Task 3 - Video Game Documentry

Script

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag is an Open World action adventure game released in November 2013. The game continues the Kenway trilogy, but rather than going to a later time period, they go back to the previous protagonist’s grandfather’s time during the golden age of piracy.

Black Flag was a commercial success and had sold 10 million copies as of February 2014. The reviews were positive with a 83% rating for the Play Station 4 version on metacritic. It was also given a 84% rating for the PC version, an 86% rating for the 360 version, and a 88% rating for the Ps3 version.

 IGN really liked Black Flag and gave it a score of 8.5. The reviewer Marty Silva said that Black Flag 'Places an emphasis on freedom and fun' and  "embraces the adventuresome spirit of classic pirate stories". However, he also said that "The main story is a bit of a let down" and that "Its story isn't the strongest."

GameSpot also viewed Black Flag in a positive light and gave it a 9 out of 10. The reviewer Shaun Mcinnis said that "The world of Black Flag is nothing short of remarkable" and also said that "It captures the thrill of sailing the open sea."


Euro Gamer gave Black Flag a 9 out of 10. The reviewer Tom Bramwell said "When story or curiosity sends you ashore, you'll find a game with more self awareness about the mechanics it's inherited." He also says "the developers have worked around the series foibles brilliantly". However, he felt "the game needs to find so many excuses to explain how things work, that it obscures the story telling". He also felt that Black Flag has "crude stealth controls" and that it "doesn't advance the meta narrative much". 

The game follows Edward Kenway, Connor’s grandfather and his time in the Caribbean. He is a privateer turned pirate. When his captain decides to attack a small English fleet, Edward comes across a master assassin called Duncan Walpole, when he boards his ship. Before the two can come to blows, the ships gunpowder store goes up, throwing them overboard. Duncan tries to bribe Edward to take him to Havana, but since they both have no means to get there, Duncan then attempts to kill Edward. When his pistol fails due to the sea dampening the gunpowder, Edward hunts him around the island they are stranded on. He finally corners Duncan, and they duel. Edward gains the upper hand and kills Duncan. He then proceeds to search his body and comes across a letter urging Duncan to meet an organisation called the Knights Templar in Havana and to deliver a special package. Upon seeing there is a reward for the package, he steals Duncan’s robes, weapons and identity.  He travels to Havana after finding and rescuing a captured merchant and meets the Templar Grand Master in the Caribbean, Laureano Torres. Due to this, Edward gets involved in the millennium long war between the Knights Templar and the Assassins Brotherhood.

The game provides almost identical game play to its predecessor Assassins Creed 3. It uses the same game engine Anvil Next. The game has the same combat system. The player has the option to counter the enemy during combat. Upon doing so, the player has 3 options. To outright kill them, disarm them or hurt them which cause them to drop their weapon. The different moves have different results depending on the enemy archetype encountered.

 The game has 5 different enemy archetypes. Firstly, the standard soldier. They can be dispatched by essentially any weapon in the game. They are the most common archetype, appearing in most if not all ground combat scenarios within the game.

 The second archetype is the Agile. They run faster than the player, so they can catch up to the player if they decide to flee from a battle. This is the only advantage they have, and just like the standard soldiers, they can be dispatched by most methods.

 The third Archetype, are the Brutes. These are hulking soldiers who carry heavy axes in battle. These cannot be taken out via being countered, but their weakness is the defence break move. After breaking their defence, the player can attack their back, which instantly finishes them off.

The Fourth enemy Archetype is the Captain. These are the games closest equivalent to a mini boss. The only way they can dispatched by sword play is by countering them and doing nothing. When the counters slow motion has finished, Edward knees the captain, and they are rendered vulnerable for a short amount of time. They can be killed in one counter if the player is quick enough.

The fifth and final enemy archetype is the sniper. These are soldiers posted on masts and rooftops that are armed with muskets with bayonets. From afar, they fire their musket at the player and up close use their bayonet. While in close combat, they are easy to dispatch, in long range combat, they can be a nuisance. Due to the surprising amount of damage their muskets can deal at long range, they should be the priority in a fight and human shields can be utilised if possible to block the shot.

The game also has a parkour system, which has been a staple to the series since its very beginning. This allows the player to climb almost every building and mast in the game. This also gives the player more opportunity to dispatch their enemies in combat scenarios due to the addition of scale and level during a fight.

Apart from fighting on the land, the game has a vastly improved naval combat system from Assassins Creed 3. During 3, the naval system had little depth and could only be accessed during missions. In Assassins Creed IV, the naval system is vastly improved. The protagonist’s ship, The Jackdaw can be accessed at any time, and is unlocked early on, at the start of sequence 3.

The game has 5 different ship archetypes that the Jackdaw can engage in combat. Firstly, is the Gun Boat.  These are by far the weakest ships, and even a basic Jackdaw can defeat these ships with ease. A variant of Gun Boat called fire ships actually can cause severe damage if not dealt with, but have the same low health as standard Gun Boats, so they can still be dispatched if attacked at range. Fire ships are only encountered during story missions.  They play a support role during combat, backing up the other types of ships by flanking the Jackdaw.

