Without a doubt they do. Despite Mirage's parkour being far from the best, I still find it leagues above Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla simply because of how well the city is designed.
Well made video, mate! Really interesting topic! I definitely think cities matter when it comes to parkour quality, especially when we have some control over the movement. Mirage, for example, had a city really well designed for parkour, but when it first launched without side ejects, it felt a bit automated. Don’t get me wrong! it was fun, but after the side eject update and other tweaks, it felt way better since it actually required more skill and precision. So yeah, cities definitely play a big role in parkour quality, but I’d say the amount of control we have and how fluid the animations are matter even more.
Thanks a lot dude, your support truly means the world to me! I agree. The combination of a good parkour mechanic mixed with good city design and other elements can achieve a lot more than only making one of those features good. I absolutely love Mirage now a lot more than when it was first released. It's so much more enjoyable to parkour around Baghdad than any of the previous releases in the past 10 years or so!
That's really interesting! every element in these games can end up making parkour better or worse but city layout can multiply the effect. never really thought about it like that 🤯
You're correct, the recreation is faithful to real life, at least for the most part. However in most of these games, these cities are designed in a way so we can seamlessly enjoy its layout in the gameplay. When they forget about gameplay and lean too much towards real world accuracy the result turns into Odyssey's cities.
Its not really a problem with city design because certain cities just cant support the parkour systems we have and there isnt anything they can do about it... Especially if the buildings are typically village scale or 1 story high like many japanese towns or the wild west. There is only so much you can add to the city layout without completely changing it to something else. Because they could literally just follow the same layout that has worked and carry it over with new additions. The problem is that they cant and they also cant perfectly design the sheer number of cities found in the rpg trilogy, and it wouldnt make sense to design one city better than all the others because you wont only have quests there after all. And they can't add certain trees good for parkour in places where they didn't exist. Even black flag despite being similar to three had a less memorable city we parkoured in because we are usually on the ship. It all comes down to the size of the map and the best setting that ALLOWS more creative liberty. This is dueing the time when people complain at Ubisoft Quebec that they got the time when farmers should farming wrong or the types of flowers in whatever season. All these nitpicks people give and have been guving Ubisoft discourages the Devs from deviating much if possible hoping the other pillars of gameplay will more than suffice. I keep telling people that its the cities that ultimately make or brake the parkour, the right choice goes a long way. Glad you made a video like this
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I agree. For the most part, they create some of the most faithful recreations of the real world. However, there are instances where they adjust things for grandeur, gameplay, or a more "video game" vibe like those massive statues in Odyssey. I think they can continue to prioritize realism and authenticity but also make slight adjustments to support gameplay flow and movement. For example, while many historical houses might have been spaced farther apart than a character's jump could realistically reach, bringing them closer together in game helps maintain fluidity without detracting much from the setting or immersion. Also, I’d love for future RPG entries to introduce more hidden or underground levels with intricate designs and a lot more to discover. It would add depth to exploration and make the worlds even more rewarding to traverse!
@TheTrueSeal I agree too but the historical accuracy police have shown up more with AC Shadows than anything else because before no one would have really cared at all. I personally don't really mind it all unless it's too much of a difference, it's a game after all and that's why I am here... To play it and not just stare at buildings all day. I mean that is why I didn't like Ghost of Tsushima's world. It looks nice but lacked much variety in architecture or the scale there of... like what Shadows has in its focus on a bustling region of the Sengoku-jidai. Hokkaido also doesn't have it at the time Ghost of Yōtei is set especially further north towards the mountain... Riding a horse in nature is fine and all for a little while but it makes for a less interesting or interactive world which thankfully rockstar pulled off... I wonder if Ghost can too... Also there better be Ainu. I swear if they don't have a presence at all I am dropping it... They are the only selling point for me since the gameplay will just be more of the same we already have in shadows anyways minus the parkour or stealth and the main story seems to be yet another revenge story. So having the Ezo Wolf and Ainu Mosir Kotan in the game would be so Hinnah!
This is a really great idea for a video. In my personal opinion, design of the cities matter almost as much as the parkour system itself. Mirage proved that the most boring parkour system in the series could work really well if they put the effort into designing a city that played to that system’s strengths. And on the other hand, Syndicate’s map was designed in a way that took Unity’s parkour, my personal favourite of the franchise, and made it virtually redundant. Buildings were too tall to climb, the gaps between them were too big, so of course you’re going to use the zip launcher, and that removes all need for parkour. At least the parkour down mechanic is still there with its cool animations. Again, great video 👍
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I totally agree. As much as the systems themselves are important, a good city design plays a critical role into everything as well!
