Hi all,
This week we thought we'd do something a little different: instead of asking about game features, we're asking for you to list your messages to various dev departments who work on AC. Basically, if you could say just one thing to a developer from a particular part of production, what would you like to say to them?
IMPORTANT Remember to keep your messages constructive. Criticisms are allowed, but please be mindful to present them in a polite and useful manner.
MAKING SURE THE FANS ARE HEARD
As part of a set of new Community Initiatives, we'd like to give opportunities to the community to give more direct feedback, and will now host weekly discussion on specific topics that relate the Assassin's Creed Franchise. These community discussions will take place on the AC subreddit, the Official Ubisoft Forums, and on the Mentors Guild Twitter. These discussions will be open for 1 week. The threads and responses will be shared directly with the Assassin's Creed Community Development team, who will then pass that info on to concerned parties within Ubisoft itself.
While the Mentors get opportunities to speak directly with the creators of Assassin’s Creed and frequently communicate with the Community Development Team, this is not the case for every fan. We want to change that. We want fans to have their voices heard directly, in the same ways the Mentors do. These activities are a step towards meeting this goal. If you want Ubisoft to see what you have to say, this is the place to do it.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
Topic: Your Messages to AC Devs
Info: Games are products of often thousands of different people working together, and Assassin's Creed is no different. It's a large, open world adventure series with RPG elements, it's grounded in real history, with a unique focus on a fully climbable environment and social stealth. It's a massive, ongoing collaboration between historians, artists, animators, level designers, writers and more. If you could say just one thing to developers from a particular department, what would you say to them? Congratulations? Advice? Suggestions? Thank yous?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
-What message would you like to send to WRITERS?
-What message would you like to send to ART DEPARTMENT (concept art, character design, skins etc.)?
-What message would you like to send to ANIMATORS?
-What message would you like to send to LEVEL / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN?
-What message would you like to send to GAMEPLAY DESIGN?
-What message would you like to send to SOUND DESIGN?
-What message would you like to send to TRANS-MEDIA TEAM?
-What message would you like to send to ACCESSIBILITY / UI DESIGN? (menus, icons, controls etc.)
-What message would you like to send to POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT?
-What message would you like to send to MARKETING?
As always, please feel free to add any thoughts you might have that are not covered by these example questions!
(I know I must've missed many more, but we appreciate every part of production all the same!)
REMEMBER:
While these discussions are meant to allow for honest and raw feedback directly from the community, the best way to ensure your voice is heard is to be constructive - be critical of the process, not the people. Be specific with your criticisms and suggest tangible solutions and improvements.
We hope to see active participation and that this will be a successful way of getting the fans' voices truly heard.
While Odyssey's player choice mechanics has been a controversial addition, I think the writers deserve way more credit for adapting to branching storylines. That's a lot harder than it might seem, and there were some moments where Odyssey really shined with this. I'd like to tell them that the Silver Islands questline was the peak writing of the game, in my opinion. If player choice remains part of the series, I'd love to see the level of storytelling in the Silver Islands be pervasive in the game as a whole.-What message would you like to send to WRITERS?
Odyssey had a huge variety of aesthetic customization, and I'd absolutely love to see that continue. I do, however, hope that future games have more traditional Assassin iconography, at least as an option for players who want it.-What message would you like to send to ART DEPARTMENT (concept art, character design, skins etc.)?
While I'd like to see combat return to a more animated-based set of mechanics, I do like what's in Odyssey. Standouts include the Rush Assassination kills (they're brutal!) but also the little hidden gems, like Ikaros being able to twirl.-What message would you like to send to ANIMATORS?
I really like the idea of having the option to track down a target to their location in a fort, infiltrate the territory, and take them out.-What message would you like to send to LEVEL / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN?
However, it seems like that's the vast majority of Odyssey's targets, even the story-based ones.
I'd like this team to know that I think they've laid a great baseline for open world assassinations, but I think future games could benefit from more variety as well.
I hope this is relevant to this team...-What message would you like to send to GAMEPLAY DESIGN?
I'd like to say that Odyssey is, without a doubt, the longest time I've run a single playthrough of a single-player game ever. And that's pretty neat- by the end, my Kassandra definitely felt like someone I'd helped shape.
