I've been doing some research after the thick background story of the Assassins Creed series. Oddly, the first game of the serie is the one with more info available or, at least, in a logical way so to speak!
None of these is my w%&k, only copy+pasted here so we can open a discussion about the story line.
Source:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091128125718AAaDz9Z (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091128125718AAaDz9Z)
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Q: when he's in the animus when in italy killing all those people is he just killing them because there templars??
A: A lot of that stuff can be solved if you played AC 1 before hand, but I will admit that somethings are definitely a bit confusing still. I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities in the order you asked them in: *Warning: spoilers through out*
At first Ezio is killing them to get back at them for killing his family, but as time goes on and he finds out more of the hidden planning, he is killing them also because they are Templars.
Q: in the animus why does that minerva girl call him desmond instead of ezio.
A: Minerva is not speaking to Ezio, that's why she tells him to merely be quiet and listen. She is actually using Ezio as a kind of messenger to carry the message to the future for Desmond (the character you really play as, when you are outside the Animus). This means that either Minera's people knew that a man called Desmond would see these past memories and find this message hidden in the DNA, or her people were so advanced that the message would automatically insert the name of the person into itself, so it would seem Minerva was actually speaking to Desmond.
Q: Is absertego a modern day templar??
A: Abstergo is a company formed by many Templars, and they are hunting for a piece of Eden. They have already found one, but their experiments failed with a large explosion that rendered the piece unusable for their task, the complete control of almost every last person on Earth, much like the task that the ancient Templars were trying.
Q: Are they trying to find a piece of eden in the modern world?? And whats this subject 16 stuff about and that girl in those secret videos? Is that subject 16 with that girl?
A: Subject 16 was the previous person before Desmond (Subject 17) to go into Abstergo's animus, and he was put through incredible trials: mostly spending far longer than Desmond inside the Animus. This caused him to experience widespread "Bleeding", an effect here the person can no longer differentiate between his own memories and situations and those of all of his ancestors. However, before his mind became totally destroyed Subject 16 was able to find the "Truth", a secret long hidden away by the Templars about the origin of mankind.
That video is about Adam and Eve, according to the game, breaking free of the First Civilization (Minerva's people), those who were thought to be Gods. It is believed that the apple mentioned in the bible is the first piece of Eden, and Adam and Eve stole it hoping to gain freedom from the First Civilization. There were somewhat successful because that brought on the war between humans and the First Civilization, then the cataclysm happened, causing the almost extirmination of both humans and the FC. The FC remained hidden away to try and survive, becoming myth and gods in the process.
The message Minerva gives is that that cataclysm is returning and it is up to Desmond and the modern assassin's to either stop it or help lessen the effects, meaning that they have to find the other vaults scattered across the globe where remains of the FC first studied the cataclysm. (I personally believe that these vaults are the Assassin symbols that appear on the codex map once you have completed it at the beginning of Sequence 14. Then there are the numerous other little dots spread across the map, maybe these play a part too.)
Q: whose that girl Altair kisses when he's in Akka??
A: That woman Altair kisses is the woman who was basically supposed to pose as Robert de Sable (a high ranking Templar from AC 1) to act as a decoy against the assassin's. Rather than killing Maria, Altair falls in love with her and sires a child (the blacked out scene on top of the tower). This had to have happened since Ezio and Desmond are genetic decedents from Altair.
Q: Is lucy ialso really an assassins as well??
A: Lucy and the two others you meet in the Assassin's brotherhood hideout are all Assassin's. There are also many other Assassin's spread across the globe, acting on the info pulled out of Desmond's head, trying to keep the Templars from finding and activating the pieces of Eden.
Source(s):
Personal experiecne and personal thoughts throughout the whole thing.
Excellent story - much of which I knew and some that I did not. I never did many of the glyph puzzles in AC2, so some of the story line is unknown to me - this description helps.
Spoiler
Because of AC1 and AC2, I knew who Maria was in ACR when doing one of the Sophia missions. It is too bad that she ended up dead killed by that bastardo that executed Altair and Maria's son.
A couple thoughts to toss on the fire of this discussion.
We know from digging through the information to be found in the glyph sequences that
"the story line proposes" that scientists have discovered that there is a chemical receptor in the neurons of the human brain that are apparently completely functional and yet fully inactive. Why humans would have such a feature present in their brain structure with no evolutionary explanation for the need of such a development is of great curiosity and inexplicable.
My take on this introduced concept (I'll attempt to make a long story short) is that it was a manipulation of the proto-humans by the first civilization (gods created man in their own image ;) ) to establish a slave race that could be controlled through the influence of the Piece of Eden we saw Adam and Eve steal from the Truth video segments. The Bonfire of the Vanities sequence of the game shows the general population being lied to and manipulated through the power of the Orb stolen from an injured Ezio by the black monk missing a finger. I think bringing these two lines of thinking and game events together partially connects some of the dots.
