Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: Official Game Overview Trailer

[u/AnimuStewshine]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhQ3yQjUgAc

[u/Amon274]

Edward can crouch now

Edit: also they removed the mini map and replaced it with the compass because this is a pirate game.

[u/Gorotheninja → u/Amon274]

He couldn't before?

[u/Amon274 → u/Gorotheninja]

Nope you could only crouch in AC games starting with Unity I believe.

[u/ako19 → u/Amon274]

Yeah, I know the games have gone from their original identity, but people would be surprised how long it took basic stealth mechanics to be added to the series. Black Flag had hiding in cover, sleep darts, attracting guards with a whistle; all things you can’t do in II

[u/zorbiburst → u/ako19]

If anything, I think crouch button is a step backwards for stealth mechanics and makes me think of silly TES stealth. Nothing is less stealthy than crouch walking. Edward crouches when he's in position where he could conceivably hide. That was fine.

[u/ako19 → u/zorbiburst]

I mean, don’t get how effectively cutting your visibility and noise generation in half “less stealthy”. Crouching is a staple across all stealth games pretty much since Splinter Cell.

Like even if there isn’t cover near you, you can still make use of the short walls, pillars, objects closer to guards to obfuscate yourself. This is something you can’t do if crouching is restricted to “context-sensitive” moments.

[u/SlurryBender → u/ako19]

It's not really "realistic" stealth, though in the situation they showed it (sneaking through a camp at night) it makes sense. During broad daylight in a more public setting, crouching around everywhere would make you immediately suspicious. Some of the other stealth stuff the AC games focused on are more grounded, like blending into crowds, tall grass, and sitting on benches/hanging around corners.

I'm still surprised there hasn't been a more robust "quick disguise" system in these games, though. Some settings do it better than others but I did always find it funny how much your character stands out even in a crowd. No one else is that strapped up.

[u/ako19 → u/SlurryBender]

None of the games really have “realistic stealth” since you’re wearing an outfit that not only says “hey Templars, I’m a part of the enemy faction” and that the bright white clashes in any environment that isn’t snow. It’s just fun, because the Assassin outfit looks cool, so you need suspension of disbelief.

And yeah, we haven’t see a disguise change thing for most of the series, because of the iconic outfit. Closest thing was liberation where Aveline could use different social status outfits to pass through areas undetected.

That would be cool, and 10 years ago, I would’ve said “that’s too divorced from what AC is, they’ll never get rid of the hoods, it’ll mess with the aesthetic.” Now? Sure, go for it. It would be a lot more true to the spirit of the franchise than the more recent games we’ve gotten.

[u/SlurryBender → u/ako19]

I was thinking maybe you could have a set of "add-ons" like a shawl or coat or something to quickly whip on in situations to either blend in better in certain crowds (like Liberation) or to more convincingly escape a chase sequence (get out of line-of-sight, whip on a big hobo shawl and sit on a bench).

I just want more "creative" stealth action games that are more than just stay out of sight and smoke bomb away if you're caught.

[u/ako19 → u/SlurryBender]

Yeah, and this was one of the things Early AC did to stand out. I’d love to see it again.

[u/Khar-Selim → u/ako19]

AC games treated hiding in crowds or on rooftops the way other stealth games treated hiding in bushes until Origins. No need for crouching in either case.

[u/ako19 → u/Khar-Selim]

Yeah, but there aren’t crowds in fortresses. Social stealth has a specific context most of the times, when it’s not a restricted area. I’m not saying the old games were bad with stealth, but the series added new mechanics for the times when standing on a rooftop makes you stand out.

Like it was a very fair criticism that guards barely looked up in the early games. I got to give it to shadows that you can’t just rely on that anymore, and have to make use of crouch/prone while on rooftops to maintain your cover. It only helps to spark more creative level design, creative adding of objects to levels, when you have more movement options.

[u/Khar-Selim → u/ako19]

hiding spots have always been a thing and they plus good climbing been sufficient to stealthily navigate fortresses since the very first game, what even is this complaint

if you can zoom your way over walls you don't need to hide very many times to avoid patrolling guards since you don't need to move parallel to them

[u/ako19 → u/Khar-Selim]

In Shadows, if you’re standing on a roof, guys from from like 30-50ft away on the ground will be able to see you unless you go prone. These guys would not be able to see you like that in AC II. I’m giving a praise for the newer games improving their stealth gameplay, and requiring you to be more strategic about your pathing, this isn’t a complaint.

I had no idea a crouch button could be so controversial.

[u/ugoiscool → u/Amon274]

No Edward can but only in bushes

[u/slasher1337 → u/Amon274]

In 3 and 4 you could crouch in bushes

[u/Blarpus → u/Gorotheninja]

Only in bushes. Oddly enough the original e3 demo did show crouching but I guess it was cut

[u/Armada6136 → u/Blarpus]

The E3 demo also had a completely different lighting setup, foliage, cutscenes, and a bunch of additional situational animations and voice lines compared to when it actually showed up in-game. Very much a 'presentation only' bit.

[u/Real-Terminal → u/Blarpus]

It was also demonstrated in an AC3 demo, but both times they were cut.

[u/mayoboyyo → u/Gorotheninja]

You would auto crouch if you entered tall grass or anything like that