Assassin's Creed Mirage

[PZ]

I broke down and purchased Mirage the other day, and have mixed feelings about the game. To put it into perspective from my point of view, it feels a bit like the original AC both in play and in map size. The map is no bigger than one of the addons for Valhalla and is mostly in the city (so far). I was in a mission yesterday to w0#k my way through a prison, and it too felt like the old original with many levels to the building (all of which had many twists and turns, and were visually about the same as each other). I spent probably a half an hour going through everything several times when I finally discovered that to get to the lower level I need to jump up to a small opening in the wall which led to another set of stairs leading down. I can't say that mission was much fun at all.

Being able to climb walls, cliffs, etc., seems to be limited as well. For instance in the prison enclosure, other than going through the main gate which was over-manned by enemies, there was only a single spot you could climb up. I don't like that much because the wall looks the same everywhere, but only specific small areas are climb-able.

The game does take you back to the original in which stealth is the main method to success. I kind of like the focus on stealth, but it gets kind of boring to do exactly the same thing time after time without gaining much in the way of equipment, poison, or fire. However, I'm still in the initial parts of the game, but so far I am not entirely impressed, especially by how small the map is. The graphics don't seem to be any better than Valhalla so that is a disappointment as well.

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah overly complicated or hidden ways to progress aren't much fun. And not getting a reward at the end makes it even less fun. Hopefully the game improves a bit and becomes a bit more enjoyable for you.

[PZ]

Thanks D_B. I hope so. So far it does not even remotely compare to Valhalla (except the graphics) mostly because the map is so small, and some of the game mechanics seem to have regressed to the earlier games. In the past I have enjoyed the new releases because they did away with the mechanics that were in place simply for the older hardware. Now some of those things have returned, maybe improved a bit, but so far not much fun (pickpocketing for example, which quickly becomes old)

[Dweller_Benthos]

Odd choices for a game design really, sounds like they took an old build of something and just put it in the new game engine. Which has happened before but those are usually marketed as reboots.

[PZ]

I think you might be correct; I thought much the same when I encountered the same kinds of mechanics I disliked in prior games (I forget lots, but not what I really like, and what I really dislike  )

As an example, I dislike gaining notoriety when I do anything including assassinations (which should be invisible to everyone). In order to decrease the notoriety you either need to bribe a guy or tear down posters in Baghdad, both of which are needless busy w0#k that you need to complete to continue incognito.

[PZ]

Little bit of an update on a positive note: although the notoriety "feature" is in place, tearing down a single poster will eliminate all notoriety. In contrast in prior games, each poster would only reduce notoriety a small amount.

Here is another negative: although I do not know the accuracy of this statement, it has been reported that UBI*bleep* created the small map because gamers were complaining that the Valhalla map was too large. I have read some of those complaints, and they leave me a bit puzzled. Why would UBI*bleep* make a game map smaller because a portion of the gaming population said the map is too large? I do not think UBI*bleep* is being truthful. I think they wanted to get the game out as soon as possible and the easiest way to accomplish that would be to tell the public that "gamers want a smaller map". That would akin to saying "we don't want to make a smaller map but, because we listen to gamers, we're going to do you a favor by making the game much smaller".  Of course, the unspoken words are "besides, it will make our profit much higher because we are spending much less time on development"

I do believe that a percentage of gamers want a smaller map, presumably  so they can complete the game much quicker. I am the opposite. I welcome a huge map because it gives me so much to do, and I feel I am being given my money's worth. I do not really care about completing a game to an absolute 100%, I'd rather have a huge number of choices on how to complete a game, even if I do not collect every penny, weapon, outfit, of anything else.

I am still disappointed that they have done away with Game+ mode, and we now need to rely on mods to improve the game.

On a different note, I went to the Nexus to see if there are Mirage mods, and there are. I downloaded one that claimed to give all the Helix outfits, weapons, etc. simply by overwriting certain files. It worked just like advertised. Funny thing is that the mod had been taken down the next day, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine.

There are also Cheat Engine cheats that are available, but I do not know if Cheat Engine is introducing adware, malware, etc. so I have not tried to install it (if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is).

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah I've never heard anyone complain that a game map is too big. You've got to wonder if you're correct, and those "complaints" are posted by shill accounts so they can point to them and say "See? Gamers want a smaller map" when it's actually some Ubisoft intern posting them. The thing that will really be telling is if they then sell a DLC that adds new areas tot he map, essentially making it bigger but in portions they can sell separately for more money.

Are these Helix outfits something that has to be purchased from a game store or something you just find in the game? If it's something that's purchased I can see them having the mod taken down, but I'm also not sure if Nexus cares one bit if the mod is there, and would just tell UBI*bleep* to go sod off. Could also be the author got hit with some kind of cease and desist and decided it wasn't worth it. But, if it's just stuff you'd find in the game anyway, can't imagine why it be taken down, except that the author just didn't feel like maintaining it anymore.

I haven't used Cheat Engine before, no idea what kind of stuff they have.

[PZ]

I don't know much about the Helix items, but knowing UBI*bleep*, it is probably tied to money in some way.

