flag if anyone is interested.

My take on the game is that it's a nice "jumping on" point for people who want to get into the Assassins Creed series. The whole metaplot involving Desmond Miles and so on is explained without having to pick up the previous six games. Likewise, the story of Edward Kenway is complete without having to tie into the Assassins and Templars war.

I think part of my enjoyment is also an appreciation that Edward is the polar opposite of his son. Connor was ridiculously focused on the conflict between freedom and order (as well as Templars vs. Assassins) while Edward more or less doesn't give a fig but somehow ends up living it.

Ubisoft's nonstop making fun of itself is also hilarious. You have to wonder how many of the in-game inter-office e-mails are more or less straight from their RL.

"We could use the AC series to talk about Einstein, Darwin, or other great figures of history."
"Dude, pirates."
"But..."
"PIRATES."

 

What's even funnier is the Abstergo Opinions on the assasins throughout the games when you hack the computers. They deliberately pronounce their names wrong LOL they call Ezio Enzio and Connor "Ranogaiden and rahtonetankin"

Whats even funnier is the narrator is the voice of Ezio. LOL.