Back in the dark of ages of development it really didn’t matter what the name of your engine was. ‘Infinity’ was the name of the tech that launched half a dozen great RPGs off the back of Baldur’s Gate, but it could just have easily have been called the Infini-Kobold Spawn-O’Tron 1998. In this new age of cyberpunk headgear and boastful tech trailers, though, Ubisoft Montreal really ought to be more careful. Anvil was the engine that powered four Assassin’s Creeds and a couple of Prince of Persias, and via some obscure process of reasoning the developer has seen fit to name its successor – the Herculean power behind Assassin’s Creed 3 – AnvilNext. Oh, games industry – there’s nothing exceptional about the idea of what comes ‘next’. In fact it’s inevitable, as remarkable a concept as Thursday. Join us after the jump for NewsStoryNext.
Behind the shamed name there really is an awful lot for Ubisoft Montreal to be boastful of. Assassin’s Creed 3is to feature dynamic weather conditions which affect player movement, a Creative Assembly-baiting 2,000 NPCs in a single battle, water simulation to accompany “epic” sea swordicuffs, and muskets. I didn’t see any muskets powered by the original Anvil, so must presume that they were technologically unfeasible at the time.
All of this in an effort to remind us that, unlike iterative expandalones Ass Bro and Ass Rev, Ass Creed 3 is a full sequel with three years of developmental oomph behind it. Annualisation, eh. It’s a bummer for everyone.
Check out AssCreedTrailerLast, which showed off 18th century Boston at around one-third scale, recreated with the help of real 18th century maps. Cor.