Ubisoft, please remove the feathers from hoods in Unity | Forums

[SixKeys]

Much less common than a century earlier, and the feathers that were worn in the 1790s were small, and worn on hats, not hoods (unless you were a character in a play). But what's really anachronistic for a guy in the 1790s is the hood. It makes Arno look positively effeminate. It gives "Arno the gay blade" a whole different meaning.

Effeminate looking men in 1700's Paris? Why I never!

[D.I.D.]

Effeminate looking men in 1700's Paris? Why I never!

That's the one!

I've seen so many people pulling their historical knowledge out of the air over the colour choices in Unity without considering how specific they are. That pistachio turquoise is not some random choice, and the powerful mustard yellows are not anachronistic. In fact, it was the comparatively soft colours which were the ones for the young men - the older, respectable types were more likely to be seen in that blazing mustard shade. Fashion magazines were avidly consumed by the French population, and kept the people on trend.

Colours had significance. These greens, yellows and purples were popular among the rich, and came to be thought of as royalist styles. Oddly enough, black was an especially royalist colour, and one that became particularly hated. Once the divisions took hold, the bright coloured silks might get you some suspicion but black would earn you outright hostility. The cloths themselves had their own meanings, silks being special not only for their look and texture but also for their appeal as a status symbol - despite being mostly made in Lyon, silks retained an image of being connected with China. After the revolution, silks and velvet were banned for a while in favour of the "patriotism" of French wool. The truth didn't matter that much; the aristocracy had worn it, and therefore it had to be stamped out, and the authorities used such a heavy sanction because these things were so popular.

So, we think our assassin is silly in anything but black, and should be black to remain unseen, but not in this particular setting. Here, black would be conspicuous and even dangerous to wear. Bright turquoise might be your best bet for blending in.

[SixKeys]

That's the one!

I've seen so many people pulling their historical knowledge out of the air over the colour choices in Unity without considering how specific they are. That pistachio turquoise is not some random choice, and the powerful mustard yellows are not anachronistic. In fact, it was the comparatively soft colours which were the ones for the young men - the older, respectable types were more likely to be seen in that blazing mustard shade. Fashion magazines were avidly consumed by the French population, and kept the people on trend.

Colours had significance. These greens, yellows and purples were popular among the rich, and came to be thought of as royalist styles. Oddly enough, black was an especially royalist colour, and one that became particularly hated. Once the divisions took hold, the bright coloured silks might get you some suspicion but black would earn you outright hostility. The cloths themselves had their own meanings, silks being special not only for their look and texture but also for their appeal as a status symbol - despite being mostly made in Lyon, silks retained an image of being connected with China. After the revolution, silks and velvet were banned for a while in favour of the "patriotism" of French wool. The truth didn't matter that much; the aristocracy had worn it, and therefore it had to be stamped out, and the authorities used such a heavy sanction because these things were so popular.

So, we think our assassin is silly in anything but black, and should be black to remain unseen, but not in this particular setting. Here, black would be conspicuous and even dangerous to wear. Bright turquoise might be your best bet for blending in.

Interesting. I worked hard to get that black dye but now I feel less inclined to use it. What would you say would be considered really inconspicuous colors (not associated with any particular class or faction)? I like picking my outfits with roleplay in mind.

Edit: I can't wait for the collective dudebro headsplosion when Victory comes out. Pink was considered a masculine color in Victorian times.

[Shahkulu101]

I feel guilty wearing the classic Assassin white and red colour scheme because white was seen as a pro-royalist colour...

[souNdwAve89]

That's the one!

I've seen so many people pulling their historical knowledge out of the air over the colour choices in Unity without considering how specific they are. That pistachio turquoise is not some random choice, and the powerful mustard yellows are not anachronistic. In fact, it was the comparatively soft colours which were the ones for the young men - the older, respectable types were more likely to be seen in that blazing mustard shade. Fashion magazines were avidly consumed by the French population, and kept the people on trend.

