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Assassin's Creed Origins E3 hands on gameplay videos and impressions are going up

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
After ten years of exploiting glitches, automation, and just odd choices for manual control, we finally have the option....to toggle the goddamn hood:
ip9dIce.png

Is tomb raiding confirmed to be in the game?
More than 20 of them in fact.

The combat in previous games just had no real depth to it though, it did "look" cool but there was never really that much behind it in terms of depth or difficulty.

I always thought AC3 had the best combat in the style of the older games with its multi person takedowns and the weapon choices.

Hopefully they can find a way to bridge them together, give us the feeling/look that combat in AC3 gave while allowing for more skill and depth on what the player can do and the enemies.
It's a tradeoff, the automation of the old combat system allowed for incredibly fluid animations, but little in the way of true player control, so while the combat looked like this:
you couldn't do something like kill, let alone hit two enemies with one swing of your weapon.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
Man, that combat is almost killing my interest. It looks so slow and un-Assassin-like. Still feel the Batman style of 3 and Syndicate were really the best versions the series had done, really made you look and feel like a brutally efficient warrior

Here, just looks like a bad aping of the Soulslike design

Yeah, making it Soulsy just doesn't mesh will with the ethos of the franchise. The Arkham-style stuff was a much better inspiration for these games. It let you feel like even when you fucked up stealth and were fighting someone head on, you were still assassinating them with quick finishers, you were still a person of somewhat superhuman talent. The Souls-style combat makes you feel much more grounded and human, that you just have to beat these enemies down through raw perserverance like any other schlub. Maybe it's deeper, sure, but combat depth shouldn't really take priority in these games, at least not to the detriment of the speed and style of the fights.

Reworking the ranged stuff to focus on bows is less egregious, but has a similar effect. No more just quickly snapping out a ranged weapon to take a side down. Now it's slowed down since you have to draw the bow, and since it seems like you always have to manually aim without a quick-shot option.

It really feels like the pulled a bunch of zeitgeisty mechanics without any consideration for how well they work in the context of Assassin's Creed. Souls and bows are popular right now, therefore shove 'em in there.
 

Frostman

Member
Reading a lot of negativity about the combat, but I completely disagree. This looks more tactical, and includes much more aggressive AI. If this looks clunky too you then Unity must have been unplayable. I will admit though, that the health of enemies is incredibly high. But if it wasn't, that would probably completely break their loot system.

This AC is pushing all the right buttons for me, really looking forward too it. Although you can clearly see this is an old build, it still looks gorgeous on the XBX
 

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Yeah, making it Soulsy just doesn't mesh will with the ethos of the franchise. The Arkham-style stuff was a much better inspiration for these games. It let you feel like even when you fucked up stealth and were fighting someone head on, you were still assassinating them with quick finishers, you were still a person of somewhat superhuman talent. The Souls-style combat makes you feel much more grounded and human, that you just have to beat these enemies down through raw perserverance like any other schlub. Maybe it's deeper, sure, but combat depth shouldn't really take priority in these games, at least not to the detriment of the speed and style of the fights.

Reworking the ranged stuff to focus on bows is less egregious, but has a similar effect. No more just quickly snapping out a ranged weapon to take a side down. Now it's slowed down since you have to draw the bow, and since it seems like you always have to manually aim without a quick-shot option.

It really feels like the pulled a bunch of zeitgeisty mechanics without any consideration for how well they work in the context of Assassin's Creed. Souls and bows are popular right now, therefore shove 'em in there.
If we consider the context of this specific AC doesn't dramatically different combat make sense? As the devs said the story starts out by the time Bayek is already 30 years old. He's supposed to be a medja and not an assassin yet because at that time no such thing actually exists let alone an assassin's take on the time period's fighting style..the demo started out 15 hours into the game by which point he's already gotten the hidden blade, sleeping darts, and is going around assassinating people, so remains to be sen how they explain how and why he set out on this journey and why he decides to start the brotherhood. Also bows make complete sense because hello it's Ancient Egypt, if anything it'd be more egregious if he didn't have a bow. :/
 