Not every Assassin has the gift of eagle vision. That power skips generations and possibly whole centuries before emerging again in a family line of people who are directly descended from Altair through Ezio as evidenced in Subject #16 and our boy Desmond. Again I'm drawing out of information obtained from the glyph clues left by Subject #16 hidden in the animus data Lucy retrieved from Abstergo's files before fleeing with Desmond. Those messages in a bottle could not be cracked open and read by anyone who lacked the gift of eagle vision. The animus could detect it (Shawn gave Desmond a heads up that there was something strange to investigate) but eagle vision was required to access the data.
Desmond approached the glyph puzzles at relative ease so it is entirely possible that anyone with eagle vision but under the duress of being forced by Abstergo would lack the concentration to gain access to the messages.
There is at least one of the glyphs as well as a fair portion of the art collected by Ezio for the Auditore family villa that have a common theme present in the painting "Lida and the Swan". That common thread is revealed as that of a god (usually in disguised form) having offspring with a human.
I'm proposing that Altair, Ezio and Desmond are of a family line that has in its past exactly that infusion of first civilization genetics and that is the one thing that makes it possible for them to have eagle vision as well as the ability to properly control the Pieces of Eden without it's power consuming them to dominate the rest of the human race.
It also makes it possible for the individuals from the first civilization (those gods Desmond meets as revealed in game climaxes) to reach out across the span of time and speak directly to Desmond through his ancestors (literally in the now, not as prerecorded message (place spoiler from AC:R here >:D ) ). Mention of the Philadelphia Experiment (from AC1) shows that the Templars tried to tamper with an POE that had the ability to transcend time but didn't have the right genetics to apply that power correctly.
Spoiler
There's a reason revealed in AC:R that Minerva handles the time calculation part of things. Sorry, you'll have to w@&k for it and find that on your own because I'm not willing to drop that big of a spoiler. :laugh:
Have you guys done all of the glyph puzzles in AC2? I did not, so am feeling a few holes in my history.
Your proposal, mandru, appears spot on considering the data. :-X
Did I do all the glyphs in AC2? :-()
Yeah, I'm a bit obsessive about digging out all the back story I can on a game. I'm a cheap a$$ ba$t@rd who wrings every bit of enjoyment I can get out of a game and then set about gnawing the shards of gristle off the joints and suck all the marrow out of the bones by the time I'm done with it.
That's why FC2 has lasted me so long as one of the two other games loaded in my computer before AC:R. It came free with my comp because I bought the NVIDIA GPU and I'm not yet done finding all of the FC2 goody-bits though it is getting a bit of a vacation while I'm still busy dismantling AC:R. :-D
I've got more findings and thoughts on AC2 to contribute here but I'll let the discussion develop and add it as it fits in to the flow of of conversation. ;)
A lot of the information that comes from the glyphs is jarring and seems incongruous to the activities you are participating in inside the game but it wouldn't be presented if it didn't fit into the entirety of the puzzle somehow. I try to link up the obscure connections as I can. For me because I'd not done AC1 and encountered the wall of blood writings from Subject #16 I've had a lot of gaps in being able to connect the dots. JRD's other thread Assassins Creed 1 with spoilers was most informative. :-X
I feel like a slacker now :-()
I hardly ever play a game to the fullest extent possible; for some reason I lose interest in collecting feathers, Animus fragments, diamonds, etc. Even though I know fully well that I would find "ah-ha" moments, I've never been able to motivate myself enough.
Not every feather, Animus fragment and diamond etc is necessary to affect a favorable outcome in the game. It's worthwhile knowing what's important and meeting those requirements.
I tend to chase them down to be able to say I have or in the case of UBI's UPlay feature earn the points awarded for objective completions. I have UPlay points coming out my ears because I'm not going to buy static wallpaper (a screensaver might interest me) or mulit-player perks for part of the game I'll never look at hold no interest for me. I also have a lot more time on my hands than most people to chase out all those odds and ends. :-\\
Back on topic. One of the glyphs in AC2 reveals that the female Australopithecus skeleton discovered (amusingly also popularly named Lucy) was a construct intentionally placed by the Templars to discredit religion and distort an accurate understanding of human history.
It is interesting to note the disclaimer regarding the development team with diverse religious beliefs at the beginning of each of the games - like Ubi expects to field complaints.
I found all glyphs in AC2 but there`s a couple left to be solved... I got a bit tired of doing the puzzles as I was near the end so I came back to the action. I found only one or two glyphs in AC:B as I wasn`t even searching for them
After finishing AC2 I immediately started AC:B and after AC:B I immediately started AC:R so there`s a lot of stuff left to do and collect on those games. Yesterday I had a couple hours free to play but AC:R was downloading an update so I went back to AC:B to finish doing missions and upgrading shops and places.
I think I`ll do a sweep over the three finished games before starting the series again so I can get glyphs and do side missions I left behind, this way I might put some pieces together and focus on the core story line when playing all three games again! 8)
I may do the glyph puzzles some day, but for now I'm seriously enjoying just playing through as the young, brash Ezio again. I'm just now entering Venice, and am honing my primitive, but relatively effective fighting skills.
