Assassin's Creed III Message Board older than one year ago

Part one in the four-part series, offering a behind the scenes look at some of ACIII's key pillars through the eyes of its developers and outside experts.

Part one in the four-part series, offering a behind the scenes look at some of ACIII's key pillars through the eyes of its developers and outside experts.

It’s one of the most anticipated blog posts in internet history. Now, in a one-part series, get an inside look at the creation of a blog post about a making of trailer for Assassin’s Creed III. Inside the process that’s behind one of the most exciting articles ever written. Inside the technical breakthroughs that made it all possible. And inside the mind of John Walker, one of the greatest games journalists ever to have lived.

“I just sit in front of the keyboard, and the genius falls out.”

This is, Inside A Post About Assassin’s Creed III.

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Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated the percentage of paying players for its PC retail products and its free-to-play content is approximately the same. Speaking to GamesIndustry at Gamescom, Guillemot noted that only about five to seven percent of freemium players buy into content, which he said is the same as its retail PC product because they have a "93-95 percent piracy rate."

Guillemot also said that free-to-play games are normally cheaper to produce and distribute, since they use existing assets and avoid boxed distribution costs, but the product still needs to fit the audience.

"We also take content which we've developed in the past, graphics etc, and we can make cheaper games and improve them over time," he said. "What's very important is that we change the content and make it a better fit to the customer as time goes on."

Ubisoft has become notorious for staggered releases between its console and PC launches, along with blatantly lying about the topic of PC delays - and let's not even discuss the draconian DRM headaches.

#assassinscreed Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Assassin's Creed 3, thinks he knows why Nintendo can get away with releasing new versions of old franchises. It might not be the answer you expect. More »

The shadow war between the Templars and the Assassins spills from the gilded halls of Renaissance-era Europe to the rowdy seaports of the Thirteen Colonies this fall with Assassin’s Creed III, the highly anticipated PS3 threequel. The seismic shifts in geography and time period have introduced changes both large and small in regards to combat, equipment, terrain traversal, and much more.

But the game’s most dramatic evolution lies in the form of its thrilling naval battles, first witnessed during PlayStation’s E3 2012 press conference (skip to 10:58). But during Gamescom, I finally got a chance to control one of Assassin’s Creed III’s massive warships for myself. I learned that guiding the craft was a deceptively simple affair largely dictated by the sail configuration. Full sail propels you along faster but limits your turning radius; a button tap drops you to half sail, reducing your speed but giving you nimbler handling and higher cannon accuracy.

Your ship’s cannons are located on its sides, so a head-on approach won’t serve you well. The swivel gun is capable of firing accurately in 360 degrees — useful for crippling an opposing ship’s rudder or cannons, but usually not enough to land the killing blow. Instead, you’ll want to pull up alongside your target in order to unleash a blistering volley of cannonballs and savage the ship’s hull or masts. Luckily, you won’t be entirely defenseless against incoming attacks thanks to a “bracing” move that enables you to lean the ship and deflect damage.

After my hands-on experience, I watched a new naval sequence set in the Battle of the Chesapeake, a critical naval battle that helped set the stage for the end of the American Revolution and the dawn of the good ol’ US of A. As depicted in Assassin’s Creed III, the battle is a ferocious bloodbath set against a smoky sky. We watched Connor’s ship carve through a convoy of British man-of-war battleships as he pursued his real goal: a fugitive Templar agent making a hasty escape aboard a British man-of-war. Connor sailed through a thick, oppressive fog in order to reach his fleeing target, only to sustain heavy damage through an ambush attack. Never one to accept defeat, Connor rammed the enemy ship and leapt aboard, nimbly dispatching the deck crew with his hidden blade, cutlass, and pistol. The boarding combat seemed to emphasize particularly sneaky hit-and-run tactics, whether it was creeping across the rigging to pounce on sentries from above, picking off hapless foes with his rope dart or shooting a powder keg to spark a deck-clearing explosion. The demo ended much too soon, but it provided a tantalizing hint of things to come.

After the demo and hands-on session, we caught up with Lead Designer Steve Masters to learn more about the game’s expansive naval warfare component. We learned that ship-on-ship combat will feature in the main story, but will also include optional engagements for players to pursue. Masters explained that you’ll upgrade your ship over the course of the game, adding new cannon ammunition types such as Heat Shot (massive fire damage at short range), Grapeshot (a shotgun-like volley that suppresses crew on the enemy’s deck), and Chain Shot (crippling bolo-like projectiles that shred masts and sails). Masters also confirmed that ship-on-ship multiplayer is not in the cards for Assassin’s Creed III. Be sure to watch our video interview above to learn more.

