Assassin's Creed 4 new gameplay

[Graviton]

Did anyone see this? This game doesn't even look like a typical AC title, but an open world adventure game. It really looks like the perfect pirate game. I have been waiting for one since Sid Meier's Pirates.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/07/23/assassins-creed-iv-horizon-gameplay

You can customize your ship in any way, recruit crew, explore the seas and plunder other ships. It's really nothing like other AC games, no more boring roof hopping in the same old cities with the same old repetitive button mashing combat with templars. Finally they changed up the formula and gave us something new. :applause:

[Thorpesaurous]

I just watched this video this morning.

I'm not sure it'll be completely different. The button mashing combos look pretty similar once you board a ship. And the islands look like miniature versions of platforming levels. But getting around via ship certainly blows out the little side elements from two.

But then again I really loved three. I appear to be in the minority that I liked it better than two. And I think this looks pretty awesome, changes being the better part of it or otherwise.

I do worry a little bit that it was rushed to market. Three came out all of a year ago. And these guys have been putting together WatchDogs pretty much at the same time? I know they're a bigger company, but that sure seems like a lot. I wonder if Black Flag is the remnants of something they started with on 3, and that's how they got it out so fast. And WatchDogs it's certainly possible they've been working on for a few years already even though it never hit the public because it was being designed for the PS4. But it still seems like it'll be a huge few months for that company.

[GOBB]

I have AC3 and I really didnt jump into it. So I'm less likely to get AC4 at launch. Will wait. I dont like how the AC series has turned into a yearly thing. Seems to be throwing these games out too quick.

[Jailblazers7]

I'm fine with the way they release a game per year. They usually make additions/changes that make the next game significantly different. I haven't felt like any of the games were rushed (except for Revelations maybe). The only thing that may have felt rushed about AC3 was the ending but that was due more to bad story telling than to a rushed timeline imo.

This game looks pretty awesome with the total immersion it offers. Transitioning to different game styles seamlessly is impressive. I will miss the architecture of the old AC2 and Brotherhood games but I'm fine with the evolution of the game toward a more sprawling adventure style game. They keep getting me to buy their games because it feels like a genuinely new product each time.

[Rose]

I just watched this video this morning.

I'm not sure it'll be completely different. The button mashing combos look pretty similar once you board a ship. And the islands look like miniature versions of platforming levels. But getting around via ship certainly blows out the little side elements from two.

But then again I really loved three. I appear to be in the minority that I liked it better than two. And I think this looks pretty awesome, changes being the better part of it or otherwise.

I do worry a little bit that it was rushed to market. Three came out all of a year ago. And these guys have been putting together WatchDogs pretty much at the same time? I know they're a bigger company, but that sure seems like a lot. I wonder if Black Flag is the remnants of something they started with on 3, and that's how they got it out so fast. And WatchDogs it's certainly possible they've been working on for a few years already even though it never hit the public because it was being designed for the PS4. But it still seems like it'll be a huge few months for that company.
Agreed with your post as usual, just quoted to give information.

Ubisoft has three-four different studios working on AC games. I know Annecy handles the multiplayer and only the multiplayer. One studio handles the bulk of the iteration at a time. They decided to do it this way after brotherhood so that way they could give each game at least 2 years to develop. (it expanded to 3 studios with ac 3 so one studio can now in theory go 3 years between it's installment)

Typically one studio puts in a bit of effort on a new idea and then the next studio up develops it into a big part of the game. Hence the training of assassins, the pirate ships this time. And the lame platforming brick parts of revelations were the basics of how the forest would be formed and the controls for it.

[Burgz V2]

i am currently playing AC3. Played all the others as they came out but after Revelations I just thought it was more or less the same game being released time after time. AC3 is good but again, the differences between it and Revelations are negligible. The hunting and homestead missions are a nice touch but it gets extremely repetitive. At least this is different. Environments look great. Concept is good. But will it take 2 or 3 games for them to execute it properly? Because it looks like they are okay with releasing a game every year in order to accomplish that.

[Thorpesaurous]

I'm pretty sure I've said this before, I know I have in conversation with people, but I'm fine with how this series is released. But I hate the overarching storyline with Desmond, which seems to be mercifully over. I would be absolutely fine with these guys just dumping a new story into a new interesting historical period every couple years or so.

Again, I seem to be in the minority. I know people find a lot of things repetitive in these games, and I did in the first one as well, but they've gotten a lot more variety for me anyway. I love the exploration part of games, and this series gives you as much as anybody with the possible exception of Batman. And I still to this day absolutely love the free running method of getting around the world. I still think they do that better than anyone. Although I do look forward to this next Infamous to be released.

The combat gets a little tedious to me at times, but otherwise I've loved these games, particularly the last one.

[Jailblazers7]

Figured I would bump this. Bought the game last night and only played an hour or so but here are my thoughts so far:

Ubisoft learned from the last game and start you out in the middle of the action immediately instead of a couple hours into the game. Naval combat has been tweaked a bit an improved. Better aiming and firing system plus a wider array of weapons make naval combat more fun. The world is really beautiful and Edward's story seems like it will be more enjoyable. I like Connor and the time period he was in but I think his story was just too dark and heavy for these games. The appeal of these games is the romantic thrill of fighting an Illuminati type organization and exploring the beauty of the landscapes. Connor's story was more about a lone warrior trying to fight against a genocide. Like I said...a little too dark and heavy. This game seems like it will appeal more to people as a romantic (as in Romanticism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism)) adventure in the style of AC2. Huge world with really vibrant color and cool geography. I think it will be a more enjoyable experience as the opportunity to explore dense jungles will be more appealing than a snowy frontier. AC3 was actually my favorite game but I definitely think this one will be more widely appealing.

The Desmond arc has been shifted into a first person perspective as an Abstergo employee using the Animus. That part is still tied to Desmond but it isn't an overbearing story arc forced onto us this time around. I anticipate that the first person experience will lead to snooping around Abstergo and eventually turning on the company as you unveil secrets in the present and through Edward's Animus stuff but it does a better job of not detracting from the Animus sessions.

Also, they seem to have simplified the menu system and made it easy to navigate which is a big bonus.

[nightprowler10]

This is out now? Wife is out of town so might get this.

[Rose]

Glad to hear a review.

If the rumored target deal for ps4/xbone games is legit. I'm definitely picking it up, killzone, and Knack.


If not hopefully I can still get AC4 and be entertained enough till I can get another game.:lol

(have battlefield 4 preordered already)

[Jailblazers7]

It is only after an 1-1.5 hours of gameplay but I think I have a pretty good feel of where things are going with the story and what the map exploration will be like. I am really hoping that there are side missions that are specific to crew members. Example - One of your crew got arrested for fighting at a bar and you need to sneak into jail and break him out. Probably a pipe dream but it would be awesome. I think exploration will be more fun and the assassin contracts will be more enjoyable as you build Edward's rep as an assassin.

[Rose]

Well the director said Aveline is getting side missions, so I'd assume there's going to be a couple more in addition to those. Given that most people were pissed the ones in AC3 ultimately didn't matter, the easiest way to rectify that seems like it'd be missions for crewmembers.

