Photo Project Shows How AC Unity's Paris Compares to the Real City

[Sarah LeBoeuf]

Photo Project Shows How AC Unity's Paris Compares to the Real City

Photo comparisons show how accurate Ubisoft's video game recreation of Paris is next to the modern-day city.

Damien Hypolite [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/assassins%20creed%20unity?from_search=1] set out to see just how the real Paris compared to Unity's version by traversing the city and taking photographs. The result is side-by-side comparisons of Unity's locations and the iconic landmarks that inspired them, and it's a pretty impressive sight.

Obviously, there are bound to be some differences--Unity takes place during the French Revolution in the late 1700s and these photos were taken in 2014, and modern-day France probably doesn't have a ton of stealthy Assassins in hooded cloaks running around. Still, Ubisoft's world-building is commendable, and has always been one of the series' strengths; Assassin's Creed II's Renaissance Italy was also noteworthy.

[gallery=3581]

Having grown up in the United States, the idea of structures that are more than a few decades old, let alone centuries, is pretty foreign to me. Playing the Assassin's Creed games has helped me realize just how young my country is compared to others, and how amazing it is that this centuries-old architecture still exists elsewhere in the world. Plus, tickets to Europe aren't exactly cheap, so Assassin's Creed Unity might make a nice substitute until I can make my way to Paris for real. Then again, maybe not [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138619-Ubisoft-Working-on-Assassins-Creed-Unity-Bugs].

Source: Kotaku [http://tidamz.tumblr.com/post/102797713555/aujourdhui-jai-visite-paris-2-fois-une-fois]

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[Commander Obvious]

France has really improved it's frame rate and resolution since 1790.



Maybe it was a resolution revolution.

 

[RicoADF]

That looks quite cool, and good job on both Ubisoft on creating the well detailed game and the guy for traveling around and taking the pics.

France has really improved it's frame rate and resolution since 1790.



Maybe it was a resolution revolution.

Well played good sir!

 

[Albino Boo]

Having grown up in the United States, the idea of structures that are more than a few decades old, let alone centuries, is pretty foreign to me. Playing the Assassin's Creed games has helped me realize just how young my country is compared to others, and how amazing it is that this centuries-old architecture still exists elsewhere in the world. Plus, tickets to Europe aren't exactly cheap, so Assassin's Creed Unity might make a nice substitute until I can make my way to Paris for real.

I hate to disappoint you but most of central Paris only dates from the 1850s. There are some key building left over from the 1790s but everything else is from the second empire period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann's_renovation_of_Paris

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I was over there recently and the number of French peasants that appeared out of thin air right in front of me was bizarre. I saw a guy levitate over a balcony and I fell through the world twice. The level of authenticity Unity achieved was spectacular.

 

[Something Amyss]

Obviously, there are bound to be some differences--Unity takes place during the French Revolution in the late 1700s and these photos were taken in 2014, and modern-day France probably doesn't have a ton of stealthy Assassins in hooded cloaks running around.

No, they wear hoodies.

Having grown up in the United States, the idea of structures that are more than a few decades old, let alone centuries, is pretty foreign to me. Playing the Assassin's Creed games has helped me realize just how young my country is compared to others, and how amazing it is that this centuries-old architecture still exists elsewhere in the world.

Growing up in New England, there's tons of stuff here that's at least a century or two old. It's still kind of humbling to think of buildings that were around for hundreds of years before that, but not necessarily so much foreign. Especially here, because of the correction albino pointed out. I mean we preserved everywhere George Washington ate, slept, or blew his nose.

No points for the reference.

France has really improved it's frame rate and resolution since 1790.



Maybe it was a resolution revolution.

The old guard felt that it was more cinematic that way.

 

[Kameburger]

I um... I feel like these pictures didn't really line up... was that just me? Like I appreciate what they were trying to do here, but 4 out of 14 of these were really interesting... like maybe a side by side would have been more useful...

 

[hermes]

Those are pretty spectacular locations, and there is no denying the art team made a great work...

Which kinds of makes it worst that Ubisoft (a french company) wasted such a cool location as revolutionary Paris is a game like Unity.

 

[Jadak]

Some of these look pretty great, others (like 9), should have gone with a side by side comparison as the game photo is covering too much of the real scene to actually compare anything.

 

[alexbuckenham]

Paris IRL has barely any glitches and most of the residents have fully featured faces

 

[Grey_Area]

Excellent attention to detail. Pity that didn't extend to changing some of the player models to match half of the demographic back then (or even now) too.

 

[RedDeadFred]

France has really improved it's frame rate and resolution since 1790.



Maybe it was a resolution revolution.

This made me laugh harder than it should have.

OT: One thing that AC games have always done really well IMO is exactly what these pictures are showing: they build believable worlds that line up very nicely with history. Obviously they're not perfect, but they do it pretty well. That's why I kind of hope they never have a futuristic one. It might lose the only magic it has left. I'm still passing on this one, I tend to only buy one of these games every few years. The last one I played before IV was II.

 

[Flunk]

That's great and all, but how about the gameplay. You know, the game part?

 

[Something Amyss]

Excellent attention to detail. Pity that didn't extend to changing some of the player models to match half of the demographic back then (or even now) too.

Or to making sure that the faces of the models showed up, or that you weren't randomly eaten by the ground and spit into Blue Hell, or the collision/parkour mechanics, or....

That's great and all, but how about the gameplay. You know, the game part?

Poor gameplay feels more cinematic. I mean, think about the best movies. How many of them have great gameplay?