Have questions? Leave them in the comments!

Hello again PlayStation Assassins!

To celebrate Gamescom in Cologne, Germany this week, we’re giving fans an in-depth look at the breathtaking naval combat in Assassin’s Creed III! Submerge yourself in our latest trailer below…

Let’s get in to what you just saw in that trailer, because there are a ton of little gameplay nuggets hidden inside it. First off, check out the attention to detail on the crew and their activities on the deck of Connor’s ship, the Aquila… we really wanted to convey the buzzing hive of energy that a ship this size requires just to keep it moving, let alone enter combat. And when the weather gets rough, Connor may need to put his deft Assassin acrobatics to use, climbing around the rigging and ensuring the sails are properly maintained and operational.

Enemy ships aren’t the only threat you’ll face along the Eastern shores of North America. Fortunately, you’ll have deck guns capable of rotating to remove stationary threats like mines, or even some of the smaller ships that threaten the Aquila. For the really heavy ships, however, you’ll want to use the combined might of your broadside cannons, which you can load with a wide variety of different ammunition. A few types of ammo you’ll put to use: grape shot (for taking out enemy crewmen), chain shot (shatters masts leaving hostile ships ripe for boarding) and even hot shot (heated cannon balls that turn splintered deck planks into blazing tinder).

Assassin’s Creed III will truly demonstrate the astounding breadth of combat in the American Revolution!

But the sea is not the only setting of the War for Independence, and Connor is not the only Assassin hero of the era…

By now you have probably met our newest Assassin, appearing only on PlayStation Vita: Aveline de Grandpré. Born of mixed French and African ancestry in New Orleans, Louisiana, Aveline grew up among the trappings of luxury afforded by her father’s station as a wealthy merchant. She joined the Assassins after becoming aware of the stark contrasts between societal classes, which spurred her to fight on behalf of those who could not defend themselves. Let’s get to know a little more about how Aveline will operate as an Assassin by watching the video below…

The first tools you see Aveline employ are the Blowgun and the Sugar-Cane Machete. While the Machete functions similarly to a sword or axe, carving up Templars with heavy swings, the Blowgun is a much more stealthy and subdued weapon. Its silence makes it undetectably lethal, even at long range.

Taking full advantage of PS Vita’s touch-pad functionality, Aveline can execute devastating chain kill combos, illustrated in the video as the “Touch To Kill” feature. Once Aveline has satisfied certain combat requirements, she can use her superior Assassin senses to fell multiple assailants in one fluid movement. Taking PS Vita’s unique hardware features even further, some navigation will also be facilitated through “Touch To Move” sequences.

If you’ve been paying close attention, you may have picked up a hint at the Persona System — a skill Aveline employs in order to move seamlessly and stealthily between the various social strata of the time. This is just a tiny taste of what we have in store, but we’ll take a more detailed look at this innovative new feature in future PlayStation.Blog entries!

(And, yes, you did see Aveline wrestle a ‘gator… that happened.)

I sort of love it when game trailers have zero context. For instance, I’m sure there’s a story-based reason full of love, loss, and QTE-based hugs for Connor’s sudden ability to captain a warship, but this quick glimpse makes it look like he simply stole someone’s clothes, strolled aboard, and started barking orders. I wish I could do that. I need more clothes. Also, a boat. At any rate, Assassin’s Creed III is blending high-seas shenanigans with its trademark brand of biffstabs, but don’t take my word for it. I tell only lies. See (note the merciful lack of an ocean pun here) for yourself after the break.

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It's 2012, so I'll spare you the "on a boat" references. It's too bad, because I had a really good one. Guess you'll never hear it.

Connor's battles against the Templars takes place on land and sea. Check out new Assassin's Creed III footage in this naval warfare trailer!

I’m excited about the upcoming anim-awesomety(tm) of Assassin’s Creed 3′s multiplayer. I’ve had loads of fun with the previous games in the series, as they’re essentially spy-vs-spy-spy-vs-spy-spy-vs-spy. The third game adds Domination, a conquest-style team mode, and Wolfpack, a co-op mode where you sprint across rooftops with up to three other friends to chase down AI targets. The tiniest slice of the new stuff is shown in an otherwise meta-story thick trailer, detailing the nonsense about the annoying time travel tech that everyone but Ubisoft hates. It’s only 3 minutes, but if you’re really averse to the Abstergo stuff you can skip to half-way through to see the new Domination and Wolfpack multiplayer modes in action. I’ve also uncovered some other footage, because I’m a hacker of the internets.(more…)

Walmart's website is currently taking pre-orders of Assassin's Creed 3 for $14.98 on Xbox 360. In addition to the absurdly cheap game, you get a bonus in-game mission "A Dangerous Secret" and $4.99 in credit on the Vudu movie service.

