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[Jindrax]

So yesterday I went to FACTS 2014, which is an event in Ghent, Belgium.
WEBSITE HERE

So anyway, to my surprise Ubisoft had a stand with a playable version of Unity.
Obviously they didn't let me film anything or take pictures.

So I thought I'd put them down in text for those interested.
It was playing on XBO (my first actual time playing on one, I own a PS4).
So there wasn't any sound or subs so I couldn't make out what the back story was.
The mission was an assassination. You had to enter Notre Dame I think it was and assassinate a dude dressed in red.

The target was marked on your screen from the get go, but you could choose your own way in. I want in free running mode by pressing RT and then you press A to climb and B to drop.

The first thing I did was climb the building next to me. It wasn't so high but was I saw when I got to the top was insane. You could just see Paris spread out as far as the eye could see. The sense of scale was insane. It really felt like this huge city that was alive. The amount of people of the streets were also breathtaking.

So I to the Notre Dame and climbed to the top, where on one of the overpasses I saw a monk. I spoke to him and he handed me a key to get in through one of the towers. (This is just one of the ways to do it, the guy next to me stormed the front door like a lunatic)
Then I went in stealth. You no longer have to equip the hidden blade, he seems to have it by default if you assassinate someone. If you get spotted your last known location get's marked with a ghost figure a la MGS:GZ.

The combat still feels "assassins creedy". They group around you and you parry then counter attack. All though now they seem try and attack by 2's and 3's instead of one by one.
You also have the possibility to mark targets with your gun, But I couln't figure out how to use it. It was annoying as the marks stayed posted on my screen.

Eagle vision also show objects you can interact with, and shows them through walls and stuff. So there was this like lift I could use, which then got marked white in eagle vision which I could then see through walls. That did sort of break the immersion for me.

Now for what you guys are waiting for, performance? Well I wouldn't make out the rez or anti aliasing because I was standing so close to the tv screen, the wire holding the controller was short .
But the game did dip under 30 fps frequently :S. Like every time I entered or exited combat, if I did some crazy free running stuff. But yeah, it wasn't the final version, the ubisoft guy kept pointing that out.
But to be honest it didn't take away from the experience, the scope of this game is insane. That first time I climbed and saw the city rendered as far as I could see I was really awe struck.

If you have any questions, I'll try and answer them as best as I can.

 

[Revengineer]

When you're in a crowd fight, do the 2's and 3's attack in a fashion that requires some actual skill to avoid/counter/punish?

If it's just like Mordor where you just hit counter 2 or 3 times, that's fine I suppose. Just want to get clarity.

 

[AnyoneInCherno]

Thanks for posting this.

How difficult was the combat? I've read that it's meant to be much better and much more difficult than any previous AC game (about time). Did you struggle to stay alive while fighting? Did you find that you needed to fight more aggressively to kill enemies?

As far as graphics are concerned - has the NPC pop-in been fixed yet? Are animations still frequently interrupted? Did you notice a significant amount of flickering or low resolution shadows?

Were you able to, and if so, did you ask the Ubi rep anything?

 

[R3TRO]

Did the triggers rumble?

 

[Miles Quaritch]

The first thing I did was climb the building next to me. It wasn't so high but was I saw when I got to the top was insane. You could just see Paris spread out as far as the eye could see. The sense of scale was insane. It really felt like this huge city that was alive. The amount of people of the streets were also breathtaking.

This sounds pretty sweet. Still not sure if I'm getting Unity, but the recreation of Paris and seeing it bustling with life will probably push me over the edge.

 

[Vashetti]

I wonder if the PS4 version will have those framedrops.

You know, parity and all that.

 

[Oni Jazar]

I'm also interested in the combat. I was hoping it would be more challenging and less parry everything / auto win.

 

[HassanJamal]

How's the climbing? Played only AC4 and the climbing in that is really frustrating to work with. Is it at least abit different/better than in AC4?

 

[ironcreed]

Sounds good. Kind of like Paris will be the main character.

 

[Original Famous Ray]

Just reading about climbing Notre Dame gets me excited. Say what you want about the series but I always loved climbing these historical places in the Ezio series. Paris should be a great place to explore. I hope they give you lots of things to do there.

 

[zkorejo]

Thanks for posting this.