I'm sure they plan to release DLC likely with more map because that is what they did with Valhalla. The Valhalla map is tons bigger than the Mirage map so we'll see where that goes.

I'm further in the game now and am remembering other characteristics in prior games that I did not like. For instance, it is difficult to find the exact path you need to climb a tower, just like in the early AC games. In Valhalla you could climb almost anything anywhere and now it seems they have reverted to the cruder method of climbing mechanics. The basic concept of the game playing as one of the early AC characters is nice, and I do like that this game is focused on stealth rather than brute force (so far).  Also, the main enemies I have had to assassinate so far have been more like normal NPS's (you can assassinate them if you are careful) rather than like the huge monsters with almost unlimited health we see in Valhalla.

[mandru]

I enjoyed the old Assassin Creed games but UBI*bleep* kind of chilled me on the series.

Also there is some misfortunes if you don't take certain NPC's offering side quests seriously...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeNdC8hVIT0

[PZ]

 

This one seems to be a return to the first AC game, but with refined features and graphics. I really appreciate there is none of the "boss" nonsense I need to suffer with, just pure assassination activity of human v human, which is the focus of the game, unlike Valhalla which offers several different gaming styles. One thing I really find funny is the pickpocket routine. It is much more sophisticated than in AC1, and the reactions of the victims after you have moved to a new location is priceless. Also nice is that there are no timed events (which I detest). The graphics on PC are spectacular.

What I do not like is that it is a relatively short game compared to Valhalla and Origins. I've already completed the game and have nothing to do.

In all, I prefer Valhalla for the sheer size of the game, offering countless hours of fun and experimentation. I prefer Origins because I delight in refining my poison abilities.

I still wish for a new remake of the Ezio series simply because I like the old Italy theme.

[mandru]

I really enjoyed the climbing and combat mechanics in AC Revelations.  And roaming the streets of Constantinople was a hoot.  The stealth options in that game were also to my taste.

Maybe Revelations was more limited in size to a game like Valhalla but there were lots of nooks and crannies in the densely packed cities to poke into.   There was also a couple easy to reach locations that day and night seethed with crowded streets loaded with rich targets to pickpocket attended by very few guards. 

Then again Venice was a lot of fun too in it's game

[PZ]

I too really enjoy Revelations. In fact, the Ezio series are among my favorites, and I still play them to this day. I like the series because I am able to learn a bit about history while playing, sort of the iding on the cake of my game enjoyment.

I did develop a fondness for the RPG-style games Origins and Valhalla, but I never did get far into Odyssey. I like Origins because it has a Games+ mode while Valhalla does not. I like Valhalla for the sheer size of the game.

As always, graphics are a large part of my appreciation of a game, but the real world settings we see in many of the titles are also what draws me to a game. For example, Ghost Recon Wildlands is essentially a remake of Bolivia, but the sequel is in a fictional land, which does not hold my interest.

[fragger]

I should have gotten into the AC games. Way back in the day I tried the original Assassins Creed, but my slow old clunker of a rig at the time told me to get real and I gave up 

Maybe I should revisit?

[PZ]

I think you might enjoy them!  I was not enamored with the first one, but the Ezio series were an immediate favorite. I could hardly wait until the next game came out! There were three of them, AC2, Brotherhood, and Revelations. AC2 was set in various places in Italy (places like Venice, Florence, Rome), Brotherhood specifically in Rome, and Revelations mostly in Constantinople. Another great feature is that you can roam around without entering into conflict, and read about the actual history of the places you are visiting all the way down to the notable buildings. I actually learned quite a bit about the cities, buildings, and even famous people while playing.

The next few in the series were okay, but not to my personal liking (started several, but mostly did not finish them. Then they changed to a sort of RPG starting with Origins and I immediately fell in love all over again. I can't count the number of times I've played Origins through. It is set in ancient Egypt; graphics, scenery, game play all stellar. The best part is they instituted a Game+ mode which lets you start a new game with all your stats, possessions, etc from your last play through. It is so much more fun to play through again being the "expert" you are rather than having to start over as a rookie, which is quite boring. I can play that game forever.

Then came Odyssey which I did not care for all that much. Next was Valhalla, which has the largest map I have ever played, and another that I can replay mostly because there is so much to do in any way you like. It is so big you can get lost! 

Mirage is the latest, and is sort of a remake of AC1. The graphics are fantastic and game mechanics hugely improved. The only complaint I have is that the game is relatively short, and the map small for my taste. It might be the complaints from the juveniles about Valhalla saying that the map/game is too big. You know the type - kids that are playing just so they can brag about completing 100% and doing so in record time.

I do not play the earliest games that much, mostly because of the relatively crude graphics compared to today. I still regularly play Origins and Valhalla. Yeah, I can say that the AC series is my favorite.

[PZ]

I'm absolutely delighted! UBI*bleep* has implemented a new Game + mode in which you retain your gear, skills, etc. from a prior full play through. I just started one and it works much like in prior Game + modes. Perfect for a gamer like me.