But I kinda miss the days when I was able to replay Assassin's Creed games with ease. Pop in Revelations and blitz through my favorite story moments over the course of several hours. Odyssey does have some great story moments, but if I ever replay them it'll likely be years from now. It's just kind of frustrating that so much good stuff is locked behind hours and hours of side content, and I hope that players like me are considered for future games, even if it's just with a simple "story mode" that removes leveling.
Voice acting and the scoring were both top notch, but one seemingly arbitrary thing that I feel I need to say is how immersive the water and wave sound effects are. The moment in particular I'm thinking of is the first time you finally get to the helm of the Adrestia, and you hear the roar of the waves as you stand on deck. It was over a year ago, but I remember that moment vividly (in fact, it was actually my wife playing at the time, because she was a bit ahead of me).-What message would you like to send to SOUND DESIGN?
I think there's a lot of really cool stuff that you guys do, and I wish that I followed some of the novels and comics more closely. Also, I'm really looking forward to the Brotherhood of Venice board game, though I wish I wasn't such a doofus and understood how Kickstarted worked last year.-What message would you like to send to TRANS-MEDIA TEAM?
While I personally have not been affected by this, I have seen this team respond directly to fan requests with Odyssey, and I think they've done an absolutely stellar job.-What message would you like to send to ACCESSIBILITY / UI DESIGN? (menus, icons, controls etc.)
I think the Lost Tales may be one of my favorite elements of post launch support. It's just kinda neat to log in, months after release, and still find new slice of life quests in the world to complete. I think the way that they got a staggered release, as well as how they serve to sort of humanize the Eagle Bearer, has really helped shape the discussion around the character's mythology in subtle ways.-What message would you like to send to POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT?
Whoever did this saw a chance, took it, and I'm so glad it happened. Also confused, but in a good way.-What message would you like to send to MARKETING?
First time I want to write many things but wrote them many times before.
1. Thanks for this Great Game to anyone who contributed. Really funny and a good combination. My time passed too well. I played 1944 hours for now.
2. But for me Odyssey wasn't an AC Game. Because my most important priorities are Animus Idea and Big Assassin's Creed Story in an AC Game. I always see that each AC Game is part of a whole and never think or analyze them for one by one. With RPG elements we have got many new members and take attention many other players too. But some of these new things were NOT SUITABLE for an AC Game at my side. Choices may be loved by many members(especially new ones) but it also turned Animus to time machine and destroyed a big part in AC Brand. A conversation between Desmond, Lucy and Warren Vidic in the beginning of The Assassin's Creed explained The Animus and how it worked simply and clearly. That game gave The Name of This Brand. People like me saw something different in this game from the others at that year and afteryears we waited new AC Game with a huge expectation and impatience. Many times our expectations didn't become real and we criticized AC for repetitive itself in the missions and had too easy combat system and some parts like these(bugs). That is true. But at least from my side I never thought AC like this new way in Odyssey. A time traveller. Traveled to the past, gave his or her decisions, changed past events, changed who live or die in the past and reshaped the events in the past under parallel universe words and then called this an AC and the time traveller's machine name was ANIMUS. NO, that shouldn't be a suitable sentence for The Brand which I played about 12 years and watched all AC cinematics or cutscenes like a TV series.
Story in Odyssey was weak too. Not impactful and meaningful. I really like all storytellings in AC Brand but this time with choice effect(in my opinion), the story was soo seperated and had weak ends. Similar and predictable. Not many meaningful cutscenes too in my opinion. Flashbacks were good but not have a huge impact and not open huge craters in my mind. For example did we guess that Ezio could forgive Rodrigo Borgia in AC 2 or Ezio could find the apple but with Altair too in the Vault at AC Revelations. Did we guess Haytham was a Templar and Connor who didn't like Templars because of his mom's death, could work with his father at least a few time and tried to understand Templars. Did you have huge suspects that Arno's protector was head of Templars and Bellec could kill the Assassin's Mentor in France? In my opinion many of them were unexpected events and gave many effects in that games and other games too. But after a choice you can also guess what you'll see in the end. And I'm not wrong. After my choices in my Game my protagonist saved all family members, found the name under Ghost of Cosmos when met and talked her in first meeting and more moments like these. How can a predictable story has got strong moments or huge impacts?