On a completely different note, one of the entertainment trends that is completely annoying to me is the strobe-like flashing that everyone seems to feel is essential to grab your attention. For instance, instead of moving seamlessly from one scene to the next, the idiot producers will throw in a flash bulb to make the transition. These are even evidenced in many video games, the AC series included. in ACR, every time you loot a treasure chest, a flash bulb goes off in your face, while that is not true in AC2. [/rant]
I haven't read any of these "... ending explained" topics as yet, for three reasons:
1) I haven't played any of the AC titles, but I think I may do so soon and I don't want to read any revealing spoilers;
2) They'd be over my head anyway, and;
3) Er... okay, two reasons.
But I did sneak at peek at the AC1 one, and boy did it pique my interest! I must get into this series... soon... I must...
Nonononono, no. You'd be utterly disappointed and turn away in a fit of epic disgust along with compulsory vomit-attacks.
:-D
I'm playing through the series again, but started at AC2 because I wanted to focus on Ezio and his lifetime of activities. One thing I noticed after playing ACR, the graphics that I though were spectacular when I initially played AC2, seem now to be a bit outdated in comparison. Playing AC2 now really demonstrates the stunning increase in graphic beauty.
:-X
Quote from: mandru on January 25, 2012, 11:21:37 AM
We know from digging through the information to be found in the glyph sequences that "the story line proposes" that scientists have discovered that there is a chemical receptor in the neurons of the human brain that are apparently completely functional and yet fully inactive. Why humans would have such a feature present in their brain structure with no evolutionary explanation for the need of such a development is of great curiosity and inexplicable.
My take on this introduced concept (I'll attempt to make a long story short) is that it was a manipulation of the proto-humans by the first civilization (gods created man in their own image ;) ) to establish a slave race that could be controlled through the influence of the Piece of Eden we saw Adam and Eve steal from the Truth video segments. The Bonfire of the Vanities sequence of the game shows the general population being lied to and manipulated through the power of the Orb stolen from an injured Ezio by the black monk missing a finger. I think bringing these two lines of thinking and game events together partially connects some of the dots.
Neither Altair nor Ezio are affected by the Apple. There's an email revealed at the end of AC1 and described here (http://openworldgames.org/owg/forums/index.php?topic=2631.msg48752#msg48752) that says:
QuoteEmail: "The others and I have finished reviewing the Animus recordings from Subjects 12-16. While the Piece of Eden remains our priority, we must continue working to locate and understand the remaining artefacts. I am sure you can understand our reasoning behind this. Although satellite is accomplished to a fair portion of the w@&k for us, we will certainly need to deal with those who are either immune to - or protected from - its effects.
Explanation: There are multiple artefacts that Abstergo want to possess in order to control the world, and they all have different powers. Once the satellite is in orbit most of Earth's population will be under their control, but some people will be immune to its effects. They need to secure other artefacts to help deal with these people, otherwise their plans will be exposed and Abstergo will be under attack from rebels.
Now pay attention to "immune to - or protected from - it's effects". So either that particular Piece of Eden (the Apple) has no effects on certain people or certain people are somehow protected from it's effects. It can be that the Apple alone would not be able to control all popultaion of the world, hence other artifacts existing elsewhere, leading to your theory of a slave race controlled by the Apple and the other artifacts or... the First Civilization, creators of the Pieces of Eden are immune to its powers and a lineage of people descending from the FC would be immune as well, just as you said.
Quote from: mandru on January 25, 2012, 11:21:37 AM
I'm proposing that Altair, Ezio and Desmond are of a family line that has in its past exactly that infusion of first civilization genetics and that is the one thing that makes it possible for them to have eagle vision as well as the ability to properly control the Pieces of Eden without it's power consuming them to dominate the rest of the human race.
That could be linked somehow to Desmond stabbing Lucy at the end of Brotherhood under the influence of the Apple. He had no control over his actions and were driven by Minerva who also says something I can't remember exactly but that means basically "she is not the one and must not be in the way". After that event Desmond is locked somewhere within the Animus (the Animus Island we see in Revelations) that is keeping him alive until he finds out about his own truth and origin. Now I didn't get to the end of Revelations yet
SO TRY NOT TO SPOIL MY FUN, PLEASE! ;D
Also, what are the other Artifacts? Abstergo found one which was destroyed as they tried a first satellite launch but what else do we know about those? Everything seems to be focused on the Apple but there's more than meets the eye here! ????
The map Ezio put together at the end of AC2 shows lots of dots and so does the globe shown in the end of AC1... so there are more Artifacts spread out there!!!
Quote from: JRD on February 01, 2012, 07:25:04 AM
...Also, what are the other Artifacts? Abstergo found one which was destroyed as they tried a first satellite launch but what else do we know about those? Everything seems to be focused on the Apple but there's more than meets the eye here! ????
The map Ezio put together at the end of AC2 shows lots of dots and so does the globe shown in the end of AC1... so there are more Artifacts spread out there!!!
Excellent observations, JRD, way more detailed that I've considered! :-X
Just briefly saying while trying to not spill too much as you've requested JRD, when Desmond (through Ezio as the conduit) observes Minerva's message at the end of AC2 there is reference made to a couple of Minerva's first civilization peers and I'm pretty sure Juno was one of them.