Colours had significance. These greens, yellows and purples were popular among the rich, and came to be thought of as royalist styles. Oddly enough, black was an especially royalist colour, and one that became particularly hated. Once the divisions took hold, the bright coloured silks might get you some suspicion but black would earn you outright hostility. The cloths themselves had their own meanings, silks being special not only for their look and texture but also for their appeal as a status symbol - despite being mostly made in Lyon, silks retained an image of being connected with China. After the revolution, silks and velvet were banned for a while in favour of the "patriotism" of French wool. The truth didn't matter that much; the aristocracy had worn it, and therefore it had to be stamped out, and the authorities used such a heavy sanction because these things were so popular.

So, we think our assassin is silly in anything but black, and should be black to remain unseen, but not in this particular setting. Here, black would be conspicuous and even dangerous to wear. Bright turquoise might be your best bet for blending in.

Funny thing is that the Assassin NPC's that you go to to get a co-op mission wear all black

[SixKeys]

I feel guilty wearing the classic Assassin white and red colour scheme because white was seen as a pro-royalist colour...

Same here. I prefer Beige Ghost anyway, it just looks better. I usually give my Arno greyish, nondescript colors, or green/red because I see a lot of NPCs wear that combination.

[D.I.D.]

That's why I was suggesting the pistachio, really. Unity is mostly set before these taboos hit, and until then being fashionable gave you the most social range. You might be mistaken for an aristocrat, but purely by numbers it would be far more likely that you were a middle-class social climber: the sort of person who could find their place at a gambling den, a coffee house, the theatre, or a society ball (up to a certain point). The safest clothing on the streets would be the Sans-Cullottes choices, but then there's no way you'd blend in at those opulent parties.

For Victory, we might not see adult men in pink all that much, but it was certainly seen as the masculine choice to put a male child in a nice pink dress (red being the colour of adult men, and pink as its analogue for the very young). The big colour of the Victorian era is mauve, which we consider to be a rather basic colour today, but most of us don't realise that mauve had to be invented. It's the product of advances in chemistry during the era, and William Henry Perkin's chemical mauvine provided a colour-fast and light-stable dye to make it happen.

Funny thing is that the Assassin NPC's that you go to to get a co-op mission wear all black

That's why they hide indoors and under bridges like common trolls. Poor guys are terrified, and they have no idea why every hates them so much :'(

[SixKeys]

That's why I was suggesting the pistachio, really. Unity is mostly set before these taboos hit, and until then being fashionable gave you the most social range. You might be mistaken for an aristocrat, but purely by numbers it would be far more likely that you were a middle-class social climber: the sort of person who could find their place at a gambling den, a coffee house, the theatre, or a society ball (up to a certain point). The safest clothing on the streets would be the Sans-Cullottes choices, but then there's no way you'd blend in at those opulent parties.

I kinda wish Unity's customization was tied more to mission types or even districts. It's a bit weird that Sans Cullottes clothes are always marked as highly stealthy, even when there are many situations where they would plainly draw attention to the assassin, like at an upper class party. It would make more sense for outfits to be tied to restricted area effect: if the mission takes place in a palace, the clothes you wear within the restricted area would gain or lose some of their advantages. If the mission takes place in a run-down part of the city, the restricted area would give advantages to shaggy clothes and diminish the advantages of upper-class clothes.

[D.I.D.]

I kinda wish Unity's customization was tied more to mission types or even districts. It's a bit weird that Sans Cullottes clothes are always marked as highly stealthy, even when there are many situations where they would plainly draw attention to the assassin, like at an upper class party. It would make more sense for outfits to be tied to restricted area effect: if the mission takes place in a palace, the clothes you wear within the restricted area would gain or lose some of their advantages. If the mission takes place in a run-down part of the city, the restricted area would give advantages to shaggy clothes and diminish the advantages of upper-class clothes.

Yes, those are good ideas. Maybe they considered those things, but decided that players would find the specifics of matching clothes to situations confusing or irritating, after the way some poeple reacted to Liberation's hard restrictions with clothes, but your idea of losing certain stats advantages is a great one.

Perhaps we'll see that in Victory, where more people will instinctively know which clothes are correct for each circumstance.