Assassins Creed 3 set in America? No thanks.

[Sampsa]

As long as we stay below 18th century I'm quite happy with the game.

 

[fingerbang143]

Brotherhood ruined the assassins creed series for me regardless, i'm going to sell it in an hour

 

[Wicky_42]

Civil War would suck majorly - how much parkour do you think you could get up to in a Western? In fact, it would be pretty much just a Western, wouldn't it? You know, just with some larger towns and maybe even some brick construction. Nothing like the grand historical cities of Italy.

 

[Kukakkau]

Can't say I find the American Civil war particularly interesting, and I don't believe there's very much to be running over.

Victorian London on the other hand? Lots of different sized buildings, big river to swim in, Jack the Ripper, potential for hidden tombs, etc.

There's not much room for that in a country that had only been around as we know it for 100 years prior.

How about the UK in general? Got london tower, big ben, edinburgh dungeons - lots of places for tombs etc. Lots of historical figures and inventors and can see the differences in attitudes/cultures in Scotland,England and Wales (maybe Ireland too)

IMO just stay in italy with Ezio.

You mean the guy turning 50 soon? His life is kinda played out now

 

[Shameless]

you know guys the rumor could mean that the game would be set in Civil War times and not actually "IN" the civil war.

But I like the United Kingdom idea more.

 

[Netrigan]

Civil War would suck majorly - how much parkour do you think you could get up to in a Western? In fact, it would be pretty much just a Western, wouldn't it? You know, just with some larger towns and maybe even some brick construction. Nothing like the grand historical cities of Italy.

Go watch Gangs Of New York. Sprawling city with lots of local color (like a bar with a giant tree in the middle of it). Just old enough to have a somewhat European feel, young enough to have an oddly rural flavor, and lots of wild history to draw from. Almost all of the fighting happened in the rural South, which is why we have a skewed perception of the period. The Northeast had large sprawling cities as the Industrial Age was in full swing there. It would provide a similar background with it's own unique flavor.

 

[Ponce Master-General]

....whats wrong with Civil War era-America? It was a pretty tumultuous time, in both politics and general violence, plus the setting isn't really even that much more high tech than AC2. You still have horses, mediocre guns (but the shift has started, so maybe instead of an arm gun we get a hold-out revolver?)

Plus, you know, Lincoln. One of the most famous assassinations in the world. Pretty big deal.

What if you get to kill Lincoln? I smell controversy!!

 

[SimuLord]

It can be set in a Burger King for all I care, as long as they make some sense in this shitstorm of a plot they've come up with. I'm still trying to figure out the end of Brotherhood. Not to say that it's a bad plot, but damn is it confusing.

Don't give BK's fucking marketing department any ideas.

 

[Drummodino]

Personally I'd love a game set in japan... Being a ninja assassin taking on samurai templars would be awesome! Although i have a sneaky feeling that this game might be mostly set in the modern day with desmond having most of the gameplay and the animus being used primarily for information... The series was orginally intended to be a trilogy so they may decide to rap it up (at least the Desmond storyline). I think the ending also lends itself to pursuing that angle.

 

[wooty]

China around the time of the Taiping Rebellion, lots of people, lots of upheaval, lots of foreign influence, lots of swordplay, easily recognisable/usable temples, chinese landscapes and cool buildings.

A great setting for the next game, and it follows in the flow of time nicely.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Haven't enough games been set around a US government conspiracy? If AC3 gets added to the pile it would feel like a waste of all that delicious plot they've been building up.

Also WHY NO NINJAS?!

 

[paragon1]

I'm a little confused by people saying that America is overdone as setting. I mean, can anyone name ten games actually set in America? I can't think of that many, and I can think of even less games set in civil war era America.

I think the impression that the 'USA' is overdone comes partly from the immense penetration of your culture around the rest of the world. You literally cannot escape 'American-ness', even in sleepy Devon where I live or the slums of Amman or the jungles of Thailand. You're everywhere.

You'd struggle a little to find many games that was explicitly set in the USA, but I doubt you'd struggle to find one that featured US culture.

I suppose that's a fair assessment. I guess it's hard for someone who has never lived anywhere else like me to notice.

 

[Wicky_42]

Civil War would suck majorly - how much parkour do you think you could get up to in a Western? In fact, it would be pretty much just a Western, wouldn't it? You know, just with some larger towns and maybe even some brick construction. Nothing like the grand historical cities of Italy.

Go watch Gangs Of New York. Sprawling city with lots of local color (like a bar with a giant tree in the middle of it). Just old enough to have a somewhat European feel, young enough to have an oddly rural flavor, and lots of wild history to draw from. Almost all of the fighting happened in the rural South, which is why we have a skewed perception of the period. The Northeast had large sprawling cities as the Industrial Age was in full swing there. It would provide a similar background with it's own unique flavor.

