Istanbul not Constantinople? Assassin's Creed: Revelations

[Brother Oni]

Only song about Constantinople I know of. (http://vimeo.com/6746927)

Somewhat overshadowed by Skyrim, the third part of Ezio's story has now been released (currently waiting for children to go to bed so I can play it :smallsigh:).

Is there anybody else more interested in this than Skyrim or am I the only one?

[arguskos]

Only song about Constantinople I know of. (http://vimeo.com/6746927)

Somewhat overshadowed by Skyrim, the third part of Ezio's story has now been released (currently waiting for children to go to bed so I can play it :smallsigh:).

Is there anybody else more interested in this than Skyrim or am I the only one?
OH GOOD GOD I WANT TO PLAY NOTHING ELSE FOREVER AND EVER AUUUUUGH

Seriously, I love the hell out of the AC series and I'm looking forward to acquiring Revelations. How is it so far? How's ziplining? Are the bombs as tedious as they appear?

[Brother Oni]

OH GOOD GOD I WANT TO PLAY NOTHING ELSE FOREVER AND EVER AUUUUUGH

Seriously, I love the hell out of the AC series and I'm looking forward to acquiring Revelations. How is it so far? How's ziplining? Are the bombs as tedious as they appear?

2 hours before children go to bed alas. :smallsigh:

My wife frowns upon me stabbing people with sharp pointy bits of metal when my children are awake.

[arguskos]

2 hours before children go to bed alas. :smallsigh:

My wife frowns upon me stabbing people with sharp pointy bits of metal when my children are awake.
My parents had no issues doing that when I was a kid. I came out pretty okish I guess maybe.

*fiddles with a pocket knife*

...what? Why's everyone looking at me funny?

Also, I heard you start with ALL your gear from Brotherhood, which is going to just be silly. The Crossbow was so stupidly hax. I reaaaaally hope Revelations is somewhat harder than Brotherhood was.

[Brother Oni]

Seriously, I love the hell out of the AC series and I'm looking forward to acquiring Revelations. How is it so far? How's ziplining? Are the bombs as tedious as they appear?

So far, so Brotherhood.

They've kept in the district upgrading and control from Brotherhood (and added a tower defence mini game) and the hookblade makes climbing REALLY quick (plus an excuse for how Ezio can still climb sheer vertical surfaces at 56 the way he could at 17).
The hookblade also complete messes up your estimation on how far you can jump from previous games as it gives you a bit extra distance. I need to play around with it more as it lets you attack people at a run, possibly making combat far more dynamic.

Ziplining is pretty much the same as parachuting (ie air assassinations), except you don't lose height as fast and your path is fixed.

Haven't played around with bomb creation yet, although the components are everywhere.


Also, I heard you start with ALL your gear from Brotherhood, which is going to just be silly. The Crossbow was so stupidly hax. I reaaaaally hope Revelations is somewhat harder than Brotherhood was.

Due to various plot related events, you pretty much lose all your equipment (although not as arbitarily as the last game), so you start Constantinople with a couple parachutes, a hidden blade (1 not 2) with Leonardo's upgrades (poison and gun) and a sword.

The opening's also harder in that I've desynced a couple times already on the more cinematic bits due to a dodgy control system/not understanding the mechanics.
Also Janissaries are tough (like the Swiss Papal Guard, but with pistols).

Getting rid of notoriety is harder - only heralds and killing Templar agents will do it (although heralds are much cheaper to bribe now).

I've also found the first bug less than five minutes in during the 'tutorial' bit. :smallsigh:
It's not as game breaking as the infinite desync bug from the last game, but if you're not familiar with the game mechanics, it pretty much stops you dead in the game.

[Cespenar]

I wonder what Leonardo inventions we are going to try this time. Killer automatons? Gauss cannons? Orbital bombardment?

[GungHo]

Based on Leonardo's inventions... maybe helicopters or the Atlasphere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_polyhedra.png) from American Gladiators.

[The_Final_Stand]

Am I the only one that finds Den Defence missions particularly difficult?
Actually, quite a bit of this is harder than Brotherhood, but that's OK.

Also, I'm fairly sure the Swiss Guard had pistols as well, so...

[Brother Oni]

Am I the only one that finds Den Defence missions particularly difficult?
Actually, quite a bit of this is harder than Brotherhood, but that's OK.


I've only done the one Den Defence mission, but it seems to follow standard tower defence rules - put a blockade up and surround it with assassins to concentrate fire (don't space them out down the length of the street).
If a massive mob of templars spawn, call down cannon fire.

I agree that it's significantly more tricky than Brotherhood. Those templar den captains are bunch of chicken-excrement nancies who rabbit at the first sign of trouble - add in the fact that they respawn the following day (not at dusk and dawn like the previous game) and capturing territory is substantially more tricky.