[Jailblazers7]

Oh also, roof travel is way better in this game. It was almost discouraged in AC3 because the amount of soldiers on the roofs was obnoxious and colonial America didn't have the same type of city structure as 15th-16th century Italy or Istanbul. Havana has been really fun so far for me so far because the city travel is closer to the old games.

[Scholar]

I'm going to have to buy this game. I thought I'd wait until I get a PS4, but I don't plan on getting one for a while, so I might as well play this.

[niko]

Oh also, roof travel is way better in this game. It was almost discouraged in AC3 because the amount of soldiers on the roofs was obnoxious and colonial America didn't have the same type of city structure as 15th-16th century Italy or Istanbul. Havana has been really fun so far for me so far because the city travel is closer to the old games.
This is so true.

[nightprowler10]

That is some very positive news for me. Is the transition from ship to shore as smooth as they made it sound? As in no loading times?

[Jailblazers7]

That is some very positive news for me. Is the transition from ship to shore as smooth as they made it sound? As in no loading times?

I only had a limited opportunity to test that out so far because I just got ownership of the ship and haven't had much of an opportunity to explore but it was very smooth the few times I tried it. Swing on a rope off the ship, dive into the ocean, and swim right on to an island. It has been pretty awesome. The only load times that I have encountered are when you are docking at a major city, which makes sense.

[nightprowler10]

Got it last night and played the hell out of it. You're pretty spot on with your assessment. It really has that AC2 type feel to it in Havana and it helps that the graphics are ridiculous so the colors really pop out at you making the scenery look even more incredible. I've enjoyed it so far and am liking Edward's character. I'm at the point where the pirate from Nassau is training you on how to run your ship etc.

[nightprowler10]

Game says I'm 37% in. I keep getting stuck on some of the tougher sea missions. I was first stuck at the mission where you take on the Man O' War so had to go back and collect some dough to upgrade my hull, now I keep getting killed on the very next mission when you're trying to board the slaver ship. I really suck at the sailing aspect of this game. :lol

The assassins are more or less in the backdrop of the storyline so far. I'm not sure I mind this at all. It makes sense that they wouldn't be very strong in this era. Plus, it would be pretty cheesy if a guy like Edward who is motivated by greed just heard about the creed and went "oh yeah I am sooo an assassin now".

[Rose]

Game says I'm 37% in. I keep getting stuck on some of the tougher sea missions. I was first stuck at the mission where you take on the Man O' War so had to go back and collect some dough to upgrade my hull, now I keep getting killed on the very next mission when you're trying to board the slaver ship. I really suck at the sailing aspect of this game. :lol

The assassins are more or less in the backdrop of the storyline so far. I'm not sure I mind this at all. It makes sense that they wouldn't be very strong in this era. Plus, it would be pretty cheesy if a guy like Edward who is motivated by greed just heard about the creed and went "oh yeah I am sooo an assassin now".
:( My PS4 needs to arrive today so I can play this already.

[nightprowler10]

:( My PS4 needs to arrive today so I can play this already.
The game looks amazing on PS3, I can only imagine how good it'll look on PS4. I hope the annoying minor glitches are non-existent for you.

[Jailblazers7]

Game says I'm 37% in. I keep getting stuck on some of the tougher sea missions. I was first stuck at the mission where you take on the Man O' War so had to go back and collect some dough to upgrade my hull, now I keep getting killed on the very next mission when you're trying to board the slaver ship. I really suck at the sailing aspect of this game. :lol

The assassins are more or less in the backdrop of the storyline so far. I'm not sure I mind this at all. It makes sense that they wouldn't be very strong in this era. Plus, it would be pretty cheesy if a guy like Edward who is motivated by greed just heard about the creed and went "oh yeah I am sooo an assassin now".

Yeah, and I find that being a greedy pirate like Edward makes searching the map and getting all of the collectibles feel more "natural." I tend to place myself in the reality of the game pretty heavily when I play so exploration doesn't always feel right. For example, I felt like it didn't fit the character of Ezio to run around catching feathers instead of pursuing his father's killer as quickly as possible. Kind of weird but still how I feel when playing these games.

I think I'm like 50%+ finished but I have been doing a lot more side stuff than I normally do. I've tracked down a handful of treasures using the maps, I've collected everything on multiple islands, done a ton of the assassination contracts, etc.

[nightprowler10]

I don't know. In a way it made sense that Ezio felt the need to collect feathers in hopes of getting his mother back to normal. Agreed with the rest though.

I haven't done much of the side stuff yet which is probably why I lack the means to upgrade everything. It's not nearly as easy to get money and other goods in this game as in previous ones IMO. I think I'm going to start making a greater effort to get treasure maps etc.

[Rose]

Holy shit is this game fun. Havana is a fantastic city, I played for two hours just doing everything I could there. Also, it seems like assassination contracts are fun for the first time in 2-3 games. I had a blast trying to do the ones without getting into conflict. But there's one I could not do no matter how hard I tried. Seems to be pretty fun just to sail around and explore as well. :rockon:

[nightprowler10]

So I'm about 70% in on the main storyline and the Assassins finally become a key player in the story, yet you don't even notice it because of how fun it is so far. Edward's story is really well handled IMO. I've collected the Templar armor and am really close to getting the Assassin's armor, finished all the Templar runs, and I'm only just under 50% overall. :eek:

[Jailblazers7]

So I'm about 70% in on the main storyline and the Assassins finally become a key player in the story, yet you don't even notice it because of how fun it is so far. Edward's story is really well handled IMO. I've collected the Templar armor and am really close to getting the Assassin's armor, finished all the Templar runs, and I'm only just under 50% overall. :eek:

Yeah, I finished the story and I am only at around 65% overall. I will probably go back and take out all the forts, do all assassination missions, and get the assassins armor at the very minimum.

The story became a little disjointed for me simply because it took me about a month to finish the last quarter of the game. Time commitments from work, the Thanksgiving holiday, and just life in general prevented me from playing for weeks at a time. Still I thought the story came to a really awesome resolution in the end and they leave it open to another game set in England or Europe with Edward as the lead.

[Rose]

I'm like half done with the story? Just got done the diving bell and have been doing those. I got two forts left, but one is ****ing my shit up harder than the stupid naval mission where you have to take out two wanted ships without repairing your own.:facepalm

Fantastic game. Definitely the refreshing breath of air the franchise needed. I felt like making the assassins in the background and building up Edward as a pirate first was brilliant. Then he doesn't fall in line with the creed immediately, instead he only does shit for them for cash. Fantastic.

[CeltsGarlic]

Just finished it. What can I say, the story really picked up at the end, and this game had some great great missions, that were supper fun. Not going to spoil anything for you guys.

Edward is awesome character, waaay better than Connor, if you ask me. I really felt him as the story progressed, surprisingly I probably liked him even more than young Ezio, but overall Italian one was more interesting for me.

I would still rate this game below Assasins creed 2 and brotherhood. For me its a tie between 4,1 and Revelations, and better than 3rd.

Im not a fan of naval missions, even tho Im kind of sailor myself as I know all the names and learned a few tricks there and there from my father, but this naval shit was dumbed down to hilarious levels so I just hated the shit out of it.

