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Windows Assassin's Creed 3

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by Elton, 5 Jan 2013.

  1. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    Thanks to the magnificent SATAN I got myself a copy. After 20 hours I've realized one thing.

    This game is super buggy. Map markers don't appear, consumable items disappear randomly, the AI has a bad case of dodo death, the inventory screen is clunky and the game is horrendously explained. The Homestead is a mess (and you have do all the missions each sequence or risk not getting any advancement), the improper open world pacing means you'll be going backwards and forwards in time unlike the previous AC games.

    I'll still recommend this to people, but this was a release that needed about 2 or 3 more months of polish. The Framerate is still atrocious (I shudder to go back to the winter sections because the framerate tanks...on a HD6850...@ 1600x1200.... in an Game that is effectively a DX9 engine ported to DX11 with average textures....).

    Overall, I'd say if it had more polish I'd love it, but the platforming niggles along with the rather still piss easy combat and the lack of proper explanation to some of the mechanics (until about 7 hours in..) makes this game frustrating. It's just a terrible lack of pace and it suffers heavily. If the introductions were paced better, I'm sure I'd like it more. However it's still massively breathtaking at times and there are some rather epic moments in the game. Not to mention the rather brilliant ship battles that convinced me they need to make more pirate games. But as a whole, AC3 is actually rather disappointing. The lacklustre story and the rather stiff characters placed in a world that was a bit too liberal with content recycling made the world seem bland. The fact that the best parts were the parts not in the mission says much.

    Even though the game has evolved a large amount since its inception, somehow some of the same problems exist. Couple it with a seemingly rushed release and some baffling decisions on the pacing and we have a game that's filled with massive potential but marred by the fact that the underlying core of the game is rife with glitches. Mind you I still had a blast, especially trying to complete all the optional objectives which proved rather difficult but made the game more fun.

    Perhaps I expected more after the Ezio saga. Perhaps I really wanted more punishing stealth. I don't know, because I haven't had any issues with the optional objectives, some were frustrating, but there was always an obvious path to it. The game just isn't that difficult and because of some weird design choices becomes tedious at times. I will say, it's hilarious to see the glitches though. Because there are very few games that will spawn a 6-armed town crier or glitch so your main character pets a man's crotch because the game confused a dog's model for a man.

    This was supposed to be a discussion, but I think I turned it into a review. Eh, I'm a wordy ****er.
     
  2. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    I enjoyed playing as the first British character section immensely. but the new Corner character just felt aimless, pointless and lifeless. so now, I've not played it for a while. Corner character just puts me off.

    multiplayer side of things, I hugely dislike their decision to add a ranged weapon, and their removal of mute, also the fact smoke bomb only gets unlocked at very late levels. in Brotherhood and Revelations, my go-to ability set would be mute + smoke. now everyone seems to just run around like headless chickens.

    add me, Elton. my Uplay ID/name is wuyanxu2000.
     
  3. Hex

    Hex Paul?! Super Moderator

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    Before anyone says the bugs are because it's a bad console port, the console versions have all the bugs too :sigh: Three years of development my arse...

    I gave up on Ubisoft after the trash that was AC:Revelations, they're just money-grabbing now (yearly releases) and don't really care about having a game that works once they have your money. There's enough fanboys to buy every single thing they release (and the micro-transactions). Makes me sad. I loved AC2 so much, but this is meh.

    Connor is definitely a contender for dullest character ever, Haytham is OK but in a way that makes getting lumbered with Connor even worse. It boggles me how Ubisoft even made a game that hand-holds you so intently (3hrs of tutorial 4srs?!) but at the same time sends you on missions without the slightest clue of what you're meant to be doing! The multiplayer has a load of bad design choices, but seeing as they still refuse to change back the matchmaking to how it was in AC:B before the Da Vinci DLC patch which broke it - I expect nothing to get better.

    p.s. I didn't actually buy it, a fan of my little group's videos finished the game and got bored of the mp and sent it to me which was nice :)
     
    Last edited: 6 Jan 2013
  4. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    I'll definitely add you wyx. And Hex, I totally get what you say. It's not because it's a console port, it's just poorly polished. The production values are good. But it's a rather shoddy release. I think the problem with the game is that the premises are good. Great even, but the thing is, the parts they changed weren't necessarily great. Couple with the MASSIVE amount of bugs (anyone notice that Desmond's back is welded to his bag?) and it feels pretty shoddy.

    I think Connor suffers from unenthusiastic voice acting and terrible pacing. As a character, he's got a ton of potential, after all his vengeance story is almost as justifable as Ezio's but with more tomahawk badassery. The real problem is that the writers took way too much bath salts and the designers took too much time meandering about trying to poorly explain everything.

    I'd say that if the game had a much cleaner (and I mean cleaner, for both console and PC) interface, a larger focus on the explanation of things in a smaller amount of time, it would work out great.

    The problem is that I think they put the Haytham section in well, but couldn't introduce the mechanics necessary for the rest of the game. And that's the crux of it. A mechanically flawed if enjoyable game that's burdened with too much excessive padding (there is literally no need for progression, you could use the crappiest weapons and still kill people) and not enough tangible progression. You can't even buy armor anymore or get a better sword. Even though money's a bit tighter, the game isn't as rewarding.

