In an attempt to address criticism aimed at the game's repetitive "investigation missions," Ubisoft has detailed (via
IGN) some of the enhancements made to the PC version of free-roaming bump-off sim,
Assassin's Creed. Four new types of missions will be added to protagonist Altair's premortem preamble, including "archer assassination," which tasks players with stealthily eliminating rooftop guards, and "escort challenge," an exercise in protecting a fellow (seemingly inept) assassin as he wanders to a specific location. Also new to the personal computer will be the rather impolite "merchant stand destruction challenge," a pastime that's sure to exude the same amount of subtlety seen in "rooftop race challenge." We're surprised Ubisoft didn't throw in some pizza delivery missions for good measure.
Still, considering the more diverse activities and enhanced guard AI (no more blending right next to a corpse!), PC gamers won't be waiting until "early April" without compensation. And just so you know, we never partook in all the assassin hate -- we liked the clambering and killing well enough to put it in our list of
top ten games of last year.
{ Mar 4th 2008 at 11:25AM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 11:33AM
What does Kietzmann mean anyways??
ViagraFiend @ Mar 4th 2008 11:42AM
He is Ludwig the Keitzmann. He arranges, designs and sells Kites.
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 11:45AM
It's 'keetsman', not 'kitesman'.
Damn it ViagraFiend, get it right!
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 4th 2008 11:58AM
NI!
Matt B @ Mar 4th 2008 1:24PM
Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:37PM
@WhoMe
It's pronounced "kitesman" in German (the "ei" diphthong is pronounced [ai]).
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 1:45PM
I know that, I followed German classes for a while. I just making teh lulz on your Innernettes!
DarkNoghri @ Mar 4th 2008 1:49PM
@thornedvenom
If you look really closely, you'll notice that his name is spelled with an 'ie', and is therefore pronounced 'Keetzmann.'
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 1:53PM
Well if you listen to the podcast they pronounce it that way as well. He should know, right?
Come to think of it, I always thought McElroy was pronounced mcELroy.
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 4th 2008 3:46PM
It's pronounced "Neekburm," actually.
Neon Jebus @ Mar 4th 2008 11:35AM
So they turned things that gave you achievements on the 360 version and now they are missions?
As for the escort stuff. I've never once enjoyed what escort missions bring to a game. It sucked in State of Emergency and Dead Rising to think of two off the top of my head. I hate replaying missions due to the stupid AI stuck running into a wall or something.
I dug AC even with its repetition but these new game types don't bring much improvement in my opinion.
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 11:44AM
RE4 had pretty good 'escort missions' imo. Thanks in no small part you could tell the girl (Ashley?) to get the fuck out of dodge by hiding in a dumpster somewhere. :p
Neon Jebus @ Mar 4th 2008 11:51AM
I'll give you credit on that one. RE4 did it well.
ComicShaman @ Mar 4th 2008 12:39PM
Especially if you got the plate armor for Ashley. Then you could use her as bait. Let the freaks mob her and collapse under her weight, then pitch a grenade into the lot of them. She doesn't mind -- she's invulnerable!
Okay, it was a bit of a cheat, but it was fun.
Ranus Studios @ Mar 4th 2008 11:35AM
Oh GOD I hate protector/escort missions.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:39PM
I bet Altair does as well: he's an Assassin, not a nanny.
Korova @ Mar 5th 2008 8:35AM
Yeah, GTA escort missions pissed me off enough to put the thing down
Curtis the Claw Game Master V2 @ Mar 4th 2008 11:35AM
I hate when they do this. I would buy this for PC but I bought it for 360 the day it came out. Hopefully they release an update or something with these features.
WhoMe @ Mar 4th 2008 11:47AM
That's a big reason I don't have an xbox.
Sooner or later all the 'exclusives' come to PC anyway, often with extras added and bugs ironed out.
Of course on a console you don't have to worry about performance and you sometimes get to play it earlier.
NATO_Duke @ Mar 4th 2008 11:58AM
...they also can release patches for better performance on the console games now too. I don't see any reason not to get a game for an xbox just because it may be available on a pc later.
Sometimes I want to play on a console and sometimes a pc. Coices = good thing.
mundox @ Mar 4th 2008 12:10PM
You need to realize Windows = PC Company, so logically anything released on 360 as an exclusive will make it to windows at some point.
mundox @ Mar 4th 2008 12:10PM
I meant microsoft = pc company XD, because of windows :P
NATO_Duke @ Mar 4th 2008 12:39PM
*choices.