Oh, and Im a city's person especially the awesome ones in 2 and brotherhood... memories.. and those characters, especially villains... wow.

[CeltsGarlic]

bump for others opinions

[Rose]

bump for others opinions
Almost done, will post mine by saturday most likely. I'm gonna have 90% completion by the time I beat the main story for the first time ever. Which is gonna be nice. Normally I finished in the high 70s/low 80s.

[nightprowler10]

Damn, I finished the main story but still not 60%. I've already got it on eBay and will rebuy it a couple of years later when it comes out with the DLC missions (you play as Edward's first mate Adewale a little while after the events of AC4) at half the price. :D

Might take out a few forts though before I ship it, assuming it sells.

No spoilers here. Anyway, good satisfying ending I thought. The little cutscene after the credits was a nice touch which ties this game in with the book that came which bridges the gap between Edward and Haytham. I think this will end up wrapping up the Kenway lineage, freeing them up to do something else.

The real world storyline ending (spoiler ahoy!) was interesting. I had completely forgotten about the whole Juno being unleashed bit from AC3. I think it would've been a huge ending if she HAD taken control of the player's mind, but they probably want to milk it for all it's worth. Also, John the IT guy being the sage was a nice twist, but the way they kill him was pretty lazy. I wonder, with the sage dead, who frees Juno? Or atleast who would have the motivation to do it? Or was this the developers way of lazily ending the Juno storyline by killing the sage/Aita?

Also, it was a very nice touch to have us find notes both in the animus and in the cubicles reading the same madman's ramblings in two different eras. :applause:

[LJJ]

I'm still having fun with it. I think the main story won't go on for too much longer and I want to do some of the side missions before I wrap it up.

Really wondering what they are moving on to, they can't really do pirates again. French revolution would be an amazing setting. 17th/18th century Beijing also has a lot of potential.

[Rose]

I'm still having fun with it. I think the main story won't go on for too much longer and I want to do some of the side missions before I wrap it up.

Really wondering what they are moving on to, they can't really do pirates again. French revolution would be an amazing setting. 17th/18th century Beijing also has a lot of potential.
There's sooooooooo many hints at the french revolution.

[Scholar]

I just bought this game yesterday. It's so damn fun and beautiful. I have it for the PS3. I can only imagine how amazing it looks on the next gen consoles.

[CeltsGarlic]

French revolution, Russian revolution, Japan, ancient Egypt, Greece, Persia..
Those all would be great. Would really like something from far east.

[clipse026]

I really like the game so far but the naval missions are killing me. I have a hard time finding the desire to get through it because I keep failing them. Any tips?

[CeltsGarlic]

I really like the game so far but the naval missions are killing me. I have a hard time finding the desire to get through it because I keep failing them. Any tips?

Umm try shooting with broadside cannons, without aiming you know? Those are more powerful.
Get up close with them side by side, shoot those cannons, then precision ones, repeat 3 times and bam, hes gone.

[Burgz V2]

French revolution, Russian revolution, Japan, ancient Egypt, Greece, Persia..
Those all would be great. Would really like something from far east.

This.

Considering the historical significance of the French Revolution and the potential of having a Renaissance Paris in the game I'm surprised they haven't done it already.

[Rose]

Just finished the game. It's my favorite one, fantastic idea, story writing, characterization, great music. Aside from the few bugs it was a perfect game. The real world stuff was interesting, and had just the right amount I think. First time I got 100% on an AC game :pimp:

Nightprowler, Juno can't come back yet because there's more artifacts and shit to be found. Or at least that's what she said at the end of AC 3 and I think in the rant in cloud storage system. Ultimately I think she gets a vessel because of Abstergo dicking around with shit they shouldn't mess with.

[Rose]

I really like the game so far but the naval missions are killing me. I have a hard time finding the desire to get through it because I keep failing them. Any tips?
Which one in particular has you stumped?

[LJJ]

I really like the game so far but the naval missions are killing me. I have a hard time finding the desire to get through it because I keep failing them. Any tips?

A little pro tip:

If you have a hard time beating a tough ship the next time you encounter them rather than engage in naval combat just swim to the ship and kill everyone on board. If you then swim back to the Jackdaw and engage it the ship will register as defeated right away.

[CeltsGarlic]

A little pro tip:

If you have a hard time beating a tough ship the next time you encounter them rather than engage in naval combat just swim to the ship and kill everyone on board. If you then swim back to the Jackdaw and engage it the ship will register as defeated right away.

So cool!

[Scholar]

Thanks for the tip, LJJ.

[nightprowler10]

Just finished the game. It's my favorite one, fantastic idea, story writing, characterization, great music. Aside from the few bugs it was a perfect game. The real world stuff was interesting, and had just the right amount I think. First time I got 100% on an AC game :pimp:[/COLOR]
I got 100% on AC2. I think I got close on Brotherhood but couldn't be bothered with all the Borgia flags.

Anyway, what you say about Juno makes the most sense. Its obvious that Abstergo wanted to find the Observatory so they could use the blood vials to spy on absolutely everyone, and now that they have Aita's body, who knows what they'll do using his DNA and eventually unleash Juno. What's interesting is that I've always seen the Templars as doing everything they do as a means to an end, and while their methods are horrible, their end goal was saving Earth by unifying everyone (as Juno alludes to in AC3). Now that Desmond has saved the world and their purpose has been fulfilled in a different way, it's like they're too big and powerful and can't just stop this evil machine, so they're going to keep doing **** that will inevitably **** everyone over. Should be interesting what they use as a focal point in the next game.

[Rose]

I got 100% on AC2. I think I got close on Brotherhood but couldn't be bothered with all the Borgia flags.

Anyway, what you say about
Yeah, I needed like 10 or so in Brotherhood. But those damn flags.:mad:

What I think is gonna happen, is that next game we'll be playing as a templar in the real world and going through memories that way. Because the Assassins (as far as we know) seem to have the upper hand in terms of not only finding artifacts but in keeping them hidden. So I'm hoping the next one gives us more of a real world focus than even AC3 did that way we can see what the Templars are going to do about getting more artifacts and unleashing Juno? and their ultimate game plan, whatever that may be. Especially given that like you said they have Aita's body and in AC4 he didn't want the templars to have his body.

I think they're gonna try and reverse engineer his DNA and attempt to create their own first civilization person. Especially given the cryptic nature of him wanting Edward to hide his body from the Templars, and him talking about how the blood vials of the ancient race were useless but one day might be worth a fortune again.

[Scholar]

I also finished ACII 100%. Next closest is probably Revelations with ~50%.

I'm just getting into the Jackdaw at this point in the game. 11-12% in.

[clipse026]

A little pro tip:

If you have a hard time beating a tough ship the next time you encounter them rather than engage in naval combat just swim to the ship and kill everyone on board. If you then swim back to the Jackdaw and engage it the ship will register as defeated right away.
Thanks for the tip! I will have to do that because I get destroyed by the big ships and it frustrates the hell out of me. :cheers:

[Heavincent]

So I just finished this. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is kind of poorly told at times, but at least Edward and most of the supporting characters are likable (cross dressing chick and Captain Blackbeard were great). I liked all of the exploration and side missions too.

It's a hell of a lot better than 3, that's for sure.

