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[Crossing Eden]

Spoiler

Prefacing this. You know honestly I was debating whether or not to make this thread. So many Ubisoft threads turn toxic immediately, it's unbelievably tiring to read. But here it goes.

Also goes without saying, that we'll find out a lot more about the game next week at e3 and then at gamescom(which will focus on Evie). All info from various interviews.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is built using the same engine as last year's main entry, Unity. The goal of the core gameplay is to make it the fastest paced AC game yet and to also immerse the player with polished gameplay, hence the removal of MP, Co-op, and the usual companion app.

Setting

>London, 1868
-As the above and

Spoiler

much better codename for the game, Victory

states, the game startsand ends in 1868(unlike other AC games which have stories that progress through years at a time) and takes place in London.
-Part of the idea of using London as a setting is that it's an era of peace. Syndicate, similar to AC2, is set during a renaissance. Ubi wants to show off the feeling of progress with the setting.
-The map has been stated to be about 30% larger than last year's entry.
-Each district will feel very unique and will have different behaviors for npcs.

Changes to the formula/Enhancements
>Syndicate features a host of more modern gameplay changes to better accomodate the Victorian London era

-Part of the new stealth system is the ability to use the environment to your advantage: This includes throwing knives into walls to distract enemies or hiding inside carriages. Or shooting a hallucinogenic dart into a fire to make enemies turn on each other.

-There's no longer a hard cover system: there's now a more modern soft cover system that results in more fluid stealth compared to Unity.

-The rope launcher:To compensate for the the much taller building and wider streets players now have the ability to use a rope launcher which acts at a grappling hook or zipline. Using it does not hinder momentum and it can be used for aerial assassinations. Other uses will be revealed over time.

-Vehicles:Unlike previous AC games players now have the ability to control, hide in, or ride on top of horse carriages. These can be used for parkour as well as the player can hop between vehicles. These carriages have "realistic physics" and can be tipped over and crashed. Like in Watch Dogs

Spoiler

GTA

you can hijack these from npcs. On top of having a new traffic system, the game features a police system as well. If the police see the player committing a crime they will intervene. They will also notice commotion if they hear it. However, this depends on where you are on the map, expanding the concept from Unity, the police have different AI depending on the district. Police will be more lenient in the white chapel district for instance. Carriages can also be used to your advantage, they can be tipped over, if you cause a crash and tip it over, police will focus on that while you rope launch your way for a fluid escape. The player will also be able to ride trains and boats but other uses haven't been revealed yet.

-Twins:Unlike previous entries there are two playable protagonists this time around. Our main protagonists are Jacob and Evie Frye. The player will choose between Evie and Jacob and the narrative will switch between the two depending on the missions and depending on the storyline during main missions and they can also be switched at any time during general play. They're both customizable as well and feature their own unique skill trees and play styles. They both run the gang known as The Rooks.

Combat

>ACS features a new combat system.
-The team at Ubisoft Quebec has created a combat system that is much more focused on hand to hand combat this time around, they also made sure to cut the latency down by half so that the player can more easily move between enemies during combat. However, like Unity it is still quite easy to die, so combat is more about crowd control than just wailing until everyone is dead.

Open World/Side Missions
>There are many new side activities in the world
-This time they're given more context and make more sense thematically. Examples include racing with vehicles, gambling and fist fighting. Meeting historical figures opens up missions for those characters as well. Side missions are interwoven with the narrative as well.
-Recruiting gang members is a big part as well. They adventure out in the world with you and have their own independent AI. Say you have five rooks with you but get inside a vehicle that only has four seats including you, the remaining Rook will seek another vehicle, or hijack one to catch up with you. After you clear a district you can assign a Rook to lead that district.

Returning features
>Taking the feedback from Unity, Ubi Quebec has brought back some classic features for this entry
-Whistling is back
-Human shields also return
-The ability to pick and hide bodies also make a welcome return.
-Windows have been made easier to enter
-Throwing knives make a return
-the day and night cycle has returned, same lighting system as Unity
-Crowd system has been more refined

Will do my best to answer any questions just in case anyone is confused or wants more info on a specific topic.

