Why I Despise Assassin's Creed IV.
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Once you get the diving bell you can abandon the story and play unrestricted as a pirate (which is precisely what I did). I don't have a problem with the 'future' part of the game aside from the story is stupid as hell. Why would I sit around and do nothing while some tech guy that nobody likes tells me what to do? WHY WOULD I EVEN DO IT, EVERYONE HATES HIM AND PROBABLY FOR A GOOD REASON. Not only is that plot device awkward and immersion breaking (I'm 'remembering' being a baller pirate, I'd think this would make me more confident, even if I was previously socially crippled, to reject the tech guy). It would be more realistic to have future Edward already be a part of the assassin's order, infiltrating Abstergo. Instead I get to be a mouth-less, brain-less waste of time where all I do is passively accept blackmail and deliver stuff to a courier.
EDIT: The only good (well-written, not alignment) characters in the future part of the game are Melanie and the CCO.
EDIT2: Kidd is a stupid and awkward plot device in the past part of the game. I mean HURRRR.
EDIT: The only good (well-written, not alignment) characters in the future part of the game are Melanie and the CCO.
EDIT2: Kidd is a stupid and awkward plot device in the past part of the game. I mean HURRRR.
I party agree with the OP about it being almost a shame that the game is an AC game. I wish the game would have been more concentrated on "pirate stuff" and less on climbing rooftops and assassinating half the spanish main. Though I can't really be angry at the game for it, since it IS what it is: An assassins creed game.
That said, I really liked the pirate parts that was in it. The feeling of sailing the ship was great and the addition of songs was a stroke of geniious. I wich some other developer would pick up on the idea and create a REAL pitate game though.
The parts I really liked was the sailing, the treasure maps, ship combat, the open world sailing and actually the ending, which I found had a surprisingly human touch to it and gave at least some feeling of a character arc.
Though I do wish the map hade been bigger, that you could upgrade to another type of ship, more crew and ship management, that I could chase down some of my lost relatives
. Also the "send-ship-on-trade-missions"-minigame didn't do much for me an was just a way to get extra cash.
The future-story didn't bother me that much. I didn't give it too much time and got back to the Animus as quickly as I could.
That said, I really liked the pirate parts that was in it. The feeling of sailing the ship was great and the addition of songs was a stroke of geniious. I wich some other developer would pick up on the idea and create a REAL pitate game though.
The parts I really liked was the sailing, the treasure maps, ship combat, the open world sailing and actually the ending, which I found had a surprisingly human touch to it and gave at least some feeling of a character arc.
Though I do wish the map hade been bigger, that you could upgrade to another type of ship, more crew and ship management, that I could chase down some of my lost relatives
. Also the "send-ship-on-trade-missions"-minigame didn't do much for me an was just a way to get extra cash.The future-story didn't bother me that much. I didn't give it too much time and got back to the Animus as quickly as I could.
I'm playing AC4 at the moment and enjoying it actually quite a bit. Yes, there are restrictions in the gameplay like the world not being truly 'open' and mandatory approaches to certain situations but these have always been a staple of the AC series. So has the meta-narrative that ties all these things together to make 'sense'. AC has always been a somewhat linear game in a non-linear setting.
The over-arching meta-plot has however been implemented much better in AC4. In previous games it was hard to follow or even to make sense of it all but in AC4 it's much more subdued and ambiguous. Even if you haven't played previous AC games you can still enjoy this. You can't blame an AC game for being a...well AC game, but AC4 atleast pushes the 'future' narrative in a different direction(or atleast changes it's set-up) and is presented and told in a much more coherent and engaging manner(primarily by getting rid of that awful Desmond Miles plot). However the core story behind AC which is the conflict between Templars and Assassins told from the present and seen through different time periods ofcourse also remains the main theme of AC4.
For me this narrative don't take me 'out' of the game b/c I knew what to expect, but atleast AC4 vastly improved this. And they also vastly improved the gameplay as well. The naval battles are just really fun and engaging(I found them the most fun part of AC3 so I was really glad they made it such a focus in this game). The exploration is fun b/c the setting is just downright gorgeous. The characters are interesting with some good writing. The music and sound is good and really 'captures' the environment. The lighting is superb and really adds to the atmosphere. Even the melee combat(which I always considered the weakest part of an AC game) has improved.
