ACIV features the series largest open-world to date. In this expansive map, what activities outside of the main story can players expect to take part in?
JS: As mentioned earlier there is treasure hunting, ship plundering and underwater scavenging. But there is also hunting in the wild, harpooning on the seas, looking for Mayan runes, helping Dutch mercenaries in Naval contracts, taking down more traditional assassination contracts, giving a hand to fellow Assassins in Templar related sub quests… there is so much stuff to do! But my favorite open world activity remains the naval forts. What I like most about them is that they combine both naval and ground gameplay: first you crush their towers and canons from your ship and then you storm inside to take down the soldiers with your crew!
How much research went into recreating the 18th century Caribbean we’ll see in the game?
DARBY: As with any Assassins Creed game, research formed the core of preproduction and conception. For Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag we did about 6 months of research before writing the scripts or approving any of the gameplay prototypes, because we wanted to make sure we had covered as much historical ground as possible. I started my own research in August 2011, but didn’t start writing the script until March of 2012.
Pirates were notoriously violent. Do the pirates of ACIV exhibit similarly ruthless behavior?
DARBY: Some were actually violent, and some just wanted you to believe they were violent. Violence or the threat of it was the best way to get men aboard merchant ships to surrender as quickly as possible. So yes, we will see pirates both acting violent and encouraging the belief that they are ruthless and bloodthirsty killers.
We already know that sharks will feature in the game, but will we be encountering any other dangerous wildlife specific to the Caribbean?
JS: In the wild there are mainly jaguars and crocodiles as predators but also dozens of smaller prey to hunt, like howler monkeys, iguanas and ocelots. On the seas there are many different shark species, killer whales also and some other surprises. All animals are all part of the hunting and crafting system, key in upgrading Edward’s suits in order to get better protection and carry more stuff, like four guns for instance.
Lastly, are there any plans to have the Assassin’s Creed series visit any other time periods? Because if you’re taking requests, I’d love to see an Assassin’s Creed set in medieval England.
DARBY: Hold on, let me add it to the list… just a moment… hold on… sorry it’s a very long list. Ah. Here we go… page 235… “Medieval England”. Noted!
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be released on October 29th, 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. It will also be a launch title for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will be released on the PC on November 19th in North America and November 22nd in Europe.
