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Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag |OT| Not Based on a DisneyLand Ride

Dr Dogg

Member
Anyone try out tablet 2nd screen stuff yet?


hows that experience?

Good and does add to the experience. I did have a few connection wobbles at first but you do have to log in to a uPlay account so might have been that but been rock solid the last 2 times I've had it on.

Nothing mindblowing or gamechanging like but it's nice to be able to read the animus stuff while not playing the game. Having the map handy without having to go into menus is great and setting waypoints really speeds up sea navigation. A bit later when the mini game portion opens up you can do it all on a tablet which is great.

Overall it's pretty much streamlining the menu based systems into something that is easier to navigate and control coupled with not having to pause the game.

Edit: Oh an I forgot you can use it to show
treasure maps
so you don't have to set them as an item.
 
Good and does add to the experience. I did have a few connection wobbles at first but you do have to log in to a uPlay account so might have been that but been rock solid the last 2 times I've had it on.

Nothing mindblowing or gamechanging like but it's nice to be able to read the animus stuff while not playing the game. Having the map handy without having to go into menus is great and setting waypoints really speeds up sea navigation. A bit later when the mini game portion opens up you can do it all on a tablet which is great.

Overall it's pretty much streamlining the menu based systems into something that is easier to navigate and control coupled with not having to pause the game.

Edit: Oh an I forgot you can use it to show
treasure maps
so you don't have to set them as an item.

cool. still a bit iffy on logistics. at my computer it makes sense, ipad on stand on my desk.

seems a bit less intuitive on the sofa though. ipad on lap?
 
Didn't know this was in the game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPSovJcC2tQ

ubisoft poking fun at the reception to Connor? It kind of sucks we wont get another game with him, he's just not mainstream enough, or an idolized fantasy like every other video game character. Good to see ubisoft have a sense of humor about it.

They're making fun of all the characters because the videos are from the viewpoint of Abstergo. So don't read that without the Ezio and Altair ones, perhaps.
 

Dr Dogg

Member
cool. still a bit iffy on logistics. at my computer it makes sense, ipad on stand on my desk.

seems a bit less intuitive on the sofa though. ipad on lap?

It's not something I've found myself bouncing between on a regular basis. Whilst exploring Havana I did use it to set a waypoint to all the collectables and that was the most back and forth between the two.

What ever works best for you I suppose. There's usually a laptop or a tablet of some sort next to our sofa here (and gets sat on sometimes).
 

glaurung

Member
cool. still a bit iffy on logistics. at my computer it makes sense, ipad on stand on my desk.

seems a bit less intuitive on the sofa though. ipad on lap?
I just set it next to me and displayed the map. It's not as usable though, a killer feature would have been affixing waypoints using the iPad screen. As it is now, you cannot do it.

I also had problems with the connectivity at first. The second screen app takes some data straight from Uplay and some other data via the console connection. So you can still display new items and documents, but you cannot view the map.

All in all, it's an A- for the effort on the second screen app, but a D in terms of functionality.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Story-wise you'll be lost, even for a few bits during the main historical game.

It's a fun game to play, though. I don't know if it would be a proper introduction to the series. I'm the kind of guy who before jumping into a series or franchise, starts from the very beginning and goes in order from there.

As someone who played but didn't finish the first game and hasn't played an AC game since, I'm having an absolute blast with Black Flag. It starts with a pretty packed opening and the first "town" seems standard AC fare but once you get your ship you're sucked in for good and so far everything is getting better and better as you progress.

Speaking of your ship, I'm playing on 360 and the mission where you get it...man I was on the edge of my seat when
you're caught up in the storm and having to escape through it. With my surround sound cranked up and the old big TV that was a memorable epic event for me. Damn. lol

I think this is the right game to jump in at. All the 'other' stuff you may have heard about the present day takes a massive back seat for the most of Black Flag. New protagonist as well (though there are connections there but nothing to make you get lost) with a story that is not 100% self contained but the world is it's own and massive amount of fun to just go exploring and doing piratey things.