With DLC's, Odyssey World was far away from AC Universe. ISU(WCB) things' descriptions, living places and powers turned them gods and destroy another common information about them which we learnt them old AC Games. Can look AC 2's end when Minerva and Ezio conversation's beginning. So first we destroyed Animus Idea and than destroyed ISU(WCB) things perception and want a strong building with these ruins. Odyssey is successful. But it is not AC's success for me. It's Ancient Greece Beauty's success, myth's successs, fantastic powers and RPG elements' success in my opinion. But that things WILL TURN The Brand from AC to other Many Games.
In Animations we'll catch reality more than Odyssey. In face gestures, finishing combats can develop. And we don't see a sword under the ground or dull faces when we talk with NCPs.
3. Odyssey is Great but I'm not a Witcher or Another Brand fan. I'm an AC Fan. I really miss an AC game that not only how it looks like an AC Game but how it likes an AC Game.
Thanks SixKeys for this opportunity.
I'd second this. While we've definitely gotten some CGI/cinematic trailers lately, I'm not sure we've really gotten "the" trailer since Unity.Originally Posted by RVSage Go to original post
It's hard to put into words exactly what I mean, but I think most fans would understand. Stuff like this:
I guess this one was pretty close, but I always liked when a trailer showed a single, awesome potential type of encounter or scene that the game might provide. Those were always such a highlight of pre-release excitement in the community, and I know I still watch several of these sometimes.
This is a really good opportunity to give direct feedback for many aspects of the game thank you very much for this. I will specify my messages for odyssey but will include some things from other games so every developer could take this feedback
-What message would you like to send to WRITERS?
The Story is one of the best aspects from the Games and I enjoyed every singe one from the Titels. Odyssey Story was not bad but in comparison with Origins Story and the Series Lore I had a lot issues with it.
You had taken away one of the strongest points of the series. The written Protagonist. The Eagle Bearer was a good character but its problem is that he had no real personality and fell more like a empty shell who we could give any choices or decision we want. He could be one moment the nicest guy on the world and in other a jerk that doesn´t fit in and I think he could be better if he would be already written like Ezio/Edward or Bayek the are really strong characters and their storys stays in mind of the players because you experience the story with them on a personal way and not on your own.
But my biggest problem with odyssey story was that it barley tries to be an Assassins Creed you promised us that we will learn more about the ISU but expect the endings we get more Questions then Answers about them and a lot of things you try us to explain create plot holes and hurting the lore what was already established (Magical Beasts/ making the ISu Gods/ other Fantasy stuff) As a long time fan I need to buy the Season Pass because LotB and FoA had more AC Lore in it then the entire main game.
For the Main Game Story i think it was sad that it doesn't take it self serious and feel sometimes like a parody. A lot of other things feel more that the wasn't thoughtful written many people we meet on our Odyssey lacked on character and personality the feel so replaceable. Specifically the Cultists all of them had so interesting and cool descriptions but we hear no single sentence or dialogue from them or even the sages. Why did remove the White room confessions? They could have helped you to give them personality and where a stand out point of AC from many other games.
An other stand out point from AC is the Modern Day and I like it that you try to make it more interesting in Odyssey but made it optional and move majors events from it to the DLC is a very bad solution. Many fans have criticized it because it feels and play like it have not enough attention and that the story goes to nowhere. Please look back to the Desmond Saga and give us a Modern Day Protagonist where we could connect like our game protagonists this part of the story as so many potential please us it.
And that bring me to my last point, Dear writers please work together! Create together the Story and the Lore of the games talk with each other how the modern day will move forward. The last entries feel like the where written by totally different writers and I think this is the case. The Desmond Saga was so well received because it has a read thread all of these games where connected and the people wo made them know where the story was going. I know the AC Universe has been big with 11 main entries and a lot of Lore but you could have a Lore Master or talk and take help form the mentors guild. Take this possobility and help each other the AC Story should seen as big whole instead of separate entries.
