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Discussion Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Single-Player Adventure Game

Plisken said:
Come now. It would need larger shoulder pads.
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:rofl Good one!

I'll give it a try as well, but think I will be laughing my ass off after an hour of gameplay. Still fun is fun.

What I would really like to know is how they get over 200,000 views in only six days! Here's the DEVs pitching the game - badly. I've been trolling this vid a little to get folks to come take a look at PA! at real pirate games.



MK
 
modernknight1 said:
:rofl Good one!

I'll give it a try as well, but think I will be laughing my ass off after an hour of gameplay. Still fun is fun.

What I would really like to know is how they get over 200,000 views in only six days! Here's the DEVs pitching the game - badly. I've been trolling this vid a little to get folks to come take a look at PA! at real pirate games.



MK
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-cringe- That's already pretty bad, but when it's IGN? Eugh.
 
What was he saying about the "realistic version of piracy"? I stopped watching there. Couldn't stand it.:rumgone
Troll away. I've done the similar things on their forums before.
 
My biggest problem? Well, with that "pirate republic" bit, I know they're talking about either the Brethren of the Coast or Libertatia, which are both completely fictional. As in, created by other authors, even if it were a hundred-and-a-half years ago.
 
We became judgemental when POTC was changed from a Disneyfied arcade game into the best age of sail game out there (at least until MK's Eras mod is released). With historically accurate ships like these sailing pretty accurate seas in accurate manners and engaging in accurate battles. Only the DX8 Storm engine is holding it back, and that is the only area where AC4 is better. The graphics.
at the warf.jpg
 
Merciless Mark said:
When did the people here on PA! become such a judgemental bunch? =/
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That's a valid question, actually. In the past, we would have been a lot more enthusiastic about game companies trying anything at all.
But now anything that isn't 100% realistic is "not good enough". Really the continuous focus on realism everywhere is not what I always liked about PiratesAhoy...
 
Hey I'm all for realism.(I did after all create the CannonFX mod for POTC)
I would kill for a truly authentic naval combat simulator in the age of sail to the last detail.

But that does not mean I cannot enjoy other semi-realistic and arcadey games either on their own merits.

Pieter Boelen said:
That's a valid question, actually. In the past, we would have been a lot more enthusiastic about game companies trying anything at all.
But now anything that isn't 100% realistic is "not good enough". Really the continuous focus on realism everywhere is not what I always liked about PiratesAhoy...
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Likewise Pieter.
 
Well, I still definitely get excited for anything piratey, particularly games. Mass Effect probably isn't an effective representation of what actual local extraterrestrial life is like (which appears to be mostly bacteria, if anything), but, heck, if it isn't the best Aliens game I've ever played, I don't know what is.
 
Quite frankly, it really gets on my nerves when some of us, especially long time members, decide to judge the community as a whole from the comments posted by a small number of very active members.
It gives me the impression that some people think our community has somehow gone downhill because of this push for realism, but how does that make sense?
Just because our work is often becoming more and more historically accurate, doesn't mean we lose the 'fun' aspect. Is the Build Mod any less fun than stock PotC because it now has a few highly accurate ships in it? No, it isn't. Has any harm been done to the experience in any way, shape or form? No! It's still a fun experience, that has simply been enriched by the inclusion of realistic and accurate content. In fact, it makes it more fun for those with historical knowledge, the likes of whom thrive here AS WELL AS those who are less well informed on the subject. The same will apply to MK's GoF: Eras mod for CoAS, and our indie game Hearts of Oak, I'm sure of it.

Equally, no-one here is suggesting that ACIV will be a bad game as such. It will still be a highly popular game and it will still be fun despite having flaws in the historical accuracy of some content.
It's just that their claims of "realism" and "accuracy" are, to the history buffs among us, blatantly false. Everything else about the game does look promising, even if it's just the fact that a triple-A game is putting the Age of Sail in the spotlight, which can only be a good thing for communities like ours.

Forgive me for the rant, but I felt something had to be said to this effect.
 
Nobody here was implying that realism was NOT fun.
However the "impression" many posts in this thread leaves is that AC:IV is not realistic enough for them to care.

And rather than enthusiastically discussingand speculating about possible features of the game or things to do, places to vist, etc, the discussion seems to be stuck on realism and historical accuracy and what a joke it is.

I'm sorry, but thats just how I see it from over here.
 
I think Armada is right. Most people at PA! just want to play a pirate game - whatever it is - they just wanna have fun.

