Templar lairs

[PZ]

The "special editions" of AC2 have access to the Templar lairs, which are not made available through the DLC if you purchase the correct edition.  There are two versions of The Bonfires of the Vanities, one with, and one without the Templar lairs.

Here is a sample of one of the Templar lairs, called Shipwrecked:
[smg id=2050 type=av]

[Art Blade]

nice vid :)

[PZ]

Yes, it is an excellent video (not mine) that gives an excellent sense of how the game plays.  :-X

[JRD]

Yeap, great vid. and it shows also a few annoying things I remember from AC1 such as Altair (Ezio, in this case) getting stuck trying to climb some place instead of keep running (it happens if you are slightly facing a wall or a column for instance and try to sprint, instead or going forward he'll try to climb and fall back to the ground, and it usually happens when you are chasing someone or fleeing from guards  :D)

[PZ]

lol, I know the feeling well - this morning I was chasing a fleet foot guard across the roof tops and I ran just a bit too close to a ladder, and try as I might, all I could do was go down, was not able to climb up before I was desynchronized.

The movements do feel like you have to be in square entry zones - i.e, not com at an angle of something will happen that you don't expect.  I'm hoping that it is just the PS3 controller, but we'll see once the PC version comes out.

[spaceboy]

Cool info on the lairs.  Extra incentive to pick these up at some future point.  I'm thinking if they really are coming out with another AC later this year, these DLCs will be a great way to get back into the feeling.

[Art Blade]

Apparently I don't have those Templar lairs.

[PZ]

That's too bad - they are like having 3 extra assassination tomb missions, but they were an extra $3 on top of the sequence 13 DLC on the PS3.  Well worth it though, for anyone on the console that is considering the DLC.

I'm still too early in the PC version to let you know if the US version contains the Templar lairs.

[Art Blade]

I think there were different UK versions, too, but obviously it wasn't well visible -or- the price was remarkably higher. My buddy from w@&k who got it for me talked about different versions and I didn't know then what to look for.

[PZ]

Well, the interesting thing is that the PC version with both DLC sequences is $10 cheaper than the PS3 version without the DLC.  Also as interesting is that the graphics in the PC version is better than the console version.  I wonder sometimes how the publisher "think tanks" decide on pricing.

[Art Blade]

Maybe "console games are harder to pirate, let's make money off them. When we have got enough already, let's sell it cheap enough for the PC so people are more likely to purchase a legal version"?

[PZ]

Maybe - or perhaps the fact that the consoles can only play videos and games while the PC is potentially a w@&k machine.  It could be that the console prices are over-inflated while the PC games are more in line with what games should cost.  By this, I mean that the game publishers might recognize that if their games are too expensive, they'll not sell enough PC versions, or alternately, "lets decrease the price (below the console price) so that we can capture some of the PC market".

One thing I can say is that my cynical nature leads me to believe that the software publishers will try to gain every cent that they can.

[Art Blade]

That's not cynical, that's business. I'd try to make money, too, although, regarding games, I wouldn't want to inflate them too much. Then again, games are not what they used to be any more, production costs are incredible these days (I mean, look at them... FC2, AC2... huge detailed worlds) and we get a lot to see. Well, if they are what we consider good games. The problem with PCs these days is, that the market is crumbling, there are not that many game PCs out there. Most of the PC stuff is either crappy w@&k machines in bureaus or servers. The high-end segment for today's and up-to-day's games is a niche, not what it used to be. So manufacturers don't make money selling PC games, they make money selling console games. Yet, if they don't feed the PC gamers, innovation will slow down, the gamers (and publishers) are the ones who drive innovation regarding better CPUs and GPUs. The typical office guy doesn't need nor buy machines like we do.

[spaceboy]

well honestly I think the $60 price tag seems fair -at least for the bigger production games, not for the ones marketed to the younger crowd perhaps.  I really haven't been dissatisfied with a game I've purchased this generation which is partly due to me being a smart consumer and knowing my tastes. But in all honesty, it seems like a good price point for what I've purchased. Now $70 would start to have me thinking on a few.  Plus if you watch there are deals to be had to bring down the purchase price.

[PZ]

I found and added HD YouTubes to the Secret locations wiki entry for all three Templar lairs:

http://openworldgames.org/mwiki/index.php/Category:AC2_Secret_locations