I don't believe Minerva was the first civilization personality attempting to force Desmond's actions when Lucy was killed in AC:B. I think that it was Juno who from mythology was known as the Protector Goddess. She had very warlike tendencies and was the mother of Mars the God of War. One of the lines delivered during that scene in AC:B was something like "The cross casts a shadow on the horizon" which I believe was a statement that Lucy was double dealing the modern day assassins as a Templar spy. The cross referred to is the Templar symbol.
In AC:B Juno would be acting as the first civilization's security enforcement officer for mission "save the future" and poor Desmond not being pure FC DNA resists with everything he's got causing Juno to scold him saying "You have no choice in this matter. Stop resisting!" The final stroke for Lucy came from a "Press any Key" prompt.
Not something Juno could force Desmond to do. ;)
There are probably many other FC artifacts scattered around the world of varying degrees of importance. We know that Rodrigo Borgia had a staff that would combine with the apple increasing their power. The Masayaf keys in AC:R that Ezio has to collect are obscenely high tech post-it notes encoded by Atair through the apple he possessed with messages that are directly drawing from the same processes to be found in the modern day Templar and Assassin Animus systems only in a really compact format.
Mythology and folklore is filled with objects that have empowered their possessors to feats far beyond normal mortal abilities.
Though Ezio and Atair have had their run in the AC series I'm sure there will be more games to come in the AC series with each new release to expose more of these FC artifacts. Precious Items of danger and wonder. :-X
Also excellent observations, mandru. :-X
All I can say is that I'm looking forward to the subsequent AC games, and hope that they do not lose their ambiance. I really loved 15th century Italy, and 16th century Istanbul to some degree (but less).
As I dig into the whole back story my mind gets filled with questions. Sometimes I have trouble seeing the big picture here and get too concerned about details.
For instance: we keep talking about Templars but they only appeared in history in the beginning of the Crusades (http://crusades)in the 11th century. But the Apple of Eden and all other Artifacts as well as their crafters, the First Civilization, dates way back in time, maybe in the beginning of Human history! So:
1) What are those artifacts and why were they crafted? (your theory of a slave race would fit in here)
2) Who had the AoE before the Templars? it is said in past records of the game story that it was used to disseminate a lie.
QuoteAltair discovers just what the artefact, the Third Piece of Eden, is capable of. It can make people believe anything, and was responsible for many Biblical illusions such as the parting of the Red Sea (in 'reality' it did not happen - the artefact simply made people think that it did).
but on the other hand
QuoteMaybe the Piece of Eden has been used not to support a lie about Christ, but to cover up the very truth of the matter.
3)How did the Templars get the AoE and when?
4) In AC1 we see that Al Mualim had the AoE... how did he get it?
Man... talk about loose ends! :-\\
I feel like I'm watching LOST all over again! I was like: WTF ????
Interesting questions JRD. ???? I like that they guide me to look at parts of the storyline from a different point of view other than my own. :-X
I haven't played AC1 and I've not pounded Youtube for some of the missing bits and pieces the way I have for AC:B so I'm having to make some some intuitive leaps as I try to understand things (which I will identify as blind guesses when I make them ;D ) but mostly I will try to w@&k from what I've been able to put together from the information I've been able to verify as provided in the games.
1. The artifacts from the First Civilization (FC) being created by an extremely advanced society were intelligently designed to an ideal standard that the most economical tool is one that is self powering and never wears out. The easy answer to "What are they?" would be to say "They're magic. >:D " because we don't have a level of scientific expertise to begin to figure out how or why they w@&k but even Leonardo in AC2 avoided that easy out recognizing the PoE as very old but advanced technology.
I think some artifacts are discovered items found as the FC ruins have been exposed through erosion and carried as talisman through history and eventually collected by the two factions that eventually became Templar/Assassin but the more potent items that the game centers around were specifically placed by the FC (as marked on the map Ezio assembles in AC:2) and are targeted towards being in the hands of those leading the effort in our time to save the world from the upcoming 12/21/2012 crisis.
2. I'm still unclear enough to provide good answers or venture a reliable theory here so I'll fill in some of what I have been able to dig out of the clues. :-(
Templar or Assassin are simply the names that were used to identify the two groups for us in the storyline but they are not titles of authority and opposition applied to them by the FC. The glyphs in AC2 had a theme that occurred a number of times where a historical figure had the favor of (the) God(s) or supernatural power from God(s) (usually because of the possession of an FC artifact) and a usurper would kill them or steal the object of authority to gain that favor or power.
3. Continuing from 2. The FC artifacts probably changed hands again and again over a period of time (personal observation here) that may go back over 200,000 years as there no geological records (or from the study of the human genome) of the type of die off from natural catastrophes as the one that critically destroyed the FC. Interestingly the human genome and study of mitochondria (while in every cell, mitochondria are only contributed from the mother and allow detailed mapping of who is related to whom as well as how long ago) shows that there was a huge die off restricting the total population of humans to scattered groups totaling a number smaller than 10,000 individuals at one time.