On the plus side we get to send minions all over the Mediterranean killing templars, so that's good fun. :smallbiggrin:



Also, I'm fairly sure the Swiss Guard had pistols as well, so...

I don't really remember the Swiss Guard shooting at me, but they definitely didn't have a rate of fire that puts Napoleonic-era guard regiments to shame.

[VanBuren]

I wonder what Leonardo inventions we are going to try this time. Killer automatons? Gauss cannons? Orbital bombardment?

I don't believe Leonardo is actually in this one.

[Cespenar]

I don't believe Leonardo is actually in this one.

Ah. Then who produces and conveniently upgrades your equipment between main quest missions?

And how else can they provide the needed over-the-topness?

[Hands_Of_Blue]

I'm at the start of Sequence 4, and I've already bought all of Constantinople. At the moment I'm just trying to do all the guild challenges, and some of them are annoying. Like the Mercenary kill 25 Almogavars, I have no idea where to find those guys. And I think one of the Assassin challenges is bugged: It's recruit 12 assassins, but the game starts you off with one assassin already, so you can only get eleven more. So to do the challenge you have to let one of your recruits die, which just seems mean.

Oh and speaking of recruits, I liked how there were a handful of special recruitment minimissions rather than the standard "Guards are beating someone up, help them."

[The-Mage-King]

Picked it up yesterday. Been playing it since then.


Yes. Since then.



Well, with maybe one or two little breaks for food/sleep/this post.


Is awesome. At sequence 5, now, and am making about 10k per 20 minutes.


So I'm abusing that while I grab food. And sending minions on missions.

[Brother Oni]

Like the Mercenary kill 25 Almogavars, I have no idea where to find those guys. And I think one of the Assassin challenges is bugged: It's recruit 12 assassins, but the game starts you off with one assassin already, so you can only get eleven more. So to do the challenge you have to let one of your recruits die, which just seems mean.


Odd, I had no problems killing Almogavars - I'm about midway through Sequence 4 and I'm already up to about 18.
Then again, I do have a tendancy of leaving no survivors unless the mission brief tells me to go undetected. :smallbiggrin:

I suspect that the recruit 12 assassins is there so you get to see the death sequence at least once (I'd heard it was in the last game, but I just couldn't bring myself to get one of my assassins killed).

I am liking the Master Assassin missions though - it's running along the lines of 'boss, I gotta problem on my turf' and Ezio coming along like a vengeful god of death troubleshooter. It's also refreshing in a game to have people treat you with the respect your character deserves - every assassin I've met calls you 'Mentor' and aside from Yusuf, are very respectful.

I do need to replay the minstrel mission though, just to listen to Ezio's songs (they get off colour very quickly, or at least the 'Y' button song does, if each button is mapped to a different song). :smallbiggrin:

[Landis963]

Odd, I had no problems killing Almogavars - I'm about midway through Sequence 4 and I'm already up to about 18.
Then again, I do have a tendancy of leaving no survivors unless the mission brief tells me to go undetected. :smallbiggrin:

:smallwink:Thou shalt not suffer a Templar to live, no matter how much you wring your hands about how you hate the killing in cutscenes.


I suspect that the recruit 12 assassins is there so you get to see the death sequence at least once (I'd heard it was in the last game, but I just couldn't bring myself to get one of my assassins killed).

There's a small death sequence if one of your guys dies during the tower defense sections - but I don't think it triggers that. Besides, its cutscene angles when the guy keels over, nothing really to write home about.


I am liking the Master Assassin missions though - it's running along the lines of 'boss, I gotta problem on my turf' and Ezio coming along like a vengeful god of death troubleshooter. It's also refreshing in a game to have people treat you with the respect your character deserves - every assassin I've met calls you 'Mentor' and aside from Yusuf, are very respectful.

Are they all like the first one, where you get to watch the Assassin trainee kill the target rather than you steal their thunder?


I do need to replay the minstrel mission though, just to listen to Ezio's songs (they get off colour very quickly, or at least the 'Y' button song does, if each button is mapped to a different song). :smallbiggrin:

:smallbiggrin: Ooooohhhhh yes. That mission is easily the high point of the game, even better than chasing the final boss. There's a video on Youtube of Ezio singing most of the songs, but they skip a few of the good ones (e.g. Cesare and his date with gravity) and replace them with some of the ones the minstrels sing.

[Brother Oni]

There's a small death sequence if one of your guys dies during the tower defense sections - but I don't think it triggers that. Besides, its cutscene angles when the guy keels over, nothing really to write home about.


That's one of the assassin rank and file, not your personal hand-picked and recruited ones. Supposedly if they die, they hang on until after the battle, where they trigger a mini cutscene when you approach them, a couple lines of dialogue then you give them final peace.

