“So, Mr. Chen, are we also going to make a Medieval-themed game?” Yang Xin quickly realized something after hearing Chen Xu’s words.
Everyone was still clear on some of the recent news in the gaming industry.
Wasn't the Renaissance era the mid-to-late Middle Ages?
“No, what we’re going to make is something that showcases a sense of history,” Chen Xu said, shaking his head with a smile.
Medieval themes, in fact, are quite broad.
Because there isn’t a clear standard.
Games set during the Middle Ages are called Medieval-themed games.
The Crusades, lords, and knights are also Medieval-themed games.
A game about the Black Death can also be called a Medieval-themed game.
The reason these games are called Medieval games is primarily because their focus is on that period.
But Assassin's Creed is different; from ancient times to the present, Assassin's Creed tells a story of history, not just one confined to the Middle Ages.
“Alright, as for the specific content, we’ll discuss it when we get back. For now, according to our itinerary, everyone should enjoy themselves and also imagine what the Apennine Peninsula during the Renaissance era would have been like,” Chen Xu said, looking at the group.
Returning to his room from the hotel lobby, Chen Xu opened his laptop and began writing down the core content for Assassin's Creed.
There was still a lot Chen Xu needed to do for Ezio’s Trilogy and Altaïr’s story.
The plot itself wasn't an issue. In fact, the stories of Altaïr and Ezio could be considered the most outstanding in the series.
As for the order, Chen Xu decided to let players experience Ezio’s story first, with Altaïr’s story serving as hidden content unlocked after completing the game.
The main reason for not putting Altaïr’s story first was that its plot time was too short.
It would inevitably create a disconnect with Ezio’s later story.
Unlike the one-year gap between the two games in his previous life, Chen Xu's version would allow players to experience them seamlessly, and this would create a sense of disconnect with the protagonist change.
Of course, there was another very important reason: Altaïr’s ending was a bit… unfriendly.
Given this, Chen Xu was a little worried that players might become too emotional.
So, placing Altaïr’s story at the end seemed more appropriate.
Furthermore, what needed to be addressed were some of the game’s gameplay and content settings.
For this title, Chen Xu did not intend to make it an RPG like later installments.
Instead, he wanted to retain the action-oriented gameplay that characterized the early Assassin's Creed series.
Naturally, the combat system still needed modifications.
After all, from a timeline perspective, these two games were relatively old, and many of their settings weren't particularly outstanding by current standards.
First, Altaïr definitely couldn't melt in water anymore. Secondly, there was the game world itself.
In fact, early Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, or rather, Assassin's Creed before Black Flag, were all attempts to imitate Rockstar Games' non-RPG approach.
So, all players who experienced Ezio’s story could clearly feel that the main quests were closely interconnected.
Therefore, in terms of gameplay settings, Chen Xu adopted an ACT-style approach that leaned towards the early games.
Of course, there would also be some content optimizations.
Because Assassin's Creed II actually had many awkward and unreasonable designs.
Combat mechanics like the kill streak system, only introduced in Brotherhood, and the Hidden Blade in the first game that could only be used for assassination and not counterattacks, would all be improved by Chen Xu to make the combat system smoother.
Tasks would also adopt the more flexible model of later Assassin's Creed games. While assassinating main targets, players would be guided towards more “scientific” assassination methods. However, even if players didn't choose these methods, it wouldn't be a failure just for being discovered for not following the mission's instructions. Being discovered would simply lead to more enemy reinforcements, making the assassination more difficult, or even causing the target to escape, leading to failure.
But these were all difficulty restrictions, not mandatory ones.
Are you saying this isn't very 'assassin-like'?
Who says assassins must hide in the shadows?
Who says assassins must be sneaky?
Just look at Ubisoft’s novels, comics, and promotional videos.
In Brotherhood's promotional video, a group of assassins directly leaps off a city wall, confronting and slaughtering Templar guards head-on.
Afterwards, the piles of bodies are taller than mountains. And you're telling me assassins can't fight directly?
Are you kidding me?
Many veteran Assassin's Creed players in his previous life used to say that there were no true assassins after Ezio, but in reality, players did a fair bit of Musou-style fighting even in the Ezio Trilogy.
In the Brotherhood mission where Ezio covers Caterina’s retreat, although it wasn't as grand as Connor’s battle against 300 Boston warriors in Assassin's Creed III, Ezio was still in a frenzy, with bodies piled everywhere.
So, the idea of white-robed assassins lurking in the dark, swiftly disappearing after a kill, was entirely a player’s own mental visualization.
In fact, the assassins in Ubisoft’s hands were never just confined to the shadows.
If circumstances allowed, eliminating all eyewitnesses was also a perfect assassination.
Furthermore, there would be more content optimizations, but these would be at a technical level.
For example, in Ezio’s story, players often ran too fast, collided with people, and stumbled. These were technical issues.
Next were the missions. Ezio’s story was quite good, but Altaïr’s story was filled with mostly tedious Ubisoft-style missions.
In his previous life, Ubisoft's formulaic open world was constantly criticized by players.
However, players weren't actually criticizing the formula itself.
Players didn't hate this formulaic approach; rather, it was the dispensable side content.
Accept a quest, clear monsters from a location.
It seemed like a three-point linear gameplay loop, but games like Red Dead Redemption and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in his previous life, if you looked closely, also had side content and main quests that followed a three-point linear design.
Go to a certain place, talk to a certain person, find a certain clue, kill a certain monster, then return to turn in the quest.
But the difference was that the side stories in these games weren't just about, 'I have a letter, please take it to XX person in XX place,' with no further content.
Each quest was a standalone story, sometimes even influencing the main plot.
Ubisoft's formulaic approach was most criticized for these missions being dispensable, and even if the plot wasn't exciting, the rewards were useless.
………………
During the period Chen Xu and his team were scouting locations,
Zeus and FOW also released news about their new game for the first time.
The time and setting were at the juncture of the Third Crusade. Players would take on the role of an ordinary villager.
During the war, after losing his entire family and home, this ordinary villager decides to join the resistance, fighting for the future.
In addition to the background setting, some simple game screenshots were also released, which greatly excited and surprised players.
Especially some old FOW fans were moved to tears.
The visual presentation, when compared to their previous works, was simply the difference between an angel and a demon!
This also attracted many casual players.
Until Nebula Games updated a clip on the Huanyu VR Platform, which directly surprised many players.
What’s going on?!?
Didn’t Mr. Chen go on vacation?
(End of Chapter)
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