[Scholar]

I finished this game two nights ago. I then returned it to GameStop and got my full refund yesterday.
Loved the game, though. It was a decent story with some great game-play. I'll probably buy it again when the prices drop significantly, and then buy the DLC because I've heard it's worth it.

[Thorpesaurous]

Just started over the weekend on PS4. So far so good. The tutorial island mission was at least interesting. I stripped it bare of secrets and chests and everything. Then I moved on to Havana where I stripped that city bare as well before starting with the mission stuff. Just got my wrist blades and went through the tutorial type stuff in the Mayor's estate for assassination and shooting. The story has been established, and I feel like I'm pretty quickly into it.

[nightprowler10]

Yeah, I needed like 10 or so in Brotherhood. But those damn flags.:mad:

Spoilers
I missed this post. Again, great theory. (Spoilers in white) The only problem I see is that I can't see another game like AC3 where the focus is much more on the real world stuff. I think the AC4 formula was pretty successful so they might stick with it until it becomes unpopular. I also think we might continue the story exactly where we left off in AC4 with Aita's death and we might play as the same dude while aiding the Assassins via Shaun and Rebecca with Aita's body as one of the focal points. I do wonder if present day Aita was Erudito from the previous games? Or did we find out who that was? Anyway, as always they have limitless opportunities as to what they can do next. I can't say enough on how brilliant it was to have us find insane ramblings of Aita in the bottles in the Animus as well as in the cubicles in present day. It is possible that thanks to this clever trick the guy we play is the only one that has figured out who John the IT guy truly was. Kudos to whomever thought of that.

[nightprowler10]

Just started over the weekend on PS4. So far so good. The tutorial island mission was at least interesting. I stripped it bare of secrets and chests and everything. Then I moved on to Havana where I stripped that city bare as well before starting with the mission stuff. Just got my wrist blades and went through the tutorial type stuff in the Mayor's estate for assassination and shooting. The story has been established, and I feel like I'm pretty quickly into it.
Yeah I think that was one of the major complaints out of both AC2 (still my favorite) and AC3 that they dwell too much on the protagonists' past making the game slower paced in the beginning. That's why Brotherhood and AC4 are probably going to end up being the most popular titles in the long run as they have you jump right into the action.

[Le Shaqtus]

I also finished ACII 100%. Next closest is probably Revelations with ~50%.

I'm just getting into the Jackdaw at this point in the game. 11-12% in.

100% :eek: You collected everything? that must have taken forever.

[Heavincent]

Yeah I think that was one of the major complaints out of both AC2 (still my favorite) and AC3 that they dwell too much on the protagonists' past making the game slower paced in the beginning. That's why Brotherhood and AC4 are probably going to end up being the most popular titles in the long run as they have you jump right into the action.

Yeah ACIII basically has an 8 hour long tutorial :oldlol:

[Rose]

...
There's one reason and one reason alone why I think that can happen: people really really enjoyed playing as Desmond for the bit we did in brotherhood? Where we hopped around the Coliseum in modern times, and they did it again in AC3 and it was pretty fun. and that it seems like for once there's an actual story building in the real world. Combine those two and you may have something.

But they'll have to be very very careful to find the right balance between the two. I actually felt 4 could have used more real world stuff. I think the games are successful when the real world stuff is kept in balance. It was too much in one perhaps at times, or at the very least it was uneven with the rest of the game. 2 was solid. Brotherhood was pretty fantastically balanced. and I feel that 3 did it almost entirely right. Because the story wasn't slowed by it IMO. The missions were mostly fun there was a stinker though the one where you ran through the office in Brazil doing stuff? But it also showed how fantastic it could be when you scale the skyscraper and run around on the crane or whatever. It's just got to be the right balance I think. 4 while never having too much, or coming at a bad time left something to be desired I think.

I'm pretty sure Erudito was a group of people. Not entirely sure though. Agreed on the bottles thing. It took me awhile to figure that out.:lol I was like what the **** is this random rambling bullshit? Especially since you don't collect them in any real order.

I don't know if I needed to put that in white text or not. But I did anyway.

[nightprowler10]

Yeah I really loved the Colosseum bit at the end of Brotherhood and was expecting something just as epic if not more so in AC3. I don't actually remember much of the Desmond missions aside from the key plot points, but that's probably because I never revisited AC3. I just think, and maybe I'm wrong, the general consensus seems to be that the present day stuff is annoying and confusing (it's really not) so I can definitely see Ubisoft focusing less and less on mandatory missions in RL, which would be a shame.

What's interesting is that Desmond was supposed to be this special savior type dude who had the DNA of epic people like Altair, Ezio, Edward, Haytham, Connor, etc., along with their knowledge and skills, was prophesized about by Minerva hundreds of years earlier (my favorite scene from the whole franchise), yet he ended up just being a tool for Juno and Abstergo and used very little of what he acquired to save the Earth. His ending wasn't anywhere near as epic as it should've been.

[Rose]

Yeah I really loved the Colosseum bit at the end of Brotherhood and was expecting something just as epic if not more so in AC3. I don't actually remember much of the Desmond missions aside from the key plot points, but that's probably because I never revisited AC3. I just think, and maybe I'm wrong, the general consensus seems to be that the present day stuff is annoying and confusing (it's really not) so I can definitely see Ubisoft focusing less and less on mandatory missions in RL, which would be a shame.

What's interesting is that Desmond was supposed to be this special savior type dude who had the DNA of epic people like Altair, Ezio, Edward, Haytham, Connor, etc., along with their knowledge and skills, was prophesized about by Minerva hundreds of years earlier (my favorite scene from the whole franchise), yet he ended up just being a tool for Juno and Abstergo and used very little of what he acquired to save the Earth. His ending wasn't anywhere near as epic as it should've been.
I think a problem people have with the real world stuff is it's not as interesting as the assassins storyline unless you're a hardcore fan of the series. Most people are just like I WANNA RUN AROUND ITALY AND STAB PRIESTS!!! or REVOLUTIONARY WAR KILL DEM BRITISH ******S!!! Whereas, hardcore fans want to know what's happening with Desmond, Juno, What the hell the Templars are planning now that 2012 has passed, etc etc. as well as Ezio, Connor, and Edward.

I agree his ending was pretty lackluster. And I have no idea why the hell they made it that way. Especially since they spent a good portion of Revelations building his character, just to kill him off the next game.:lol

[nightprowler10]

I think the lack of internet wide complaining about the ending to AC3 is proof of how little people in general cared about the real life storyline. Compare that to Mass Effect 3 that had probably just as big a following. Anybody who played the trilogy really cared about Shepard's story so when the ending seemed rushed everybody was up in arms about it. All that people focused on with AC3 was how Connor couldn't hold a candle to Altair and Ezio.

Anyway, I don't mind killing off Desmond, the story wasn't just about him, but the way they killed him was lazy writing IMO. I just don't think they had any idea on what else to do. I think that's why so many people dislike the game, they didn't have a good ending for either the RL stuff or Connor (not sure what they could've done there). Aside from of course a lack of proper architecture that people were so used to, Connor's voice actor being ridiculously wooden, combat being really easy, many side missions being completely unnecessary as they weren't properly intertwined with the main story, etc. I could go on. :D

[Jailblazers7]

I think the lack of internet wide complaining about the ending to AC3 is proof of how little people in general cared about the real life storyline. Compare that to Mass Effect 3 that had probably just as big a following. Anybody who played the trilogy really cared about Shepard's story so when the ending seemed rushed everybody was up in arms about it. All that people focused on with AC3 was how Connor couldn't hold a candle to Altair and Ezio.

