Definitive version of Assassins' Creed now available

[Smooth Groove]

Glad I waited for the PC version.  Who else is picking this up? 


From IGN Review: http://pc.ign.com/articles/865/865083p3.html

Beyond that problem, with the console version I found that after repeating this process for each and every target, things got boring, plain and simple. You're forced to repeat the same kind of tasks, employ the same gameplay techniques, and for the same ultimate result for the entirety of the game, something Ubisoft apparently recognized and took steps to correct with the PC version. For the Director's Cut edition, four new types of missions have been added. While they certainly alleviate some of the ennui brought on by the console version's side-quests, the additional content doesn't solve the larger problem of those tasks having little impact on the overall game experience.

That being said, the PC-specific side-quests are definitely the most entertaining. There are stealth archer assassination quests, where you need to take out a number of archers posted on rooftops without being seen, a timed rooftop race sequence, and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC. The chaotic merchant stand destruction missions were the best, requiring you to toss guards into targeted vendor structures while battling hordes of enemies. They're better because they actually require you to do something challenging, making use of Altair's fighting skills and insane athletic ability to a larger extent than, say, sitting on a bench or reaching into someone's pocket.

As far as control goes, you can choose to play Assassin's Creed with a gamepad, but I found the mouse and keyboard to be the better option. Using the mouse buttons and WASD keys gave me more precise control, I felt, of Altair's movement as I attempted to find the best route to the tops of structures or weave my way through streets choked with innocent bystander NPCs.

The graphics, if you've looked at any of the videos for the game, are fantastic, though the requirements are fairly high. We tried the game on an older XP rig for preview and found it still ran at an acceptable framerate with some of the graphics options turned down, so it is actually playable on outdated systems. If you've got the hardware to properly power the game on max settings, you'll be treated to a gorgeous title, mixing amazing animations with strikingly realistic urban landscapes, something that adds to the allure of climbing all over everything. And whether your pounding through the countryside on horseback or slashing at enemies in battle, you'll be treated to some

[Joe Molotov]

Meh, those added missions don't sound that hot. Although all the regular missions pretty much suck.

[CurseoftheGods]

Glad I waited for the PC version.  Who else is picking this up? 


From IGN Review: http://pc.ign.com/articles/865/865083p3.html

Beyond that problem, with the console version I found that after repeating this process for each and every target, things got boring, plain and simple. You're forced to repeat the same kind of tasks, employ the same gameplay techniques, and for the same ultimate result for the entirety of the game, something Ubisoft apparently recognized and took steps to correct with the PC version. For the Director's Cut edition, four new types of missions have been added. While they certainly alleviate some of the ennui brought on by the console version's side-quests, the additional content doesn't solve the larger problem of those tasks having little impact on the overall game experience.

That being said, the PC-specific side-quests are definitely the most entertaining. There are stealth archer assassination quests, where you need to take out a number of archers posted on rooftops without being seen, a timed rooftop race sequence, and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC. The chaotic merchant stand destruction missions were the best, requiring you to toss guards into targeted vendor structures while battling hordes of enemies. They're better because they actually require you to do something challenging, making use of Altair's fighting skills and insane athletic ability to a larger extent than, say, sitting on a bench or reaching into someone's pocket.

As far as control goes, you can choose to play Assassin's Creed with a gamepad, but I found the mouse and keyboard to be the better option. Using the mouse buttons and WASD keys gave me more precise control, I felt, of Altair's movement as I attempted to find the best route to the tops of structures or weave my way through streets choked with innocent bystander NPCs.

The graphics, if you've looked at any of the videos for the game, are fantastic, though the requirements are fairly high. We tried the game on an older XP rig for preview and found it still ran at an acceptable framerate with some of the graphics options turned down, so it is actually playable on outdated systems. If you've got the hardware to properly power the game on max settings, you'll be treated to a gorgeous title, mixing amazing animations with strikingly realistic urban landscapes, something that adds to the allure of climbing all over everything. And whether your pounding through the countryside on horseback or slashing at enemies in battle, you'll be treated to some

That was fun.

[Vizzys]

an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC

have fun

[TVC15]

a timed rooftop race sequence, and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC

UGH.  If they think that's the sort of thing that will improve the game, I've just grown a bit of concern about AC2.

[Smooth Groove]

That was fun.

I've got the hardware so that's no problem for me.  

a timed rooftop race sequence, and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC

UGH.  If they think that's the sort of thing that will improve the game, I've just grown a bit of concern about AC2.

Just get it so you can take some caps at greater than 1080P.  Also, AC seems to benefit from KB+M, much like Splinter Cell or GTA. 

[TVC15]

What kind of hardware recs are we talking?  I am assuming I am fine?

[disgruntled_jojo]

How do you control the speed of your movement using the keyboard?  Moving fast vs. slow (to avoid attention) is very important in the console version.

