Assassin's Creed 2.85

[BlackjackKent]

I'm a huge fan of the French Revolution angle (and Yahtzee has just earned even more of my fandom because he likes Dumas and Les Miserables). Not only for the reasons stated here, though -- I remember reading an article online soon after Brotherhood came out (I've since lost the link) where the author made a pretty good case for there being in fact two places where the Phrygian Cap and the Masonic Eye (mentioned by Sean right before Desmond shishkebobed Lucy) came together. Those two places were revolutionary America and revolutionary France and, the author pointed out, Ubisoft being a Canadian company might further skew the likelihood in favor of France.

I certainly think this would be awesomely awesome. A game all about Desmond would, in my opinion, skew the game away from its roots a good deal. In the end, I play Screed mostly because of the historical angle, not so much because I want to know how they stop the world from being cooked in 2012.

 

[wiersmaster]

I've been convincing myself that the reason Ubisoft keeps making these Assassin's Creed 2.x games instead of a proper sequel, is that Assassin's Creed 3 is such a big overhaul of the series they need a lot more development time...

The longer they go on with this, the longer my dream stays intact.

 

[RA92]

David Duchovny is a bit of a father figure for quite a few of us, you know...

 

[Gottesstrafe]

I would venture to back an Assassin's Creed game that takes place in coastal China during that brief time period between the First and Second Opium Wars respectively during the height of the colonial era.

Now, hear me out on this. During this age, Europe was embroiled in race to expand their spheres of influence and gain colonies. China represented a vast, lucrative, and mostly untapped market at the time, so every European power was attempting to gain a foothold there. At the forefront of the race was the British Empire who, after the First Opium War, had effectively gained trading ports on the mainland, seceded Hong Kong, and since been working to further expand their influence in China. And that's the historical backdrop. The weaponry at the time (especially for the civilians) consisted mostly of melee weapons. Guns were still in the musket stages, and even then the good ones were only readily available to soldier and wealthy traders.The locations would include appropriately vast landscapes and exotic chinese architecture, with the only modernish buildings limited to European port cities like Macau or Shanghai.

I would imagine that in the game, the Templars would be represented by various British military and diplomatic figures (freshly emboldened by their expanded military power since the Industrial Revolution) attempting to net China (a country far long isolated from their power and representing an ideal target for its resources and ancient knowledge) as their latest acquisition, working in conjunction with corrupt Chinese officials promised future political power and wealth. The Assassins, in an attempt to stem the Templar power grab, would be working to undermine the creeping colonization of China and possibly work with local Chinese revolutionaries and foreign powers rivaling the British (perhaps post revolutionary France). The Triads (who were still in their infancy at the time) attempting to oppose the Qing Dynasty could either be a fledgling Eastern-Assassins organization or a tool for the Templars to undermine the Chinese government by seeding a revolution in their midst. Given the nature of the setting, the story could delve into such topics as the nature of colonization and the moral and ethical quandary of attempting to force "enlightenment" on other cultures. As a means to an end the Assassins may very well have to make compromising decisions affecting the future of one of the most ancient civilizations in human history in an attempt to gain an upper hand over the Templar, perhaps choosing the lesser of two evils and siding with just-as-corrupt foreign powers that AREN'T associated with the Templar because they lacked the resources and influence there.

 

[BonGookKumBop]

I would really like to see a game set in 19th century London. Either in the first half, which is the closest that the U.K. has been to revolution in a very long time (The Cato street conspiracy, captain swing riots Peterloo massacre etc), Alternatively it could be set in the 1880s, maybe somehow involving Jack the Ripper?

You weren't the guy who suggested that Jack the Ripper should Ezio's ancestor assassin are you? Or maybe I should hope you are, otherwise this is a worryingly popular idea As much as I would like to see the Assassins discredited a bit (a lot) maybe Jack would be making the series dangerously aware of what it is.

A couple of years back, there was a movie about Jack the Ripper named "From Hell". I didn't see it when a couple of my roommates rented it, but I did watch the special features which included a documentary with a historian talking about how the murders could have been some sort of government cover-up.

Now, I know that bonus features are not the best source for historical accuracy, but the games aren't exactly going for historical truths either; they just want historical names and figures that gamers might recognize. Ubisoft could put in some ties between Templars and Freemasons trying to stay in power and have this be the point where the Templars start trying to integrate the assassins' techniques.

Personally, I don't know if I'd really want Jack the Ripper tied to the Assassin's Creed games, but I like the idea of using that time period. I like the Victorian Age and the common theme from the games of a conservative government repressing Nietzsche ideas fits there.

Whatever Ubisoft does, I don't know if it will make a difference. They've got so stuck on milking their cash cow that they're going to miss the 2012 deadline when we're all supposed to die from solar flares.