Anyway, I don't mind killing off Desmond, the story wasn't just about him, but the way they killed him was lazy writing IMO. I just don't think they had any idea on what else to do. I think that's why so many people dislike the game, they didn't have a good ending for either the RL stuff or Connor (not sure what they could've done there). Aside from of course a lack of proper architecture that people were so used to, Connor's voice actor being ridiculously wooden, combat being really easy, many side missions being completely unnecessary as they weren't properly intertwined with the main story, etc. I could go on. :D

I really liked Connor actually but I think his story was just too subtle and layered for an action videogame. I mean, an AC game always has a moral philosophy behind it but centering the main characters story on the complex moral backdrop of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution is just a little too much for a game. That story would work better as a movie or book imo. I think they kind of even threw a jab at that when they talked about Connor's storyline in the hacked Abstergo Ent file.

Desmond's ending really was lazy but what killed me was the totally missed out on the potential father-son moment at the end. Could have been a really powerful moment in the game but they blew it.

[Thorpesaurous]

I don't know that anyone would refer to me as a hardcore fan of the series. But I have played all of the numbered games (meaning I missed Brotherhood). And I've played them all at a nauseating level, nearly 100%ing all of them.

I have always hated the current day portions of these games, and I don't think I'm a shallow gamer by any stretch. Generally speaking I don't play online, I play single player campaign type games.

Since the series got going, I've been saying I'd be more than happy to have them throw me a new location every year, and just totally ditch the overarching story. It just didn't do anything for me. The playable portions of it had been infuriating. The inability to run. The repeatable interactions, that had my OCD asking the same people questions over and over again to get some stupid answer just because I was afraid I'd miss something.

I actually like the current time stuff in AC3 best, in part because we finally got something to do. Both the crane break in sequence, and the Brazilian sporting event thing, allowed us to use some of our skills in a new setting. But the ending was admittedly rediculous.


I also seem to have liked 3 more than most. I liked Connor more than most people I guess. I thought the combat animations were awesome, and made extended gameplay more compelling. Same with the free running. It probably helps that I know Boston well enough to recognize some of the layout and landmarks. And I'll also admit that it didn't reach the dizzying heights that Rome did, which I also am already beginning to wonder if the Carribean won't get their either. But I also love exploring and collecting, and I felt AC3 did a great job of giving me things to go after, and gave me reasonable rewards for getting them, in that they interested me to get them, or they might help, but they weren't mandatory.

IV looks like it's similar on the collection front, maybe moreso.

[nightprowler10]

I think there are a lot of reasons why many people, including myself, felt there was something missing in AC3. A lot of blame goes towards Connor's character, which I think is part of it (I'll always think they made him too wooden), but I think the main problem was the inclusion of some of the most famous characters from the American revolution. Think about the type of historical characters you had to deal with in AC1, 2, Brotherhood, and even Revelations. They're not people you know off the top of your head and hence didn't detract from the story itself. Guys like Washington were too big to be just be part of the storyline in every other chapter and that's...well distracting. I really don't know how to explain it. A good example is how in AC1 when Altair meets Richard Lionheart, it's a pretty big ****ing deal, whereas Connor seems to be at almost every important event once he arrives in the story. It just makes it a bit of a joke, really. Add the fact that there was a LOT going on in the RL piece of it, the end result was that the game was all over the place and had little focus and the central philosophy was lost on most people.

[nightprowler10]

I don't know that anyone would refer to me as a hardcore fan of the series. But I have played all of the numbered games (meaning I missed Brotherhood). And I've played them all at a nauseating level, nearly 100%ing all of them.

I have always hated the current day portions of these games, and I don't think I'm a shallow gamer by any stretch. Generally speaking I don't play online, I play single player campaign type games.

Since the series got going, I've been saying I'd be more than happy to have them throw me a new location every year, and just totally ditch the overarching story. It just didn't do anything for me. The playable portions of it had been infuriating. The inability to run. The repeatable interactions, that had my OCD asking the same people questions over and over again to get some stupid answer just because I was afraid I'd miss something.

I actually like the current time stuff in AC3 best, in part because we finally got something to do. Both the crane break in sequence, and the Brazilian sporting event thing, allowed us to use some of our skills in a new setting. But the ending was admittedly rediculous.


I also seem to have liked 3 more than most. I liked Connor more than most people I guess. I thought the combat animations were awesome, and made extended gameplay more compelling. Same with the free running. It probably helps that I know Boston well enough to recognize some of the layout and landmarks. And I'll also admit that it didn't reach the dizzying heights that Rome did, which I also am already beginning to wonder if the Carribean won't get their either. But I also love exploring and collecting, and I felt AC3 did a great job of giving me things to go after, and gave me reasonable rewards for getting them, in that they interested me to get them, or they might help, but they weren't mandatory.

IV looks like it's similar on the collection front, maybe moreso.
Thanks for that perspective. If you missed out on Brotherhood and Revelations but 100%-ed on everything else, then you're pretty much the opposite of me. I actually bought those 2 games at full price and played through them as fast as I could because I wanted to see where the RL story goes next. At that point, if I'm not sick of the game I'll go back and collect as much as possible, but I'm definitely motivated by the real life stuff. In fact, I haven't touched Revelations and AC3 since finishing the first playthrough because my main motivation was the RL story. It doesn't help that I love Italy and (as I've mentioned before) planned my honeymoon based on what I saw in AC2 and Brotherhood, and the two games that came after were dwarves in comparison for that reason.

AC3 and 4 definitely gave you plenty to explore, but my problem with AC3 isn't that I didn't enjoy it, it was that the side missions just seemed so useless. To give you an example, in AC4 I kept getting stuck on some of the naval missions because I hadn't upgraded my ship enough as I was too busy trying to blow through the game. So I felt it necessary to go out into the sea and take forts, loot warehouses, and finish other side missions so I have enough money and materials to upgrade my ship. I didn't have to do jack**** in order to get through AC3. I didn't get any extra recruits until after I beat the game, didn't do any crafting until I was bored of the combat, only did the homestead missions because I heard it had a nice ending, etc. None of it was necessary. There was nothing compelling me to do any of that crap.

I don't think I'm being too critical of the game either, as I believe Ubisoft realized what the problem was and fixed it for AC4.

[Jailblazers7]

I didn't mean to call anyone a shallow gamer, my fault if I gave off that vibe. I just meant the story was so god damn hard to make appealing because, as nightprowler siad, Connor's character was wooden. And I think it was almost inevitable that he was going to be wooden compared to Ezio. Connor is a Native American in a white society that views him as second class and he watched his mother die as a boy which effectively killed off his personality. It's hard to make a black sheep appealing to a wider audience. I really liked the risk that they took in making him the character but it was almost bound to be disappointing to almost everyone for a thousand different reasons.