AC4 took the best parts of the previous games, fixed some issues and introduced some new ideas. Definitely best game in the series for me.
The over-arching meta-plot has however been implemented much better in AC4. In previous games it was hard to follow or even to make sense of it all but in AC4 it's much more subdued and ambiguous. Even if you haven't played previous AC games you can still enjoy this. You can't blame an AC game for being a...well AC game, but AC4 atleast pushes the 'future' narrative in a different direction(or atleast changes it's set-up) and is presented and told in a much more coherent and engaging manner(primarily by getting rid of that awful Desmond Miles plot). However the core story behind AC which is the conflict between Templars and Assassins told from the present and seen through different time periods ofcourse also remains the main theme of AC4.
For me this narrative don't take me 'out' of the game b/c I knew what to expect, but atleast AC4 vastly improved this. And they also vastly improved the gameplay as well. The naval battles are just really fun and engaging(I found them the most fun part of AC3 so I was really glad they made it such a focus in this game). The exploration is fun b/c the setting is just downright gorgeous. The characters are interesting with some good writing. The music and sound is good and really 'captures' the environment. The lighting is superb and really adds to the atmosphere. Even the melee combat(which I always considered the weakest part of an AC game) has improved.
AC4 took the best parts of the previous games, fixed some issues and introduced some new ideas. Definitely best game in the series for me.
On the limits on missions and open world:
They use desynchronisation to 'hide' the limits the game has at times. Other times, they use it as a mechanic to force you to do a mission a certain way. A cheap way to implement challenge you could say. Is it bad? No, I don't think so. Is it annoying? Sometimes yes.
On the future parts:
While I do find myself just wanting to get through those sections and getting back to being a pirate, I don't see them as that annoying and out of place. Does it break the immersion of the pirate stuff? Definitely. But that's the point. It's intended to every now and then get a reality check. That you're not an actual pirate, just digging around in someone else's memories for a company.
The surveys:
They hardly bother me at all. I just press continue and don't mind them. Not that hard is it?
They use desynchronisation to 'hide' the limits the game has at times. Other times, they use it as a mechanic to force you to do a mission a certain way. A cheap way to implement challenge you could say. Is it bad? No, I don't think so. Is it annoying? Sometimes yes.
On the future parts:
While I do find myself just wanting to get through those sections and getting back to being a pirate, I don't see them as that annoying and out of place. Does it break the immersion of the pirate stuff? Definitely. But that's the point. It's intended to every now and then get a reality check. That you're not an actual pirate, just digging around in someone else's memories for a company.
The surveys:
They hardly bother me at all. I just press continue and don't mind them. Not that hard is it?
It's AC 1 again, now with pirates and more of Ubisoft's bullshit.
That's basically on the box. What did you expect? A new, original pirateering game with RPG mechanics that lets you explore a constantly changing and growing world? I sure as hell didn't, and Ubisoft'll never make that game because it'll "not be safe enough".
That's basically on the box. What did you expect? A new, original pirateering game with RPG mechanics that lets you explore a constantly changing and growing world? I sure as hell didn't, and Ubisoft'll never make that game because it'll "not be safe enough".
So your complaint is that your AC game is an AC game and not just a pirate game? lol. Are you one of these people that bought that Michael Jackson Experience game and was annoyed that it only had Michael Jackson songs in it?
The desync stuff is because your in a computer playing memories, things that already happened. If you are spotted then that goes against the memory. Or did you just find it to difficult to complete the missions? It added difficulty to a point even though the game is still easy for the most part.
Uplay is good, but its also irrelevant. You dont even have to use it so moaning about it is strange. Same with the feedback, dont need to do it and they only ask when you finish a mission. Just press continue to carry on with the game. Is that really such an issue to you?
The future parts sucked i agree. I personally dont give a shit about the main plot of the future and the desmond thing. I buy the games to run around a city from the past. But atleast the future stuff was few and short for the most part.
Just do what i do, just ignore the missions, explore and have fun as a pirate. Its the same thing i do with all the AC games and others like the Elder scrolls and other rpgs. Just do the main missions that forward the story when you get bored of the pirate stuff.
The desync stuff is because your in a computer playing memories, things that already happened. If you are spotted then that goes against the memory. Or did you just find it to difficult to complete the missions? It added difficulty to a point even though the game is still easy for the most part.