xviper

Member
biggest disappointment of E3, gameplay looks terrible, i just don't understand why they didn't improve on AC3's combat ?? it is by FAR the best in the series, AC combat has always been about parrying and instant kills, now each enemy has a health bar that you need to keep hitting until they die, you feel like you're weak

guess i'll skip AC again, shame, i used to love the series
 

Frostman

Member
biggest disappointment of E3, gameplay looks terrible, i just don't understand why they didn't improve on AC3's combat ?? it is by FAR the best in the series, AC combat has always been about parrying and instant kills, now each enemy has a health bar that you need to keep hitting until they die, you feel like you're weak

guess i'll skip AC again, shame, i used to love the series

The problem is that the devs can never win. Combat in the early AC games was way too easy, parry - kill - parry - kill. People wanted change. So they switched it up, but now some want the easier combat back.

According to some comments I have read on sites, they will have 2 control settings in the game anyway, legacy and Origins. So you should be fine, but as always wait for confirmation.
 

Teb-Tengri

Neo Member
The combat in previous games just had no real depth to it though, it did "look" cool but there was never really that much behind it in terms of depth or difficulty.

I always thought AC3 had the best combat in the style of the older games with its multi person takedowns and the weapon choices.

Hopefully they can find a way to bridge them together, give us the feeling/look that combat in AC3 gave while allowing for more skill and depth on what the player can do and the enemies.

I completely agree with you - 3 had the best combat followed by syndicate.

Not sure what happened with revamping it but watching Gladiator Arena Combat video made me nauseous with so much dodging and camera movement.
 
This game is the real deal. Played it yesterday at Xbox fanfest event that ran from 8pm to 12 midnight.

The combat is damn good, and way better than in previous games. Quite skill based and you have to think more. Light attack, then Dodge to create distance, being careful not to do a dangerous lunge that doesn't pay off. Use shield tactically, know when to charge heavy attack. All quite momentum based.

Loving it.
 

Coffinhal

Member
That is a cool idea but a lot of places aren't really elevated because of the setting, the buildlings are a lot more simplistic architecture wise aside from the mountains. And holy shit crocodiles can destroy boats....


and if you're seen by npcs out in the water they'll quickly rush over to help you out by sailing up and letting you "borrow" boats instead of stealing them since npcs respect you:

This is some really smart alternative to the stealing peasant / drowning him (Syndicate haha) we're used to.

Being able to fight in the water and underwater with melee weapons and the bow is pretty good too : you don't feel threatened in the waters and there's a challenge.

This game is the real deal. Played it yesterday at Xbox fanfest event that ran from 8pm to 12 midnight.

The combat is damn good, and way better than in previous games. Quite skill based and you have to think more. Light attack, then Dodge to create distance, being careful not to do a dangerous lunge that doesn't pay off. Use shield tactically, know when to charge heavy attack. All quite momentum based.

Loving it.

Interesting feeback thanks. What do you think about the rest of the game and changes ?
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Will groups of enemies still fight me one at a time like some honorable samurai duel or will they actually take advantage of their numbers and add some challenge to the game?
 

sjay1994

Member
biggest disappointment of E3, gameplay looks terrible, i just don't understand why they didn't improve on AC3's combat ?? it is by FAR the best in the series, AC combat has always been about parrying and instant kills, now each enemy has a health bar that you need to keep hitting until they die, you feel like you're weak

guess i'll skip AC again, shame, i used to love the series

Honestly, I have to agree.

I've watched a couple hours of footage and am going to watch the E3 panel for this game, but I am incredibly disappointed.

I just think that maybe the series might have run its course and after the Ezio games. We've hit a point where the inconsistency of the series has caused nothing but negatives for people.