    I can talk for ages about this game because it reminds me of Far Cry 2. All the unscripted bits are the best bits (such as the ENTIRE FRONTIER) but all the scripted bits are more often than not utterly forgettable or irritating.

    I'll add that the Dullest character ever has to be the duo from 50 Cent: Bulletproof/Blood in the Sand. That and Chris Redfield.
     
  5. Hex

    Hex Paul?! Super Moderator

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    Yeah the interface is really bad. I've been playing a load of Borderlands 2 lately and starting AC3 I am lost 80% of the time. The cut-scenes are so dull I fail to pay attention (I force myself to listen sometimes and I'm still none the wiser) and there's no way to just quickly check what I'm meant to be doing. Combine it with bugs and it's frustrating as hell! The mission where you have to chase and tackle the guy without pushing/shoving anyone drove me mental. I ran up to him, tackled him and he carried on running... so I chased him in circles for another few minutes before I shot him and desynchronised. The mission starts again and my only clue on what to do is "don't push or shove anyone for full sync"... YES GAME, BUT WHAT AM I MEANT TO DO! I had to google it, whereupon I found that he shouldn't have carried on running after tackling him. Gah...

    I'd got really used to switching between quests in Borderlands 2 as well, in AC3 I expected it to just not let me take on new quests while in the middle of one, but sometimes it does and it really screws it up. Paul Revere's Ride became a farce after I accidentally picked up a hunting quest in the middle of it. He refused to tell me which direction and just kept saying I should get on the horse... while we were ON the horse :eyebrow: Oh yeah and does Ubisoft not know horses are able to walk in water... because they can. If you haven't, ride a horse into shallow water and watch as they freak out.

    Oh god XD
     
  6. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    They need to fix the Horses. They clip through more things than Haytham's cape. I will say that the hunting in this game is hilarious only becuase the literal imagery of a native american taking on an entire army of bears is anything but gritty and serious. That and the animal AI is borderline hilarious.

    Most people hunt via ambush, I ride a horse and run into the animal. Not only does it help me explore, it's so much more fun. It's just a choppy experience.

    Amidst all the negatives though. I bloody love it. There are just enough "OMG LOL!" moments in the game that I can appreciate it enough. (Also any chase scene where you have to kill someone, I just shoot them, so imagine..." THIEF!!.." *boom* Connor: "it has been dealt with..""

    Yeah, in the deadpan delivery, all it needs is the Who and we have CSI: Baaaston.

    Digressions aside, this game's enjoyment potential is contingent upon how creative or how seriously you take it. I just imagine the horses are hydrophobic, all humans are made of porcelain, the animals have no instinct and run at you, Connor is a superhuman capable of fighting an army of men and bears, you're in an animus in a cave (hence the hilarious glitches), and every chase is a benny hill affair.

    No, who am I kidding. This game is generally disappointing given it's massively fun heritage.
     
  7. Jedra

    Jedra Supermodel

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    Overall I really enjoyed AC3 although I will agree that they tried to do too many different things. I absolutely loved the free roam aspect (as usual) and the fortress missions were cool (although far too easy). I played the 360 version and although the bugs were there, they didn't really affect me that much - I didn't encounter any that were mission breaking like Hex did, although that's not to say they weren't there!

    It was the actual story missions that I didn't like this time - they seemed a lot more forced than usual. Also they went for the cinematic/dramatic approach which for me totally killed the gameplay aspect.

    I actually enjoyed the hunting/homestead/crafting/trading side of things, and I would actually like to see them expand on this for the next version. If they padded this out and relied less on the set piece story line missions then I will be very happy I think.

    The sea battles were a nice idea, but they seemed tagged on and totally blew the immersion - it was just a bit too ridiculous that Conner would have been a sea captain as well as all the other stuff. Also, once you had done a couple of these, they were pretty boring. In the end you could tell that this had been farmed out to a different development team as it felt like you were playing a totally different game.

    As Hex said, most of the story missions I found very confusing - you had to fail them to know what it was you were supposed to be doing. Most of the time I was so relieved to actually get to the end of a mission that there was no way I was going to go back and try and get full sync - they were just too painful - not fun at all.

    Yes, the horses were rubbish! I avoided using them at all costs except where I had to because of a mission. So far, Red Dead Redemption had the best horse experience. Oh, I have only ever ridden a horse once in real life (an experience I will not be repeating!) so I can't speak for realism!

    Anyway, as I said, I loved the free roam aspect of the game and I personally would like to see it go in the RPG direction rather than the scripted story direction as it is the open world 'character building' side of this that I enjoyed the most. I hope they continue the franchise (I am sure they will) but I hope they calm down on the linear story missions and the reliance on QTE sequences and similar game-play short cuts.
     
  8. MrDomRocks

    MrDomRocks Modder

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    I am uninstalling it this evening, I completed some of the British parts.

    I failed it several times and still didn't get what to do.

    Plus QTE crap.
     
