Assassin's Creed IV: Shameless Speculation Edition
Where and when will the next Assassin's Creed be set?
Read Full Article
Where and when will the next Assassin's Creed be set?
Read Full Article
Assassin's Creed IV: Shameless Speculation Edition
- Thread starter Robert Rath
- Start date
Let's be honest here, they'll probably set it in either WW1 or WW2. Every game has been about bringing in 'better' tools to kill people with and after the muskets in the Rev. period and the pistol in the modern period they'll be itching to bring in better guns. Plus they've been moving forward in regards to the timeline so I have a hard time seeing them go to a time period that is historically earlier then their other games.
Alexander the Great on his conquest east. Think about it: there's a big cast of various Greek generals and soldiers meeting Persian courtiers and courtesans, with guest appearances from rulers of India and other parts of the Middle East (and hopefully a bit with Olympias and Phillip II). You've got big set-pieces like the Burning of Persepolis and the Siege of Tyre. There's even a smooth narrative: The Assassin is going with Alexander to pick off the Persian Templars who are being uprooted by Alexander's conquests, and falls for the charm of the young Greek king. However, as Alexander slowly becomes more and more despotic (they can insert and evil vizier character here), the Assassin is unable to rein in his cruelty, and eventually has to kill his friend via poison.
If not, the Egypt/Rome game you proposed will be fun. Hopefully, now that we can ditch Desmond and his stupid plot, the designers will feel free to dial the games back in history, rather than keeping us going forward.
If not, the Egypt/Rome game you proposed will be fun. Hopefully, now that we can ditch Desmond and his stupid plot, the designers will feel free to dial the games back in history, rather than keeping us going forward.
I feel like Assassins Creed has a fixed intention of going higher and higher on the time-scale. First you have the crusades, then the renaissance, etc. So the obvious setting in my mind would be to tackle the Cold War, something slightly more covert and focused on conspiracies and secrets than the all-out bloodshed in the World Wars. That's also the rough timeline when the mafia was at its peak, so there you have the entire background story and scenario. It's pretty well documented with lots of important faces, and the best part is that all of the conspiracies and covert Cold Wars-y things going on at the time leave it riddled with holes for the Assassin and Templar factions to jump in.
Now, there's also the OTHER possibility. The possibility that it's finally time to make a present-day AC using Desmond as the main main guy.
Now, there's also the OTHER possibility. The possibility that it's finally time to make a present-day AC using Desmond as the main main guy.
I'd add the 30 Years war, nice long setting with plenty of intrigue and double crossing and a setting which spreads right across Europe from the Arctic Circle in the North to Italy in the South and East to Russia.
The architecture of the Old Ones looks kind of South America, so I wouldn't rule out a conquistador setting. The end of 2012 end of world setting of the present in AC3 also fits some sort of Mayan connection. But this would more suit the middle of a trilogy since it would probably end with the Assassins failing to stop the Spanish conquest of S.America.
The Crimean war could also be a more modern, but still pre-wide scale quick-firing weapons. And could be broadened to include the wider Balkans and the foment there which led to World War One.
The architecture of the Old Ones looks kind of South America, so I wouldn't rule out a conquistador setting. The end of 2012 end of world setting of the present in AC3 also fits some sort of Mayan connection. But this would more suit the middle of a trilogy since it would probably end with the Assassins failing to stop the Spanish conquest of S.America.
The Crimean war could also be a more modern, but still pre-wide scale quick-firing weapons. And could be broadened to include the wider Balkans and the foment there which led to World War One.
On the plus side, even if your only characters were Ramesses' kids, you still have enough people there for a rather substantial cast.