You'd be amazed to find out how much of our DNA is the left over waste by products of viruses that failed to kill us. :-D
4. :knockout
I hope that gives you something to kick around and give some feedback with. Maybe between all of us we'll figure out more of these intriguing details. :-X
I keep alternating between the big picture and details so I may a bit confusing in my ideas, anyway, the discussion is great! 8)
Quote1. The artifacts from the First Civilization (FC) being created by an extremely advanced society were intelligently designed to an ideal standard that the most economical tool is one that is self powering and never wears out. The easy answer to "What are they?" would be to say "They're magic. >:D " because we don't have a level of scientific expertise to begin to figure out how or why they w@&k but even Leonardo in AC2 avoided that easy out recognizing the PoE as very old but advanced technology.
I think some artifacts are discovered items found as the FC ruins have been exposed through erosion and carried as talisman through history and eventually collected by the two factions that eventually became Templar/Assassin but the more potent items that the game centers around were specifically placed by the FC (as marked on the map Ezio assembles in AC:2) and are targeted towards being in the hands of those leading the effort in our time to save the world from the upcoming 12/21/2012 crisis.
So it would be fair to say that once upon a time, when Men were still starting to evolve, there were a very advanced civilization who created the artifacts - Apple of Eden, Piece(s) of Eden, Holy Graal (as it became known long after) - for purposes beyond our comprehension. To see the people of that First Civilization as gods would be very easy as we tend to believe in supernatural explanation when we simply don't understand something.
That civilization was somehow exterminated from the face of the Earth. The loss (or theft?) of one artifactct (AoE) could be related to that (see below how it goes against your ideas). Even wipped out from the Earth they kept means of communicating with people (humans or hybrids) bearing their DNA (remember that Minerva, or Juno, speaks to Desmond through Ezio in the end of AC2). The idea would be to prevent the AoE from falling in wrong hands creating another massive extermination of life on Earth. In that sense Assassins would be guarding the AoE.
Now another question... in The Truth video we see Adam and Eve stealing the AoE from a place that is a very advanced, high tech facility... somewehre in the FC domains proably. Now why would the FC help protecting the very race that stole the AoE from them, hence creating the events that could've led to their (FC) extermination? ????
Of course, I see your ideas point to another direction here.
QuoteThe FC artifacts probably changed hands again and again over a period of time (personal observation here) that may go back over 200,000 years as there no geological records (or from the study of the human genome) of the type of die off from natural catastrophes as the one that critically destroyed the FC.
A few major points here:
- Did Adam and Eve stole the AoE from the FC? Why?
- Did the theft of the AoE led somehow to the extermination of the FC?
- If not, then what happened to the FC? They seem to be helping the Assassins to prevent another catastrophe which is somehow tied to the AoE!
As to another point raised previously:
Quote2. Templar or Assassin are simply the names that were used to identify the two groups for us in the storyline but they are not titles of authority and opposition applied to them by the FC. The glyphs in AC2 had a theme that occurred a number of times where a historical figure had the favor of (the) God(s) or supernatural power from God(s) (usually because of the possession of an FC artifact) and a usurper would kill them or steal the object of authority to gain that favor or power.
Agreed... Whoever is guarding the AoE became known as the Assassins Brotherhood and whoever is trying to use it against mankind became known as Templars at the time of the 3rd crusade. They could've been known by any other designation before the crusades! :-X
Quote4. :knockout
If the Assassins are guardins of the AoE, then it would be in their possession at a given time. Anyone holding the AoE would be tempted to control mankind, even a master assassin as Al Mualim...
that sounds pretty Lord of the Rings, doesn't it? ::)
Well... I'll keep cooking my brains out and spraying my ideas around here, mandru... nice to have this conversation with you. Makes me enjoy even more the game as I play through it! :-X
I haven't played any of these games as yet, but there's one thing I'm sure of from following this thread (I know, I said earlier that spoiler fear would compel me not to, but curiosity is certainly going to kill this particular cat one of these days :-()): Whoever created this series was more than a little clued in regarding certain mysteries of ancient history and ideas about pre-civilization civilizations. These things are right up my alley.
Tell me - is there any mention of the Freemasons in these games? If not, there ought to be...
That does it. I'm going into town tomorrow and see if I can't snaffle a copy of AC2 from one of the local gaming shops. I have to start getting in on this action 8)
Quote from: fragger on February 03, 2012, 03:27:28 AM
That does it. I'm going into town tomorrow and see if I can't snaffle a copy of AC2 from one of the local gaming shops. I have to start getting in on this action 8)
Dooooo it. :-X
@mandru. I finished ACR last night and some of my questions were answered.
Spoiler
So a natural catastrophe exterminated the FC but I still don't get what the theft of the AoE fit into all this. ????
I haven't seen an open mention of the Freemasons fragger but there have been a lot of cultural symbols and icons that have appeared throughout so it is possible that they may be in the mix.
JRD as I was typing this up I noticed that you slipped in under me to respond to fragger. I also see that you've completed AC:R so I feel a lot more comfortable posting some of this as I had to do a lot of tap dancing around to avoid dropping too big of spoilers for the point you were at in the game. But still to protect some of this info I'll put this here:
Spoiler
I don't think that the theft of the PoE caused the destruction of the FC rather it allowed some of the humans to escape control from the FC and make their own way into the world. From bits and pieces (vague hints here and there) Adam and Eve were assisted in their actions by some members of the FC society as if they (the FC sympathizers on behalf of the humans) were having questions of conscience of the FC's treatment towards slaves. I believe (lot's of my impressions from what's been given in clues) at this point there were many humans that already had FC DNA in their blood lines in spite of the original creator's intentions.