And I never thought about the star power of AC3 with historical figures but I think that it true. I remember the scene where Connor was in the room for the Continental Congress and it was just so casual. It was almost like Ubisoft lost its flare for the dramatic. I was disappointed that Ben Franklin wasn't really a confidant of Connor's too. I was expecting a Da Vinci type of relationship but instead we just chased some pages along the rooftops.

[Thorpesaurous]

I didn't mean to call anyone a shallow gamer, my fault if I gave off that vibe. I just meant the story was so god damn hard to make appealing because, as nightprowler siad, Connor's character was wooden. And I think it was almost inevitable that he was going to be wooden compared to Ezio. Connor is a Native American in a white society that views him as second class and he watched his mother die as a boy which effectively killed off his personality. It's hard to make a black sheep appealing to a wider audience. I really liked the risk that they took in making him the character but it was almost bound to be disappointing to almost everyone for a thousand different reasons.

And I never thought about the star power of AC3 with historical figures but I think that it true. I remember the scene where Connor was in the room for the Continental Congress and it was just so casual. It was almost like Ubisoft lost its flare for the dramatic. I was disappointed that Ben Franklin wasn't really a confidant of Connor's too. I was expecting a Da Vinci type of relationship but instead we just chased some pages along the rooftops.


I didn't mean shallow gamer in a bad way. I was just sort of emphasizing that there is definitely a type of gamer who may play this because he can jump from a rooftop and stab someone through the head. And that's fine. And if he enjoyed the game for that, and came in here and said he liked it and who cares about Desmond, I think everyone would understand.

I was trying to point out that I'm not that guy, and still who cares about Desmond, and I enjoyed it. And that's why I felt the fervor over the bad Desmond ending wasn't bigger. I think for a lot of people, and I'm speaking from my perspective, each of the first two games, the Desmond stuff felt more like a mechanism to get into these games. The story's worked fine in bottles without the bigger arc. It felt more like a way to put boundaries on the map (**memory does not exist**), and keep using this formula to create open world historically based lightly conspiracy driven plots. That was plenty for me.

Wooden is a fair description of Connor. I think my increased taste for the third one stemmed less from that and more from fleshing out the gameplay. 1 got knocked for it's repetitiveness, and very rightfully. 2 was credited with fixing it, and it did to a degree, but it still felt more limited than most open world games. A lot of it I think was hidden by the fact that the Italian map was absolutely spectacular. And it worked perfectly with the game's climbing and free running. Three felt like it really polished off the homestead it started in Italy. But adding in the upgradability of stuff, and the crafting, gave all the collecting more depth of purpose.

I also don't think anyone is saying it was bad.

[nightprowler10]

I didn't mean shallow gamer in a bad way. I was just sort of emphasizing that there is definitely a type of gamer who may play this because he can jump from a rooftop and stab someone through the head. And that's fine. And if he enjoyed the game for that, and came in here and said he liked it and who cares about Desmond, I think everyone would understand.

I was trying to point out that I'm not that guy, and still who cares about Desmond, and I enjoyed it. And that's why I felt the fervor over the bad Desmond ending wasn't bigger. I think for a lot of people, and I'm speaking from my perspective, each of the first two games, the Desmond stuff felt more like a mechanism to get into these games. The story's worked fine in bottles without the bigger arc. It felt more like a way to put boundaries on the map (**memory does not exist**), and keep using this formula to create open world historically based lightly conspiracy driven plots. That was plenty for me.

Wooden is a fair description of Connor. I think my increased taste for the third one stemmed less from that and more from fleshing out the gameplay. 1 got knocked for it's repetitiveness, and very rightfully. 2 was credited with fixing it, and it did to a degree, but it still felt more limited than most open world games. A lot of it I think was hidden by the fact that the Italian map was absolutely spectacular. And it worked perfectly with the game's climbing and free running. Three felt like it really polished off the homestead it started in Italy. But adding in the upgradability of stuff, and the crafting, gave all the collecting more depth of purpose.

I also don't think anyone is saying it was bad.
Yeah and to continue on that I feel 4 did a better job intertwining the open world with the story itself (I don't think you've finished it yet). It MADE you go places and explore them as part of the main storyline, where as 3 didn't do as good of a job of that but all of it was available for anyone that pursued the side missions. It led many gamers to not experience the game properly.

And yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad game at all. I don't actually think there are any bad games in the franchise and if I had to pick one to put down it wouldn't be this one (probably Revelations actually - all of what they did could've been wrapped up in a big DLC and save Istanbul for a bigger game).

Despite my criticisms of the character, I actually have a soft spot for Connor too. As Jailblazers mentioned, his story was very dark and I think I mentioned in the AC3 thread at the time that his character was so much more tragic than the others because there is no way for him to get closure. Watched mother die, father's a ****, killed own father, watched his people get displaced by the same people he helped get freedom. At least Altair took Masyaf back and died knowing what was what. Ezio got revenge for his family and restored the order and died peacefully. Where does Connor go from here? As of yet he had no love interest (probably too awkward to even find someone), the Order was a bit of a joke, he didn't completely understand the Creed and what he was fighting for. I mean he has his homestead full of people he can eventually call family, but that's about it.

[Thorpesaurous]

So far I'm just cruising around and scavenging various treasure chests. If one pops up onto my map, I go get it. Mission wise I haven't started the one where the 10 year old William Kidd pirate sends you to raid a plantation. I thought that was a girl.

I've almost upgraded the Jackdaw to the point where they won't let me do anymore without advancing further in the story. So far I've been really happy. They've jammed the world full of all sorts of good stuff.

[nightprowler10]

I've almost upgraded the Jackdaw to the point where they won't let me do anymore without advancing further in the story.
That's great. I wasted a lot of time trying to get through some Jackdaw missions because I hadn't upgraded enough. You should be able to cruise right through.

[Anti Hero]

I really like the game so far but the naval missions are killing me. I have a hard time finding the desire to get through it because I keep failing them. Any tips?
I love the Naval parts of the game, probably my favorite (Except for when you get outnumbered 4 or 5 to 1.).

If you don't want to swim up and kill everyone on board, my tip would be to make good use of your mortars, always keep them stocked up. Hit them from as far out as you can and keep raining fire. I have a level 2 hull and my mortars upgraded fully, and I took out a red level 36 Man-O-War. The prize of my fleet :D

[Jailblazers7]

Yeah I honestly made the min upgrades to the jackdaw and made it through the whole game because of mortars.

[Anti Hero]

Yeah I honestly made the min upgrades to the jackdaw and made it through the whole game because of mortars.
Yea, see... this guy, he knows.

[Thorpesaurous]

I'm still mostly just sailing around. I think Adawale is getting pissed at me because he's been having the same conversation with me for two weeks.

"Cap'n Kidd has a prize he wants to show me"

"Do you think he'll be true?"

"He has a way about him that unnerves me"


And then I sail off to push into an uncleared area to try to take a fort.