Uplay is good, but its also irrelevant. You dont even have to use it so moaning about it is strange. Same with the feedback, dont need to do it and they only ask when you finish a mission. Just press continue to carry on with the game. Is that really such an issue to you?
The future parts sucked i agree. I personally dont give a shit about the main plot of the future and the desmond thing. I buy the games to run around a city from the past. But atleast the future stuff was few and short for the most part.
Just do what i do, just ignore the missions, explore and have fun as a pirate. Its the same thing i do with all the AC games and others like the Elder scrolls and other rpgs. Just do the main missions that forward the story when you get bored of the pirate stuff.
I do agree with you to an extent, for example the pacing does seem all over the place and to begin with the story made no sense but the thing that pissed me off beyond belief was the stupid stealth missions of 'follow this guy and don't be seen'. Most of those missions made no sense. Why would the guy you're following recognise you if he doesn't know who you are? also the way these are shoehorned into almost every bloody mission almost made me stop playing it. Also I don't get why everyone keeps yelling at Edward when he seems to me to have done nothing wrong. I love the fun pirate parts of the game but hate the stupid arbitrary shoehorned in stealth sections.
For the most part I do like the game but In some places it seems really badly written and inconsistent. I was stupid to think there wouldn't be much stealth in the game but I thought they'd maybe do away with it for one game to freshen the series up, which in my opinion has gone stale.
Also I actually liked the modern day stuff.
For the most part I do like the game but In some places it seems really badly written and inconsistent. I was stupid to think there wouldn't be much stealth in the game but I thought they'd maybe do away with it for one game to freshen the series up, which in my opinion has gone stale.
Also I actually liked the modern day stuff.
If you want a game about piracy, EVE Online or Buccaneers are right up your alley.
As for the immersion in AC, the franchise has none. Every time I was about to get absorbed in the dick-shrivelingly huge maps, the Animus would "glitch" and all that shit through every cutscene. When I'm playing a meta-simulation, I feel super disconnected and can't bring myself to give a fuck about the plot. It's kinda like being in a beta version of The Matrix.
As for the immersion in AC, the franchise has none. Every time I was about to get absorbed in the dick-shrivelingly huge maps, the Animus would "glitch" and all that shit through every cutscene. When I'm playing a meta-simulation, I feel super disconnected and can't bring myself to give a fuck about the plot. It's kinda like being in a beta version of The Matrix.
Lieju said:
I've only played the first AC and I hated the futuristic narrative framing around the Third Crusade. The issue has remained the same for around 6 years and the many games in between. I wouldn't get too worked up over AC4 doing the same. If they were going to change it, they would've at this point.
super stealth mode in ce, turned it one for one mission, i just got tired of failing on, and had like 4 or 5 story missions in a row all follow/infiltrate do not be seen stuff. i killed everyone but the guys i had to tail all those missions.
bit of cheating breaks up the grrr not another i cannot be seen with 100 guards wandering around missions. nm when you get a massive string of them.
would be nice if you had more freedom within the memories, approach it how you want get bonus for doing it the proper way or not so bonus for doing it how the hell ever you want, as long as it works, especially the ones where you aggro the guys your not even tailing and fail because of that.
reworking combat to be more fluid, you get gang piled on its about useless to fight you go to attack the one guy you just parried, countered and get nailed in the back by 3 other guys the second you go to attack. if your crew is going to be utterly useless for anything but fodder, make you able to counter and attack properly when you taking 3 or 4 on one. swords feel utterly weak in the game i just hit a guy 4 or 5 times with a sword and hes still not dead, ok upgraded my swords now it takes 3 hits vs 5 wee. the clunky combat makes boarding a near chore, or sit on your deck and just shoot guys with your pistols every 2 minutes or however long it takes to reload them.
a in your face brash non assassin should be more brash and direct in his approach to things instead of not only stealing the uniform but the whole gig of the assassins, nm where the hell did he manage to get trained in assassin combat.
could also try the old playlogic pirate games, nm the potc mod by the pirate ahoy guys. ships feel more like ships in those games but clunky mechanics in just about everything else. still good games for what they were.
bit of cheating breaks up the grrr not another i cannot be seen with 100 guards wandering around missions. nm when you get a massive string of them.