The position (the mindset) of the group that Minerva was allied to may have been something like "Yes, humans were created to serve us but at what point in our repeated raising (a step by step notching up the level of) their intelligence and their self awareness to make them more efficient servants did we cross the line and they stopped being tools but become thinking feeling creatures deserving of their dignity and rights.
The humans were a tool created to serve the FC but they became a wedge that split the FC population polarizing them into what must have been two opposed groups and probably many FC bystanders who were busy with just trying to live their lives in the new climate they found themselves. Centuries of infighting between the two factions FC against FC, human against human kept the attention of the FC scientists on the ground instead of looking outwards to see the coming event that would cause the sun to enter a period of hyper activity emitting solar flares that eventually left only a remnant of the once enormous populations of FC and human.
FC scientists on both sides sought a way to protect the world and they came close but but their measures fell too short and too late.
This is where the FC civilization fell. Even after all this the wars to reclaim all of the slaves continued probably even more frantically as the FC faction favoring slavery of humans would be inclined to take the position that their survival as a species demanded it and that necessity over rode any rights the created humans could have. Who knows, if the side favoring slavery had agreed to recognize human rights maybe the FC could have been saved but all that passed on from them (still strongly present and voiced in the Templar point of view even at the point of death as Ezio provided last respects) was the slaver's beliefs that humans were lowly, base, worthless and in need of a firm hand to control them to give them any justification of existence.
The FC took the hit the hardest. Dependency on their technology, on the luxury they had become accustomed to of having doting slaves and on requirements of a narrow margin of necessary environmental conditions to sustain their lives the humans proved to be far hardier. There were FC individuals that lived on among the humans but their ability to maintain population fell below a critical level and they began a slow spiral towards extinction. It is fortunate for the assassins of Desmond's time that there were a few forward looking FC pro-human sympathizers who took the position that "You are us. We pass this birthright to you that we may continue through you."
It is also fortunate that the FC slavers thought so little of their slaves that they left none of the messages in a bottle for their followers that were provided for the Assassins. ;)
Glad to see that you're going to join the mix, fragger; I don't think you'll be disappointed. :-X
Very interesting read, mandru - have you guys done all of the glyph puzzles to divulge the entire "clue" movie?
Thanks PZ, I have finished all the glyphs in AC2 to unlock the "Truth" movie which in addition to arranging all of the clips into proper order also adds a sound track which is mostly music and sound effects. :-D
Did the truth movie help shape your thoughts on the history of the events? i.e., is it worth solving all the glyphs and watching the movie?
Actually the information contained in the glyphs is a lot richer resource towards the series background story and history than the completed "Truth" movie in and of itself.
Remember that it was subject #16 who selectively composed from his Animus experiences the content to pass along and reveal what he felt was important concepts to any "right person" who came along behind him.
I'm playing the main story line of ACB right now, but interspersing those sessions with visits to AC2 to do side missions and solve puzzles. It is kind of interesting to keep current in both at the same time.
Also interesting is that the level of skill needed to do your activities proficiently in ACR is both higher and yet at the same time a bit easier. For example, the movement mechanics in AC2 are awful when compared to ACR - in the latter I can move so much more precisely, whereas in AC2 I feel like a drunkard trying to escape zombies.
On the flip side, now in ACB, the skills I learned in ACR has changed the way I do business in Roma - much more efficient I might add. Doing the Borgia towers is a piece of cake compared to ACR Templar lairs. :-()
Quote from: PZ on February 03, 2012, 11:30:51 AM
Did the truth movie help shape your thoughts on the history of the events? i.e., is it worth solving all the glyphs and watching the movie?
Spoiler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfA1Da8R2pU
;)
@ mandru
Very interesting read. A split First Civ with sides pro and against slavery! They created humans to be their slaves but with time, part of them started to question the right to slave a self aware, counscious species like Mankind. The against-slavery faction helped Adam and Eve escape carrying a PoE as a gift from Gods so they could be able to carry on with their lives with power to evolve and survive.
It can be that even the first Human civilization that developed from Adam and Eve had their share of splitting. Some were poisoned by the power of the PoE (or AoE) hence trying to resume the slavery routine while another part fought against slavery hence hiding the artifacts
Another thing I can gather from the ending of AC:R is that the PoE Altair had is a different PoE that Ezio is protecting. A third one apparently was destroyed when Abstergo had an incident with the satellite.
An interesting note to add to JRD's spoiler:
Spoiler
JRD, at the 0:32 sec mark of the video you posted there is a figure dressed much like the garments worn by Minerva during the reveal at the end of AC:2
The figure in the clip is facing away from Adam and Eve's position holding an PoE apple in their right hand and overseeing a group of humans fabricating and constructing some product. It goes by very fast and I had to look at it many times to gather enough information to make out the shape of the FC against the dark background.
I've read arguments on another forum that the figure is Minerva but I haven't seen enough evidence of that to form an opinion one way or another.