I think my story progress is at like 28%, but I've crafted everything but the darts because I haven't had them introduced yet. I'm still chipping away at the Jackdaw. Metal is scarce. So if I see anyone sailing with it I'll go after it, on my way from fort to fort, or the occasional humpback whale excursion. Once I open a region up by taking the fort, I strip it of chests, visit it's city and try to clean it out, avoiding all the main mission stuff, and move on to the next region. And the end game is to open up the areas where I have treasure maps that I can't get to yet. I need the plans to finish maxing out my Jackdaw.

Those legendary ships are rediculous. I tried one and got my ass kicked. And I suck at the harpooning for reasons I can't really pin down.

[nightprowler10]

You gotta stick the harpoons in fast as possible. Don't wait forever trying to aim. Go for a little south of the middle. The longer you let the hunt go on the worse off you are.

[Rose]

I'm still mostly just sailing around. I think Adawale is getting pissed at me because he's been having the same conversation with me for two weeks.

"Cap'n Kidd has a prize he wants to show me"

"Do you think he'll be true?"

"He has a way about him that unnerves me"


And then I sail off to push into an uncleared area to try to take a fort.

I think my story progress is at like 28%, but I've crafted everything but the darts because I haven't had them introduced yet. I'm still chipping away at the Jackdaw. Metal is scarce. So if I see anyone sailing with it I'll go after it, on my way from fort to fort, or the occasional humpback whale excursion. Once I open a region up by taking the fort, I strip it of chests, visit it's city and try to clean it out, avoiding all the main mission stuff, and move on to the next region. And the end game is to open up the areas where I have treasure maps that I can't get to yet. I need the plans to finish maxing out my Jackdaw.

Those legendary ships are rediculous. I tried one and got my ass kicked. And I suck at the harpooning for reasons I can't really pin down.
Yeah, it's the game reminding you to play the story.

Metal is usually found on the brigs.(specifically ones in the southwest region which is where the biggest baddest ships are) Or you can get your wanted up kinda high and the pirate hunters will almost always give you metal. Yeah doing the forts is another good way to get it. Although not much.

You can't max out the ship until you get the diving bell though. You can come pretty close. As for legendary ships the hardest is the ramming one, after that it's the twin ships. I don't think the other two matter but they're kind of easy. Especially in comparison to the ramming ship.

I sucked at harpooning basically until I maxed that stuff out.:lol Then I was good because I had it maxed out, and then with the 40? harpoons I would always kill stuff, and eventually I got better at it.

[Thorpesaurous]

Yeah, it's the game reminding you to play the story.

Metal is usually found on the brigs.(specifically ones in the southwest region which is where the biggest baddest ships are) Or you can get your wanted up kinda high and the pirate hunters will almost always give you metal. Yeah doing the forts is another good way to get it. Although not much.

You can't max out the ship until you get the diving bell though. You can come pretty close. As for legendary ships the hardest is the ramming one, after that it's the twin ships. I don't think the other two matter but they're kind of easy. Especially in comparison to the ramming ship.

I sucked at harpooning basically until I maxed that stuff out.:lol Then I was good because I had it maxed out, and then with the 40? harpoons I would always kill stuff, and eventually I got better at it.


It was the twin legendary ship that whooped my ass.

And I have noticed a fair amount of metal in that southwestern area where I'm at now. Often upwards of a hundred and change of metal per ship.

It seems that areas that I've already "opened up", for lack of a better description, are "closed" again. I'm not really sure why though.

[Anti Hero]

I tried a legendary ship twice... both times were mistakes.

[Thorpesaurous]

I'm only just getting accustomed to using the mortars, in spite of the fact that I've got them upgraded to I think one below the max. I think I need a plan to finish them.

They're awesome though. It's like getting a head start in a battle. If you position yourself right you can sometimes get two rounds of them off before the other guy gets close.

[Rose]

And they're very very useful for taking down forts.

[Le Shaqtus]

I'm on sequence 12 right now so I'm almost done with the game. But I'm trying 100% it so I have to get literally everything. I haven't even attempted the hard forts yet because I suck at fighting them (And naval combat in general), so I'm trying to make the Jackdaw a bamf but it's a pain in the ass looking for metal and wood.

[Thorpesaurous]

I have very little left to upgrade. I know I need to max out the Ram, but other than that I think the Jackdaw is complete.

I own all the weapons that are buyable. And all the clothes except the whalers outfit, again that are buyable.

I've done all the assassination contracts. Found all the miscellaneous chests. Done all the sunken ship stuff.

I've gotten to a point where I have to do main storyline missions, because there isn't much left to do. However, storyline wise I just got marooned on a new area with Vane that revealed some new chests and animus figures and the such. So some more map stuff may open up. I'm missing a map item that's has coordinates in middle of open water, so I'm guessing something's gonna pop up there at some point.

The other thing I just started doing is screwing around with my fleet. I'm not entirely sure what the point is. My fleet is pretty gnarly. I have 13 Man O' Wars, and 1 Friggette. So my success percentages are pretty high. It has motivated me to continue fighting, because now when I see a Man O' War, I typically go after it so I can replace any in my fleet that are dinged up, and collect the gems you get from sinking them to buy more docks. The little naval battles you do in there that are like old fashioned turn based RPG battles are weird to me. But so far I've not left port with less than a 98% chance of success. It's like a stranger version of the previous game's caravan sequence.

[Rose]

The reason to do the fleet stuff is it gives you more maps, and also money for trading. (regular and diamonds) A cool thing is though sometimes at sea you can run into one of your ships being attacked when they're coming back from or leaving for a mission and you can help them out.

Also you might have made your fleet to good. It helps to have a schooner and a couple frigates and brigs for the lower rated missions to open up the higher rated ones. because if you send your man o wars in all the time, you'll wind up spending more money repairing than you need too. I mean you'll win regardless but you can save some money that way.

[Thorpesaurous]

The reason to do the fleet stuff is it gives you more maps, and also money for trading. (regular and diamonds) A cool thing is though sometimes at sea you can run into one of your ships being attacked when they're coming back from or leaving for a mission and you can help them out.

Also you might have made your fleet to good. It helps to have a schooner and a couple frigates and brigs for the lower rated missions to open up the higher rated ones. because if you send your man o wars in all the time, you'll wind up spending more money repairing than you need too. I mean you'll win regardless but you can save some money that way.


So if it opens more maps, does that mean it's possible that's why I have a treasure map telling me there's a treasure in the middle of open water? Perhaps the map opens up to put something there?

That's a good point about the cost of repairing the man o' wars. When I had my fleet started at first, I was a bit more diverse. And I considered the cost of repairs, but I determined that I can make more diamonds off of not repairing Man o' Wars, and instead replacing them as they wear down with other ships, because scrapping them out of your fleet yields tons more gems. It does feel like an old RPG. I've liked it so far.

[nightprowler10]

Haha, I did 0% of the fleet stuff. I thought it all had to do with online stuff.

[Rose]

So if it opens more maps, does that mean it's possible that's why I have a treasure map telling me there's a treasure in the middle of open water? Perhaps the map opens up to put something there?

That's a good point about the cost of repairing the man o' wars. When I had my fleet started at first, I was a bit more diverse. And I considered the cost of repairs, but I determined that I can make more diamonds off of not repairing Man o' Wars, and instead replacing them as they wear down with other ships, because scrapping them out of your fleet yields tons more gems. It does feel like an old RPG. I've liked it so far.
Yep that could be why, I think mine did the same thing as yours. Until like sequence 11 you won't have seen all of the world.