It doesn't sound like much, but when you can remember each assassin and how you recruited them (the acrobat, along with that Rocky Balboa guy who just doesn't give up, stick in my mind especially), it gives them a little more personality than 'generic minion A', which is what the tower defence guys are.



Are they all like the first one, where you get to watch the Assassin trainee kill the target rather than you steal their thunder?


So far, they've been fairly varied - there's one mission where you have to race your own assassin to get the target (I cheated with an air assassination via parachute), but another you handle top cover from the rooftops while they guard someone (crossbow time!), while another you track down a rogue priest and your assassin blows it by taking out the wrong priest (I've still the second half of this one to go and am looking forward to see how she redeems herself).



:smallbiggrin: Ooooohhhhh yes. That mission is easily the high point of the game, even better than chasing the final boss. There's a video on Youtube of Ezio singing most of the songs, but they skip a few of the good ones (e.g. Cesare and his date with gravity) and replace them with some of the ones the minstrels sing.

It's bits like that that reminds me what a character Ezio is, like in Brotherhood when the mercenary leader asks how Ezio knew how to speak French, Ezio replies that he knew a couple French girls back in Florence (probably knew them very well, if you know what I mean :smallbiggrin:).

[Landis963]

That's one of the assassin rank and file, not your personal hand-picked and recruited ones. Supposedly if they die, they hang on until after the battle, where they trigger a mini cutscene when you approach them, a couple lines of dialogue then you give them final peace.

Yeah, that makes sense. It's good that the ones you recruit get characterization and time in the Memory Corridor (that thing where the Animus wipes out everything but you and your target so you can have a cutscene with them).


It doesn't sound like much, but when you can remember each assassin and how you recruited them (the acrobat, along with that Rocky Balboa guy who just doesn't give up, stick in my mind especially), it gives them a little more personality than 'generic minion A', which is what the tower defence guys are.

It actually sounds perfect for a relatively minor character who gets a few short sidequests to their name and personality. Of course, those ones that actually have personality beyond "I will add my voice to this chorus" (incidentally, those are also the generic "help the citizen" recruitment missions). Perhaps those guys are the generic minions who die in the tower defense.


So far, they've been fairly varied - there's one mission where you have to race your own assassin to get the target (I cheated with an air assassination via parachute), but another you handle top cover from the rooftops while they guard someone (crossbow time!), while another you track down a rogue priest and your assassin blows it by taking out the wrong priest (I've still the second half of this one to go and am looking forward to see how she redeems herself).

Wow, that is varied. The only one in the LP I saw was the opening one with Vali the Sentinel from multiplayer.

EDIT: Oh yeah, dunno if you've noticed this, but Vali and Shahkulu the Sadist of Cappadocia are both multiplayer characters. Do any others come up?


It's bits like that that reminds me what a character Ezio is, like in Brotherhood when the mercenary leader asks how Ezio knew how to speak French, Ezio replies that he knew a couple French girls back in Florence (probably knew them very well, if you know what I mean :smallbiggrin:).

Oh Ezio. This is why we love you.

Something occurs to me - would it be arguable to say that Altair's character improved as well, by showing us snapshots of him before and after AC1, but not during?

[Brother Oni]

It actually sounds perfect for a relatively minor character who gets a few short sidequests to their name and personality. Of course, those ones that actually have personality beyond "I will add my voice to this chorus" (incidentally, those are also the generic "help the citizen" recruitment missions). Perhaps those guys are the generic minions who die in the tower defense.


Actually the people you save in the generic 'help the citizen' request don't die in the TD sections. I figure it as Ezio's not the only assassin recruiting and the other members are doing it as well (Yusuf for example, or any of your den leaders) - it's just that Ezio has a good eye and sense for the exceptional ones.



Wow, that is varied. The only one in the LP I saw was the opening one with Vali the Sentinel from multiplayer.

EDIT: Oh yeah, dunno if you've noticed this, but Vali and Shahkulu the Sadist of Cappadocia are both multiplayer characters. Do any others come up?


The Sentinel missions are fairly vanilla ones - the others are better.
I haven't played multiplayer as that seems to require a separate uplay subscription and I'm not interested in it as the match making in the last game was pathetic and the level based equipment unlocks only compounded it.
For example, I managed to evade my pursuer through careful running and am about to lose him, when he shoots me in the back with the hidden gun, something I'm not going to get for another 20 or so levels. :smallmad:



Something occurs to me - would it be arguable to say that Altair's character improved as well, by showing us snapshots of him before and after AC1, but not during?

Being careful of spoilers, I've only seen the one segment so far with Altair when he was 24(?), which is before the events of AC1 and the rise of his hubris.

AC2 has a lot more on Altair post events of AC1 through the codices, which when pieced together, clearly shows his growth and influence over the development of the Assassin order and the effects of the Apple on him.