  9. Hex

    Hex Paul?! Super Moderator

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    It's a cash-cow now so it's definitely being continued with yearly releases :sigh: AC3 was just the end of the Desmond storyline.
     
  10. Jedra

    Jedra Supermodel

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    I guess that's any hope of further innovation out of the window then. Shame really as the first game really did bring something new to gaming - it wasn't perfect by any means, but it was certainly fun.

    It's weird, there *must* be people out there that like the crash-bang-wallop cinematic games where the only real interaction is a QTE sequence otherwise they wouldn't make all games like this. The thing is, I don't know a single person that does like it. I know it's because we keep buying the games in the forlorn hope that they have actually made a game rather than a movie we can press buttons at.

    I think I am about at the place where I am only going to play games I have Kickstarted - at least this way I will get the games I deserve!
     
  11. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    I take it back, I really actually like the homestead. The problem is that it's so bloody difficult to navigate properly. Half the problems are from the idiotic interface and explanation problems. That's depressing to me.

    The other half is how glitchy it is. I gave up though. 50% in (sequence 7-ish? 8?) and after OCDing my way through it, it felt more like a slog than an enjoyable romp. Not a bad game, just not great.
     
  12. Jedra

    Jedra Supermodel

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    The trading/hunting/homestead stuff is kind of half-way implemented - it's almost as if they just wanted to see how it was received, or more likely, they originally planned to make it bigger and better but it got cut due to time constraints. The trading especially is kind of irrelevant as other than to complete the couple of challenges, you don't really need to do it. Also I lost a few shipments which was a bit confusing as I could not work out if I could protect them or not - especially the sea shipments - it didn't seem to matter that I had completed all of the sea missions, my risk of loss percentage was still very high. Still, it's better than the similar system in Far Cry 3!

    It can't be a bad game I suppose as I put over 100 hours into it - outside of the missions the free roam is kind of therapeutic!
     
  13. OcSurfe

    OcSurfe Uber Noob

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    i just wish ubi would have added a bit more polish, would have made the game that little more easier to live with, still a great game just lacks that little touch
     
  14. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    Polish indeed. I might finish this up later this year. But for now I'm having fun with Far Cry 3's dudebro story and rather hilarious Sumatran tigers. Still, I like AC3, it's still got character. Even if Connor is a rather drab character, he's actually rather realistic.

    I want to like this game, and it's so easy to play because the mechanics are so broken, but because of it's general brokenness, I don't like it as much.

    Funnily I loved Clear Sky which was buggier than an anthill, but it sucked me in better than...let's just stop there...

    At any rate I like this game, I really do. But there's so many annoying flaws (and some rather broken challenges) that make this game irritating. After 50% OCDing my way through this game (Sequence 8) I gave up. I'll pick it up another time though.
     
  15. OcSurfe

    OcSurfe Uber Noob

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    ill leave it a few months in the hope that ubi patch it a little, wont hold my breath for too long though
     
  16. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    They won't. What I wish is if they allowed modding and opened up the code for Far Cry 2. I loved that game. What also bugs me is that this game is hard coded into 16:9. ****ing letterboxing.
     
    Last edited: 9 Jan 2013
  17. siliconfanatic

    siliconfanatic Johny-come-Lately

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    seeing as i am a hardcore bac and baa gamer, i naturally compared AC with these. as for the idea of stealth, amen to that. the combat, i personally think it and the games stealth aspect should look to arkham city for inspiration. the combat just wasn't flexible enough for me. if it would've done something similar to free-flow that would massively improve. the only glitch i have had with the game so far is Desmond's journey. unless my understanding of the numbering/naming system is incorrect im speaking of the right AC. Your point about the poor open world/story integration i also agree is poor. however i don't seem to quite agree on the menu... It could use a wee bit of tidying up but that's it. the game has a few points whereas there was plenty to use for inspiration, like the stealth etc. it could've, or rather should have, taken its sweet, sweet time to release. for them to see what other games were doing, what they could do to compete, and to work out the glitches rather than release patches which make more glitches instead of fixing them :wallbash:
     
  18. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    The amount I've played, there's none of the 'mysticism' of previous games here. It just feels really flat.
     
  19. Invictus.

    Invictus. Minimodder

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    I liked it till you were Connor.. Mainly as thats when **** loads of bugs appeared for me.. on the Xbox version. Such as the mist in the homestead basement just appears and disapears (get 1 foot on one step and the other on the one to trigger it you have a mini-mist rave going on) I get objective markers just floating on the walls (the ones like a poster was there to take down with nothing there) I've had markers under the floor.

    The bow went full retard and I shot myself in the arm using it (dont even know how it worked) Having the run and climb buttons the same you run down a street just for connor to decide to do a diagonal jump to start climbing on some fence. Oh and final mini rant has to be enemy AI.. you get spotted kill them all.. run round in a circle to get the people you can bribe back.. all enemies instant respawn and start chasing you again, I had a endless loop of that for 15-20 mins..
     
    Last edited: 10 Jan 2013
  20. siliconfanatic

    siliconfanatic Johny-come-Lately

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    i wish theyd unlock a lotta games. BAA
     

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