This is the kind of "sale" that doesn't stay active for very long. Just saying.

[Thanks, David D]

As we previously reported, the PC version of Assassin’s Creed III will not arrive until November 23rd, three weeks after the console versions. Ubisoft confirmed the date in a release this afternoon.

I’ve reposted the “Frontier Demo” video below, as I think that’s the most interesting and impressive glimpse of the game that we’ve had so far.(more…)

We found every kill we've seen Connor commit thus far and put them all into one trailer. October can't come fast enough.

#assassinscreed A new trailer spotlights the AnvilNext engine, which will be creating the all-new forest and city environments—and the people you'll meet there—in the next Assassin's Creed game. More »

Check out this trailer for Assassin's Creed III, which shows off the game's new engine, AnvilNext.

PS3’s Connor and PS Vita’s Aveline make their mark on PTOM’s September cover as we delve into Assassin Creed III, the revolutionary new chapter(s) in Ubisoft’s blockbuster franchise. Executive editor Mikel Reparaz travelled to Ubisoft Montreal for a deep look into the gameplay of both the home console and portable games with exclusive insight from the developers. And can we just say we’re lovin’ the Revolutionary War setting for the games?

If sequels aren’t your thing, Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us lead off our look at 14 new PlayStation IP’s that promise to inject fresh ideas into gaming’s veins. We also sit down to chat with SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida for an update on Sony’s ace stable of first-part dev teams and all things PlayStation.

On the new games front, we’ve got our impressions on the gorgeous and enticingly mature-themed Star Wars 1313. We also go hands-on with sci-fi horrorfest Dead Space 3, stealth shooter Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and the war-iffic Medal of Honor: Warfighter. What was the unexpected surprise of this month’s previews? Metro: Last Light. We’re certainly going to keep our eyes on this atmospheric post-apocalyptic shooter.

The slow summer release season means the reviews section is a bit smallish this month, but some quality games lie within. Check out our in-depth analysis of the surprisingly evocative Spec Ops: The Line, and get other final verdicts on games like the mind-bending Quantum Conundrum, The Amazing Spider-Man, and LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (which, ahem, I’ve Platinumed).

Dive into all the gaming goodness in the September issue of PTOM, hitting newsstands on Tuesday, July 31st. To become a PTOM subscriber, just head here and sign up.

Subscription Links:

• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS here
• Download the MP3 here on PS3, PS Vita or PC (Right-Click->Save As)

Thanks to Jeff, Nick, and Rey, the Blogcast thrived during my absence last week. But I’ve returned from the exotic lands of the East Coast bearing priceless gifts! First, I speak with Ian Dallas, the creative director of upcoming PSN knockout The Unfinished Swan, to learn what really inspired this distinctive game — and why those monochromatic ink-blot levels are only the beginning of what’s in store. Then I catch up with Steve Masters, lead game designer for Assassin’s Creed III, to get the inside scoop on those jaw-dropping naval battles that blew us away during PlayStation’s E3 press conference. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to most efficiently dismantle a rampaging man-of-war battleship, put this podcast on your shortlist.

Of course, we’ve got the usual array of Blogcast niceties: Next week’s North American PSN lineup for July 31st, a slew of “player queries” and tips, a new Mystery Theme, even a new PSN Gem of the Week! Oh, and I share my thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises (no spoilers) much to Nick’s chagrin. It’s a grand old time!

Stuff We Talked About The Unfinished Swan Assassin’s Creed III Naval Warfare The Dark Knight Rises Twisted Metal Spec Ops: The Line and why we play violent shooter games by Tom Bissell

The Cast Sid Shuman – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist Nick Suttner – PlayStation Sr. Product Evaluator

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game
details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating
descriptions.]

• Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. Special thanks to Astro Gaming headsets for providing audio gear.

Ubisoft is establishing a team dedicated solely towards creating Assassin's Creed 3 downloadable content, according to a leaked letter.

As gamers, we do have a habit of accompanying our thrown bathwater with the baby, the taps, the bath itself, various bottles of shampoo, and all the shower fittings. And in the angered fuss about all manner of issues regarding our being “milked” by game releases, the phrase “DLC” seems to have become a dirty one. And that’s just plain silly. With rumours circulating that Ubisoft are planning a season pass for Assassin’s Creed III DLC, and even a new dedicated dev team to produce it, some are tending toward the negative. No, this is a good thing.

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