Awesome, thanks yall, guess I'll be picking this up with my PS4!
 
after 8 hours in I had to stop playing the slowdown in towns,the pop in and the constant sound vanishing just killed it for me. I was enjoying it but i'll keep my copy to do a digital upgrade hopefully it's a lot better in performance wise. other than those I was enjoying it altho I was just story missions didn't bother with any side stuff at all.

What version was this? I've been playing on the PS3, and the framerate drops I've seen have been so uncommon that they have no impact on my enjoyment of the game. There were some in certain parts of Havana and Kingston, but other than that, pretty much nothing.
 

Dead

well not really...yet
I just finished sequence 4 a few days ago. This got me back in the mood to play more AC.

Kinda thinking I want to go back and finish AC Revelations (never got past the 2nd sequence) and maybe hold off on 4 and replay/finish it on PS4...dunno if ill be able to hold off playing my copy lol

What version was this? I've been playing on the PS3, and the framerate drops I've seen have been so uncommon that they have no impact on my enjoyment of the game. There were some in certain parts of Havana and Kingston, but other than that, pretty much nothing.
Ive seen frame drops a small handful of times but nothing major. Ive never really experienced a lot of the issues people usually bring up re: AC games on PS3. Assassin's Creed 3 was actually a 100% bug free experience for me for example...
 

Scrabble

Member
I'm going to agree with the folks who liked Connor, and just didn't like the story telling method. I would add the voice acting delivery as well, they should have let the actor be less monotone in his emotions. I get that's the character but a little bit more variance in it would have still carried that idea while being more interesting.

Personally I liked 3 a lot, better than I and II for me.

I remember the actor saying a large part in why Connor doesn't have much 'flair' to his voice, is because English is a second language for him. Also being a native american learning english at the time, you would have been taught to speak very 'proper' and to make sure to be very deliberate with your words.
 

conman

Member
I remember the actor saying a large part in why Connor doesn't have much 'flair' to his voice, is because English is a second language for him. Also being a native american learning english at the time, you would have been taught to speak very 'proper' and to make sure to be very deliberate with your words.
Terrible excuse. Acting is acting. Good actors act in non-native languages all the time. That's part of the job of an actor.

But the voice direction has never been strong in any of the AC games, nor has the dialogue. I didn't find Connor's voice actor to be any better or worse than anyone else's in the series.
 

Toa TAK

Banned
Terrible excuse. Acting is acting. Good actors act in non-native languages all the time. That's part of the job of an actor.

But the voice direction has never been strong in any of the AC games, nor has the dialogue. I didn't find Connor's voice actor to be any better or worse than anyone else's in the series.

Yeah, this struck me in ACIV. For example,
once you were engaged in battle against Bartholomew Roberts, Anne Bonney says they're stuck in a maelstrom, and Edward replies really calmly with no sense of anything else happening around him. No grunts or the like. I'd normally chalk it up to the guy being an ice cube in an intense situation, but this didn't seem like it...
 

Scrabble

Member
Terrible excuse. Acting is acting. Good actors act in non-native languages all the time. That's part of the job of an actor.

But the voice direction has never been strong in any of the AC games, nor has the dialogue. I didn't find Connor's voice actor to be any better or worse than anyone else's in the series.

No, I mean English is a second language for Connor. Not the voice actor.
 

Simo

Member
The fun thing is that no one expected this game to turn out this good because it is not the true successor to Assassin's Creed 3. It felt like a filler. A quick cash 'n grab by Ubisoft at the end of this console's generation for the gamers who never truly disliked the franchise.
It had all the signals for it. Small development time. Same ship and naval combat but more expanded. Less interesting story/character development. I guess that is where Ubisoft triumphed. The expectations were set so low that the only thing that could happen' was to go up, and it did.

Heh funny because so far Black Flag feels and looks like a AAA game from the menu, presentation and all round everything on 360 no less but then again I haven't touched an AC game since the first one.

Finished my session last night by buying my first outfit for Edward making him look like he's wearing bad ass trench coat of sorts and encountered
a harpooning location for a Bull Shark. HOLY FUCK.
 