I have complained for some time that most people don't give a hoot about historical authenticity and that's why I am such a crusader to provide an education for those who don't know any better.

My critical problem here is simply with how their DEVS are promoting AC III Black Flag. "TRUTH IN ADVERTIZING" As it is, I said I would buy it and play it - because fun is fun - and it is a video game after all.

However, listen to the words they are using in their videos. They - themselves are shamelessly touting their game as historically authentic. They are saying the way their sea combat is implemented is the most authentic in video games and that no one else has ever done that before.

In short, they are blatantly lying - OR they are just really stupid. Its one or the other - or maybe both. The result is that they are misleading thousands that do not know any better into believing that their game is the best, most historically authentic on the street.
This just makes me mad in so many ways and rubs me the wrong way in spades. :whipa I know I'm not the only one that this bothers and that's why some of the more active members are a little visceral about this.

SO, they are just inviting harsh criticism in my opinion. They deserve every negative word they receive until they pull their heads out. Not to mention that I see their commentary as personally insulting to those of us here that have sought to make the Storm games really good and as authentic as we can.

As Hylie said, the only thing they have got over us is graphics. However for most young people that's huge and all the difference - because they want that realistic experience. It's really too bad that they can't combine that graphic realism with historical realism. That would be win - win. And frankly it really wouldn't take that much effort to do - which is really maddening. They should learn to read a book or two.

Last, frankly the reason our response is so emotional is that because many of us are very passionate about this subject and have invested hundreds or thousands of hours pursuing the perfect pirate dream. So its a kind of a slap in the face when we get orange jello instead of filet mignon - especially when the devs seem to be promising the finest caviar and Maine Lobster. I guess if the orange jello came out of a lobster mold, most people don't know the difference. Most of the active members here at PA! do know better however.

MK
 
To me this difference of opinions is about playability and replayability.
AC4 is a fast paced flash bang game that most will play once and then put it on the shelf for 6-10 months.
Then comes the replayability part. There has to be more than flash to bring players back, there has to be a story and real immersion. I don't see any immersion in AC4. There is no free play or just wandering around. There is just some psycho superman running around killing everyone.

If you want to please everybody you need to have something for everybody in your game. POTC has an arcade mode, realistic mode, open sea mode, and iron man mode. Pick yur poison! AC4 only has an arcade mode, and that leaves us that want more out in the cold. Hence the criticism.
 
AC4 only has arcade mode? Based on what evidence?
If your going to pass judgement, fine. But at least wait until there is actual gameplay footage, rather than just making faulty assumptions.
ALL we have seen of it at this point is pre-rendered content.

Immersion also means different things to different people.
One thing I always felt AC3's naval combat captured very well was the ambience onboard ship, and the feel of the guns firing and taking fire, even if the physics at the end of the day were completely off.
But that atmosphere, the carnage on deck, crew ducking for cover, shouting out ship sightings, the sound of the guns, etc, do date unmatched by any other game IMHO.

So its not like AC3 did not bring anything new to the table, and I expect AC4 to bring more of that.
 
Merciless Mark said:
AC4 only has arcade mode? Based on what evidence?
If your going to pass judgement, fine. But at least wait until there is actual gameplay footage, rather than just making faulty assumptions.
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It's a safe assumption, and definitely not faulty at all. It would be unreasonable and naive to expect anything else from them. Every single game in that series has been arcade mode only. They don't care about realism. We're passing judgement based on lies about historic accuracy the developers have used to advertise their games, and evidence provided by the same developers. Unless they completely change the game from the feel presented in the trailers, which we all know will not happen, I don't have high hopes.
 
Post Captain said:
It's a safe assumption, and definitely not faulty at all. It would be unreasonable and naive to expect anything else from them. Every single game in that series has been arcade mode only. They don't care about realism. We're passing judgement based on lies about historic accuracy the developers have used to advertise their games, and evidence provided by the same developers. Unless they completely change the game from the feel presented in the trailers, which we all know will not happen, I don't have high hopes.
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Before I begin, I just want to say that I hold no hard feelings against you, personally -- simply the mindset you took to this thread. I don't mean any disrespect or personal offense by the following.

Realism has its place. This place is not in a game about two secretive factions who've maintained control over the world in one way or another since the beginning of organized human civilization fighting over the relics of a precursor race. An Aubrey-Maturin game, or similar, would call for a realism. But it'd be better to treat this game with a swashbuckling adventure mindset than a realistic tactical naval combat mindset. The plot unravels when you don't limit your brain to the confines of the universe.