How difficult was the combat? I've read that it's meant to be much better and much more difficult than any previous AC game (about time). Did you struggle to stay alive while fighting? Did you find that you needed to fight more aggressively to kill enemies?

I would also like to know this. Plus how many guards did you fight against at once?

 

[Pakoe]

I went to First Look and got to play the game as well.
The build was probably old because there were framedrops all over the place, when i went to the the center of the marketplace (?), which was filled with tons of people, the framerate would drop to below 15. The resolution looked pretty low imo, or it was just the lack of AA.
I was watching the game when i was in line waiting for it and it crashed twice, the game also crashed when a friend of mine had to chance of playing it. It took almost a full minute for the game to start up again, so he could barely play at all.
The game really played well besides all that, i remember standing on top of the biggest building and just looking all around me. The whole city looked so big, i could hardly believe it.
The combat felt harder, there was no easy counter button. The waiting game was gone, i had to block at the right time and attack at the right times. Also i got attacked by multiple people at the same time, so no more are enemies just looking at you mid-battle.
It was running on a Xbox One.

Did the triggers rumble?

No.

How's the climbing? Played only AC4 and the climbing in that is really frustrating to work with. Is it at least abit different/better than in AC4?

Better.
You have a climb and drop down button when in 'free running mode' now.

 

[Jindrax]

When you're in a crowd fight, do the 2's and 3's attack in a fashion that requires some actual skill to avoid/counter/punish?

If it's just like Mordor where you just hit counter 2 or 3 times, that's fine I suppose. Just want to get clarity.

You had to "aim" your parry in the direction it came from and you had to time it right.
You couldn't just press it and expect him to 180° and parry.
Oh and you could do a combat roll if you press A and a direction, that was handy when you get surrounded!

I only fought about 4 guys at once, but that's because I try to play stealth and the enemies don't really flock to you unless someone actually calls out for them.
It's not like if you get spotted the entire base comes running, it's usually the guy who saw you and if he chooses to call some nearby guards you get those too.

Thanks for posting this.

How difficult was the combat? I've read that it's meant to be much better and much more difficult than any previous AC game (about time). Did you struggle to stay alive while fighting? Did you find that you needed to fight more aggressively to kill enemies?

As far as graphics are concerned - has the NPC pop-in been fixed yet? Are animations still frequently interrupted? Did you notice a significant amount of flickering or low resolution shadows?

Were you able to, and if so, did you ask the Ubi rep anything?

Well you die a LOT quicker than before. I think it was about 3 hits and then he got stabbed. Also the screen didn't go super dramatic red so I didn't even notice it so much and all off a sudden I got a sword through my chest ^^.

And as for the style of fighting, usually in AC I just tend to be the stand there and wait for them to attack me kind of guy. This time I really had to pay attention to what they were doing because if they surround you it quickly goes to shit. The combat roll really helps in that aspect.

I didn't notice any animation issues. I didn't notice low quality shadows either, but that could be because of how close I was to the screen... The lighting was insanely good though. I was walking by a window in the cathedral which had like a grid pattern. The lighting and shadows on the assassin's looked really good when I walked by it.

Did the triggers rumble?

I'm not sure I don't think they did. But it might be because I wasn't paying attention to it because I've never played XBO before :S

 

[kencey]

Thanks for posting this.

How difficult was the combat? I've read that it's meant to be much better and much more difficult than any previous AC game (about time). Did you struggle to stay alive while fighting? Did you find that you needed to fight more aggressively to kill enemies?

Yeah also want to know this.
Ubisoft said combat should be difficult. But OP said it still feels "Assassins Creedy". =/

 

[UrbanRats]

Yeah also want to know this.
Ubisoft said combat should be difficult. But OP said it still feels "Assassins Creedy". =/

Read the post above yours.
Apparently it's more difficult, but if you're expecting Dark Souls' level of punishment from a game with this mass appeal, you probably ain't getting it.

 

[Abriael]

Now for what you guys are waiting for, performance?

This line seriously saddens me. Thanks for the impressions on gameplay though. Much appreciated.

 

[Liamario]

This line seriously saddens me. Thanks for the impressions on gameplay though. Much appreciated.

Why?

 

[Abriael]

Why?

Because most of what people (not necessarily GAF, but in general) seem to care about lately is performance. Framerate and resolution. It saddens me because it's true.

 

[HassanJamal]

Better.
You have a climb and drop down button when in 'free running mode' now.