We have people who complain that "AC is the same shit every year, they never change anything"

We have people who want a return to "the good ole days" and have the game be more like AC2

We have people who want the game to be more stealth focused

We have people who want the game to be more challenging with combat

We have people who wanted the simple cool looking combat from previous games

We have people who wont stop bitching about black people in egypt spamming youtube and twitch with "WE WUZ"

Basically, I empathize with the devs because it feels like everyone has an opinion about AC that greatly varies.

I think I don't really know what I want out of this series anymore. I think what made me fall in love with this series was Ezio and his story arc and how well they did Renaissance Italy. The open world wasn't meant to be this big ass world filled with stuff, but rather a hub with character and personality.

Looking at Origins, it seems like a very large, but varied world filled with "stuff". The stealth mechanics all look serviceable but I think the context is missing. What made AC2 so compelling was the set up for the targets. Here we are lacking so much context.

Because looking at it gameplay wise, it feels like they added stuff I don't want with Randomized loot drops and the RPG leveling system basically making AC a combat game where stealth is only viable if you are level appropriate.

The combat was probably done to appeal to the people who complained the games were too easy, and unfortunately it looks jarring. It's janky soulsborne and its not really what I wanted from the series seeing it in execution.

Also all they seemed to show in the demonstrations is the stuff I've been doing in ubisoft games for years. Infiltrate a place and kill everyone. At least in watch dogs there are some interesting ways to approach that type of gameplay, but here it looks so simple in comparison.

Ultimately, I think its a game that needs context for the actions occuring. Nothing is inherintly wrong or poor with what they've shown (except the combat, because man its those animations are embarassing, especially when Ubi is know for excellent animations)

Because lacking context, it looks really middling.
 

Raptor

Member
I dont understand complaints about the combat, it has side step dodging, looks like BB, TW3, type of combat, thats a good thing IMO.

Anyways it seems Im one of the few that Im hyped for this game with all this changes.
 

Theorry

Member
I dont understand complaints about the combat, it has side step dodging, looks like BB, TW3, type of combat, thats a good thing IMO.

Anyways it seems Im one of the few that Im hyped for this game with all this changes.

Jup for me to. I am a big AC player and just now i am playing AC3 again. And even i got tired of the reaction/counter combat. I have done it enough. I love this change.
 

hobozero

Member
49 BCE - so you are definitely going to assassinate Pompey at some point, that's a given, right? How many years do you think they cover? 49 BCE-ish gets you some Caesar, some Cleopatra, probably even a set piece in the burning library of Alexandria.

Super exciting time period to explore!
 

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Eagle vision is now actual eagle vision.
The old control for eagle vision still does something. Another obvious witcher 3 influence is that when you try to use the old eagle vision there's now a pulse that does exactly what the medallion does in the witcher 3, sends out a pulse that highlights interactable objects.

Thanks for the link some of the best gameplay I've seen good players really show off a game.
Ain't that the truth.

This game is the real deal. Played it yesterday at Xbox fanfest event that ran from 8pm to 12 midnight.

The combat is damn good, and way better than in previous games. Quite skill based and you have to think more. Light attack, then Dodge to create distance, being careful not to do a dangerous lunge that doesn't pay off. Use shield tactically, know when to charge heavy attack. All quite momentum based.

Loving it.
Good to know. Can you offer more impressions about some other mechanics like the one button parkour system? That's one of the most drastic changes i'm the most curious about.

As an aside, they're demoing and talking about the game right now at e3 colliseum.
 

Harlequin

Member
What year is the game supposed to take place in? Keep hearing "Ancient Egypt" but can't really find any other info. There are things that look suspiciously modern in it, like (lol) a crossbow turret...

It takes place during the reign of Cleopatra VII so that places it between 51BC and 30BC. That was the very end of the Ptolemaic era when Egypt was reigned by a Greek ruling family and upper class and especially in big cities you could find a mix of Greek and Egyptian culture/architecture/religion/...
 