Whoa dude, we think alike. Originally I had a section about settings I'd like to see but I don't think will ever happen. In it, I included both the Spanish Conquest of America and the 30 Years War, along with the Russian Revolution and English Civil War. I cut the section because it wasn't much more than a wish list, but yeah, I'd sign up for any of those. (Crimean War still has the problem of "not enough assassinations" and I honestly don't think Ubi's up for portraying the genocides perpetrated by the Conquistadores, but both would still be cool to see.)Generic_Dave said:
As a series Assasin's Creed follows a central storyline that moves forward in time, as it gradually catches up to the protaganist "Desmond" in the game's "present". Barring spin offs like the New Orleans portable game, the core series by definition requires things to move forward, and also include people who could plausibly have been ancestors of Desmond and locations that could fit into the plots of the Templar/Assasins/etc.. Desmond has a complicated ethnic lineage which is part of the game, but you know what he winds up looking like nowadays so as we move forward distinctive non-white ethnicities become less and less likely as they would have shown a greater effect on what he looks like (a point I'm not alone in bringing up, though it's not popular).
As spy novels and fiction demonstrate hand to hand combat, especially when combined with stealth, never entirely disappear as a valid form of combat, especially on a personal level. Having extremely powerful guns availible in the world doesn't prevent guys from James Bond or Jason Bourne from doing a lot of their fighting up close and personal. A World War I or World War II setting isn't impractical. We've moved Desmond's complicated family tree (since it's all based around genetic memory) to the US, so anything the game does at this point is going to have to feature a way for a US citizen to be involved. With increasing lifespans as time moves on, we're also going to probably wind up seeing larger jumps in history, and more direct connections between protaganists, since we're no longer to really use "distant relations" since the puzzle eventually filters down to one guy, and it becomes narrower as we reach the game's present.
I'm guessing the next steps will either be the US Civil War or Mexican-American War or one of the World Wars as the next step. They want to keep the series going so I'd imagine they want a stopping point between "The American Revolution" and "World War X". They also have to be careful to avoid offensive portrayals as the closer they move to the present the more they are likely to risk POing people based on figures that while old are considered more closely relevent than what they have dealt with before. Ubisoft has already raised some eyebrows, but even they have to be aware there is a point where pushing the envelope could go too far, especially seeing as the reaction to certain portrayals might not be entirely expected. Discussing "The Alamo" for example can open up all kinds of surprising discussions that you might not consider especially given current politics between the US and Mexico.
I'll also mention there has been a recurring rumor that Ubisoft long ago planned to avoid a lot of the upcoming issues if the series went on this long and became successful by trying to move it to the future. Instead of catching up with Desmond, playing one of his descendants and making what happened to Desmond and the answers he might have found the new focus for the games. At one point I remember running into alleged art and story assets showing what was supposed to be a black descendant of Desmond, living 2 or 3 generations ahead in a cyber-punk type future, with pictures of corperate towers with the templar logo (conceptual outlines), and notes about optical camoflauge, monofiliment knives in his shoes (as opposed to a hand blade), and oddly enough exterior lighting systems on the back of those shoes like the old fad (which I seem to remember got some WTF and racist comments). It was probably all bunk, but I tend to think of it whenever I contemplate the future of the series.
I'll also say that the limitations I mention above largely apply to a numbered sequel, which is the central story. In theory you could do the story anywhere in a spin off, by having more templar propaganda films (like the recent portable game was supposed to be) or whatever else. A game set in The Ming Dynasty, or having an Assasin fighting alongside The Foreign Legion (or against them), or whatever else is all possible, as long as it wasn't added to the core series which follows a very specific storyline and progression. As it gets closer to Desmond's timeline the possibilities become increasingly limited, without skipping over him and going generations into the future.
As spy novels and fiction demonstrate hand to hand combat, especially when combined with stealth, never entirely disappear as a valid form of combat, especially on a personal level. Having extremely powerful guns availible in the world doesn't prevent guys from James Bond or Jason Bourne from doing a lot of their fighting up close and personal. A World War I or World War II setting isn't impractical. We've moved Desmond's complicated family tree (since it's all based around genetic memory) to the US, so anything the game does at this point is going to have to feature a way for a US citizen to be involved. With increasing lifespans as time moves on, we're also going to probably wind up seeing larger jumps in history, and more direct connections between protaganists, since we're no longer to really use "distant relations" since the puzzle eventually filters down to one guy, and it becomes narrower as we reach the game's present.