I think the best cities are Acre and Damascus in AC1. We can go in any direction with little effort making traversing to a location easy as well as fun As shown in this video, AC2 cities have good routes *around* buildings but because of their height it's not so easy to switch routes or create your own. It also has a less severe version of Syndicate's issue of wide streets. The solution is often just a long beam that looks like 2 ropes fixed together - classic AC rope launcher
Interesting! AC1 coming right after the Prince of Persia series still had lots of those heavy parkour elements implemented within its gameplay and environment design. Perhaps that's why it's still so enjoyable to play!
@TheTrueSeal cool take. Perhaps some evidence that Patrice Désilets was the heart of AC. It's my go to game. 17+ years later I still go back to it regularly and seem to find new things every time
Well maps can definitely, if it's a vast open space even with mountains thats more climbing than parkour. Then there's ac syndicate that introduced rope launcher because of the wide streets
you made a very good point,i think for me the best is when you can let go and just f arround for hours at end,the satisfaction and freedom this brings you,after shuting down your pc you can stop thinking about it,that said for me,personally there are 3 games that come to mind and the last is controversial because its a dlc....mirage beacuse it has parkour islands and you can remain elaveted for as long as you please,the crowing jewel that is unity beacuse the massive layout of paris,the movment aniamtion and beautiful graphics,gadgets,and hidden blade kill animations and the last one is ac 3 the tyranny of king wasington because after unloking the eagle mode i couldnt finish the game,i would f arround for hours flowing from one rooftop to another,that dlc dosent get the love it deserves in my opinion
Without a doubt they do. Despite Mirage's parkour being far from the best, I still find it leagues above Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla simply because of how well the city is designed.
Totally agreed. Parkour in Baghdad is extremely fun thanks to its insanely detailed design!
I love just running across Venice and Florence but sometimes I just turn off my brain and run around Paris
I know the feeling xD Sometimes I just let Arno do whatever he likes to enjoy some pretty looking parkour animations.
@@TheTrueSeal Omg you actually responded Brother I love your vids
really good pacing and script
You are underrsted as hell, your preeentation and points are completely based. Nice video, subscribed
Thank you, that really means a lot to me! Glad you enjoyed the video 👀
@TheTrueSeal I'm looking forward to your next vid
Well made video, mate! Really interesting topic!
I definitely think cities matter when it comes to parkour quality, especially when we have some control over the movement. Mirage, for example, had a city really well designed for parkour, but when it first launched without side ejects, it felt a bit automated. Don’t get me wrong! it was fun, but after the side eject update and other tweaks, it felt way better since it actually required more skill and precision. So yeah, cities definitely play a big role in parkour quality, but I’d say the amount of control we have and how fluid the animations are matter even more.
Thanks a lot dude, your support truly means the world to me!
I agree. The combination of a good parkour mechanic mixed with good city design and other elements can achieve a lot more than only making one of those features good. I absolutely love Mirage now a lot more than when it was first released. It's so much more enjoyable to parkour around Baghdad than any of the previous releases in the past 10 years or so!
1:10 as an odyssey fan, I can confirm
That's really interesting! every element in these games can end up making parkour better or worse but city layout can multiply the effect. never really thought about it like that 🤯
Yep, a proper city layout can be a lot more effective in most cases!
Thanks for the video. ❤❤
Thanks for watching!
They make faithful recreations of cities and landscapes. It’s an issue with time periods and setting yall have. Not city design
You're correct, the recreation is faithful to real life, at least for the most part. However in most of these games, these cities are designed in a way so we can seamlessly enjoy its layout in the gameplay. When they forget about gameplay and lean too much towards real world accuracy the result turns into Odyssey's cities.
Its not really a problem with city design because certain cities just cant support the parkour systems we have and there isnt anything they can do about it... Especially if the buildings are typically village scale or 1 story high like many japanese towns or the wild west. There is only so much you can add to the city layout without completely changing it to something else. Because they could literally just follow the same layout that has worked and carry it over with new additions.
The problem is that they cant and they also cant perfectly design the sheer number of cities found in the rpg trilogy, and it wouldnt make sense to design one city better than all the others because you wont only have quests there after all. And they can't add certain trees good for parkour in places where they didn't exist. Even black flag despite being similar to three had a less memorable city we parkoured in because we are usually on the ship.
It all comes down to the size of the map and the best setting that ALLOWS more creative liberty. This is dueing the time when people complain at Ubisoft Quebec that they got the time when farmers should farming wrong or the types of flowers in whatever season. All these nitpicks people give and have been guving Ubisoft discourages the Devs from deviating much if possible hoping the other pillars of gameplay will more than suffice. I keep telling people that its the cities that ultimately make or brake the parkour, the right choice goes a long way. Glad you made a video like this
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I agree. For the most part, they create some of the most faithful recreations of the real world. However, there are instances where they adjust things for grandeur, gameplay, or a more "video game" vibe like those massive statues in Odyssey.
