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A Brilliant Start
Most community members are aware of my affinity for Assassin’s Creed multiplayer. Ever since Brotherhood was released, I was hooked. I would purchase the games for the multiplayer component no matter how bad I found the single player campaign to be. Revelations improved the multiplayer over Brotherhood by adding new game modes like Artifact Assault (think capture the flag), and Steal the Artifact (keep away). Unfortunately for me, people flocked to Deathmatch mode which put players on a map with a target but there was only one of their avatar on the map.
Only having one avatar meant you had to use abilities like Morph, which changes the appearance of those around you to match yours. You would think in this mode where you are easier to spot, people would try to act casual; they don't. People would run around like "jackasses" up and down rooftops and through crowds. To curb people’s desire to run around, Ubisoft decreased the amount of points you earn from sloppy kills; a strategy which helped to an extent.
The Assassinate game mode became my favorite mode because unlike Wanted and Deathmatch, where you are assigned a target and have to hunt them down, you choose your target by reading the actions of others. It is harder to catch a person if they are blending into a crowd versus running around a rooftop like an imbecile. This stealthy approach is my personal preference of play style but I understand why people may differ in their opinions. SpyParty is another game that usually comes up in conversations when I talk about Assassin’s Creed multiplayer because you have to be nonchalant and blend in with others around you.
Assassin’s Creed 3 added a few new multiplayer modes as well. Wolfpack is a co-op mode where teams can take out assigned targets to add more time to a ticking clock. This mode also emphasizes the need for higher quality kills over quick kills. I was glad to see that my favorite mode, Assassinate, was still in the game and the first few weeks of playing were great but then there was him...
And Then Everything Changed
A player in one of my games was using a very frustrating strategy. The worst part about his strategy was that it was working extremely well; while most people finished the match at around 4,000 points, he finished with closer to 12,000. I acknowledged the skill behind what he did and I used it once or twice because it does work. With that said, the problem is that I think it defies the purpose of the game.
This event happened a few weeks ago and I had not played since then because I was playing other games. This past weekend, Assassin’s Creed III multiplayer was having a 50% extra XP weekend so I hopped on and played a few rounds and was disgusted with what I saw. I played several matches, with different people, and close to half of the people in each match were using this strategy. I guarantee with close to 85% accuracy that the top players in any Assassinate match will be using this strategy. So here is what they are doing:
I don’t know the exact Ability Set they are using but I am sure it is something like this:
- Ability 1: Smoke Bomb
- Ability 2: Tripwire Bomb
- Ranged Weapon: Throwing Knives
- Perk 1: Reduce Cool down
- Perk 2: Unsure
- Kill Streak: Unsure
- Loss Streak: Unsure
With this ability set, the player runs around the map like a MORON. The reason they do this is to draw as much attention to them as possible. Why would they do that you say? "If they run around, they will be targeted by someone and the best they can hope for is an Honorable Death bonus when they get killed... right?" WRONG. As soon as the player (now referred to as "the Jackass") is locked onto, they know someone is after them and the trap is set. When the pursuer approaches, the Jackass throws down a smoke bomb, which disorients the pursuer. Since being stunned by your target negates your target, you are now vulnerable to attack. From here, the jackass can use several different strategies to boost their points:
- The Jackass can use the few extra seconds to increase their approach status and get a Focus bonus on your kill.
- If the smoke bomb is still in cool down mode, they can use a Tripwire Bomb and lure you into it.
- If both of their abilities are in cool down, they can use Throwing Knives on you which essentially have the same effect as the smoke bomb.
By the time the Jackass uses their 3rd dick move, the first should be recharged and the process starts over again. Let me also note I am not saying that using a smoke bomb to stop your pursuer is wrong but when your only strategy is based on this tactic... you are a Jackass.
I played 6 matches Sunday, I made sure they were with different people, and the top three players ALL used this strategy to the point that I could barely get any kills. People have taken my favorite mode in this game and turned it into a joke. I will probably not be playing this mode anymore unless it is a community night with people I either know or know well enough not to use this strategy. I am sorry to the developers over at Ubisoft Annecy in France for people destroying the great experience that they created.
Comments
11 years, 4 months ago
I too was playing AC3 over the weekend hoping to gain a few levels while the XP bonus was active.
I played five games of Assassinate and I had the exact same problem...
One guy managed to get a 1200 kill on me for doing it!
They need to add some sort of penalty for running around like a jackass.
It's the only way I can think of that can fix this exploit. Other than stopping the smoke bomb negating our target.