Oh, yeah, early industrial is a nice period. Given the choice, though, I would go set it in early industrial England as there's plenty of things there that fit nicely into the AC's re-appropriation of history. And more history, of course.

 

[SamStar42]

I've thought for a long time now that AC3 should be set in the Industrial Revolution. We've been around Europe, a visit to England where there's big developments would surely make a good setting?

 

[paragon1]

I'm a little confused by people saying that America is overdone as setting. I mean, can anyone name ten games actually set in America? I can't think of that many, and I can think of even less games set in civil war era America.

And for the people saying they don't care about civil war era America, I would ask if they can honestly tell me if they had any real interest in the Crusades or late 15th century Italy either.

That second point you've got there is pretty fair. I do like 15th century Italy quite a lot, but as for AC 1 the setting was new to me. However, I'm going to stick with my "America is boring" thing for one screaming reason: America is unoriginal.

Don't attack me yet.
My point is, everything we've made has been inspired/started some-how-or-another by another country. We owe our formation to France and Spain (which apparently some Southern-ers wear as a badge of shame). Even our architecture is quite unoriginal. But I digress; America simply wouldn't be a very decent setting simply because its boring. And also, guns have been fairly major in the US since formation, I've had a bug about /any/ gun (gun meaning gunpowder device, not crossbow) in Assassin's Creed. Guns are overdone in games, and I find jumping from a building and implanting cold hard steel blades into an enemy far more pleasing.

Excuse the psycho rant there...
There aren't too many ultra-successful games set in the US, Fallout comes to mind, but not many others. I know some fans are going to shoot me, but all of the decent games are somehow WWII related (shocker, eh?). I think what people mean is that America as a nationality is over done.

I can't really agree with you there. We received a lot of aid from the French, but it's not like they sent armies or helped build infrastructure or formed governments. And the Spanish? The only contribution they made to forming the U.S. was not fighting very hard to hold on to Florida. Also, I think the times fit pretty well with Assassin's Creed themes. You have the U.S. fighting over what direction to go, and a boatload of new weapons that warfare hasn't really adapted to yet. Most people are still using your 3 shot a minute musket, but repeating rifles and machine guns are right around the corner. You could have a whole storyline about adapting to all those changes, and I would be really interested to see how the whole Templar/Assassin conflict lined up.
I can understand your worry about introducing more guns to the setting, but they are going to have to find a way to work them in eventually. Unless they are going to go back in time instead of forward (which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, I'll admit), they are going to have to make it work. Most major conflicts after the 15th century sees widespread use of personal firearms in some form, and I'd personally like to see how they adapt the game mechanics to work with that. Maybe you'd actually have to be sneaky for once?

 

[subject_87]

1800s New York could work, as would feudal Japan or the future, with the stipulation that you get a portal gun and Desmond is retconned out of existence.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I love how every non-American thinks that the Civil War was apparently fought by cowboys in the middle of the desert. And they get mad at us for not learning their history.

The Civil War was vast, and America's geography is varied enough that you could have plenty of different environments to play around in. Want some open combat with horses similar to the end of AC: Brotherhood? Gettysburg, or any other huge battle! Want some stealthy sneaking around? Most Northern cities were huge, sprawling messes of factories, tenements, and other "urban development". Not too much different than London or any other modern European city at the time. And the Southern cities were also appropriately huge while retaining their own distinct charm and feel. Hell, you could design Charleston to be like Venice! Anyone who is complaining that "they wouldn't have any landmarks or history" is talking out of their ass, like they actually knew any of the "landmarks" in Florence before AC2.

The weaponry of the time was progressing quickly, but still remained "old-fashioned". You had mounted cavalry charges wielding sabers and lances fighting alongside artillery and early machine guns. Sword fighting was still popular, and though guns were coming into vogue many could not afford them for personal defense, especially not in cities.

Besides, technological anachronism is a staple of Assassin's Creed. Or did you forget that around the time Ezio was doing strafing runs in the Roman countryside?

 

[dancinginfernal]

In Brotherhood Shaun asks for a dip in the Animus to check out his Norse Lineage.

I wouldn't mind a spin-off about that.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

It's rumoured that Ubisoft are considering WW2 Europe. Well, the article said that it would be France and England but I think if they were going to go with WW2 they would go with all of Europe. Either way, the location won't change the plot or the story too much and I already have my theory on what the story for the third instalment will be.

The only issue with Civil War America would be the guns. They may be a little difficult to apply to the Assassin's Creed game world. However, if Ubisoft are going to go forward they need to focus a lot on guns. It's something that has already been applied and with the game progressing the way it is they'll need to figure out some way to make them flow with the gameplay. They won't make the game, but they can definitely break it if they don't do them right.