assassins creed unity
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Assassin's Creed devs weigh in on the demands of 60fps
Assassin's Creed: Unity will run at 30fps on PS4 and Xbox One, and Ubisoft isn't interested in pushing that number higher because action-adventure games feel better below 60fps, Creative Director Alex Amancio told Techradar. Amancio said it's the same case with resolution (Unity runs at 900p). "If the game looks gorgeous, who cares about the number?" he asked. Level Design Director Nicolas Guérin shared the sentiment, saying that Ubisoft for a long time wanted to hit 60fps in its games, but "you don't gain that much" from it.
Assassin's Creed: Unity at 900p, 30fps on Xbox One, PS4
Assassin's Creed: Unity will be locked at 900p and 30fps on both Xbox One and PS4 when it launches in November, Senior Producer Vincent Pontbriand tells VideoGamer. "We decided to lock them at the same specs to avoid all the debates and stuff," Pontbriand says. Most games in the new console generation hit 1080p, though the PS4 has more consistently supported higher resolutions and frame rates than the Xbox One, and that has been a point of contention for some players. Others see the entire debate as "a PR differentiation." Pontbriand says that the limiting factor on new consoles is the available CPU and AI computation, not graphics processing. "It's the CPU [that] has to process the AI, the number of NPCs we have on screen, all these systems running in parallel," he says. "We were quickly bottlenecked by that and it was a bit frustrating because we thought that this was going to be a tenfold improvement over everything AI-wise, and we realized it was going to be pretty hard. It's not the number of polygons that affect the framerate. We could be running at 100fps if it was just graphics, but because of AI, we're still limited to 30fps." Ubisoft is beefing up Assassin's Creed: Unity in other ways – the dev team rewrote "6 million lines of code" for the new game, Creative Director Alex Amancio told Joystiq. For historical context, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag received a post-launch patch on PS4 that bumped the game's resolution from 900p to 1080p. Assassin's Creed: Unity launches on November 11 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. [Image: Ubisoft]
The crouch that changed Assassin's Creed
The protagonist in Assassin's Creed Unity can crouch at will, making him something of a god-like figure in Ubisoft's ongoing rewrite of history. Arno traverses a dense and dirty recreation of 18th-century Paris, packed with jostling citizens screaming for a revolution. But as massive as the city is, with the Notre Dame de Paris looming over pockets of opulent residences and rain-slick squalor, the game's struggles happen on a small scale, crouched close to the ground. "The engine was ... I mean, we rewrote like 6 million lines of code for this," says Alex Amancio, the creative director who speaks for the work of ten different Ubisoft studios. "It's not a joke."
Exploring modern Paris to find the roots of Assassin's Creed Unity
The French Revolution! The only part of history class you didn't sleep through, thanks to the drama, intrigue and of course, Reign of Terror. Paris circa 1790 is undoubtedly the star of Unity, Ubisoft's next Assassin's Creed chapter. Sure, the game looks damn nice and brings new gameplay elements like four-player "Brotherhood" co-op missions, murder mysteries, heists and so on. But Ubisoft did extensive research on the period to bring historically accurate details of iconic spots like the catacombs, Notre Dame Cathedral and even the Bastille, which was destroyed over 300 years ago. To show how far it went, the French game company gave us an inside look on the art direction, level design and more, topping it off with a tour of the centerpiece -- Paris. To see if it succeeded, read on.
Murder is just adorable in Assassin's Kittens Unity
We have so many questions about this video. How did YouTuber Mr.TVCow get those hoodies on the kittens? How many shots did it take to get the perfect scene of kittens falling onto a small pile of hay and running away? Where can we get one and/or all of these kittens (accessories included)? And, most importantly, how long will it take to create a mod that allows us to play Assassin's Creed: Unity as a kitten?