 

[SilverUchiha]

I'm all for French Revolution. If anything, we get to kill some annoying Frenchmen. But aside from that, it'd be nice to see how the writers would say the Templars influences all that bullshit with Robespier, Napoleon, and all that other stuff that happened (I can't remember all of it right now... and there was a lot). I say do it.

 

[theriddlen]

I just got the best idea ever.

Germany. 1900's. Pre-WW2.
Hitler was a templar. It's perfect.

Munich Putsch. Fight for power. Graf von Stauffenberg with other conspirators as assassins. There's enough action there to make a Call Of Duty game, and if they implement it into Assassins Creed, well, it'll be amazing. Great setting, tons of action, real motives, and a very emotional subject.

 

[bambam]

...

 

[Zaverexus]

I would love to see French Revolution Assassin's Creed.
As is, Brotherhood killed my enthusiasm for the franchise I loved and I'm not sure if I'll get Revelations.

 

[Darth Rahu]

Maybe an Assassin's Creed set during the American Industrial Revolution. The technological arms race there is full of interesting ideas, but that's just me.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

'It'd probably be more than a little awkward for him to relive the memories of his grandad first boning his grandma.'

The mental image was too strong...

I wanted to see 1900 in Russia, I didn't read the entire comic, but if that was one of Desmond's ancestors, man it would be good to see his story.

I'm pretty sure that that was Daniel Cross's ancestor. Don't get me wrong, he could be Desmond's as well, but I'm skeptical that those lineages coincide.

If they did though, I'd love to see the Bolshevik revolution from Assassin's Creed point of view. I wonder if the Russian royal family was templar-aligned and the Bolsheviks had Assassin support, or if it was the other way around? Given that both groups had some unsavory characters, it could go either way.

 

[orangeapples]

but what about the ancient Far East? Desmond looks generic enough to have any kind of bloodlines flowing through him....

Depends how far back you go, the way i've seen the story Altair is 'ancestor zero' as he was the first of Desmonds ancestors to join the assassins (iirc), meaning you cant go further back than him.

Though you could have the assassin/templar fight going on before that but with the factions having different names, i doubt the ancient Egyptian baddies were called the templars.

Altair comes from a line of Assassins. His father was an Assassin as well. I don't remember which game it was but it was mentioned that Altair's father was also a great Assassin.

And before Ezio the only way one could become an Assassin was to be born into it. So Altair's grandfather was also an Assassin and so on and so forth until the founding of the Assassin brotherhood.

AND don't forget that Altair spent time in Mongolia, so it is possible he has a 3 way with a concubine and his wife. Who then had a child and somewhere down that genealogy that child's descendant hooked up with one of Ezio's descendants (and considering Ezio's reputation that could have been just about anyone from Italy).

 

[teknoarcanist]

Edit/snip: appears I made this post twice somehow. Escapist was bugging out earlier.

IGNORE ME

 

[Xenominim]

If we want to really add some uncomfortable overtones to things there's the years preceding the Civil War as a good source of upheaval. Templar politician and judges working to keep the machinery of slavery working, planning the split of the Confederacy for their own purposes, English, French, and Spanish powers looking to break apart the fledgling United States. Probably set in DC I imagine just for the sake of a few familiar monuments though a Southern city might make more sense.

You could also set the game at almost any time period in New Orleans seeing as that city changed hands about a half dozen times and had so many factions operating in it that the inclusion of Templars and Assassins would probably make it more understandable than what actually was going on most days. A Caribbean island might be fun for the same reasons with feuding Dutch, English, French, and Spanish powers alongside pirates in search of the buried treasure that is actually a piece of Eden. Plus it gives the chance to go climbing ship's masts and swinging around to swashbuckle and cut your way down sails like in the movies and all.

 

[Xman490]

The French Revolution sounds perfect for France-based Ubisoft. By getting many more applications and much better accents than before, they could get quite a few great voice actors. Also, taking down lords and a king would be both a good story arc and a historically accurate (as far as games go) depiction. And above it all, technology could be much more advanced than before (500 years or so), making the series take a much-needed drastic leap in gameplay.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

I hadn't thought of the 1920s, but that would be pretty awesome. But why not open it up to all of 1920s America? You can do Hollywood, gangland assassinations in Prohibition-era Chicago, and finally face down Edison in Menlo Park.

I know both The Saboteur and Velvet Assassin tried and failed at being the definitive WWII stealth game, but I'm so tired of WWII. I'd argue World War I was more of a historical shift than WWII, if only because there wouldn't have been a WWII without the Great War and the Treaty of Versailles. I'd like to see Desmond with a female, Mata Hari-esque ancestor in World War I.

If I was a pedantic tosser I'd mention that Les Misérables was written by Victor Hugo, not Alexandre Dumas. But I'm not, so I shan't.

I think he was saying Dumas was his favourite author, and that he also enjoyed Les Miserables, but I suppose thats what we get for using English, rather than any of the less ambiguous languages.