JakubK666 @ Mar 4th 2008 1:55PM
Still waiting for Halo 3...
Chance Morgan @ Mar 4th 2008 11:54AM
I loved AC. I am playing through again quickly to try and get my 50 combo kill achievement. I wouldn't mind having some dlc that gave a few different missions/achievements. I am not sure I like the sound of most of these though.
Not being able to blend next to a corpse would make this game more fun, especially from the beginning. As I got farther along in the game, I stopped blending near a corpse to piss them off and play a little "slice and dice" on their asses.
CassilineKnight @ Mar 4th 2008 12:01PM
Dude how do you get that achievement...cuz I KNOW I did it 50 times yet I didn't get the achievement?
I heard somewhere that its based on where you START doing the combos...is that true?
Besides that I still need to find 1 flag in Damascus, half the flags in Jerusalem, and all of Richards flags...
This game was/is awesome. Can't wait for the sequel. Too bad IGN decided to punish it for not being a shooter. I'm glad people still bought it though.
xFenixKnightx @ Mar 4th 2008 12:13PM
I love AC also, the story, gameplay, graphics, the rich worlds. Yeah it was repetative but still I enjoyed it. I especially like Acre, climbing up the highest church and then doing a dive off of it is amazing.
Walking around and killing random people was cool too. I would go to my media room, turn off the lights and crank my 5.1 up to 48 and really dug that game. It really felt next-gen with its controls and Altairs fluid movements.
But that 50 Combo kill achievement is killing me. Ive saved all the damn villagers, fought hundreds of gaurds and I still havent gotten the 50 combo kills?? In the training it says once your blade makes contact to quickly press B again so that he can perform a combo. I have no clue what Im doing wrong.
AirIntake @ Mar 4th 2008 12:28PM
Did you pass the game already? I haven't been able to get any achievements when replaying the missions. It's really too bad they did this, when games like Halo sure didn't for the skulls, etc.
xFenixKnightx @ Mar 4th 2008 12:43PM
I beat the game and it does suck becuase I didnt get the Conversationalist achievement where you go through every dialog with Lucy and the Hungerer of Knowledge one also. I might play through again later on maybe when part 2 starts getting buzz lol.
For sure Ima get the 50 combo kill though, its just bugging me. My buddy said to use the dagger instead of the long blade and its easier to get it that way.
Arttemis @ Mar 4th 2008 2:25PM
You have to remain in combat for all 50 kills, meaning you can't kill everyone around at any point in time before the achievement is earned.
Just gain aggro from the guards and start wandering the streets as you take them out slowly. It took me about 5-7 minutes of slowly back-stepping in Damascus, pulling group after group of guards to finally pick up this achievement.
@xFenixKnightx: I highly recommend restarting the game; you've beaten it and there's not much left to do but collect flags and achievements - I find it much more fun when you can go back and do it piece-by-piece in the cities as you go through the game a second time.
Arttemis @ Mar 4th 2008 2:28PM
Disregard my previous statement - I was thinking of the chain-fighting achievement... which is, I believe 10 minutes >
xFenixKnightx @ Mar 4th 2008 2:47PM
Arttemis
Thanks, yeah I might do that so I can really finish that game off. Im glad it sold well and they most likely will be making part 2.
Arttemis @ Mar 4th 2008 2:52PM
I hope they release the trilogy they hinted at! - and seeing as how they're taking the community's advice for the port, I can only imagine that the sequels will be built around these suggestions.
I'm definitely looking forward to a possible Japanese/Mayan/Egyptian release - though the choice for locals can be limitless with the Animus in the picture.
LZBravo @ Mar 4th 2008 11:57AM
Great, now role it into a patch and push it to Xbox 360 via Live.
Ghaleon @ Mar 4th 2008 12:34PM
While adding "content" how bout they make it so it doesn't run like complete shit on PC. The requirements are outlandish.
Einhanderkiller @ Mar 4th 2008 6:43PM
I read something about this a few days ago.
Apparently, it's sloppy coding. (Typical of Ubisoft.)
Source: http://pastebin.com/md02982c
"...I was hoping the guys at Ubisoft added these NOT in the specific .forge level files, but in an external file that is accessed for mission generation.
It is not so.