Coffinhal

Member
49 BCE - so you are definitely going to assassinate Pompey at some point, that's a given, right? How many years do you think they cover? 49 BCE-ish gets you some Caesar, some Cleopatra, probably even a set piece in the burning library of Alexandria.

Super exciting time period to explore!

Amazing era already covered by the HBO TV series "Rome".

I wonder what they are planning though.
Will they move to a 2-years release cycle with 2 big expansions in-between ?
Or stay on the usual cycle and make a trilogy in 2017/18/19 ?

They'll certainly want to re-use these assets.

It's been proven time and time again, people aren't comfortable with change.

But complain about the lack of change.
 

Harlequin

Member
49 BCE - so you are definitely going to assassinate Pompey at some point, that's a given, right? How many years do you think they cover? 49 BCE-ish gets you some Caesar, some Cleopatra, probably even a set piece in the burning library of Alexandria.

Super exciting time period to explore!

Actually, it is hotly debated whether the library of Alexandria really did burn down during the Alexandrian War. IIRC, none of the known contemporary sources mention it and even if the later sources that do mention it are correct, it's also possible that only parts of the library's collection were destroyed, not the entire collection or the main building (seeing as the collection was stored in more than one place). We simply cannot be sure.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
49 BCE - so you are definitely going to assassinate Pompey at some point, that's a given, right? How many years do you think they cover? 49 BCE-ish gets you some Caesar, some Cleopatra, probably even a set piece in the burning library of Alexandria.

Super exciting time period to explore!

The Game Informer story referenced something along the lines of "the fall of an Empire", so it sounds like it could be going up until at least Cleopatra's death. That seems like a pretty long period of history to cover, but AC3 was pretty similar in jumping the year forward pretty frequently.
 
I dont understand complaints about the combat, it has side step dodging, looks like BB, TW3, type of combat, thats a good thing IMO.

Anyways it seems Im one of the few that Im hyped for this game with all this changes.
If TW3 stands for The Witcher 3, then I wouldn't use that as an example of "good" combat. Tw3, good combat? Lol.
 
The animations, the combat finishers in particular, looks REALLY rough. Very tentatively excited about this. There's some very clear jank on display with some of what's been shown so far.
 

Coffinhal

Member
If TW3 stands for The Witcher 3, then I wouldn't use that as an example of "good" combat. Tw3, good combat? Lol.

Care to elaborate? There are be some good posts about combat systems but it is worthless if you don't explain your point (besides "lol")

The animations, the combat finishers in particular, looks REALLY rough. Very tentatively excited about this. There's some very clear jank on display with some of what's been shown so far.

Early build/demo (doesn't seem to have lots of glitches so they must have done lots of quality control on it). Animations were meh for Syndicate at E3 and the game's animations were just fine. I wouldn't look too much into it (or the medium quality textures/ambient occlusion/shadows for instance)
 
So this is basically MGS 5 but in Ancient Egypt?

The Phantom Cigar confirms it. Who were the ancients..?

THE LA LI LU LE LO?!
 

cb1115

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
some animations look really rough and don't flow together all that well, hopefully they improve on that before release

but hey, AC needed an overhaul and it looks like they're giving it a shot
 

SomTervo

Member
This game is the real deal. Played it yesterday at Xbox fanfest event that ran from 8pm to 12 midnight.

The combat is damn good, and way better than in previous games. Quite skill based and you have to think more. Light attack, then Dodge to create distance, being careful not to do a dangerous lunge that doesn't pay off. Use shield tactically, know when to charge heavy attack. All quite momentum based.

Loving it.

Yes l! Thank you!

I knew in-hand it would work better than eyes-on suggests.
 

SomTervo

Member
Will groups of enemies still fight me one at a time like some honorable samurai duel or will they actually take advantage of their numbers and add some challenge to the game?

They all immediately rush you and attack at once.

It would take 30 seconds for you to find this out.
 

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Anything on the future yet? Hopefully it's a playable character again like 1/2/B/3.
They explicitly are saying nothing about MD at this time. As an aside, I played some W3 today, and holy shit the amount of witcher influences are so very clear.
 