So you dont automatically climb things in Unity? As in you got to press climb to start climbing when you're free running. That was one of the problems with Black Flag's climbing system, Kenway would just auto climb anything close by when running.

 

[UrbanRats]

Because most of what people seem to care about lately is performance. Framerate and resolution. It saddens me because it's true.

Well, performance it's a pretty big deal.
Have you tried playing a game at sub 30 fps? It's shit.

 

[quesalupa]

Still on the fence about this game because I'm pissy over parity and all that.
But thanks for telling us the FACTS.

 

[Abriael]

Well, performance it's a pretty big deal.
Have you tried playing a game at sub 30 fps? It's shit.

I've always been primarily a PC gamer, and I didn't always have plenty disposable income to have a top of the line one. So yes, I have.

And no, "shit" is hyperbole.

 

[Liamario]

Because most of what people seem to care about lately is performance. Framerate and resolution. It saddens me because it's true.

As they should in 2014. Games dropping their framerate below 30fps is a joke at this point. It was a joke last gen and a bigger joke this gen. Of course gameplay is important, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice a reasonable performance to achieve it. If you can't hit 30fps, it's time to start lowering graphical settings.

 

[UrbanRats]

I've always been primarily a PC gamer, and I didn't always have plenty disposable income to have a top of the line one. So yes, I have.

And no, "shit" is hyperbole.

Sub 30fps being shit is not hyperbole, it may be somewhat playable, but it's not a decent gaming experience.
You have a really high tolerance threshold i guess, but don't be saddened by the rest of us caring about having a decent experience, like it was somehow the death of art or some shit.

 

[zkorejo]

You had to "aim" your parry in the direction it came from and you had to time it right.
You couldn't just press it and expect him to 180° and parry.
Oh and you could do a combat roll if you press A and a direction, that was handy when you get surrounded!

I only fought about 4 guys at once, but that's because I try to play stealth and the enemies don't really flock to you unless someone actually calls out for them.
It's not like if you get spotted the entire base comes running, it's usually the guy who saw you and if he chooses to call some nearby guards you get those too.



Well you die a LOT quicker than before. I think it was about 3 hits and then he got stabbed. Also the screen didn't go super dramatic red so I didn't even notice it so much and all off a sudden I got a sword through my chest ^^.

And as for the style of fighting, usually in AC I just tend to be the stand there and wait for them to attack me kind of guy. This time I really had to pay attention to what they were doing because if they surround you it quickly goes to shit. The combat roll really helps in that aspect.

I didn't notice any animation issues. I didn't notice low quality shadows either, but that could be because of how close I was to the screen... The lighting was insanely good though. I was walking by a window in the cathedral which had like a grid pattern. The lighting and shadows on the assassin's looked really good when I walked by it.



I'm not sure I don't think they did. But it might be because I wasn't paying attention to it because I've never played XBO before :S

Combat sounds like fun and challenging. I like the sound of that.

 

[jem0208]

Sub 30fps being shit is not hyperbole, it may be somewhat playable, but it's not a decent gaming experience.
You have a really high tolerance threshold i guess, but don't be saddened by the rest of us caring about having a decent experience, like it was somehow the death of art or some shit.

It definitely is hyperbole. 2 of the most highly acclaimed games of last year spent a good portion of their time sub 30fps. That's not to say sub 30 is good, but that it's not completely terrible.

 

[UrbanRats]

It definitely is hyperbole. 2 of the most highly acclaimed games of last year spent a good portion of their time sub 30fps. That's not to say sub 30 is good, but that it's not completely terrible.

And it was a terrible experience (assuming you're talking about GTAV here) to see that game hang on by a thread, every time you'd speed up through the city, it looked like the whole game was about to collapse, often even having trouble loading in the world.
Probably the game, in recent times, in most need of a "next gen remake".

Seriously, already you read people argue that 30fps is actually better than 60fps, and it's a head scratcher, then you read how sub 30 is actually not that bad.
Next you'll tell me BlightTown's performance were fine.

I mean, to each their own, but don't act like people asking for AT LEAST decent 30 are entitled perfectionists, stearing the conversation into nitpicking territory.

If you have a game constantly going under 30, you're having bad priorities, in my opinion: Either tone down the graphical quality, or release it on a more powerful hardware.

