We've all been playing a game that's been going marvelously, when suddenly it happens. Maybe it's the mechanics not being suited to the new environment, maybe it's a minigame that doesn't match at all with the setting, maybe it's a boss that doesn't act as the 'summary of lessons learned' that Yahtzee advocates, but is just some random garbage. Whatever it is, it breaks your immersion completely, and turns a fun game into an exercise of frustration. Now I turn to you, the most wise, well-read and rakishly good-looking community on the internet, and ask you to fix it.
I'll go first, with the Den Defense of Assassin's Creed: Revelations
The Templar and Assassin Orders are supposed to be fighting a secret battle for the soul of civilization (because world domination and murdering people you disagree with, respectively, causes some PR problems). If either side were exposed, the Ottomans would have them all thrown in jail or executed. So why, when the Templars get word of an Assassin den in the city, do they decide to send literally hundreds of soldiers in the middle of the day to obliterate the building with siege weapons? And why do the Assassins, rather than slipping away to one of their other dens and leaving the Templars to explain things, decide to fight them by building barricades, lining the rooftops with gunmen and raining cannonballs from the sky?
Picture this: Your actions have drawn the attention of the Templars to a certain district, but they are not sure where the Assassins are hiding. Accordingly, Templar agents in the Grand Porte tell the Sultan that they have uncovered a treasonous plot, and ask to use the city guard to root it out. The Templars send in squads made either of regular guardsmen, regular units led by Templar captains and elite squads made solely of Templars (subdivided into militia, hand-gunners, Janissaries, etc.) These squads will head down several different streets, searching buildings as they go, until they find the Den, which they will break into, loot and burn to the ground.
But what's that on the tower? It's Ezio Auditore (and a couple recruits)! From your vantage point, you sow the streets with Assassins, Thieves, Courtesans, and Mercenaries. Your Assassins take out Templars Captains, sending the regular soldiers running; the Thieves and Courtesans distract units and draw them from the district, and the Mercenaries kill anyone who gets too close. (Note: You can set the Assassins to kill everyone, but doing so negates the end-of-level bonus, as most guards are just regular guys doing their job.) The recruits in the tower alert you to new enemy units entering the district or of ones getting too close to the den. Rather than a cannon, with the press of a button Ezio calls down a location to a Master Assassin stationed below, who runs there and murders everyone, but beware; such blatant violence will draw attention to your tower, and if the Templars get close they'll open fire, killing your recruits and forcing you to dodge bullets rather than pay attention to the battle. Eventually, if you kill enough Templars, the search will be called off, and it's up to the Templar agents to explain to the Sultan and their bosses what happened.
This is more in keeping with AC 's vibe of a secret war, and is more in keeping with the regular gameplay of using the factions to do a lot of the work for you, allowing the Assassins to focus on the important targets.
That's my bit, Escapists; now it's your turn. Do you think it's a good idea? Do you know how to improve your favourite game?
I'll go first, with the Den Defense of Assassin's Creed: Revelations
The Templar and Assassin Orders are supposed to be fighting a secret battle for the soul of civilization (because world domination and murdering people you disagree with, respectively, causes some PR problems). If either side were exposed, the Ottomans would have them all thrown in jail or executed. So why, when the Templars get word of an Assassin den in the city, do they decide to send literally hundreds of soldiers in the middle of the day to obliterate the building with siege weapons? And why do the Assassins, rather than slipping away to one of their other dens and leaving the Templars to explain things, decide to fight them by building barricades, lining the rooftops with gunmen and raining cannonballs from the sky?
Picture this: Your actions have drawn the attention of the Templars to a certain district, but they are not sure where the Assassins are hiding. Accordingly, Templar agents in the Grand Porte tell the Sultan that they have uncovered a treasonous plot, and ask to use the city guard to root it out. The Templars send in squads made either of regular guardsmen, regular units led by Templar captains and elite squads made solely of Templars (subdivided into militia, hand-gunners, Janissaries, etc.) These squads will head down several different streets, searching buildings as they go, until they find the Den, which they will break into, loot and burn to the ground.
But what's that on the tower? It's Ezio Auditore (and a couple recruits)! From your vantage point, you sow the streets with Assassins, Thieves, Courtesans, and Mercenaries. Your Assassins take out Templars Captains, sending the regular soldiers running; the Thieves and Courtesans distract units and draw them from the district, and the Mercenaries kill anyone who gets too close. (Note: You can set the Assassins to kill everyone, but doing so negates the end-of-level bonus, as most guards are just regular guys doing their job.) The recruits in the tower alert you to new enemy units entering the district or of ones getting too close to the den. Rather than a cannon, with the press of a button Ezio calls down a location to a Master Assassin stationed below, who runs there and murders everyone, but beware; such blatant violence will draw attention to your tower, and if the Templars get close they'll open fire, killing your recruits and forcing you to dodge bullets rather than pay attention to the battle. Eventually, if you kill enough Templars, the search will be called off, and it's up to the Templar agents to explain to the Sultan and their bosses what happened.
This is more in keeping with AC 's vibe of a secret war, and is more in keeping with the regular gameplay of using the factions to do a lot of the work for you, allowing the Assassins to focus on the important targets.
That's my bit, Escapists; now it's your turn. Do you think it's a good idea? Do you know how to improve your favourite game?