And still, to be fair, there are no krakens, dragons, sea turtle islands, voodoo magic, or what-have-you. It's much more realistic than, if just as fantastic as, any Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Other than that, I do understand that you're also complaining about how they present the game. No argument there. It's not going to be near as realistic as they make it out to be. Still, I would not even dare to label the AC main campaign as "arcade mode." It deserves more respect than that. It's not you ascending levels of a tower or any other equally linear progression. When you punch people, they don't fly off the screen like God Hand, either. It's an open-world, free-roam game, and although it's set in something a bit like our reality, it's not going to be as realistic as you want a game to be. It's no Bad Dudes, it's no Tekken. It will be as realistic as it can possibly be while still being fun to the average AC fan who, most likely, hasn't even seen Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, much less read the original Aubrey-Maturin novels. I wouldn't much like to play Cap'n Jack in an open-world game. A game adaptation of those novels, or any heavily-researched idea, would HAVE to be different than the kind of game AC4 is going to be. Like I said before, realism just isn't called for here. In excess, it would detract from the experience. So would krakens and whatever.

Anyway, you could just chock up any of the inaccuracies of the gameplay to being not the actual realities, but to the memories of Edward Kenway after his sailing life was far behind him. Granted, that's still a stretch.
 
This is only based on the first one, I didn't bother with the rest. It was fun, but the gameplay was easy, mindless, repetitive, and highly unrealistic. I would classify that as arcadeyness. Similar to the arcade mode in PoTC, but with less freedom and decision-making.

I honestly wouldn't have a huge problem with the game if they didn't claim that it was going to be accurate, but what they are promoting as accurate is almost pure fantasy. I would still make fun of it mercilessly, but I wouldn't have much of a problem with it.

I am an experienced crew member on a tall ship. It's bad enough when media butchers the genre without claiming to be accurate.
People commonly assume everything (excluding undead, giant sea monsters, mermainds, etc.) in the PotC movies is true. You wouldn't imagine how frustrating it is. When people butcher the genre implying that they are creating something accurate, it spreads even more idiotic misconceptions, and it insults people like me who have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours learning about the history of the age of sail and the operation of sailing ships. Go ahead and make a made-up world, but don't advertise it as being real. People will believe anything. I've experienced that time and time again.
 
Post Captain said:
This is only based on the first one, I didn't bother with the rest. It was fun, but the gameplay was easy, mindless, repetitive, and highly unrealistic. I would classify that as arcadeyness. Similar to the arcade mode in PoTC, but with less freedom and decision-making.

I honestly wouldn't have a huge problem with the game if they didn't claim that it was going to be accurate, but what they are promoting as accurate is almost pure fantasy. I would still make fun of it mercilessly, but I wouldn't have much of a problem with it.

I am an experienced crew member on a tall ship. It's bad enough when media butchers the genre without claiming to be accurate.
People commonly assume everything (excluding undead, giant sea monsters, mermainds, etc.) in the PotC movies is true. You wouldn't imagine how frustrating it is. When people butcher the genre implying that they are creating something accurate, it spreads even more idiotic misconceptions, and it insults people like me who have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours learning about the history of the age of sail and the operation of sailing ships. Go ahead and make a made-up world, but don't advertise it as being real. People will believe anything. I've experienced that time and time again.
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I don't feel that AC is mindless. There IS a degree of thought needed, albeit it's not as rewarding as in the sequel. But that's irrelevant, to be honest.

I see why you're up in arms over the presentation, I agree that they're not going to be accurate no matter what they say, and it's reasonable that you're upset. I'm not as bothered by it as you are, and I don't think that'll change since I'm no sailor myself, but I do ask you to try and be more... constructive is the word, I suppose? Maybe "expansive" is better. I don't think you ever confirmed MK's analysis of the Jackdaw as to why you thought it was laughable, for example.

I'd actually love for you to play this game when it's released (heck, I'll send you MY copy if you don't want to spend!) and rant in all the ways the naval mechanics are laughable, as well. Because they will be laughable.
 
Actually, that could be interesting: An article written by our historical experts detailing what's wrong in AC3 in a humorous and educational sort-of way.
Imagine it like a Cracked.com article like "10 Things Assassin's Creed 3 Claimed They Would Do Right But Really They Didn't" or something.
 
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