I saw that but that's so fast... just a glimpse of a figure in the shadows... too quick to form any idea indeed!
I just watched the ending of AC2 again! In the video, at 2:13 approximately, Minerva clearly says "your kind betrayed us" ... so it goes with the idea of Adam and Eve stealing a PoE and having the FC or, at least, part of them, considering Humans as not worthy of respect....
Assassins Creed 2 Ending - 1080P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmcawAIPhS4#ws)
Sorry to interrupt - just sticking my head in to say there's a newbie to the creed at 6 o'clock :-X
None of the local shops I went to yesterday had any copies of AC2 in stock, but I found a brand newie (and a cheapie) on ebay Oz. Same seller I scored Tomb Raiders Legend and Anniversary from and it's been very reliable in the past, so I expect to get the game in a few days. I'm looking forward to knowing what in the world you guys are on about - well, after I've played some...
Excellent, fragger! Looking forward to your opinions on the game and the story line ;)
That's good news, mate!
Take your time and enjoy Renaissance Italy... you have a lot to see and do in this game and I'm quite sure you'll get Brotherhood and Revelation when the time comes... it's a great saga and full of things to spend your time with!
Also a lot to read around OWG!! ;D
Found a transcription of what Minerva says to Ezio (http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Minerva) in the end of AC2 8)
*************************************************************************************
(After entering The Vault, and walking to the back of the chamber)
Minerva: (to Ezio) Greetings, prophet. It is good you have come. Let us see it. To give thanks.
(Ezio shows the Apple of Eden to Minerva, who 'scans' it)
Minerva: (to Desmond) We must speak.
Ezio: Who are you?
Minerva: (to Ezio) Many names. When I died, it was Minerva. Before that Merva, and Mera. And on and on. The others, too: Juno, who was before called Uni; Jupiter, who was before called Tinia.
Ezio: You are... gods.
Minerva: (laughs) No. Not gods. We simply came... before. Even when we walked the world, your kind struggled to understand our existence. We were more... advanced in time. Your minds were not yet ready. (turns to camera/Desmond) Still not, maybe never. No matter. You may not comprehend us. But you will comprehend our warning. You must.
Ezio: None of what you are saying makes sense.
Minerva: (to Ezio) Our words are not meant for you.
Ezio: What are you talking about? There is no one else here!
Minerva: Enough! I do not wish to speak with you, but through you. You are the prophet. You've played your part. You anchor him, but please be silent! That we may commune.
Minerva: (to Desmond) Listen. When we were still flesh, and our homes still whole, your kind betrayed us. We who made you. We who gave you life! We were strong. But you were many. And both of us craved war. So busy were we with earthly concerns, we failed to notice the heavens. And by the time we did... the world burned and naught remained but ash. It should have ended then and there. But we built you in our own image. We built you to survive. And so you did. Few were our numbers. Your kind and mine. It took sacrifice. Strength. Compassion. But we rebuilt. And as life returned to the world... We endeavored to ensure this tragedy would not be repeated.
But now we are dying. And time will w@&k against us. Truth turned into myth and legend. What we build, misunderstood. Let my words preserve the message and make a record of our loss. But let my words also bring hope. You must find the other temples. Built by those who knew to turn away from war. They worked to protect us - to save us from the fire. If you can find them... If their w@&k can be saved... so too might this world. Be quick, for time grows short. And guard against the Cross, for there are many who will stand in your way.
It is done. The message is delivered. We are gone from this world. All of us. We can do no more. The rest is up to you, Desmond.
Ezio: What? Who is Desmond? I don't understand! Please, wait! I have so many questions!
(Minerva disappears)
Desmond: What. The. f@#k?
*************************************************************************************
"You must find the other temples" is an interesting phrase. The temple at the end of ACB is likely one of them, but how about ACR? ... Altair's library? When you take all the conversation in context, it seems like there should be more.
I'd say Temple of Solomon, in Jerusalem, where Altair intercepts Robert de Sable in AC1, is one, The Vatican, where Ezio finds another artifact he uses with the AoE to open the vault is another one. Then the Colosseum, where Ezio hids the AoE another one, The Library in Masyaf another... the Templars had another AoE, destroyed in the satellite incident, so they found yet another temple...
ah yes... those sound reasonable; now I recall them all once you mentioned them. :-X
I'm not sure there will be any more searching for locations in the next game.
On hidden temples:
Spoiler
Jupiter does speak of the hidden locations but in the encounter with him at the end of AC:R he says "Each vault's knowledge was transmitted to a single place" and he points at an illuminated spot in N.E. part of the North American continent on a globe of the earth.
Assassin's Creed Revelations - Walkthrough SERIES FINALE [ENDING] Credits Let's Play HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1FuL31-jNw#ws)
16:46 is the precise point of that passage from the script in this video. I really like how this moment in the video shifts and becomes a good live action shot of the trio Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.
With Jupiter's comment that "knowledge was transmitted" there might still be a mad dash to hit all those other locations and actually turn the machinery on. ;)
Of course it is possible that some of the information is not intended to be an indicator of what is to come. Only time will tell - the next installment should be interesting.