-What message would you like to send to ART DEPARTMENT (concept art, character design, skins etc.)?
The Art of AC is perfect I had many Artbooks, Drawings, Posters and Wallpapers from the Series and every new entry is a beauty for my eyes. You guys do a very good job and show as that Videogames are ART
-What message would you like to send to ANIMATORS?
The Game itself has some pretty animations but is a backstep from origins.
Because Origins was go to an level where you have real cinematic experience and a feeling like you where in a movie the cutscenes where out of the world incredible!
But Odyssey has less more of that and goes more into dialogs but most of them where very bad animated. A lot of Gesture and Facial expressions feel copy and pasted and after reading the subtitles I skipped most of them because the where to often the same, two people standing at each other talking and move their hands...
If I look at other games like God of War or the Last of Us here you could really feel with the character because the feel alive with their animations and where unique and far ahead from AC.I think you had the oppurtinity to made something like that and I hope future games will evolve in that.
-What message would you like to send to LEVEL / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN?
The Design of the World is very beautiful but AC has never disappoint in that. But Odyssey shows me that your design goes in a very dangerous direction. Because its world is to big. Every AC game try's to make their world bigger then its predecessor but Odyssey is on a point where I think that it hurt the level and environment design.
I like the world but after a time a lot of locations feeling like the same. A lot of Camps, Caves, Tombs etc. feel like the where copy and pasted just to fill the game. I would like a smaller map where locations feel unique and special because nothing hurts the exploring more then the feeling that you will discover something that you have seen so many times before.
-What message would you like to send to GAMEPLAY DESIGN?
I liked it how Origins introduce us RPG Elements and mixed them with the AC Gameplay, but Odyssey goes to far with it.
Choices should never be in an AC hurt the Lore and made the Story worse the didn't expand the gameplay because the just change if someone die or if we fight or not we need more variety in gameplay and not choices who no one asked for.
The Level System has evolved to a endless grind to many missions had very high level requirements and hold you back to explore the world because you are forced to grind that really hurt the AC experience.
Missions Design also got worse because it doesnt change. Most of the missions where like go there kill X, or find Y, follow someone and get attacked at your way; this schema goes trougout the entire game and most of the missions doesnt feel different or unique, If I think back what some missions previous titles have like: The Da Vinci Missions, Tombs with Climbing puzzles, Black Box Missions, Kidnapping missions it give so many more and its a shame that Odyssey uses the same schema again and again, and changes nothing about that. Look back what unique missions the previous titles have and take the best of them out and include in future games to give them variety
Other Important Gameplay features like Stealth and Climbing also doesnt evolved and feel neglect. That pretty sad because the are one of the important features of the Series and why AC is so special.
I know that a big focus of AC is on the RPG way know but please keep in mind that the AC gamepaly and the roots of the series are the reason why this series is so special and unique than any other games.I would really recommend to you to look at the core pillars of the series it should keep what makes it special and should not going in a direction where it be like many other games on the market.
-What message would you like to send to SOUND DESIGN?
The Music in Assassins Creed is very great and I like it to hear every soundtrack from a new game you guys did a big part to give AC its great atmosphere.
But I have one request for you, please bring back ambient music that plays the entire time in towns or during missions its very sad to hear your great tracks not so often in the game even when the music options on high. Your good music deserves it to play so longand please release EVERY Song in a Soundtrack because sometimes some tracks that playing during restriction zones, missions or are some variance of a theme weren't include in the Soundtrack and it would nice to hear them.
-What message would you like to send to TRANS-MEDIA TEAM?
You guys did a good job to expand the AC Universe very good sometimes I would like to see some of your storys in a game like the Books Forsaken or Unity because the were good written.
I dont know it is your fault but I please don't end Storylines that where build up in games in your Transmedia because that destroys a lot what games have build up and not every fans a so much into the comics or books.
-What message would you like to send to ACCESSIBILITY / UI DESIGN? (menus, icons, controls etc.)
The Menus are always very good and Cleary designed its very fine to play AC because the controls and everything about them is so well handled. Keep up that good work.
-What message would you like to send to POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT?