[Smooth Groove]

What kind of hardware recs are we talking?  I am assuming I am fine?

I think so. Also, game is possibly faster in DX10/Vista.  Wasn't the 360 version running at only 30fps?  Your PC should be able to deliver the same performance but with higher quality visuals. 

So we dusted the cobwebs off our old gaming rig that for whatever reason hadn't been dumped into a trash compactor and lo and behold, the game installed properly. At the tail end of the installation process a hardware compatibility check popped up, and to our dismay our processor did not meet the minimum requirements. In the rig we had a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 512 MB Radeon X1900, and 2 GB of RAM and the game still ran, though with a less than ideal framerate. The compatibility check identified the problem was our processor, the game's minimum requirements for which are a 2.6 GHz Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+.

On this older rig we tried to crank up the visuals, but wound up getting generally under 10 frames per second in populated areas. To keep things running at a decent clip, we turned down most of the settings, though we left the game in 1920 x 1200 resolution, and wound up with a very playable experience. Of course it's nothing a graphics maniac is going to be able to stand, but the game could still be enjoyed.



IGN: We've heard it runs better in DX10 than DX9, is that true?

Charles Beauchemin: The DX10 version of the game runs faster than its DX9 counterpart on Vista. However, currently, the performance of the DX9 version on XP is close to the DX10 version on Vista, depending on the graphic card you are using.

DX10 uses a lighter API, which makes the application use less calls to perform similar actions.

IGN: What are the actual minimum and recommended system specs for the game?

Supported OS: Windows® XP/Windows Vista® (only)
Processor: Dual core processor 2.6 GHz Intel® Pentium® D or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 3800+ (Intel Core® 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or better recommended)
RAM: 1 GB Windows Xp / 2 GB Windows Vista
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX® 10.0–compliant video card or DirectX 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher (see supported list)*
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0 or 10.0–compliant sound card (5.1 sound card recommended)
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0 or10.0 libraries (included on disc)
DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Hard Drive Space : 8 GB
Peripherals Supported: Keyboard, mouse, optional controller (Xbox 360® Controller for Windows recommended)

Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
ATI® RADEON® X1600*/1650*-1950/HD 2000/3000 series
NVIDIA GeForce® 6800*/7[/i]/8/9 series
*PCI Express only supported

[Smooth Groove]

How do you control the speed of your movement using the keyboard?  Moving fast vs. slow (to avoid attention) is very important in the console version.

I'm guessing it'll be like Splinter Cell which lets you control the speed with your scroll wheel.  It's actually very precise.  Many people claimed that it made Splinter Cell much easier on the PC. 

[TVC15]

I'll nab it tomorrow

[Smooth Groove]

TVC, I just found these benchmarks on some Asian site.  Looks like it'll be very playable at 1920x1200 on your PC. 

Looks like it'll be a couple of patches/driver releases before it's truly optimized for SLI though. 

http://lly316.blogspot.com/2008/04/geforce-9800gtx-review-assassins-creed.html

[TVC15]

Jesus, ATI makes such shit hardware now.

[Fragamemnon]

I'll be picking this up this weekend. It was REALLY hard not break down and slum the console ghetto last year because I adore the game's visual design choices, but I'm glad I did as the PC proves once again that it can don the hat of a 360 Ultimate Edition when it needs to.

Also, the UI revamp that Bioware is doing for ME looks sooo much better than the console garbage, it's like night and day better.

[Joe Molotov]

Jesus, ATI makes such shit hardware now.

Their hardware now matches their driver support. After owning a 8500 and a 9800 and all the problems they gave me, I'm glad Nvidia is kicking their ass.

[Smooth Groove]

I'll be picking this up this weekend. It was REALLY hard not break down and slum the console ghetto last year because I adore the game's visual design choices, but I'm glad I did as the PC proves once again that it can don the hat of a 360 Ultimate Edition when it needs to.

Also, the UI revamp that Bioware is doing for ME looks sooo much better than the console garbage, it's like night and day better.

PC is basically the only platform that can deliver next-gen graphics at greater than 30fps, and at more than 720p. 

Too bad, there's so much garbage in the media about how the "power" of next-gen consoles make gaming PCs redundant. 

Jesus, ATI makes such shit hardware now.

Their hardware now matches their driver support. After owning a 8500 and a 9800 and all the problems they gave me, I'm glad Nvidia is kicking their ass.

You had problems with the 9800?  The 9700/9800 series are considered some of the best cards of all time. 

ATI's last good product was the X1900XTX.  It's been all downhill since then. 

I don't even pay attention anymore to Inquirer rumours about how ATI's next card will leapfrog the competition.  We've been hearing that for almost 2 years. 