Sources
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...iner-points-of-assassins-creed-syndicate.aspx
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-assassin-s-creed-syndicate-reinvents-stealth-a/1100-6427220/
http://www.gamesradar.com/whats-new-assassins-creed-syndicate/
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassin-s-creed-syndicate-story-characters-and-se/1100-6427217/
http://www.designntrend.com/article...play-gangs-voice-actors-ubisoft-2015-game.htm

MISC.
One of the different outfits for Jacob.

WIP HUD, similar to what was seen in the target render.

 

[EightBitNate]

ACU was a blast tbh. Hope they fix performance.

They reeally need to bring competitive MP back. The games' campaigns aren't too difficult and don't offer much in the way of replayability besides collectathons. It was my favorite part of the games :/

 

[dr_rus]

1868 eh?

 

[Juanfp]

It looks good, but that photo with the rain and the people, they are there like nothing is happening.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

They're at least saying the right things, has a much better setting than the last game. incorporates some really neat ideas and brass knuckles is your weapon. At the same time, it's hard to not be burned on Ubisoft. I'll give it a chance when I hear the reception.

 

[Chobel]

What's the source of all this info?

EDIT: Sources are now included in OP

 

[McDougles]

everything was the week before e3.dolan

 

[EightBitNate]

What's the source of all this info?

I'm about 50% sure Crossing Eden works for Ubisoft haha

 

[Mechazawa]

It looks good, but that photo with the rain and the people, they are there like nothing is happening.

I mean, it is London.

 

[Crossing Eden]

what's the source of all this info?

Gamespot, game informer, etc, various media outlets covered the game the day it was revealed. Will include links in the OP.

 

[Chance Hale]

Did they bring back the ability to push/throw someone off a building?

 

[Einchy]

I enjoyed Unity somewhat and London was my top most wanted setting for an AC game.

That being said, I honestly cannot get excited for this game. There was nothing interesting in the revealed gameplay demo.

 

[SketchTheArtist]

That is such a bullshit-looking render image. Looks like it was rendered in 3D Studio Max for a student project. What is going on with that game!? Everything they've shown so far has not even reached the level of presentation quality as past games. Looks a bit amateurish for such a AAA title. And I'm an AC fan.

 

[quesalupa]

30% bigger map? Please don't have Unity level of collectibles. Other than that, sounds good!

 

[bananafactory]

Is it 1080p?

Does it actually run well?

 

[Duxxy3]

Looks like combat is mostly staying the same as Unity.

Unity combat was god awful. Couldn't see a fucking thing. Laggy as hell. Tiny counter window. Unless the stealth and stealth kills are immensely improved it's a pass just based on combat.

 

[Aequitas]

Don't like how both protags have separate skill trees. Would prefer no skill tree at all to be completely honest. Just let me feel like a bad ass assassin again ubi!

 

[SirMossyBloke]

Unnecessary spoilers are unnecessary.

 

[BTM]

Loved Black Flag and was disappointed with Unity. Ready to hop back in for this one though. Hopefully they fix the kinks.

 

[brickarts295]

Returning features
>Taking the feedback from Unity, Ubi Quebec has brought back some classic features for this entry
-Whistling is back
-Human shields also return
-The ability to pick and hide bodies also make a welcome return.
-Windows have been made easier to enter
-Throwing knives make a return
-the day and night cycle has returned, same lighting system as Unity
-Crowd system has been more refined

Fuck yes to all of this!

 

[Chance Hale]

Looks like combat is mostly staying the same as Unity.

Unity combat was god awful. Couldn't see a fucking thing. Laggy as hell. Tiny counter window. Unless the stealth and stealth kills are immensely improved it's a pass just based on combat.

I thought Unity's combat felt pretty smooth on the PC, problem was that they took out so many mechanics which made it feel like a shell at times. Couldn't throw people, pick weapons off the ground, roll manually, use a human shield, hold multiple weapons, and on and on and on. So many weird omissions.

 

[bananafactory]

Looks like combat is mostly staying the same as Unity.

Unity combat was god awful. Couldn't see a fucking thing. Laggy as hell. Tiny counter window. Unless the stealth and stealth kills are immensely improved it's a pass just based on combat.

Not to mention buggy as fuck, often Arno would become unresponsive just stand around doing nothing for a few seconds until an enemy hit him and knocked him out of it

Loved Black Flag and was disappointed with Unity. Ready to hop back in for this one though. Hopefully they fix the kinks.