The post launch of Odyssey was a nice addition but lacks in therms of gameplay like the things I mention for the gameplay team. Its nice that you support the game a long time after release but please dont Start to keep back things or cut them from the games just to have something after release like other studios do.
-What message would you like to send to MARKETING?
Marketing of AC was always great but what I miss about Odyssey was a CGI Trailer like the previous games had that was something that made the anticipation much bigger![]()
-What message would you like to send to WRITERS?
Keep up the good work. Odyssey has a very good script and a lot of surprises. I 'd like to see some more plot twists and please focus more on the ancient times. Don't just go back to the Middle Ages! Only two games are related to antiquity, so far. This is not enough to cover the ancient period.
-What message would you like to send to ART DEPARTMENT (concept art, character design, skins etc.)?
Although I am quite happy with the looks of the characters and the landscape of Odyssey, Origins etc., I think that a larger map would be a positive step.
-What message would you like to send to ANIMATORS?
I would like to see less movement of the character when he or she stands still (not walking). Naturally, a person who stands tall, does not move his/her head or arms, as much as we see in Odyssey and Origins.
-What message would you like to send to LEVEL / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN?
I think that night time should change the population density of the crowded cities as most people sleep. Too many NPCs are walking around during night time!
-What message would you like to send to GAMEPLAY DESIGN?
It is important to avoid at least one thing: Unspent ability points and ancient tablets cannot be used at all! Unlike resources like wood, iron, leather etc. which can always be used in the game, XP points (AP) and ancient tablets are piling up because the example of Origins was not followed by Odyssey devs. We should be able to spend those resources to better our stats.
-What message would you like to send to SOUND DESIGN?
Sound quality was really good. I would like to have more sounds added to the game, however. Tree foliage for example does not produce any sound, while it should. The soundtrack was pretty good though.
-What message would you like to send to TRANS-MEDIA TEAM?
Overall, I think that the trans-media team did a very good job, indeed. There is still room for improvement though and I speak as a pro who works in the media industry. For example, some of the audio clips that made Origins charming, were not really there to create a mysterious atmosphere in Odyssey. The world of Hades and Elysium had a better combination of music and visuals (landscape) than Greece. Story telling was adequate but some music clips did not match the scenes in the best way possible.
-What message would you like to send to ACCESSIBILITY / UI DESIGN? (menus, icons, controls etc.)
Menus were better than in previous AC games. The lack of Animus Control Panel is a big mistake though. The icons were for the most part satisfactory to me. The controls were also better than in all earlier AC titles. So, the improvement is obvious in that department.
-What message would you like to send to POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT?
For the most part, I am satisfied. Fixing bugs took too long in a few cases though. I disliked the speed limit imposed on horses that move in or around cities and towns. This was a mistake.
-What message would you like to send to MARKETING?
I would like to see Discovery Tour marketed more, in relation to educational institutions like schools, colleges etc. Even governmental ministries of culture should be interested in it. Regarding the main game, the trailer was much better than that for Origins.
Brotherhood's trailer was more intense than Revelations'....Originally Posted by RVSage Go to original post
Absolutely!Originally Posted by RVSage Go to original post
You've got good taste- it's my favorite, too!![]()
I don't often reply to these threads myself, but I'd like to throw in my 2 cents:
What message would you like to send to WRITERS?
I know many of the current writers are probably working on a commission basis and maybe don't have enough time to delve deep into the series lore for a single gig. I sympathize, but this is really bad for a 12-year-old franchise which spent so much time early on with world-building and insists on presenting fans with a coherent universe that is worth investing their time and dedication.
We need a proper lore master.
We need a person(s) who can pinpoint major plotholes early on in the writing process because they know the lore inside out. The Isu in Odyssey, for example, felt much closer to actual, mythological Greek gods than their early appearances in the series. The explanations given for being able to choose our gender or experiencing alternate endings are flimsy. I don't have anything against the RPG style in principle, I just believe it needs to be handled in a way that is logical, internally consistent and respectful of the existing lore.
What message would you like to send to ART DEPARTMENT (concept art, character design, skins etc.)?