[MCD]

Also, the UI revamp that Bioware is doing for ME looks sooo much better than the console garbage, it's like night and day better.

if anyone interested:

[Joe Molotov]

You had problems with the 9800?  The 9700/9800 series are considered some of the best cards of all time. 

I guess the 9800 didn't give me that much trouble (although the first one that I bought did literally catch on fire the first time I booted it up). The 8500 was awful though, you had to update drivers like every other week just to be able to play new games without missing textures, screwed-up lighting, and crashes, and sometimes even the new drivers didn't help. I never was able to play Aliens vs. Predator 2 properly because every dark area would have little white pixels all over the place. Interestingly enough, I had the same problem with the 9800 on Half-Life 2 when I tried to turn on HDR lighting.

[Smooth Groove]

I forgot to mention another reason why we should support the PC version of Assassin's creed.  

Borys sacrificed 2 months of GAF access for it.  Buy it so that his sacrifice wasn't in vain.  

You had problems with the 9800?  The 9700/9800 series are considered some of the best cards of all time. 

I guess the 9800 didn't give me that much trouble (although the first one that I bought did literally catch on fire the first time I booted it up). The 8500 was awful though, you had to update drivers like every other week just to be able to play new games without missing textures, screwed-up lighting, and crashes, and sometimes even the new drivers didn't help. I never was able to play Aliens vs. Predator 2 properly because every dark area would have little white pixels all over the place. Interestingly enough, I had the same problem with the 9800 on Half-Life 2 when I tried to turn on HDR lighting.

I think I had the 8500 for 2-3 months before getting something else.  I got sucked in by all the hype about Tru-form but it was mostly useless. 

The 9800 worked out pretty well for me until the Geforce 6 arrived.  It's anti-aliasing performance and quality were excellent for its time. 

[demi]

100 copies sold tops

[Flannel Boy]

Can a computer with a 6420, 2 gigs, and an 8800 GT get 1650x 1050 at a 30+ FPS at max settings?

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC.

Shitty version confirmed.

[Smooth Groove]

Can a computer with an 6420, 2 gigs, and an 8800 GT get 1650x 1050 at a 30+ FPS at max settings?

Yes.  Your specs meet their recommended settings for high performance. 

Do you have Vista though?  The devs are saying that DX10 will provide better performance. 

[pilonv1]

escort quest? loul get fucked you distinguished mentally-challenged fellows

[drohne]

i was going to come in and say 'did they actually design some missions this time,' but i guess they really did 

[TVC15]

Sooo, why has this not unlocked yet?

[y2kev]

Even I built a PC when the 9800 series was out! Loved that card...played HL2 and Doom 3 on it.

[TVC15]

Unlocking now.  MY DICK IS ON HARD!!!

[Smooth Groove]

Unlocking now.  MY DICK IS ON HARD!!!

I've been messing around in the 1st cave.  So far, the performance in 1920x1200 is great.  It seems to work well with SLI as I'm getting close to a steady 60fps w/Vsync on.

The game automatically sets everything to max for my PC although I can't adjust the AA/multisampling option for some reason. 

The KB&M controls are a little complicated but I"m going to stick with them for awhile before plugging in a 360 pad. 

[TVC15]

Same here on the AA/multisampling.  Also, the game looks much better in motion than it does in FRAPS screens. 

The controls are working well for me, but I can already tell that this is a controller game.  The combat won't be very fun without analog control to make the targeting ultra precise.

[Smooth Groove]

Same here on the AA/multisampling.  Also, the game looks much better in motion than it does in FRAPS screens. 

The controls are working well for me, but I can already tell that this is a controller game.  The combat won't be very fun without analog control to make the targeting ultra precise.

How are the more heavily populated areas running for you?  Some dude claimed that a quad-core performs better than a faster clocked dual-core in this game. 

The framerate dips a little in those areas for me but still it's rarely below 40.  So far, the game's running much better than I expected.  Looks like only PCs are truly capable of next-gen gaming. 

I agree that the game looks much better in motion but here's a quick cap to show how clear the details look in greater than 1080P:

[TVC15]

Popped areas hitch a little at the beginning, but afterwards are fine.

[Smooth Groove]

Are you running at DX10?  I am, right now.  I'm going to try DX9 later on to see if DX10 really is faster. 

[TVC15]

How do you pick which version to run?

[Smooth Groove]

I think by default it's automatic.  If you're in Vista, then it's DX10. 

There're also 2 different launch files in the game folder, one for each DX. 

[TVC15]

They appear to run just about identically.  And they look just about identical, too. 

[Smooth Groove]

I just tried DX9.  Like you said, it seems to run about the same.  Just like the DX10 mode, it won't let me force anti-aliasing to be turned on. 

I tried the menu and the driver control panel.  Hopefully there'll be an usermod soon that at least let me turn on 2X AA. 