 

[fantomena]

It definitely is hyperbole. 2 of the most highly acclaimed games of last year spent a good portion of their time sub 30fps. That's not to say sub 30 is good, but that it's not completely terrible.

Sub 30 FPS is terrible. 30 FPS doesn't make a game bad, but it can worse the gameplay feeling. There have been games that were excellent, but couldn't play due to the FPS.

 

[Hugstable]

And it was a terrible experience (assuming you're talking about GTAV here) to see that game hang on by a thread, every time you'd speed up through the city, it looked like the whole game was about to collapse, often even having trouble loading in the world.
Probably the game, in recent times, in most need of a "next gen remake".

Seriously, already you read people argue that 30fps is actually better than 60fps, and it's a head scratcher, then you read how sub 30 is actually not that bad.
Next you'll tell me BlightTown's performance were fine.

I mean, to each their own, but don't act like people asking for AT LEAST decent 30 are entitled perfectionists, stearing the conversation into nitpicking territory.

If you have a game constantly going under 30, you're having bad priorities, in my opinion: Either tone down the graphical quality, or release it on a more powerful hardware.

The Last of Us PS3 was also sub 30 fps, but I guess that game must've somehow been shit also right?

 

[omonimo]

So yesterday I went to FACTS 2014, which is an event in Ghent, Belgium.
WEBSITE HERE

So anyway, to my surprise Ubisoft had a stand with a playable version of Unity.
Obviously they didn't let me film anything or take pictures.

So I thought I'd put them down in text for those interested.
It was playing on XBO (my first actual time playing on one, I own a PS4).
So there wasn't any sound or subs so I couldn't make out what the back story was.
The mission was an assassination. You had to enter Notre Dame I think it was and assassinate a dude dressed in red.

The target was marked on your screen from the get go, but you could choose your own way in. I want in free running mode by pressing RT and then you press A to climb and B to drop.

The first thing I did was climb the building next to me. It wasn't so high but was I saw when I got to the top was insane. You could just see Paris spread out as far as the eye could see. The sense of scale was insane. It really felt like this huge city that was alive. The amount of people of the streets were also breathtaking.

So I to the Notre Dame and climbed to the top, where on one of the overpasses I saw a monk. I spoke to him and he handed me a key to get in through one of the towers. (This is just one of the ways to do it, the guy next to me stormed the front door like a lunatic)
Then I went in stealth. You no longer have to equip the hidden blade, he seems to have it by default if you assassinate someone. If you get spotted your last known location get's marked with a ghost figure a la MGS:GZ.

The combat still feels "assassins creedy". They group around you and you parry then counter attack. All though now they seem try and attack by 2's and 3's instead of one by one.
You also have the possibility to mark targets with your gun, But I couln't figure out how to use it. It was annoying as the marks stayed posted on my screen.

Eagle vision also show objects you can interact with, and shows them through walls and stuff. So there was this like lift I could use, which then got marked white in eagle vision which I could then see through walls. That did sort of break the immersion for me.

Now for what you guys are waiting for, performance? Well I wouldn't make out the rez or anti aliasing because I was standing so close to the tv screen, the wire holding the controller was short .
But the game did dip under 30 fps frequently :S. Like every time I entered or exited combat, if I did some crazy free running stuff. But yeah, it wasn't the final version, the ubisoft guy kept pointing that out.
But to be honest it didn't take away from the experience, the scope of this game is insane. That first time I climbed and saw the city rendered as far as I could see I was really awe struck.

If you have any questions, I'll try and answer them as best as I can.

So now we know now why it's 900p on ps4. On xbone there is s good chance that w ill run like a dogshit.

 

[UrbanRats]

The Last of Us PS3 was also sub 30 fps, but I guess that game must've somehow been shit also right?

Framerate being shit doesn't mean the game is shit, i don't get what you're saying.

 

[Hugstable]

Framerate being shit doesn't mean the game is shit, i don't get what you're saying.

I know, my post was sarcastic and I might have read your post wrong. I'm just saying that just because a game dips doesn't automatically make it shitty. Sure it's unoptimized, but there might be a good game in there!

 

[Gaz_RB]

Oh I can't wait to play this. The changes to the combat sound really great.

 

[UrbanRats]

I know, my post was sarcastic and I might have read your post wrong. I'm just saying that just because a game dips doesn't automatically make it shitty. Sure it's unoptimized, but there might be a good game in there!