I'm not a fan of the more outrageous skins, but I know a lot of players are. I prefer cosmetics that allow me to lived out the social stealth fantasy, or outfits that are tied to the lore. Absolutely loved the gold/white Isu outfit from Episode 1 of the Atlantis DLC, for example. Please, give us more outfits that are subtle, yet not just simple color swaps (like many of Origins' skins were).
The world design remains gorgeous as ever in these games. Character designs for main characters are fine, but villains/side characters in Odyssey all looked like the same recycled NPCs over and over again. Would like to see more memorable supporting characters.
What message would you like to send to ANIMATORS?
One of the biggest reasons that attracted me to this series many years ago was the exceptionally beautiful, realistic animation. It contributed so much to the immersive world. I'm sorry to say that both Origins and Odyssey were disappointing in this aspect. Origins' story cut scenes were fine while side missions were...tolerable. Combat animations were unrealistically quick and choppy.
Odyssey was even worse in all aspects. The action looks cartoony, in no way immersive. Dialogue scenes consist of a bunch of recycled poses and expressions that often don't fit the characters who are speaking. There is only a single memorable cinematic cut scene in Odyssey and that is the introduction of Brasidas, because the characters are actually expressive and dynamic.
I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but this is one of my biggest complaints about the recent games and something that needs major improvement.
What message would you like to send to LEVEL / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN?
The worlds in these games remain beautiful, one need only to fire up Photo Mode to point that out. Origins especially was one of the most beautiful games Ubi has ever created, with so much color, detail and atmosphere.
Odyssey seemed to lack the same level of detail, down to copy-pasting the exact same caves and camps hundreds of times, without so much as mirroring them or changing enemy placement. Literally the exact same cave with the exact same enemies, exact same pots and even the exact same glitched, unreachable resources.
This comes down to the fact that these games keep getting bigger and bigger, and it's not a positive trend. I would rather have a smaller, lovingly crafted world than thousands of copy-pasted locations.
The artistry in these worlds is still gorgeous, but please, I beg of you: quality over quantity.
What message would you like to send to GAMEPLAY DESIGN?
Bring back social stealth.
Like, there is so much more, but if I could just say one thing.....social stealth. Please. I need it.
What message would you like to send to SOUND DESIGN?
Psst.....Bring back Jesper Kyd. That is all.
What message would you like to send to TRANS-MEDIA TEAM?
Again, designated lore master. We need one. Shifting important lore like the conclusion of Juno's arc into the comics and novels was a terrible idea. The best trans-media project we ever had was AC Initiates (in its alpha form). A website where fans could easily look up facts and information, solve puzzles as a community and keep up with Modern Day developments.
The comics and novels are a poor replacement. They are confusing and hard to get a hold of internationally. They're riddled with contradictions and seem to be where major plot ideas go to die, never to be heard from again.Spoiler: Show
What message would you like to send to ACCESSIBILITY / UI DESIGN? (menus, icons, controls etc.)
It's a shame Odyssey did not include Animus Control Panel which allows players to control many aspects of the game, like Origins did. Would love to see it back in the next game.
With that said, Odyssey had some nice accessibility support like being able to add dark background to subtitles and controlling text size. Kudos for that. Can't recall if there was support for button remapping or colorblind options but those are always good to have.
Odyssey did great with the ability to have different build slots and best of all, transmog system! I prefer choosing my outfit based on aesthetics, so it's great being able to wear whatever looks good regardless of stats.
What message would you like to send to POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT?
Odyssey's post-launch support was outstanding. So much free content, frequent patches and new features. Also dozens of little quality-of-life improvements. I only wish Origins had been supported this way. Please keep this up in the future.
What message would you like to send to MARKETING?
One of Odyssey's most remarkable new features was being able to choose your gender, but you wouldn't have been able to tell from the way the game was marketed. Kass was almost entirely ignored, especially pre-launch. It was always Alexios who was shown in trailers, merchandise and public demos. Is it any wonder most players ended up playing as Alexios when marketing basically ignored Kassandra's existence? It's even more absurd considering Kassandra is supposedly the canon protagonist.
Another thing I was disappointed with was the lack of a memorable CG trailer for Odyssey. Gameplay trailers are important, of course, but AC series has an exceptional track record with creating memorable cinematic trailers. Please bring them back for future games.