11 years, 4 months ago
After the AC: Brotherhood multiplayer was a success, I wanted Ubisoft to take the next multiplayer in the series out of the animus entirely. This would add more layers of depth as the AI would react to the players and their actions, and the environments would include security personnel, forcing players to walk in the public view. But no, they added more of the same and started giving out points like candy. When I did begin to analyze the multiplayer and list what I actually wanted in a stealth multiplayer game, it became something more distant than what Ubisoft would ever offer in terms of accessibility.
11 years, 4 months ago
This is always going to be an inherent danger with online multiplayer: it relies on players behaving themselves to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. Invariably, however, they often don't. If there's a way to exploit the game at the expense of the enjoyment of newcomers and other players in general, most players who are in it to win won't throw their hands up and say, 'aww, that would be unfair', they will go ahead and exploit away until their heart's content and their level has maxed out.
11 years, 4 months ago
This happens to every multiplayer game. I hate public matches in any game. The only way to play competitively and fairly is to either scrim with people in private matches or do clan matches (clan only really applies to fps games). But because this game isn't popular there isn't e-sports sites with dedicated players to scrim with so i guess you are out of luck.
11 years, 4 months ago
Sounds like Ubisoft needs to throw out some nerfs. People will always gravitate toward the most efficient way of winning in an online game, so when one thing turns out to be so grossly overpowered everybody uses it. While some blame should lie with the people using it, I feel like Ubisoft is more to blame for the widespread use of this set-up. For online games to be competitive they need to be balanced, and this seems like something Ubisoft simply overlooked.
11 years, 4 months ago
Just reading this makes me sad. To know that is not necessarily cheating, but is abusing in game mechanics to influence the outcome of a match. I have yet to get my hands on copy of AC3, but its seems the strategy hasn't changed much in terms of the multiplayer aspect. People run around like chickens with their heads cut off, and still come out ahead at winning the matches.
In terms of "stealth" for online, it is like you said Nolan, better to play with people you know, who won't abuse such silly tactics.
Hope for the best, expect the worst"
11 years, 4 months ago
I saw a guy doing this the first night I started playing multiplayer shortly after the game came out. Needless to say I added him to my avoid list. It sucks that pretty much everyone does this now.
11 years, 4 months ago
I haven't played any AC multiplayer since Brotherhood but I loved everything I had played. I tend to avoid multiplayer all together (unless I have friends to play with) for reasons like this and people shouting like dicks all the time. Makes me sad though when a few people can ruin what would otherwise be a fun experience worth revisiting time and time again.
11 years, 4 months ago
It does sound like a cheap strategy. I know I had frustrations over people doing the same thing in Revelations. To me, there's one easy way for Ubisoft to solve this. Create a seperate game mode known as Hardcore Assassination. Not only does it sound cool, but you can make it work in such a way that all abilities are disabled, and the gameplay is in it's purest form, where you rely on your skills and intuition to get ahead. Without abilities and killstreaks you probably won't earn as much XP, but there are other game modes to cater for that and playing in that game mode means you'll be playing with other like minded players.
11 years ago
It seems they took out any actual skill from the game. Last I checked, a good assassin won't run around like a bat out of hell.
Things that have made this Multiplayer game terrible:
1) Super points for variety. If someone get Extreme Variety (600) after shooting you (100), they get 700 points for a gimme kill.
2) The "Whispers". This takes away any stealth approach... They either drop a smoke bomb or sprint off. So you either lose a kill or get very little points.
3) Start out with discreet and not incognito. They have no idea I'm about to kill them, but i have to wait to get incognito. But because of the whispers, they have already taken a hike. Every kill will only be discreet, and I lose immense amounts of points.
4) More lenient penalty for civilian kills. This is why everyone just kills at random... The penalty should be harsh, to discourage civilian kills, and make people think before they stun or kill...
5) Lock on is terrible. My reticule is focused on my target: Lock onto wrong target. Turns out the wrong target is the civilian my character is facing. WTF!? So then i get stunned, my pursuer runs up out of nowhere and kills me... for 150 points. If you happened to use wipe to identify targets, it doesn't smart lock on to highlighted targets. Feels very unnatural.
Essentially, they had a great game. You could stealth kill targets for great points and win with 4-5 kills, while headless chickens would get 100 points a kill and never win. They decided to change it up for variety, and made it easier to escape. I hope the next Assassins Creed game actually follows the tactics of an Assassin.
-Jon
10 years, 9 months ago
When assassin creed 3 came out, i was looking forward to the multiplayer because brotherhood and revelation was awesome. What i found is that in assassin creed3, there isnt a very wide variety of abilities used. Most people would have smoke bomb, knife and trip wire.On the other hand, the previous games were more enjoyable since there are many other abilities used which creates the challenge which assassin creed is meant for.