Black Flag was my first AC, I adored it. I really didn't like Unity, and this looks like it's more of that. Gonna be very cautious this time around

 

[ZeroX03]

Some of these sound like they address actual negative feedback from Unity. Whistling and human shields back? Good. Rope launcher is a necessity because life sized cities are fucking stupid for traversal in a game. The old stealth system was basically useless so it's good they junked that. It shows confidence that they actually understand what sucked about Unity - and boy was there a lot - although I'm hesitant they fixed it all in the same engine within a year. It's doubtful after this many years they'll ever fix combat.

Only way I'm buying this game at launch is if it's a technical disaster.

-Part of the new stealth system is the ability to use the environment to your advantage: This includes throwing knives into walls to distract enemies or hiding inside carriages. Or shooting a hallucinogenic dart into a fire to make enemies turn on each other.

This just sounds like old features renamed or slightly changed.

So many Ubisoft threads turn toxic immediately, it's unbelievably tiring to read. But here it goes.

...ironic...

 

[Skux]

Assassin's Creed Syndicate |OT| Disorder: 1868

 

[void666]

Well, the main AC games are usually shitty followed by a good sequel. Let's see.

 

[chadskin]

Thanks for the info dump, Yves.

Spoiler

-There's no longer a hard cover system: there's now a more modern soft cover system that results in more fluid stealth compared to Unity.

This sounds good, stealth has always been a major issue in the AC games and the cover system was probably the main culprit for that. Hope this, along with the other changes, makes stealth less of a hassle.

Not sure if I'm going to pick this up day 1, such a packed holiday this year and after ACU it's probably wise to just wait for reviews and impressions but I still intend to pick it up at some point.

 

[BTM]

Black Flag was my first AC, I adored it. I really didn't like Unity, and this looks like it's more of that. Gonna be very cautious this time around

Hopefully Ubi is working on a Pirate game. I would totally play that.

 

[Blitzrules240]

The setting and first gameplay video have me sold on this one. Not sure if I'll like Jacob and Evie but they can't all be winners.

I just can't quit you Assassin's Creed

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Pre-order: 1868

This sounds cool, love the idea of London, guess time will tell if they can get it right this time.

 

[MattyG]

If they can fix the issues I had with the gameplay reveal (awful draw distance, not so great looking in general, combat not looking great) I'll be in even after being disappointed in Unity. I still love AC even though its had some rocky recent years, and the setting for this has a lot of potential.

 

[Crossing Eden]

That is such a bullshit-looking render image. Looks like it was rendered in 3D Studio Max for a student project. What is going on with that game!? Everything they've shown so far has not even reached the level of presentation quality as past games. Looks a bit amateurish for such a AAA title. And I'm an AC fan.

One of the things that they're trying to do is actually show the game instead of vertical slices made specifically for presentations. Actually, London gaf can play the game next week. http://kotaku.com/ubisoft-wants-you-to-help-them-make-assassins-creed-bet-1710204841 Concerning the screenshot, consider how Unity looked, especially on pc. Some screenshots from pc gaf look more like maya renders than actual gameplay. Truth be told the characters models in the pre-alpha and especially the animations looked worse than what was seen in Unity. Well, more specifically the new ones that weren't ported from Unity, (they always do this during the pre alpha of AC games). But ofc it's not finished yet so who knows.

 

[KaoteK]

Not sure how I feel about this, the setting certainly piques my interest (I'm a Londoner) but I'm definitely taking a wait and see approach regarding combat, performance, and how much they iterate on their open world mechanics.

Hopefully Ubisoft have taken the criticism and used it to build a great game.

 

[oSoLucky]

I'm glad MP is gone. It's really fun, but I feel it should only be included in every 3rd game or so and keep it up to date for that community while devoting all resources to make the SP only entries better in between. Or even a dedicated MP game.

Also good to hear about the app being gone(was cool for doing naval missions while away in BF though). Unity is the first AC since one that I didn't buy. That decision was mainly due to impressions that the app/microtransactions implementation.

 

[Dominic_Shade]

Thank you for posting this, Crossing Eden. I haven't kept up with Syndicate very much, so it's great to see the info in one neat topic.

The new and returning features sound great on paper, but I'd like to wait to see how they play out in the final product. I'll say that I'm a bit more excited about this one. Can't wait to plug fools with hidden blades and revolver bullets as Evie. =D

 

[Mononoke]

I feel so damn torn. Bought Unity at launch, and really hated the way it ran. I also didn't end up liking Unity's story, so I really felt bitter over that whole game. But I ended up re-visiting the game months later, and I kind of enjoyed it. And the game looks damn amazing at times (especially on PC).