The second archetype of ship is the Schooner. These are a significant upgrade from the Gun Boat, and can pose a challenge to a basic Jackdaw. However, as soon as the Jackdaw is upgraded, it can dispatch Schooners with ease. Just like Gun Boat, they play a support role in fights, by flanking the Jackdaw.

The third Archetype is the Brig. These are a vast improvement in power compared to the Schooners and Gun Boats.  These prove a challenge to basic Jackdaws and a nuisance in groups to upgraded Jackdaws. They have a respectable amount of health and have a strong set of cannons. They also have a ram, which can be devastating to basic Jackdaws. Unlike Gun Boats and Schooners, they play a more offensive role, and directly attack the Jackdaw, opposed to flanking the Jackdaw in group attacks.

The fourth Archetype is the Frigate. These are not only another big leap in offensive and defensive power, but the highest levelled Frigates at level 38 fire heat shot, one of the most damaging attacks in the game. Not matter the level of Frigate, if not prepared, they can be a challenge even to heavily upgraded Jackdaws. These are the primary ships of enemy fleets and are mostly seen with Brigs and Schooners backing them up.

The fifth and final Archetypes are the Man O’ Wars. These are quite literally floating fortresses. Only heavily upgraded Jackdaws can take on Men O’ War and only fully upgraded Jackdaws can take on more than one Man O’ War and win. They have incredible defensive power with a large pool of health and the ability to use heat shot at close range which deal devastating damage no matter the hull upgrade of the Jackdaw.  They have over 3 decks of cannons and have access to mortars at long range. When attacked from behind, they have cannon there as well which can successfully repel all attacks. In short, they are the hardest enemies in the game apart from the legendary ships.

The legendary ships can be found at all four corners of the map. They are all Men O’ War with abilities and health pools beyond non legendary Men O’ War. The first legendary, is the HMS Prince. This a level 75 Man O’ War with over three decks of heat shot and a massive pool of health. Secondly, there is La Dama Negra, which has heavy armour which gives it invulnerability at the front and sides of it. It can only be attacked from the back. It also has two mortars that fire constantly, and aim directly in front of the jackdaw, which forces the player to make awkward turns even when being bombarded by heat shot and mortars. The third legendary is El Impoluto. This Man O’ War is incredibly fast and has a massive ram at the front. Due to this, its attack pattern is similar to that of a brig. Not only does it have the ram, it still has three decks of cannons which it uses to flank the Jackdaw after ramming it. El Impoluto is widely considered as the hardest enemy in the game, by players and game media alike. The fourth and final legendary ship encounter is the HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign fight. In this encounter, there are two legendary Men O’ War, which each have low health and offensive capabilities compared to the other legendary’s. To make up for this, they are both very fast and work together to flank the Jackdaw and still have 3 decks of cannons that are effective against the Jackdaw. When one of the ships is destroyed, the other ship sets itself aflame, and tries to ram The Jackdaw. Due to their individual vulnerability, they drop 10,000 Reales each.  

Scattered around the may areas of the Caribbean are forts. These are a cross between a boss fight and viewpoint. At the start of a fort takeover, the forts defenses have to be destroyed. This is the hardest part of the takeover, due to the fact the defenses are usually strong and that a small fleet usually guards a fort as well. Upon destroying the defenses, Edward has to go into the fort along with his crew and eliminate the officers. Upon doing so, he can storm the forts war room and kill the commander. After this, the fort is taken over. Once the player has done that, they can see all the activities in the region and gain a sizable chunk of money. 

The Jackdaw starts off being really weak and is only capable of taking on gun boats and low level schooners. By the time the ship is fully upgraded, the player can take on legendary ships and small fleets single handily. The Jackdaws arsenal is not the only aspect of The Jackdaw that can be upgraded. The ship can also be customised aesthetically. This includes the sails, wheel and figure head.

In order to get an upgrade of any kind, the player needs access to two things, money and resources. In order to get money, you can complete main missions, side missions, especially assassination contracts and selling hunting good and left over cargo. The main way to gain money is too sell the resources sugar and rum. A good haul can net the player over 5000 reales per voyage. The rum and sugar can also be gained by raiding warehouses. 

This is a fairly simple process. The player has to find the guard who has the key, and once it has been stolen or looted, it is used to open the warehouse. Due to its simplicity, the player doesn’t get much from a warehouse.

The second thing needed is resources. Rum and sugar are resources, but they directly help the ship. The other resources Wood, Cloth and Metal, primarily help the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Jackdaw. However, they are needed in small amounts for the aesthetic parts of the Jackdaw. Just like Sugar and Rum, they can be gained by boarding ships and looting warehouses. Very small amounts can be found in crates at sea or on small islands.  Metal, is arguably the hardest to find and the most value, because it is needed for both offensive and defensive power, while wood is for defence and the cloth is used for the storage capabilities of the Jackdaw.

Edward also has a cove he can upgrade after Sequence 3. He can add things like a general good’s store and a tavern to the cove itself and things such as a tower and renovations to his mansion above the cove.

Edward himself, like all previous Assassins Creed protagonists, can upgrade his equipment. These include things like his swords, pistols and outfits. Things such as his ammunition carry capacity and max health can also be upgraded by hunting and skinning animals, which can then go into crafting the equipment itself. The hunting goods can also be purchased at the various general goods stores found throughout the Caribbean open world.