RobbieNick

Junior Member
Waiting for the PS4 version, but Rebox rented it on 360. I LOVE the way the game starts. Putting you right into the action and not having to deal with some stupid Desmond crap. There is a long cutscene explaining what's going on in present day, but it doesn't last long and we go back into the game. I played up to freeing all the prisoners and getting my own crew and ship.

Outside of tradition AC gameplay in cities, the game actually reminds me a lot of the Pirates of the Carribean game on Disney Infinity. Especially the ship-to-ship naval battles. I love being a pirate and this game really gives me a taste of that era. Can't wait to get it on PS4.
 

Dead

well not really...yet
Heh funny because so far Black Flag feels and looks like a AAA game from the menu, presentation and all round everything on 360 no less but then again I haven't touched an AC game since the first one.

Finished my session last night by buying my first outfit for Edward making him look like he's wearing bad ass trench coat of sorts and encountered
a harpooning location for a Bull Shark. HOLY FUCK.
Brotherhood and Revelations feel more like expansions (which in Brotherhoods case, it really kind of is), but yeah Black Flag definitely does feel like a fully fleshed out AAA sequel
rather than a quick cash in
 

Jedi2016

Member
I never had any problems with Connor himself, it was the game design that kept me from enjoying AC3 as much as its predecessors.
 

Scrabble

Member
Emotion would still come through, even some hint of it. Some variance was needed big time.

I thought he displayed the right level of emotion whenever it called for it. *shrug*

Connor can't be both a character who is angry, emo, arrogant, etc. And at the same time emotionless. Both things that regularly get levied at him. He's a bit of an introvert who is not as flamboyant or charismatic as Ezio, but he still displays plenty of emotion, just in more subtle ways. I think it works perfectly for the character, it paints a divide between Connor being an outcast who is looked at as a savage, and those he's dealing with. It made sense to me that given his background and status, he'd be a very calm, reserved, and well spoken person.

He's the polar opposite of someone like Ezio, and after three games with him I don't think most people were ready or expecting that kind of contrast. Also had AC3 been better received, I'm sure Connor would have had a much better reception. AC3 has plenty of issues, but Connor is certainly not on of them.
 

Raptomex

Member
I've beaten 1 and 2 but I haven't played any games in this series since I started Brotherhood and just gave up because I wasn't in the mood. I may pick up the PS4 version. Is it worth it?
 
Finished the Xbox 360 version yesterday. I enjoyed the game, but damn there were a lot of bugs, especially in the last four missions.

Felt bad for the MC in the modern timeline too. I was just trying to be a hard worker and I'm forced to hack everyone's computers for some insane IT guy, get locked in the basement, get drugged by crazy IT guy, then continue being manipulated by Shaun and Rebecca. At least red- haired lady actually seemed concerned by the time I got out of the infirmary.
 
So what says GAF on this one? I thought AC2 was clearly the best, but ACB was a respectable second. The others aren't really worth mentioning that much. Do you think I'd like AC4? I'm looking for a competent plot at least with minimal boring gameplay and varied environments like AC2 or better (I think AC4 is supposed to have the latter in spades).
 

Karak

Member
Waiting for the PS4 version, but Rebox rented it on 360. I LOVE the way the game starts. Putting you right into the action and not having to deal with some stupid Desmond crap. There is a long cutscene explaining what's going on in present day, but it doesn't last long and we go back into the game. I played up to freeing all the prisoners and getting my own crew and ship.

Outside of tradition AC gameplay in cities, the game actually reminds me a lot of the Pirates of the Carribean game on Disney Infinity. Especially the ship-to-ship naval battles. I love being a pirate and this game really gives me a taste of that era. Can't wait to get it on PS4.

Its great isn't it. I almost lost the battle in my overview to spend a couple extra minutes just explaining how it begins. It really starts out fast. I compared it a bit to Monkey Island and Pirates of the Carribean also and came close to saying it was a game that handled like Assassins' Creed but wasn't.