Gah. I'm def skipping out on this one at launch. I'll wait until a while after. But I'm hoping this game actually ends up being really good. I'll still keep my eye out on it. Really appreciate this info.

 

[CanUKlehead]

Great. Can't wait to play it around Feb 2016 when the price has dropped and the patches have made the game playable.

 

[bananafactory]

Hopefully Ubi is working on a Pirate game. I would totally play that.

Same. My love for Black Flag and dislike for Unity makes me wonder if I actually like AC games or just pirate games

 

[hydruxo]

I don't know man, I loved Black Flag but Unity was a massive letdown for me. I'm afraid of Syndicate being too similar to Unity from that gameplay they showed at the reveal. I'm interested to see more but I'm very cautious this time around.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

I'm fairly confident this will be my first AC game since 2. This sounds and looks great. Focused, streamlined, single player. All good things.

 

[ZeroX03]

Great. Can't wait to play it around Feb 2016 when the price has dropped and the patches have made the game playable.

The Notre Dame Edition of Unity (the one with the Statue) dropped in price by 2/3rd within three months of launch here. If that happens again I could have a copy by Christmas.

Same. My love for Black Flag and dislike for Unity makes me wonder if I actually like AC games or just pirate games

I don't know man, I loved Black Flag but Unity was a massive letdown for me. I'm afraid of Syndicate being too similar to Unity from that gameplay they showed at the reveal. I'm interested to see more but I'm very cautious this time around.

Wish they'd just port Rogue to PS4 already.

 

[Skux]

Soft cover is a welcome change. Hard cover added so much jank to movement in the previous games.

And the combat is really, really, really fixed this time lol.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Just gonna point out, it is ok to be cautious with this entry.

 

[ClivePwned]

I actually liked Unity (it performed adequately for me on PS4) and I somehow have a second copy on X1 that was bundled with the system. I'm hoping it's a far more enjoyable rendering of Victorian London than The Order (ugh) was.

I'm also looking forward to see how developers from Quebec City- where the people who possibly hate the English even more than the Irish and Scottish- treat the setting.

I have a mate who works at the QC studio (but AFAIK, not on this title) so i hope it comes out well for all involved.

 

[GavinUK86]

Assassin's Creed Syndicate |OT| Disorder: 1868

We have a winner.

 

[Einchy]

Just gonna point out, it is ok to be cautious with this entry.

k

 

[bananafactory]

The Notre Dame Edition of Unity (the one with the Statue) dropped in price by 2/3rd within three months of launch here. If that happens again I could have a copy by Christmas.

Wish they'd just port Rogue to PS4 already.

It's got to be coming, right?

I would just buy it on PC but not sure how well optimized it is. I guess now that Steam refunds is a thing I could just return it if it doesn't run well but ehhhh I'd rather just play on PS4 with trophies

Anyways, hopefully we see a good part of this game at E3. London is a really cool setting

 

[ZeroX03]

Just gonna point out, it is ok to be cautious with this entry.

Uhhhhhhhh... permission granted guys, go wild with caution?

 

[The Illiterati]

I've played and enjoyed every AC game extensively except for Unity(will get to it eventually). I'm currently playing Rogue. I just don't understand how those features you list are interesting or special. When the main new point is carriages I just have to shrug.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Ubi says all the right things every year. I don't doubt they've learned technical stuff from Unity's flaws, but I want to see if they've actually got their shit together with the narrative.

Every game since the Ezio trilogy has had such garbage stories.

But an improved Unity engine rendering London is welcome. Unity had a lot of cool ideas and facets that were screwed over cause of technical issues. Paris was gorgeous though.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate |OT| Disorder: 1868

Heh heh heh. Yeah.

 

[Crossing Eden]

The setting and first gameplay video have me sold on this one. Not sure if I'll like Jacob and Evie but they can't all be winners.

I just can't quit you Assassin's Creed

Apparently the director has asked the actors to hang out with each other often so that they work better together. Jeffrey Yohalem, who wrote Brotherhood is the lead writer for this.

Uhhhhhhhh... permission granted guys, go wild with caution?

It's a little quip about the fact that every AC thread each year gets the "i'm torn about this one" posts.