[TVC15]

If you scroll through the resolutions/refresh rates, some of them allow you to play with the grayed out multisample box.  I refuse to play at anything other than 1920x1200, so I am out of luck.

[Fragamemnon]

Weird that the game would prevent you from changing AA/multisampling rates. Hopefully someone will mod that out or they'll patch it.

[Smooth Groove]

I tried to trick it by maxing out AA at 1680x1050 and then flipping it back to 1920x1200, but that didn't work either.

It's a shame because AA is quite beneficial in this game.  Everything looked so much smoother when AA is turned on. 

I'm almost tempted to play it in 1680x1050 with 1:1 scaling. 

[TVC15]

I also wish there was a UI scale option.  The various bits of the UI are too fuckin big at 1920x1200.

[Smooth Groove]

I also wish there was a UI scale option.  The various bits of the UI are too fuckin big at 1920x1200.

Like what?  Big UI at 1920x1200 is better than small UI. 

Many older games have tiny UI and text at 1920x1200 because they never expected the game to be played at such a high resolution. 

[Bildi]

By UI, do you guys mean the HUD?

You could try playing without it altogether.  I played the game with all HUD elements off and it worked really well.  I used my shadow as a compass a lot.

[MCD]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HUD_(computer_gaming)

in short, yes.

[Bildi]

I'm just not familiar with calling it a UI - I wasn't sure if they were talking about menu areas or something.

[Smooth Groove]

Damn, it's so fun just to run and jump around in AC.  The haters are crazy.

TVC, how does AC run & look on your PC compared to the 360 version? 

[MrAngryFace]

AC is awesome. GTA games are just as repetitive

[Bildi]

Damn, it's so fun just to run and jump around in AC.  The haters are crazy.

Damn straight.

[pilonv1]

Damn, it's so fun just to run and jump around in AC.  The haters are crazy 

That bit is great fun. The actual missions are not.

[Smooth Groove]

Damascus is amazing.  I haven't played long enough yet to be annoyed by the game's supposed lack of creativity in mission design. 

How many cities are there in the game?  I think this is the perfect game for me to run around for 1-2 hrs a few times per month. 

[CajoleJuice]

I never really got sick of the game. It was awesome for me throughout. There are 3 cities. 4 if you include the starter city.

[demi]

I finished Army of Two, I think I will play this next... I only did the tutorial and quit

[demi]

Kane and Lynch is better

[Mupepe]

demi, AC is incredible.  Play it next.

My GOTY 2007.  Never got bored of it.  I let a friend borrow it after I got satisfied with my achievements.  But when he brings it back, I'm getting all those fucking flags

[Eric P]

wait so is the game horrible or is it fun?

[Smooth Groove]

So I also tried the game in XP yesterday and performance is definitely higher in XP than it is in Vista with either DX9 or DX10. 

In XP, it runs at a constant 60fps in 1920x1200 with everything maxed out.  In Vista with the same settings, it dips much more often to 30-35 fps. 

Weird why Ubi would lie about the game running smoother in DX10 since more people have XP anyway.

Btw, someone figured out a fix for turning on anti-aliasing in the resolutions that won't allow it:

I figured out how to enable AA if the option is grayed out for you. Mine was grayed out at 1920x1200 and this is how I enabled it. You need to go to this folder.

For Vista it's:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Ubisoft\Assassin 's Creed

And for XP it would be:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Ubisoft\Assassin's Creed

Open Assassin.ini in that folder with notepad.

Look for the line Multisampling=0

Change it to 1 for Multisampling 2/3 or change it to 2 for Multisampling 3/3. Save the file when you are done. This worked for me and got rid of those nasty jaggies.

wait so is the game horrible or is it fun?

It might not be a masterpiece but it's definitely not horrible. 

Reviewers that gave it sub 6 scores such as the EGM crew are just butthurt nerdlingers who got offended by Ubi's marketing tactics. 

I finished Army of Two, I think I will play this next... I only did the tutorial and quit

The PC version has more content but I guess you'd care more about achievements. 

[demi]

Has more crappy content that is not relevant to the story - escort missions FTL

[Smooth Groove]

The IGN review did mention some other new missions that are more fun than the original ones.

I'm not sure if that's true since I never played the 360 version. 

That being said, the PC-specific side-quests are definitely the most entertaining. There are stealth archer assassination quests, where you need to take out a number of archers posted on rooftops without being seen, a timed rooftop race sequence, and an escort quest where you periodically fend off attackers while protecting an NPC. The chaotic merchant stand destruction missions were the best, requiring you to toss guards into targeted vendor structures while battling hordes of enemies. They're better because they actually require you to do something challenging, making use of Altair's fighting skills and insane athletic ability to a larger extent than, say, sitting on a bench or reaching into someone's pocket.

[demi]

big ol snore

[AdmiralViscen]

Don't waste your time on the story demi.