So what says GAF on this one? I thought AC2 was clearly the best, but ACB was a respectable second. The others aren't really worth mentioning that much. Do you think I'd like AC4? I'm looking for a competent plot at least with minimal boring gameplay and varied environments like AC2 or better (I think AC4 is supposed to have the latter in spades).

You and I are the same sir. You would like it.
My review
But if you don't like my reviews on youtube(I like to talk fast).

Basically
Starts fast
Great Atmosphere
Good but easy to follow story
Many subsystems
A bit improved in combat handling
Tons of stuff to do
 

Karak

Member
So basically the pirate game I've been waiting for that just so happens to be a competent AC entry. Glorious.

Yes sir.
Seriously I am a big fan of Brotherhood but am not a huge fan of AC. This is AC lite and pirate heavy. It has some issue(no lies) but it is absolutely brilliant at times so much so that I could envision other games in a AC-Sidestory type way in the far flung future, or the past that explore the time and area moreso than the AC mythos.
 
Yes sir.
Seriously I am a big fan of Brotherhood but am not a huge fan of AC. This is AC lite and pirate heavy. It has some issue(no lies) but it is absolutely brilliant at times so much so that I could envision other games in a AC-Sidestory type way in the far flung future, or the past that explore the time and area moreso than the AC mythos.
Is it weird that I read this in your super-fast voice.
 
So as someone who hated 3, is this game worth it? I loved most of the other ones. I don't think I finished the original though.

Again I must state I hated 3 with a passion and it really turned me off to the whole series, will I regret a PS4 purchase?
 
Character customization is limited to the actual costumes.

Here's a short list from memory:
- The game detects your Uplay history and gives you Altair's robe, Ezio's robe and Connor's robe. All look awesome, if a bit out of place.
- Various colored variants of the regular hooded costume. Some feature minor design differences. Definite favorite - Privateer's Outfit - sleek and black.
- Some outfits that can be bought in stores - I bought one that had a massive crimson cloak instead of the ordinary smaller flaps.
- Crafted costumes. Whaling, hunting, stealth, etc.

Is the uplay detection cross platform? I played AC on the 360, ACII/Brotherhood on the PS3, and Revelations/III on the PC(although I finished ACIII on the PS3)
 

Curufinwe

Member
UPlay is cross platform. I played all the Ezio games on the 360 but then got Driver San Francisco on the PS3 and all my points were there.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
I thought it was pretty awesome how the game straight up rewards you for having played previous games. I know character costumes are pretty trivial but still, this is so much better than "thanks for collecting 1500 feathers, here's your costume".
 

ironcreed

Banned
God, this game just keeps unveiling more and more to do at a steady, but perfectly paced clip. Still, being at sea and attacking ships and forts, collecting resources, improving your ship and building your fleet is where it's at. I spent hours doing that last night and had such a hard time putting it down.

There was this one scenario where I was attacking a fort, while working on filling my third wanted meter. I was being blasted from the beach fort, all while a hunter, a couple of small schooners and a frigate joined in and ganged up on me. It was so intense maneuvering around and taking them all out while still being bombarded by mortar fire from the beach. Music pounding, waves rocking, fog forming, cannons blasting... good stuff.

Moving on. Incapacitated ships flaming everywhere and waiting for me to board, I decide to turn my attention to finishing off the fort, so I can go ashore and seize it as well. But then lo and behold, in the distance I see some massive sails closing in. I use my trusty spyglass that reveals it to be a high level 'Man o' War' that was loaded with precious booty. Feeling lucky, I decide to take it on. Only to be obliterated by pounding from mortar at the fort and the firepower of that massive ship.

Time to upgrade before taking that bastard on again, I guess. But still, such scenarios are so good. Especially when fog, storms, massive rouge waves and water spouts randomly pop up. There is nothing else like this game and it is waltzing right into being my GOTY above all others. It's that fucking fun and atmospheric. But most importantly, it is that fresh of an experience. Funny that it is in an annual Assassin's Creed game as well. Go figure.
 