I think they can continue to prioritize realism and authenticity but also make slight adjustments to support gameplay flow and movement. For example, while many historical houses might have been spaced farther apart than a character's jump could realistically reach, bringing them closer together in game helps maintain fluidity without detracting much from the setting or immersion.
Also, I’d love for future RPG entries to introduce more hidden or underground levels with intricate designs and a lot more to discover. It would add depth to exploration and make the worlds even more rewarding to traverse!
@TheTrueSeal I agree too but the historical accuracy police have shown up more with AC Shadows than anything else because before no one would have really cared at all. I personally don't really mind it all unless it's too much of a difference, it's a game after all and that's why I am here... To play it and not just stare at buildings all day. I mean that is why I didn't like Ghost of Tsushima's world. It looks nice but lacked much variety in architecture or the scale there of... like what Shadows has in its focus on a bustling region of the Sengoku-jidai.
Hokkaido also doesn't have it at the time Ghost of Yōtei is set especially further north towards the mountain... Riding a horse in nature is fine and all for a little while but it makes for a less interesting or interactive world which thankfully rockstar pulled off... I wonder if Ghost can too... Also there better be Ainu. I swear if they don't have a presence at all I am dropping it... They are the only selling point for me since the gameplay will just be more of the same we already have in shadows anyways minus the parkour or stealth and the main story seems to be yet another revenge story. So having the Ezo Wolf and Ainu Mosir Kotan in the game would be so Hinnah!
Nice Content👌👌
Thank you my friend, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@ no problem i support passionate ac fans….greetz Rawdy Riddle former Assassins Creed News Teammember😉😉😉
@@ACInterface 🙌🙌 Thank you!
@@TheTrueSeal no problem💪💪💪
This is a really great idea for a video. In my personal opinion, design of the cities matter almost as much as the parkour system itself. Mirage proved that the most boring parkour system in the series could work really well if they put the effort into designing a city that played to that system’s strengths. And on the other hand, Syndicate’s map was designed in a way that took Unity’s parkour, my personal favourite of the franchise, and made it virtually redundant. Buildings were too tall to climb, the gaps between them were too big, so of course you’re going to use the zip launcher, and that removes all need for parkour. At least the parkour down mechanic is still there with its cool animations. Again, great video 👍
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I totally agree. As much as the systems themselves are important, a good city design plays a critical role into everything as well!
I think the best cities are Acre and Damascus in AC1. We can go in any direction with little effort making traversing to a location easy as well as fun
As shown in this video, AC2 cities have good routes *around* buildings but because of their height it's not so easy to switch routes or create your own. It also has a less severe version of Syndicate's issue of wide streets. The solution is often just a long beam that looks like 2 ropes fixed together - classic AC rope launcher
Interesting! AC1 coming right after the Prince of Persia series still had lots of those heavy parkour elements implemented within its gameplay and environment design. Perhaps that's why it's still so enjoyable to play!
@TheTrueSeal cool take. Perhaps some evidence that Patrice Désilets was the heart of AC.
It's my go to game. 17+ years later I still go back to it regularly and seem to find new things every time
@@WideOldDan I hope his next game receives a better reception!
Well maps can definitely, if it's a vast open space even with mountains thats more climbing than parkour. Then there's ac syndicate that introduced rope launcher because of the wide streets
Yeah Syndicate truly looked at us in the face and said: "You don't need a detailed parkour setup. Just zip yourself across rooftop and call it a day"
@TheTrueSeal it's fun but yeah removing the need to free run just doesn't make sense, that's why I'm glad in shadows it's a physics base well rope 😝
@@arkadiusznagorny3111 Agreed!
Definitely. Look at Baghdad compares to England.
Yep. It's ten times more enjoyable to move around that city than London...
you made a very good point,i think for me the best is when you can let go and just f arround for hours at end,the satisfaction and freedom this brings you,after shuting down your pc you can stop thinking about it,that said for me,personally there are 3 games that come to mind and the last is controversial because its a dlc....mirage beacuse it has parkour islands and you can remain elaveted for as long as you please,the crowing jewel that is unity beacuse the massive layout of paris,the movment aniamtion and beautiful graphics,gadgets,and hidden blade kill animations and the last one is ac 3 the tyranny of king wasington because after unloking the eagle mode i couldnt finish the game,i would f arround for hours flowing from one rooftop to another,that dlc dosent get the love it deserves in my opinion
Anyway I played ODYSSEY 3500 hours...😂😂😂