See the killer clothes of Assassin's Creed: Unity
The most important part of acrobatic murder is looking dapper while you're pushing a sword through some jerk's trachea, thus Ubisoft presents a look at the myriad ways fans can play virtual dress up in Assassin's Creed: Unity. [Image: Ubisoft]
AC Unity's 'Project Window' ensures you and Andy Serkis will never forget Paris
How are you going to keep the assassin down on the secluded training compound after they've seen Paree? Ubisoft's hope with Project Window, a Google Maps-fueled tie-in to Assassin's Creed Unity played in your web browser, is that would-be assassins will just want to stick around in Paris. Especially when they're hanging out with Andy Serkis. As if Wii U's Google Maps Street View were hacked up and reassembled by Desmond Miles, Project Window drops you into still photos of modern day Paris and lets you explore them as though you were really there, albeit living in extreme slow motion. The hook here is the familiar Animus display from past Assassin's Creed games covering everything, with photo, video, and information points of interest peppered throughout the streets. The bulk of these info spots are historical vignettes. Narrated by ubiquitous motion-capture master Andy Serkis, each one fills you in on facts and events surrounding the French Revolution, from Louis the XIV's excesses to the Terror. Serkis naturally narrates the proceeding in character, as though he were there for all the guillotining, with acerbic, weary flair. Exploring the whole thing gives access to contests and other Creed-themed content, but beware: for every historical hotspot, there's another that's just screenshots for Unity. Or Assassin's Creed rap videos. The rap videos do not star Andy Serkis. [Images: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed Unity's season pass includes game set in China
Ubisoft unveiled a season pass for Assassin's Creed Unity today, and it includes a full standalone game. The pass costs players $30 and "opens up every piece of DLC" for the game, including Dead Kings, a story campaign set after Assassin's Creed Unity. The full game available to Unity's season pass holders is Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, which has players hopping and skipping along the Great Wall of China. Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is set in the 16th century Middle Kingdom and stars Shao Jun, a female assassin that trained under Ezio Auditore, star of Assassin's Creed 2. Shao Jun previously appeared in the 2011 animated short Assassin's Creed: Embers as well as the Assassin's Creed Revelations novel by Oliver Bowden. It's noteworthy that Ubisoft is opting for a female lead with the 2.5D side-scrolling platformer, as it suffered criticism for its growing lack of diversity in the past with Unity's co-op multiplayer mode prior to its introduction of Elise, a Templar in the game. Assassin's Creed Unity's season pass will also give players "over 30 new weapons, equipment and outfits" on launch day. The game will arrive on November 11 for PS4, Xbox One and PC, and the season pass content will all be released by early 2015. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed Unity video steals your attention
Ubisoft issued a new walkthrough video today for Assassin's Creed Unity to showcase the game's cooperative multiplayer mode, taking players through a heist mission. The PS4, Xbox One and PC game's launch was recently delayed to November 11.
New Assassin's Creed screens set sail for neck stabbin'
Through two galleries of upcoming Assassin's Creed entries - the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3-bound Assassin's Creed: Rogue, and the new-generation Assassin's Creed: Unity - two things remain constant: Everyone is unrealistically attractive given the hygiene standards of the period, and somebody wearing an unruly number of belt buckles is going to stab somebody else in the neck. [Image: Ubisoft]
(Not) Seen@PAX Prime: The many outfits of Assassin's Creed
PAX Prime in Seattle was host to many displays that celebrate video game series. Ubisoft's booth included several mannequins donning the outfits of characters from its rich Assassin's Creed series. Honestly, we just couldn't find most of them.
Joystiq Weekly: Amazon buys Twitch, Madden 15 review, Early Access feature and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. PAX Prime 2014 is already underway, but as fun as joining a swarm of people buzzing around video game displays can be, you don't even have to leave the house to get this weekend's highlights. Well, unless your house is a black hole for Internet and phone reception ... The point is, Joystiq is on the front lines of PAX Prime, ignoring sensible limitations to bring you a slew of news and previews. With this morning's proof that survival in numbers is a relative concept in Don't Starve Together and a reminder that thinking every MOBA is interchangeable is a mistake when it comes to Gigantic, the good stuff is already underway. There's always yesterday's reveal of Xbox One and PS4 versions of Saints Row 4 too, as well as a new, standalone expansion called Saints Row: Gat out of Hell. Stick with us until PAX Prime's conclusion on Monday, September 1, and in return we'll tell you all about the show's highlights without subjecting you to the dreaded PAX Pox. For now though, we've got a full recap of this week's news, reviews and features. Amazon's surprise acquisition of Twitch, Nintendo's new 3DS models, reviews of Madden NFL 15 and The Walking Dead's season finale, an examination of what makes Early Access such a valuable space to developers ... it's all arranged neat and orderly-like for you after the break!