Definitely, i'm saying a framerate that consistently goes under 30 is "shit", not the game itself.
But if "shit" is too strong of a word, use "bad" instead, makes no difference.

My point is: people being wary of sub 30fps, are not being nitpicky or snobbish, because it's something that actively affects your ability to play a game well, especially if it has action mechanics.
So it's fair to make it an important question, when it's a series (like AC) that has had problems in this department, in the past.

 

[Maintenance]

Because most of what people (not necessarily GAF, but in general) seem to care about lately is performance. Framerate and resolution. It saddens me because it's true.

I'm speaking for myself and not GAF, but performance is very important to me. Resolution, not so much, but if the performance is sub-30 then it is shitty to me. And before anyone says: yes, Ocarina of Time had shitty performance, alongside The Last of Us for the PS3. They were good games with shitty performance, that's why the remakes (3DS and PS4) are better IMO - even though the 3DS remake isn't quite 30fps all the time, it is still better than the N64 version.

 

[Wind's Howling]

The more and more I read about Unity, the more I am waiting for Digital Foundy and GAF impressions before I finally buy it on the PS4. Performance drops under 30 will be unacceptable in this age of the current gen consoles.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Just played it at FACTS, too. Framerate seemed pretty terrible, definitely dropping well below 30 fps at times. Also a lot of aliasing.

Scale of the city is unparallelled, though. Fucking immense. Didn't engage in any combat, just climbed a tower, jumped off and then let someone else take over. Freerunning seemed smoother and more responsive than earlier games.

 

[GoDLiKe]

I'm really excited for this game, especially because of the environment. Exploring America was really boring compared to Italy.

 

[Mugatu]

I so wish I could have maintained interest in Assassin's Creed but I just don't find them fun to play anymore - I just find the games tedious after a while now. I still hope that one day I can get back into them.

 

[Wind's Howling]

Just played it at FACTS, too. Framerate seemed pretty terrible, definitely dropping well below 30 fps at times. Also a lot of aliasing.

Scale of the city is unparallelled, though. Fucking immense. Didn't engage in any combat, just climbed a tower, jumped off and then let someone else take over. Freerunning seemed smoother and more responsive than earlier games.

That is probably because of the undeniable fact that most TV's there are set on dynamic mode or the sharpness and contrast have not be lowered to suit the games.

 

[cackhyena]

So now we know now why it's 900p on ps4. On xbone there is s good chance that w ill run like a dogshit.

 

[Crossing Eden]

S
The combat still feels "assassins creedy". They group around you and you parry then counter attack. All though now they seem try and attack by 2's and 3's instead of one by one.

Here's a visual example of what OP is talking about.

https://gfycat.com/CreepyGlamorousFoxterrier

 

[Jac_Solar]

Just played it at FACTS, too. Framerate seemed pretty terrible, definitely dropping well below 30 fps at times. Also a lot of aliasing.

Scale of the city is unparallelled, though. Fucking immense. Didn't engage in any combat, just climbed a tower, jumped off and then let someone else take over. Freerunning seemed smoother and more responsive than earlier games.

But will that scale work for it? City exploration hasn't been a lot of fun in the Assassin's Creed games, unless you're into architecture I suppose -- at first, being able to explore an entire city seems very exciting, but after playing for an hour or 2, you realize that the entire city just consists of slightly different buildings and streets, and that the entire world is more like an obstacle course (Assassin's Creed 1, cities in other games.). Basically, the type of world design (A single city.) doesn't provide much of an incentive for exploration, like the Elder Scrolls do -- finding new, exciting locations can be fun.

Mechanics, finding new equipment, upgrades, and general game progression can also provide an incentive for exploration of course, but it'd be a lot more fun if the world was more varied.

And it'd be great if the Assassin's Creed games offered more emergent gameplay; ie, grappling hooks, rope, ladders (Fastening climbing stuff on any kind of wall, other players or npc's could hold the rope or wire and let you gradually descend, make improvised traps for catching people, etc.), physics and momentum (More weighty climbing; climbing speed is more determined by player skill, so good players can climb faster and more efficiently, etc.), can't auto climb -- or. rather, auto climbing would be difficult -- with these mechanics, the buildings/stuff you climb on wouldn't require automatic climbing paths; they could just design regular buildings, and if there's a gap or something, you'd need to improvise, and use momentum, or use the grappling hook or whatever. This would also, probably, let them make a much more varied world, as well as much more varied buildings, quests, etc.