would be nice if you had more freedom within the memories, approach it how you want get bonus for doing it the proper way or not so bonus for doing it how the hell ever you want, as long as it works, especially the ones where you aggro the guys your not even tailing and fail because of that.
reworking combat to be more fluid, you get gang piled on its about useless to fight you go to attack the one guy you just parried, countered and get nailed in the back by 3 other guys the second you go to attack. if your crew is going to be utterly useless for anything but fodder, make you able to counter and attack properly when you taking 3 or 4 on one. swords feel utterly weak in the game i just hit a guy 4 or 5 times with a sword and hes still not dead, ok upgraded my swords now it takes 3 hits vs 5 wee. the clunky combat makes boarding a near chore, or sit on your deck and just shoot guys with your pistols every 2 minutes or however long it takes to reload them.
a in your face brash non assassin should be more brash and direct in his approach to things instead of not only stealing the uniform but the whole gig of the assassins, nm where the hell did he manage to get trained in assassin combat.
could also try the old playlogic pirate games, nm the potc mod by the pirate ahoy guys. ships feel more like ships in those games but clunky mechanics in just about everything else. still good games for what they were.
The_Scrivener said:
Alternatively, you could push a single button at the 'mission success' screen and be on your way. To me, it's just like any other, with the exception that I can, if I like, rate how I liked it. And I do - if there's a mission I especially liked or disliked, I'll throw my feedback their way. I do this maybe one in ten. Otherwise, I tap enter and I'm right back to it.
But I'm with you on one point, in that the future plot can fuck off, but I get why they're doing it - after nothing but negative feedback about Desmond, they fried the dipshit and erased him as a character. Right now, they're desperately clawing at the current-day plot, trying to find something that works. I think they're committed to the whole Animus thing, but nobody likes it, so they're trying all they can to find a way to make it work. Removing it entirely, I think, would be too jarring, and it kind of makes sense, in that it holds the past plot together. There's really no more disjointing way to say you can't sail past a certain threshold.
About a third of the way into the game, I was dragged along through the Abstergo facility to hack a computer or some such shit, where I - do my immense delight - got to see Desmond zipped up into a black body bag. The whole thing was a titanic drag and I just half-assed through it then got right back to the Jackdaw.
And I like the tailing missions, where you're specifically sent to gather information - that's why you get desync'd when you get spotted, because you're eavesdropping and getting info off them - they're not going to keep chatting while they know you're there.
AC4 is my game of the year, to be honest, I'm having entirely too much fun with it, so much so that the future plot bullshit is easily forgotten.
This is the issue here.The_Scrivener said:
You wanted a pirate game, you bought an AC game.
I understood your gripes as soon as I read the first paragraph: Pirate games encapsulate the spirit of the Freedom of the Seas and the romantic ideas we now have of pirates as being fully free, free from society in every way, self-sufficient and take what they want when they want.... cept your longing for a modern pirate game (and we badly need new pirate games, Sid Mier's was over a decade ago and even that was very shallow and unfulfilling for a pirate game) found you seeking one in a Assassin's Creed game.
Whine all you want, but you should've known better.
I love Assassin's Creed 4. But I'm a huge AC fan already. I didn't mind Desmond as a character, I don't mind the present story bits at all. In fact I'm looking forward to seeing where that leads to, and the pirate gameplay was amazing IMO. They managed to reinvent the game without breaking it. They refined a lot of gameplay aspects and I can honestly say that after Ezio's trilogy of the same old gameplay, it's a real refreshment. I only hope they don't make the same mistake of making a trilogy of the same game because I'm ready for something new again. Japan, if possible. Or French revolution. I want to fight the Musketeers.
As much as I'm not a fan of the present day plotline, what you need to remember is that this isn't black flag. It's AC4: Black flag. I disliked the older ones as well, and it was Black flag that got me on board. Once we move on to the next thing, I probably won't be interested again, but there it is. It's a pirate game, yes, but in the AC universe, therefore you should know to expect it going in.
The feedback after missions? Love the idea. I think more companies should do it, seeing you're not forced into actually taking part and it gives them actual, honest feedback that everyone can contribute to.
While those arbitrary `spotted, start over` fails bother me, the only ones that I can bring to mind are tailings and eavesdropping, which seems reasonable to me.