I assumed that as well, but neither of those really cover the French Revolution. The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Miserables take place after the French Revolution, while the Three Musketeer stories take place over a century before it. Scaramouche and the Scarlet Pimpernel (both by Rafael Sabatini) would be more appropriate inspirations.

But I'm still on board for a French Revolution AC game, with the Reign of Terror representing Assassin ideals going too far, maybe justifying the need for an "enlightened" Templar (ie, Napoleon) to restore order.

You are aware that Alexandre Dumas didn't only write those two books, yes? Several of them are in fact set in the Reign of Terror.

 

[teknoarcanist]

From the FB comments:

What they ought to do is use the modern section as the legitimately threatening counterpoint to the whole "ancient Batman" angle.

Say you play as Desmond. You have to go to specific locations to tap into Abstergo's Animus network; think the phones from the Matrix, but in reverse. So you sneak into some sixth floor abandoned warehouse and jack in.

While in there, you've got specific objectives to achieve. But there are Abstergo-trained assassin-agents alerted to your presence, and actively hunting you amongst the simulation. Get caught by them, and they can trace your location in the real world. Then they converge on your location with SWAT teams, and you're ducking black helicopters in the streets of [Modern City].

Imagine you're trying to find the historical site where some Templar mcguffin was interred. So you find an abandoned warehouse with good wifi, and jack into the French Revolution. You proceed about the mission inside -- but oh! Shit! You get nailed by an Abstergo agent. You escape him, but now they've traced you. In the real world, in real time, they're converging on your position. Do you jack out and run? But you put so much effort into getting this far! Do you stay in just a few minutes longer, and try to achieve your objective? Knowing that with every passing second you're worsening your odds of escape?

You jack out of the Animus with moments to spare. You hear combat boots coming up the interior stairwell. You sprint for the roof.

"Notoriety," in this modern setting, takes place primarily in the context of what the Bourne movies call "The Grid" -- the fine mesh of security cameras, police scanners, etc, all connected wirelessly, within range of a single text. No notoriety? You're off the grid. The Templars know you're in the city, and they're looking for you, but that's about it. A little bit? The Templars caught wind of you when you used your credit card to buy medical gauze for the bullet wound from your last encounter. So they know you're uptown at the moment. They've got the police keeping an eye out. Lots of notoriety? The Templars know you're in The Village. They've got tripled patrols all around it. Snipers on the rooftops. Police have been told you're behind a recent murder and are armed and dangerous, shoot on sight. Full notoriety? They know where you are, and they're coming for you.

Link cities via airports and docks, and make notoriety permanent. The only way to lower notoriety is to go to a different city until the heat cools. The game has you flying back and forth between a few major hubs (New York, Paris, Tokyo, etc) desperately avoiding the Templars while parasitically ad-hoc-ing your way into the Animus network to uncover clues / progress the plot.

If you really wanted to get awesome with it, you could have the stuff you're learning in the Animus, you're ACTIVELY LEARNING for use by Desmond, in the present. Guards keep ambushing you in stairwells? Hop into Dad during the cold war, and do a hunt-or-be-hunted mission in Moscow. Now you've got the ability to spot pursuers in the crowd with eagle vision. And so forth.

 

[Triaed]

9/12 = 3/4 = 0.75

Anyway, I do think that Future Desmond will need fire weapons training. All of the proposed scenarios sound very cool and make sense in a continuing story telling. But in an immersive, interactive, playable story we will need to give Desmond a context in which he can learn how to use a fire arm. As cool as I like the French Rev, a musket will not do; WW2 is too recent and we have lots of "Call of Battlefield Sniper Duty" games; so I would think WW1 is the better option and it would teach some recent history to those unteachables around the world.

 

[Aureliano]

When I read the words miniature guillotine I immediately thought of Mel Brooks saying, "Nip the tip!"

As far as new settings for an Assassin's Creed game, I think a pretty obvious choice is the destruction of the library of Alexandria. If wikipedia is to be believed (granted that is suspect at best) Ubisoft can pick anywhere from 50 BC to about 700 AD for a plausible story on how that place got destroyed. The library itself contains all sorts of manuscripts, nifty items, etc. and could without stretching the imagination too much involve some nifty assassin gear that would be lost for a few centuries. Also, the general intrigue and at least one of the stories involves Romans who, while not exactly Italians, at least come from the right peninsula.

Otherwise I want assassins in space. There's just not enough single-player shit set in space involving anybody other than huge marines.

 

[StraightToHeck]

Maybe an Assassin's Creed set during the American Industrial Revolution. The technological arms race there is full of interesting ideas, but that's just me.

A possible expansion of that could be to set it during the Amercian Civil War and (somehow) tie it in with Lincoln's assasination

Perhaps you could also throw in the theory that the Templars/Freemasons hid the Ark of the Covenant in America