The added element of interior locations might help, but I'm not sure how many interior locations they've actually made, or how many we're able to explore.

 

[RespectThySole]

But will that scale work for it? City exploration hasn't been a lot of fun in the Assassin's Creed games, unless you're into architecture I suppose -- at first, being able to explore an entire city seems very exciting, but after playing for an hour or 2, you realize that the entire city just consists of slightly different buildings and streets, and that the entire world is more like an obstacle course (Assassin's Creed 1, cities in other games.). Basically, the type of world design (A single city.) doesn't provide much of an incentive for exploration, like the Elder Scrolls do -- finding new, exciting locations can be fun.

Mechanics, finding new equipment, upgrades, and general game progression can also provide an incentive for exploration of course, but it'd be a lot more fun if the world was more varied.

And it'd be great if the Assassin's Creed games offered more emergent gameplay; ie, grappling hooks, rope, ladders (Fastening climbing stuff on any kind of wall, other players or npc's could hold the rope or wire and let you gradually descend, make improvised traps for catching people, etc.), physics and momentum (More weighty climbing; climbing speed is more determined by player skill, so good players can climb faster and more efficiently, etc.), can't auto climb -- or. rather, auto climbing would be difficult -- with these mechanics, the buildings/stuff you climb on wouldn't require automatic climbing paths; they could just design regular buildings, and if there's a gap or something, you'd need to improvise, and use momentum, or use the grappling hook or whatever. This would also, probably, let them make a much more varied world, as well as much more varied buildings, quests, etc.

The added element of interior locations might help, but I'm not sure how many interior locations they've actually made, or how many we're able to explore.

Good points. I think that Black Flag having so many locations gave it a sense of adventure and made the game more enjoyable than a regular AC so it will be interesting to see if the interiors of buildings can replace that feeling and just how prominent they are in the game.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

And it'd be great if the Assassin's Creed games offered more emergent gameplay; ie, grappling hooks, rope, ladders (Fastening climbing stuff on any kind of wall, other players or npc's could hold the rope or wire and let you gradually descend, make improvised traps for catching people, etc.), physics and momentum (More weighty climbing; climbing speed is more determined by player skill, so good players can climb faster and more efficiently, etc.), can't auto climb -- or. rather, auto climbing would be difficult -- with these mechanics, the buildings/stuff you climb on wouldn't require automatic climbing paths; they could just design regular buildings, and if there's a gap or something, you'd need to improvise, and use momentum, or use the grappling hook or whatever. This would also, probably, let them make a much more varied world, as well as much more varied buildings, quests, etc..

I don't think parkour is Assassin's Creed has ever been or is supposed to be a challenge, but rather a regular traversal method. To me what you are suggesting sounds like if I picked a regular adventure game and suggested "we should use A button for left leg and B button for right leg. Then we need to avoid jutting rocks or time stepping over it carefully, else he'd trip."

 

[UrbanRats]

Here's a visual example of what OP is talking about.

https://gfycat.com/CreepyGlamorousFoxterrier

That seems pretty good.

I know in AC you were always a god among men, but Batman, another stealth game with group fighting, also had you dispatch entire groups of bad guys with relative ease.
So i wouldn't expect anything too drastic in that sense.

This looks like an improvement, still.

 

[Dominic_Shade]

You had to "aim" your parry in the direction it came from and you had to time it right.
You couldn't just press it and expect him to 180° and parry.

Okay, so we're looking at a MGR-like parry system. Okay. I'm starting to dig this.

Thanks for posting impressions, btw!

 

[Jac_Solar]

I don't think parkour is Assassin's Creed has ever been or is supposed to be a challenge, but rather a regular traversal method. To me what you are suggesting sounds like if I picked a regular adventure game and suggested "we should use A button for left leg and B button for right leg. Then we need to avoid jutting rocks or time stepping over it carefully, else he'd trip."

What I'm suggesting is more like Spiderman 2's web slinging. Anyone can do it, it'll just take a bit of practice, and might be slightly slower than automatic at first, but as you get better at it, you can move faster and faster.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

Here's a visual example of what OP is talking about.

https://gfycat.com/CreepyGlamorousFoxterrier

Asscreed games seriously have one of the worst UI's i've ever seen. Just look at this clusterfuck.