Xumbrega

Banned
I am loving it so far, AC is definitely one of my favorite franchises.

But I have one complain, it seems silly, but goddamn,this really bothered me.. when you activate the eagle vision and when you mark the enemies, how the fuck is the eagle supposed to stop right in air? It's a bird, not a fucking drone, Ubi. This really bothered me because it's the same thing they used in Wildlands and Watch Dogs.. There's no way a eagle could stop in the air and mark the enemies like they show on the videos.
 

Harlequin

Member
I am loving it so far, AC is definitely one of my favorite franchises.

But I have one complain, it seems silly, but goddamn,this really bothered me.. when you activate the eagle vision and when you mark the enemies, how the fuck is the eagle supposed to stop right in air? It's a bird, not a fucking drone, Ubi. This really bothered me because it's the same thing they used in Wildlands and Watch Dogs.. There's no way a eagle could stop in the air and mark the enemies like they show on the videos.

One of the Let's Players demoing it said that that's because it's a magical eagle LOL. But really, if we start questioning the eagle mechanic, we should also talk about how Bayek should not be able to see what the eagle is seeing :p.
 

JOKERACN7

Member
Why in the hell have they added these RPG elements? I mean instead of capitalizing on overhauling its combat system - which looks worse than its predecessors - they've decided to go with RPG elements, it's like they're grasping at straws to make the franchise feel refreshing and the mission structure brings nothing new to the table

Granted, I'm jumping the gun here, but I'm kinda disappointed that even after a break this is the AC game that we're getting which looks so bland
 
So far this seems to improve on every little thing I absolutely started to hate with Unity and Syndicate. The Egypt setting is a very good choice.

The more this franchise got to the present time, the less interesting it became for me. I can't wait for October.
 

Stranya

Member
I am loving it so far, AC is definitely one of my favorite franchises.

But I have one complain, it seems silly, but goddamn,this really bothered me.. when you activate the eagle vision and when you mark the enemies, how the fuck is the eagle supposed to stop right in air? It's a bird, not a fucking drone, Ubi. This really bothered me because it's the same thing they used in Wildlands and Watch Dogs.. There's no way a eagle could stop in the air and mark the enemies like they show on the videos.
From what I saw, it doesn't stop completely, it just slows right down, and even more when you zoom in. It's a game conceit; it wouldn't work otherwise.
 

dex3108

Member
Why in the hell have they added these RPG elements? I mean instead of capitalizing on overhauling its combat system - which looks worse than its predecessors - they've decided to go with RPG elements, it's like they're grasping at straws to make the franchise feel refreshing and the mission structure brings nothing new to the table

Granted, I'm jumping the gun here, but I'm kinda disappointed that even after a break this is the AC game that we're getting which looks so bland

What is your suggestion? What would you do?

People are constantly criticizing devs (not only in this case but in general) but very little of them are offering explanation what else could be done.
 
Preordered.

The SPARTACUS fan in me couldn't resist the opportunity to fight in the ancient Egyptian arenas with a strategic combat system. Hopefully they'll allow multiplayer combat later on.

For the record...this is the second AC title I've purchased in the series.
 

julrik

Member
This doesn't look good at all IMO.. Pretty disappointed.

And what's up with the faces (even the main character)? I've seen better faces on PS2 (!). Mind boggling.
 

Paganmoon

Member
No mention of two protagonists anywhere, not in the GI article either. So the rumors were wrong, or did they mistake the eagle's name being thrown around as a second protagonist?
 

Alx

Member
It takes place during the reign of Cleopatra VII so that places it between 51BC and 30BC. That was the very end of the Ptolemaic era when Egypt was reigned by a Greek ruling family and upper class and especially in big cities you could find a mix of Greek and Egyptian culture/architecture/religion/...

Makes me wonder if we'll get to meet Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, and if it would open the possibility of missions/sequels/DLC in ancient Rome.
 
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