Ah that's a good point! I didn't think of that. I think that the fleet stuff is actually interesting because it yields valuable maps, some cash, and really isn't time consuming what you get.

[Le Shaqtus]

The fleet stuff is so tedious, I just hate that you need to do it to get the 3 extra maps. they're the only things I need left to get 100% on the collectibles.

Then I have to do all the naval missions, then 100% a few sequences.

[Thorpesaurous]

I've been in the habit of checking into the captain's quarter almost every time I board my ship to check on what I can buy or what I need to look for, like more metal or wood or whatever. Up to recently, that was plenty, but as I'm running out of things to work toward to buy, I started doing the fleet stuff. I started just sending one thing out, but now I'm sending out every possible thing I can every time I check in, and do any of the naval battles that are there.

I'm pretty much cleaning it up before I start playing from mission to mission.

[Anti Hero]

Anyone find a white whale, I haven't ran into one yet.

[Rose]

Anyone find a white whale, I haven't ran into one yet.
Yep. If you're on PS4 I can share the location with you, what's your GT?

[Thorpesaurous]

Yep. If you're on PS4 I can share the location with you, what's your GT?


I've found two white whales, but need a third one to finish off a costume or something. And I can't find them now. If you can send it to me. I'm Thorpesaurous on there too.


I finished the Vane mission last night which got my boat back. Stripped that plot of land clean. Then went to Africa after the Sage, finished that mission, and had to go back to wipe out that plot of land.
After that I figured I'd try my hand at the legendary ships again, and though it took a few tries each, I managed to take out three of them. Took that money and threw it at my home base. Probably something I should've done earlier. But I can feel myself getting closer to really maxing things out. I think the last thing I have left with the Jackdaw is Fire Barrell Capacity. It's only like 4K, with a few hundred bits of cargo to do it, but I need the plan for it, and right now I'm supposing it's behind this tiny chunk of beach that the game won't let me access at the moment that I have a treasure map for.

[Anti Hero]

Yep. If you're on PS4 I can share the location with you, what's your GT?
:( Negative, I'm on PS3.

[Rose]

I've found two white whales, but need a third one to finish off a costume or something. And I can't find them now. If you can send it to me. I'm Thorpesaurous on there too.


I finished the Vane mission last night which got my boat back. Stripped that plot of land clean. Then went to Africa after the Sage, finished that mission, and had to go back to wipe out that plot of land.
After that I figured I'd try my hand at the legendary ships again, and though it took a few tries each, I managed to take out three of them. Took that money and threw it at my home base. Probably something I should've done earlier. But I can feel myself getting closer to really maxing things out. I think the last thing I have left with the Jackdaw is Fire Barrell Capacity. It's only like 4K, with a few hundred bits of cargo to do it, but I need the plan for it, and right now I'm supposing it's behind this tiny chunk of beach that the game won't let me access at the moment that I have a treasure map for.
Okay I'll add you tonight. I might have only gotten 2 out of the 3 whale locations. I think I wound up buying the last skin I needed. I might have found it later though.

:( Negative, I'm on PS3.
Damn you!!

[Anti Hero]

The social events, are they uplay or normal game play... that might be something to do with it. I've never even had Royal Convoy pop up on my screen now that I've investigated the matter.

[Rose]

I think normal, that you can share via uplay.

I think I only wound up getting one royal convoy. And that was because I was strapped for cash so I just decided to pillage.

[Thorpesaurous]

I think normal, that you can share via uplay.

I think I only wound up getting one royal convoy. And that was because I was strapped for cash so I just decided to pillage.


I've had two or three Royal Convoys. I think they pop up by talking to the bartenders who'll whisper where they are to you.

[Rose]

I've had two or three Royal Convoys. I think they pop up by talking to the bartenders who'll whisper where they are to you.
That makes sense, I think you're right. I added you, if you don't have the last whale I'll see if I can find it soon.

[Thorpesaurous]

That makes sense, I think you're right. I added you, if you don't have the last whale I'll see if I can find it soon.


Thanks. I've had some trouble accepting friend requests, just because I don't notice them.

I finally just bought the last whale skin. I'm accrueing money at an absurd rate now because I have nothing left to buy, but I'm still taking down ships to fill out my fleet. I need to buy one last fleet dock, and I think I'm done with everything that's not found in story.

I just finished memory sequence 11 last yesterday morning, and it feels like everything is finishing up.

[Thorpesaurous]

I finally beat it over the weekend. I'm at like 97% synch. The only Abstergo challenges I'm missing are 100% it obviously, and the kill 5 guys in ten seconds affected by a smoke bomb. I feel comfortable enough in it that I don't think I'm going to trophy hunt. 100% each mission just sounds exhaustingly annoying.

I do have the season pass, and as such got a break on the Adawale story add-on. I played for a few minutes after beating it, and will probably procede to beat it this coming week. But after finally crossing the finish line in the main story, I just couldn't stomach starting over without all the upgrades at that particular moment.

[Le Shaqtus]

I finally beat it over the weekend. I'm at like 97% synch. The only Abstergo challenges I'm missing are 100% it obviously, and the kill 5 guys in ten seconds affected by a smoke bomb. I feel comfortable enough in it that I don't think I'm going to trophy hunt. 100% each mission just sounds exhaustingly annoying.

I do have the season pass, and as such got a break on the Adawale story add-on. I played for a few minutes after beating it, and will probably procede to beat it this coming week. But after finally crossing the finish line in the main story, I just couldn't stomach starting over without all the upgrades at that particular moment.

I'm at 96% synch after beating the game, I 100% the last 3 sequences and I only have a couple of missions where I have 100% synched them, but those are the annoying ones.

I remember the mission where you have to skin a crocodile and put 3 to sleep while following guards in a swamp or something, that ones gonna be a pain in the ass.

[nightprowler10]

Haha wow! I think I was at 65% when I finished the storyline and sold. I do plan to buy it again in the summer if I have time or whenever they bundle up the DLC with the game.

Interested to see how good the DLC is.

[Thorpesaurous]

Haha wow! I think I was at 65% when I finished the storyline and sold. I do plan to buy it again in the summer if I have time or whenever they bundle up the DLC with the game.

Interested to see how good the DLC is.


I'll let you know what I think of the DLC. So far it seems largely like more of the same. I do like Adawale's animations better and he seems more fun to play with. He uses a machete and I like his combos more.

So far there's been a couple of different side missions. Freeing slaves mainly, which is really a re-skinning of the freeing pirates to join your crew stuff in the main game.

[Rose]

I'm at 96% synch after beating the game, I 100% the last 3 sequences and I only have a couple of missions where I have 100% synched them, but those are the annoying ones.

I remember the mission where you have to skin a crocodile and put 3 to sleep while following guards in a swamp or something, that ones gonna be a pain in the ass.
That's actually not a hard one, just skin the first croc you put to sleep and remember to turn on eagle vision every now and again. You do have to play a bit of catch up though if you did it the way I did. You can also skin one while they've stopped to talk by one of the campfires but that's a bit harder to pull off because you have to then get around the guards at the fires and back on course.