The programmers at Ubisoft, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that this is not the way they want to code their engine. They do not want to reuse code and resources or, God forbid, make it easier for themselves when the time comes to support this game and patch it. They refuse to design their engine along industry lines and have universal resource packs and only changing assemblies for platform deployment (the way UE3.0, Viscous Engine and Vision Engine do it). No. they lump it all together and make life harder for themselves for absolutely no reason. As a side effect, it screws our idea of replacing the two faulty files (the Jerusalem and Arsuf .forge files) with the ones from the X360 version.
The whole .forge format is ridiculously stupid. I've been reading most of them during the last several hours, and they just throw everything they're fraking able into it. Get a hex editor and open, for instance, the Damascus .forge file. The format is pretty simple:... The point is, they put everything in these .forge files. The Damascus file alone has diffuse textures, alpha maps, cube maps, code blocks, material properties, mocap data, _foliage_ entity descriptors... you name it, they've put it in there. The format is basically a wrapper for anything they desire, which goes contrary to pretty much every game engine design concept I know of.
In case you're wondering, this poor design is also the cause of the 2GB RAM minimum requirements, and 3GB for the recommended: the WHOLE .forge file needs to be loaded into memory if they want to use anything in it, they can't just load the parts they need (which is the sensible, rational and common way of doing it) because it's all one big file. You need the DataPC file in memory (200MB), the sounds .forge files (600 MB combined), and whatever level file you are in currently (usually around 700MB). For instance, wherever you are in the game, the game has loaded ALL of the sounds from ALL of the levels, even if you're in the main menu.
That's the single most retarded idea I have ever seen in engine design."
ComicShaman @ Mar 4th 2008 12:35PM
I almost wanted there to be some kind of money in the game, just so I could give it to the damned panhandlers and shut them up. Well, you can kill them too, but it's a bit out of character. I would haul off and punch them in frustration sometimes, though.
And while you're at it, maybe you could collect doses of opium or something to sedate the maniacs, lepers, and drunks whose only joy in life is to shove you as you go by (they don't shove anybody ELSE, of course. Does Altair have an invisible "Shove Me" sign on his back that you can only see with the lunatic's version of Eagle Vision?).
I spent most of the time on the rooftops just to avoid the freaks and pests down in the streets. At least I could kill off the archers in good conscience.
SoulBlade @ Mar 4th 2008 1:38PM
once again... the PC game is superior. This is awesome... no reason for a 360 if the multiplatform games are identical on the PS3 or better on the PC, and since MS wants to push Windows and Games for Windows, the PC will get all of the money 360 exclusives... and they'll be better! Fantastic.
xFenixKnightx @ Mar 4th 2008 2:03PM
Do we ALWAYS have to go through this? We get it already!
NATO_Duke @ Mar 4th 2008 2:11PM
His posts ring of this same thing quite a bit don't they.
Kenofthedead @ Mar 4th 2008 2:26PM
To people getting it for the PC, or on the consoles because this has finaly moved you to do so.
Play without the mini-map and radar.
The game is much better when you have to actualy listen to the clues, pay attention to the pictures given with the hints, and look at guard placement maps and the like.
Arttemis @ Mar 4th 2008 2:30PM
I completely agree! For the ultimate experience, I would recommend disabling all 4 UI elements as soon as possible and you're comfortable to play without the health/weapon elements.
Ken Seang @ Mar 4th 2008 3:07PM
I just want to see mods for this game, like having a Sam Fisher skin on...
LOLWHUT @ Mar 4th 2008 3:43PM
Isn't this game already out?
Lol PirateBay
Korova @ Mar 5th 2008 8:39AM
"Did you order some babaganoush? NOW DIE! Euuughhhhee" *dies with a blade through the heart
"That will be tree fitty"
aggrazel @ Mar 5th 2008 11:02AM
Escort missions are the bane of civilized society.
hvnlysoldr @ Mar 9th 2008 5:32PM
There's a flaw in escort missions as a gamer I feel is understated. I'm the hero so why the heck is this simpering suicidal moron so important to saving the world. You'd think being the hero my life is worth escorting but no. I have to babysit the president of kill me. How in the world can the escort be able to negotiate world peace when he can't get from point A to point B without dying. How do I know he's not some kind of spy trying to sabotage me by offing himself before the negotitation.
ranjay @ Apr 6th 2008 4:48AM
this is so so so ..intresting ga,e ..i ever seen in my whole life...thanks to all....can u make more more ...ranjay from nepal...we r high grapichs gamers..thanks to ubisoft devlopers....ranjay