I'm guessing the next steps will either be the US Civil War or Mexican-American War or one of the World Wars as the next step. They want to keep the series going so I'd imagine they want a stopping point between "The American Revolution" and "World War X". They also have to be careful to avoid offensive portrayals as the closer they move to the present the more they are likely to risk POing people based on figures that while old are considered more closely relevent than what they have dealt with before. Ubisoft has already raised some eyebrows, but even they have to be aware there is a point where pushing the envelope could go too far, especially seeing as the reaction to certain portrayals might not be entirely expected. Discussing "The Alamo" for example can open up all kinds of surprising discussions that you might not consider especially given current politics between the US and Mexico.
I'll also mention there has been a recurring rumor that Ubisoft long ago planned to avoid a lot of the upcoming issues if the series went on this long and became successful by trying to move it to the future. Instead of catching up with Desmond, playing one of his descendants and making what happened to Desmond and the answers he might have found the new focus for the games. At one point I remember running into alleged art and story assets showing what was supposed to be a black descendant of Desmond, living 2 or 3 generations ahead in a cyber-punk type future, with pictures of corperate towers with the templar logo (conceptual outlines), and notes about optical camoflauge, monofiliment knives in his shoes (as opposed to a hand blade), and oddly enough exterior lighting systems on the back of those shoes like the old fad (which I seem to remember got some WTF and racist comments). It was probably all bunk, but I tend to think of it whenever I contemplate the future of the series.
I'll also say that the limitations I mention above largely apply to a numbered sequel, which is the central story. In theory you could do the story anywhere in a spin off, by having more templar propaganda films (like the recent portable game was supposed to be) or whatever else. A game set in The Ming Dynasty, or having an Assasin fighting alongside The Foreign Legion (or against them), or whatever else is all possible, as long as it wasn't added to the core series which follows a very specific storyline and progression. As it gets closer to Desmond's timeline the possibilities become increasingly limited, without skipping over him and going generations into the future.
Small point, Les Miserables isn't the French revolution, its the failed 1832 revolt. The French are always revolting, there obligatory anti French joke, you have to make them by law here in the UK.saintdane05 said:
I think whenever it is, it will be after the American War of Independence- I don't see them going backwards from 1776. French Revolution seems a bit too close to the AWI period to make enough of a different and wouldn't allow much innovation wise.
I'd favour Victorian London myself, circa 1885-95. Rich poor divide, industrialisation heavily underway...the idea of an assassin skulking around on the roof of a row of terrace housing, leaping onto the top of a moving train, jumping off onto a signal gantry, then clambering up a tall industrial chimney...with all the labyrinthine alleyways below, full of whores being butchered by an unknown maniac...would be brilliant...
I'd favour Victorian London myself, circa 1885-95. Rich poor divide, industrialisation heavily underway...the idea of an assassin skulking around on the roof of a row of terrace housing, leaping onto the top of a moving train, jumping off onto a signal gantry, then clambering up a tall industrial chimney...with all the labyrinthine alleyways below, full of whores being butchered by an unknown maniac...would be brilliant...
Let me drop some realism in here, and SPOILERS guys, I'm not using spoiler tags in a thread about the next AC, if you haven't played 3 and don't want to spoil it then skip my post.
Seriously, I'm gonna be spoilering up in here. Last chance.
Anyway, I think we can cut out the assassins we've already seen being the protagonist for the next AC. We won't be playing Shao Jun or Amunet or any others we've been introduced to. The settings are still there but if they're in the timeframe of those characters they'll likely take a supporting role or a cameo.
