Assassin's Creed Shadows gives a glimpse of its portrayal of Japan in its World Trailer

As a long-time fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement upon hearing about the latest entry, Shadows. With its breathtakingly beautiful and immersive setting of feudal Japan, this game promises to take the franchise to new heights that even the most seasoned of us have never seen before.

Ubisoft has disclosed additional information about the upcoming mainline installment, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, focusing on its unique Japanese setting. A quick 2-minute World Trailer offers a closer inspection of some environments players will encounter, showcasing vibrant green landscapes, villages adorned with sakura cherry blossom trees, and challenging snowy terrains. One of the standout aspects in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is how seasons will influence gameplay; thus, the trailer also demonstrates how environments transform as the seasons shift.

There was also a news blog update with Art Director Thierry Dansereau and Technology Director Pierre Fortin on the graphical technology driving Assassin’s Creed Shadows. They describe how Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings unique challenges, due to its dynamic weather systems, in-depth environmental interactions, and seasonal changes so their approach to lighting.

Check out the latest trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, released below, and discover the intricate details of the graphic engine powering the forthcoming title.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set to release on November 15th, and it can be played on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, as well as PC through Ubisoft Store or Epic Games Store. The game will also be accessible on Amazon Luna and Mac computers equipped with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store.

When Assassin’s Creed Shadow debuts on November 15th, it marks the initial installment in the series designed exclusively for contemporary gaming systems. With this in mind, the creative team at Ubisoft Quebec aimed to pioneer uncharted territories within the Assassin’s Creed universe, or simply put, achievements that were previously unattainable. To grasp how Assassin’s Creed Shadow leverages innovative technology to deliver fresh franchise experiences, we interviewed Art Director Thierry Dansereau and Technology Director Pierre Fortin.
To enhance the visual appeal and make Shadows stand out as the most aesthetically pleasing Assassin’s Creed game yet, the team has made several adjustments, such as readjusting the world to more lifelike proportions, incorporating ray-traced global illumination for a more dynamic lighting effect, and employing micro polygon technology. As Fortin explains, although there has been some form of global illumination in Assassin’s Creed previously, ray-tracing global illumination offers us greater flexibility.
In previous Assassin’s Creed games, the global illumination was stationary; light would reflect off surfaces in a realistic manner but wouldn’t or couldn’t adapt to changes in the environment. However, Shadows introduces numerous environmental changes that can be manipulated: Lights can be switched on and off, doors can be broken down or smashed through, and various objects such as bamboo trees, market stalls, and fences can be destroyed. Thanks to ray-tracing global illumination, the lighting will respond dynamically to these interactions with objects and environments.
Although “micro polygon technology” might not be as commonly known as “ray-tracing”, Fortin emphasizes its groundbreaking nature, even though it operates unseen. Given the expansive open worlds in Assassin’s Creed with distant views and draw distances, developers can’t render all visible elements at their highest resolution. As a joke, Fortin says, “Your GPU would overheat if you tried that!
In the past, game developers had to construct various assets with different levels of detail (low, medium, high polygon counts) and replace them depending on the player’s proximity. For instance, a building visible from two kilometers away wouldn’t require the same level of detail as one just meters away. Previously, the same building would be replaced by more detailed models as players navigated through the game world. However, with micro polygons, developers no longer need to create multiple versions of the same asset for swapping out.
According to Fortin, micro polygons can be thought of as flexible, intelligent entities that automatically optimize their appearance depending on their visibility and proximity to the player. This feature eliminates the requirement for developers to create numerous assets, enabling them to manage GPU resources more effectively, resulting in higher polygon counts and improved visual quality when viewed up close.
In the process of designing our world, we strived for a unique level of player interaction, surpassing what the franchise has offered before. To achieve this, we utilized ray-tracing global illumination and micro polygons to enhance the environment’s visuals as the player interacts with it. However, we also wanted to create a world that didn’t just look good, but could influence gameplay as well. As Dansereau puts it, “We aimed for a world that would not only be visually appealing, but would significantly impact the gaming experience.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, each season gives the world a unique appearance, making familiar locations look and feel completely different depending on the time of year. However, the environment isn’t just seasonal; it also changes dynamically due to weather conditions, which adds various environmental factors that affect your gaming experience. For instance, infiltrating a fort during a crisp winter day might make your footprints stand out in the snow, making you more visible as you exit. On the other hand, attempting the same mission during a rainy spring night could muffle your footsteps and reduce enemy visibility in the darkness.
According to Fortin, they desired a fresh, versatile sensation. On both small and large scales, this would allow for adjustments in gameplay as a storm approaches, ensuring that players can become more covert when needed, such as when sneaking into a castle.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, two distinct characters are introduced, with a backdrop in feudal Japan and environments that can be destroyed. This game is bringing numerous new elements to the series, but it’s the technical advancements that transform the appearance and feel of the world that players might find most striking first. Fortin aims for these innovations to create an immersive and beautiful experience not previously achieved in the franchise, stating, “Our aim was to transition from a stunning postcard to a captivating film.
You can now pre-order “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” which releases on November 15 across various platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Mac computers with Apple silicon (available via the Mac App Store), Windows PC (through Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store). The game will also be accessible on iPad at a later time. If you buy the Gold Edition, Ultimate Edition, Collector’s Edition, or are an active Ubisoft+ Premium subscriber, you can start playing three days early from November 12.

2024-09-12 19:56

Assassin’s Creed Shadows gives a glimpse of its portrayal of Japan in its World Trailer

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