As far as I've noticed as a person who was never an AC fan before this, actually disliking the olde rones for whatever reason, this IS a pirate game, and a darn good one. Honestly, as much as I dislike it I'm loathe to say 'ditch the present day stuff' because of the potential it has. I know Ubisoft aren't interested in a modern day AC, but not interested dosen't mean never and I'd genuinely like to see where else they take it, seeing the franchise is gonna keep going a while. Maybe I won't like the next one, as I didn't the old. Only time will tell, ey? (Unless someone in the future with an animus can tell me now. In which case, greatly appreciated!)
The feedback after missions? Love the idea. I think more companies should do it, seeing you're not forced into actually taking part and it gives them actual, honest feedback that everyone can contribute to.
While those arbitrary `spotted, start over` fails bother me, the only ones that I can bring to mind are tailings and eavesdropping, which seems reasonable to me.
As far as I've noticed as a person who was never an AC fan before this, actually disliking the olde rones for whatever reason, this IS a pirate game, and a darn good one. Honestly, as much as I dislike it I'm loathe to say 'ditch the present day stuff' because of the potential it has. I know Ubisoft aren't interested in a modern day AC, but not interested dosen't mean never and I'd genuinely like to see where else they take it, seeing the franchise is gonna keep going a while. Maybe I won't like the next one, as I didn't the old. Only time will tell, ey? (Unless someone in the future with an animus can tell me now. In which case, greatly appreciated!)
Well, the reason for all the shortcomings of the Assassins Creed series is something they proudly wear on their sleeve, in fact, they blatantly show it to you every time you boot up one of their games; when hiring for their development teams they were more interested in getting a lot of people from different races on board instead of people with experience in creating games and stories.
There are so many reasons I don't like this franchise, one of them is my total lack of interest and abundance of apathy towards the Assassins - Templars mechanic. Up until Ass3 I was indifferent towards either cause, because, to me, the games never made it clear why I was supposed to dislike the templars and side with the Assassins, aside from assassins all wearing hoodies, hiding their faces and standing around in 'cool' looking poses, showing their wrists. ( Maybe I missed something important during Ass1, with the game lacking subtitles and having serious speech and music balancing issues ).
Then Assassins creed 3 rolled by and introduced us to Connor's dad, a templar that gives us all a little perspective. After their little talks I found myself siding with the templars rather than with the Assassins, because the only thing that the Assassins have shown me up until now is that they are a bunch of reasonless anarchists, where as the templars seem to want to bring a certain level of order to the chaos. The templars wanting to assassinate Washington ( I guess that this gave American players a raging anti-templar boner ? ) made perfect sense in the context of the story, he was an unproven general with no military history and it made sense for the templars to want to have a more capable person in his place. However, the Assassins, a group that goes around mercilessly killing people that they find are bad people or that disagree with them, don't want this happening just because he was chosen by the people?
Aaaanyway, in short; Assassins and templars, who cares? Why should we care?
Also, why can't conversations in those eavesdropping missions never run smoothly? There are always weird a awkward pauses between sentences.
There are so many reasons I don't like this franchise, one of them is my total lack of interest and abundance of apathy towards the Assassins - Templars mechanic. Up until Ass3 I was indifferent towards either cause, because, to me, the games never made it clear why I was supposed to dislike the templars and side with the Assassins, aside from assassins all wearing hoodies, hiding their faces and standing around in 'cool' looking poses, showing their wrists. ( Maybe I missed something important during Ass1, with the game lacking subtitles and having serious speech and music balancing issues ).
Then Assassins creed 3 rolled by and introduced us to Connor's dad, a templar that gives us all a little perspective. After their little talks I found myself siding with the templars rather than with the Assassins, because the only thing that the Assassins have shown me up until now is that they are a bunch of reasonless anarchists, where as the templars seem to want to bring a certain level of order to the chaos. The templars wanting to assassinate Washington ( I guess that this gave American players a raging anti-templar boner ? ) made perfect sense in the context of the story, he was an unproven general with no military history and it made sense for the templars to want to have a more capable person in his place. However, the Assassins, a group that goes around mercilessly killing people that they find are bad people or that disagree with them, don't want this happening just because he was chosen by the people?
Aaaanyway, in short; Assassins and templars, who cares? Why should we care?
Also, why can't conversations in those eavesdropping missions never run smoothly? There are always weird a awkward pauses between sentences.