Assassin's Creed Unity delayed to November 11
Assassin's Creed Unity will launch on November 11 in North America and on November 13 in Europe, a delay from the previously announced release date of October 28 in the US. Ubisoft says the extra two weeks will be spent bringing the game up to fans' and the team's expectations. "As we got close to the finish, we realized we were near the target but still needed a bit more time to hone some of the details to make sure Assassin's Creed Unity is exceptional," Ubisoft Senior Producer Vincent Pontbriand says in a press release. "We sincerely appreciate players' commitment to the game and their patience. It's just a couple more weeks. And it's going to be worth it." [Image: Ubisoft]
Ubisoft execs take the Ice Bucket Challenge as Rabbid looks on
No one is immune to memetic charity, which is why Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and Ubisoft EMEA executive director Alain Corre are seen below the break enduring a frigid deluge in front of Notre Dame cathedral. Guillemot and Corre are taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a stunt in which the notable (and not so notable) video themselves having ice water dumped over their heads and/or donate money to the ALS Association, a non-profit dedicated to battling Lou Gehrig's Disease. Since this is an Ubisoft production, however, the two executives tapped some of the publisher's most famous characters to join in the footage, including Watch Dogs lead Aiden Pierce and Assassin's Creed: Unity protagonist Arno Dorian. And of course, there's the Rabbid who is doing an admirable job of behaving, despite his species' tendency toward chaotic, madcap hijinks. In keeping with tradition, Guillemot and Corre have nominated three others to film their own Ice Bucket Challenge videos: Sony Computer Entertainment president and Group CEO Andrew House, Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison and legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed: Unity devs answer the question, 'why co-op?'
According to Ubisoft's developers, the co-operative multiplayer found in Assassin's Creed: Unity was a chance to do something new that still felt wholly appropriate to series canon, but more crucially the devs also came to the undeniable conclusion that stealthy, acrobatic murder is greatly improved with the addition of co-conspirators. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed competitive killing takes a break
The dense history of Assassin's Creed starts humbly in 2007, with polarizing reviews seeing more potential than anything else in the first game. Still, big sales paved the way for Assassin's Creed 2, which took the franchise into 15th century Italy and along an unbroken streak of bigger, annual releases. The addition of competitive multiplayer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood drew extra skepticism around the franchise's expansion, but it endured and grew alongside new assassins - until now.
Assassin's Creed doubles down on stealth and sailing in 2014
The Assassin's Creed franchise has an established, successful record of major annualized releases, but hooded prowlers will have two notable targets this year: Assassin's Creed Rogue, which will sail chilled seas on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and Assassin's Creed Unity, a return to scaling European cityscapes on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Just because Ubisoft can add two major adventures to the series' anthology within the same year doesn't mean you have time for both however, so Editor-In-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann and Contributing Editor Sinan Kubba exchanged thoughts to help you get a sense of which may better suit your interests. If your interest is particularly piqued by Unity, you can watch a full assassination mission within its take on the French Revolution, led by Creative Director Alex Amancio. Of course, you could always trade in your wrist blades for dice. [Image: Ubisoft]
Complete a full mission in this Assassin's Creed Unity trailer
Who needs two and three-minute trailers when you can watch an 11-minute gameplay walkthrough for Assassin's Creed Unity? After all, it's Friday, live a little. Narrated by Ubisoft Creative Director Alex Amancio, this video takes viewers through a full single-player assassination mission, stopping occasionally to admire the architecture of the world. Set in Paris during the French Revolution (circa 1789), Assassin's Creed Unity includes cooperative multiplayer missions that are online-only. Unity will launch October 28 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. It's not the only game in the series that will see its release this year, however: The Xbox 360 and PS3-only Assassin's Creed Rogue will land on November 11. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed Unity Gamescom trailer walks you through Paris
Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft's first entry in the series built only for Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4, is a looker. As demonstrated in a new trailer assembled for Gamescom 2014, Unity's Paris is a bustling, glistening city full of 19th century grandeur. It's also full of insane civil unrest and apparently feuding Assassins and Templars. Still: hell of a pretty town. Give it a peek after the jump. [Images: Ubisoft]
Far Cry 4, Assassin's Creed: Unity pre-orders live on Steam
Ubisoft has made it a bit easier for fans to fork over their money by opening Steam pre-orders for two of the publisher's biggest upcoming releases, Far Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed: Unity. Players will be rewarded for pre-ordering either game with a host of bonus content. A Far Cry 4 pre-order awards players three extra missions starring the lovably combustible Hurk of Far Cry 3 and an exclusive weapon. Those who pre-order Assassin's Creed: Unity will pick up a new mission (dubbed "The Chemical Revolution"), as well as special in-game pants, shirt and rapier. Both Assassin's Creed: Unity and Far Cry 4 can be pre-ordered from Steam for $60, though especially devoted fans can instead opt to pre-order the Gold edition of either game for $90 which includes a DLC Season Pass. Assassin's Creed: Unity is currently slated to launch on October 28, while Far Cry 4 debuts on November 18. [Image: Ubisoft]