Second, Desmond's dead and we can't dance around that. We also can't dance around Ubisoft's major plot fuck up of making Desmond choose the slavery option when we just spent 3 fucking lifetimes fighting that very fucking thing. Rage aside, I think we're going to see Ubisoft break the pattern of only going forward so they can both extend the settings they can have and also progress the story. We'll see the Assassins try to find pieces of Eden to fight Minerva and free Earth again while the Templars get in their way even more, trying to seize control for themselves through the same method. Even though we might go backwards in time I can't see us going so far back that firearms aren't an option, they became fairly important in 3 and not too advanced so Ubi have some wiggle room for that feature.
And finally, back to Desmond's death, we won't see any more of Connor. We won't take control of his father to replay more Connor. His Dad is too old for it to be safe to go into the animus, he'd crumple up as soon as the bleeding effect hit.
So long story short:
French Revolution - too close to the current timeframe, not a great deal of setting change necessary for a new iteration.
Pirates - No more Connor, though the ship battles will be back I expect
The Ming Dynasty - Possible, though it may be too close to Ezio's timeline.
Hellenistic Egypt - Too far back I expect. Though it would be a great setting, it would lack the advances in technology that people have played with; it'd be like making people play Call of Duty with muskets.
My best guess would be industrial England. Even then it's a long shot for Ubisoft to come so close to our own time period, after that you'd have 3 major settings that people would be comfortable with: WW1, WW2 and the Cold War. All of the settings have been fairly mainstream with the exception of the more obscure Revelations, I can't imagine they'd veer too far off the beaten path.
Seriously, I'm gonna be spoilering up in here. Last chance.
Anyway, I think we can cut out the assassins we've already seen being the protagonist for the next AC. We won't be playing Shao Jun or Amunet or any others we've been introduced to. The settings are still there but if they're in the timeframe of those characters they'll likely take a supporting role or a cameo.
Second, Desmond's dead and we can't dance around that. We also can't dance around Ubisoft's major plot fuck up of making Desmond choose the slavery option when we just spent 3 fucking lifetimes fighting that very fucking thing. Rage aside, I think we're going to see Ubisoft break the pattern of only going forward so they can both extend the settings they can have and also progress the story. We'll see the Assassins try to find pieces of Eden to fight Minerva and free Earth again while the Templars get in their way even more, trying to seize control for themselves through the same method. Even though we might go backwards in time I can't see us going so far back that firearms aren't an option, they became fairly important in 3 and not too advanced so Ubi have some wiggle room for that feature.
And finally, back to Desmond's death, we won't see any more of Connor. We won't take control of his father to replay more Connor. His Dad is too old for it to be safe to go into the animus, he'd crumple up as soon as the bleeding effect hit.
So long story short:
French Revolution - too close to the current timeframe, not a great deal of setting change necessary for a new iteration.
Pirates - No more Connor, though the ship battles will be back I expect
The Ming Dynasty - Possible, though it may be too close to Ezio's timeline.
Hellenistic Egypt - Too far back I expect. Though it would be a great setting, it would lack the advances in technology that people have played with; it'd be like making people play Call of Duty with muskets.
My best guess would be industrial England. Even then it's a long shot for Ubisoft to come so close to our own time period, after that you'd have 3 major settings that people would be comfortable with: WW1, WW2 and the Cold War. All of the settings have been fairly mainstream with the exception of the more obscure Revelations, I can't imagine they'd veer too far off the beaten path.
There's an optional conversation you can have during the game where Shaun says he wants to try turning the dial on the animus all the way back to the First Civilization, so I'm guessing that was a bit of foreshadowing on ubisoft's part. The next ancestor will be the original ancestor. Where else would you go if you're looking for a way to destroy Juno?
Sadly, it looks like the progression is to make each game take place closer to the modern day so while I would love to play an Assassin's Creed taking place in Ancient Egypt, Macedonia, the Warring States era of Japan, the era of China wherein Romance of the Three Kingdoms takes place...I don't see that happening. I'm just going to hope they go for WW1 instead of WW2 when they inevitably go there.