DrBo42

Member
God, this game just keeps unveiling more and more to do at a steady, but perfectly paced clip. Still, being at sea and attacking ships and forts, collecting resources, improving your ship and building your fleet is where it's at. I spent hours doing that last night and had such a hard time putting it down.

There was this one scenario where I was attacking a fort, while working on filling my third wanted meter. I was being blasted from the beach fort, all while a hunter, a couple of small schooners and a frigate joined in and ganged up on me. It was so intense maneuvering around and taking them all out while still being bombarded by mortar fire from the beach. Music pounding, waves rocking, fog forming, cannons blasting... good stuff.

Moving on. Incapacitated ships flaming everywhere and waiting for me to board, I decide to turn my attention to finishing off the fort, so I can go ashore and seize it as well. But then lo and behold, in the distance I see some massive sails closing in. I use my trusty spyglass that reveals it to be a high level 'Man o' War' that was loaded with precious booty. Feeling lucky, I decide to take it on. Only to be obliterated by pounding from mortar at the fort and the firepower of that massive ship.

Time to upgrade before taking that bastard on again, I guess. But still, such scenarios are so good. Especially when fog, storms, massive rouge waves and water spouts randomly pop up. There is nothing else like this game and it is waltzing right into being my GOTY above all others. It's that fucking fun and atmospheric. But most importantly, it is that fresh of an experience. Funny that it is in an annual Assassin's Creed game as well. Go figure.

I want to trust you. My PS3 is practically calling to me to download it but I have a feeling I should stay strong and wait for the PC version.
 

ironcreed

Banned
I want to trust you. My PS3 is practically calling to me to download it but I have a feeling I should stay strong and wait for the PC version.

Up to you, but I am enjoying the hell out of it on PS3. There were some frame dips in Havana, but it's been fine since I left. It is especially smooth at sea.
 
I'm really annoyed at the game right now because of some glitch that happens on one of the assassin contracts. Early-ish in the game, you pick up a sidequest/assassin contract, go kill the guy, then the game bugs out and doesn't complete the contract. So you have a constant "Kill" icon located on your screen and it stays up there except if you are in a cutscene. When you go to the kill spot, there's nothing there and I can't 100% that area now because I can't get the followup Assassin Contract quest (due to it not completing the first one). I probably wasn't going to 100% the game anyways, but I'm still really annoyed because of the red kill icon being on my screen most of the time. :(

Typical AC game. So buggy.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
So yeah, those thunder storms at sea.. Not sure if it's lightning or a fucking GDI ion cannon getting fired from orbit.
 

Huh?

Neo Member
Does anyone have any tips for making money for the elite upgrades? I took down the
HMS Prince
but it seems like the other ones are impossible to take down without full upgrades, so they don't seem like viable options for quickly making enough money to get elite upgrades.
 

luxarific

Nork unification denier
Still confused why this got a full number instead of a subtitle (e.g., AC4 not "Assassin's Creed: Talk Like a Pirate"). It doesn't really seem to move either the historical or present-day storylines along, which is what typically happens in numbered games.
 

Blader

Member
Still confused why this got a full number instead of a subtitle (e.g., AC4 not "Assassin's Creed: Talk Like a Pirate"). It doesn't really seem to move either the historical or present-day storylines along, which is what typically happens in numbered games.

New protagonist.
 

sethcheek

Member
I'm in media blackout for the game and am wary of scanning through the thread for answers. It's surprisingly difficult to find a straight answer on this online.. Does this game support 3D or did Ubisoft dump it from the franchise?
 

maverick40

Junior Member
I've beaten 1 and 2 but I haven't played any games in this series since I started Brotherhood and just gave up because I wasn't in the mood. I may pick up the PS4 version. Is it worth it?

It defo is worth it. Up there with 2 and brotherhood and the stuff outside the animus is actually interesting this time
 

Omni

Member
Oh man. That list of potential locations for future games found in sequence 7.

Playing as a female in 13th century Egypt and Northern Africa? I'd buy that day one. So much potential for this series. Can't wait to see what comes next.
 
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