Watching the video does make me want to get back into the game >:D
Just interrupting again (a buttinski, aren't I? ;D) AC2 was waiting for me when I got home from w@&k today. I had a long hard one (workday, that is) so I'm a little too much on the knackered side to get into the game right now, but I have a rostered day off tomorrow and I'm hoping the weather stinks so I can have an excuse to get comfortably ensconced and just game it up all day.
I've kind of run out of steam with Tomb Raider lately so I'm going to hang up my khaki shorts for the time being and just go and - well, I guess, among other things - assass :-()
:-X I think you'll enjoy it fragger.
That's great fragger! :-X
You're gonna enjoy it a lot! It might be a bit overwhelming at first because you have so many things to learn and discover in Assassins Creed but with time you will see why we love this game so much.
I had played AC1 when I got AC2, so I was familiar with basic movements and how to interact with the world and yet I had to struggle with all new weapons, monetary system, blending etc... but damn, that was fun! 8)
Looking forward to your impressions, fragger! :-X
Grr... I still haven't gotten to it yet because of pesky real-life type stuff getting in the way.
Like the line in that Matchbox 20 song: "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me..." Amen, brothers.
Need game, must game, want game...
:laugh:
All in good time fragger :-X
^-^
Funny you should say "All in good time"...
I've been trying to install the game this morning and it's becoming a headache. I got through the installation part, then had to wait about half an hour for updates to download, patches to run, etc. But that's OK, it's par for the course these days and I can live with it. But then I got to the registration part, and that's when my head began to throb...
First I was asked to login to Ubisoft. I tried to create an account, only to be told that my email address was already in use. What the - !? Oh... my bad... I'd completely forgotten that I'd set up an account with them years before when I got FC2. I couldn't remember my username or password after all this time and I tried a bunch of ones that I've used for various things in the past but none of them worked, so this necessitated a password reset request from Ubi. I got through all that and restarted the game to get the rego window back up and successfully logged in. Next I was asked to provide the DVD key code from the sticker inside the game case when prompted. I did that and a message came back saying: "BINDING FAILED - This key has been used already". WTF? It's a brand new game from a commercial supplier! I rechecked the code and re-entered it three times with the same result each time. There was a button in the window which would allow me to purchase a new key online. Not that I should have to, but I clicked on it anyway just to see how much I'd be hit up for and got the good old "404" error - no such page exists :D
So at this point I've lodged a support request with Ubi and I'll see how it goes.
Geez, all I want to do is play...
Wow - sorry to hear all those problems fragger - it is a sign of the times I guess - online banking sometimes seems to be easier than logging into your own machine to play a video game.
Cheers mate :)
I've been on to the supplier and they have assured me that the game I bought was brand new, so assuming they're telling the truth I can only conclude that the fault lies at Ubisoft's end. I let Ubi know in my support request that I'm willing to pay for a new key to be provided (as long as it doesn't cost me more than the game did) but I haven't heard a peep out of them yet.
Possibly it has something to do with me having to reset my Ubi password after the install but before the key request, but I really don't see how that would affect things considering that I didn't change my username or email address, just my password, and I hadn't logged on with them at all until I was asked to do so after the installation was complete.
Quote from: fragger on February 13, 2012, 03:08:20 PM
I can only conclude that the fault lies at Ubisoft's end. I let Ubi know in my support request that I'm willing to pay for a new key to be provided (as long as it doesn't cost me more than the game did) but I haven't heard a peep out of them yet.
Keep poking at them fragger and hold their feet to the fire. :-X
Indeed - you shouldn't have to pay anything extra. Surely the same anti-piracy software they use keeps record of any number of the following: who used a key, the IP address of the computer, and the username.
Agree, I wouldn't have thought that it would be terribly difficult to ascertain stuff like that. Well, it would have been early Sunday afternoon in the US when I lodged the request so maybe it just hasn't been read yet (although it's Monday afternoon there now...)
Got a response from Ubi in which they asked me to send them digital images of the installation key, an image of the game's barcode and an image of a proof of purchase before they can render any assistance.
So I've sent them what they asked for and I'll see what happens next.
I'd really like to play this game sometime ::)
I'm really sorry that you are going through so many problems to play a game, mate! :-(
But on the other hand, I'm glad to see that Ubi actually manifested an interest in solving the problem on their side. I hope you can have your key available asap to enjoy it!! :-X
OMG! you mean Ubi actually responded!
fragger, if it wasn't a primary concern to get the game up and running when UBI requested those images (how can they assume that everyone has a scanner or digital camera? ??? ) you could have e-mailed them back saying...
Spoiler
"How about this, what if I just send you a picture of my really angry face!"
Proof of purchase? ??? what if you got the game as a gift? ????
I usually don't give my bill away with a present I want to surprise someone with (and no, not because I don't want them to see how bloody cheap the s#!t I gave them really was :-() ).
:laugh:
LOL you guys :laugh: You raised a couple of good points there.
No further response as yet from Ubi. If they don't respond, the next digital image I send them will be a moon shot (and I'm not talking astrophotography) >:D
It wouldn't surprise me if the support guy at Ubi who received those images is now thinking, "Damn, he's ligit and he called my bluff, which means I might actually have to drop out of the office Wii Sports session and do some w@&k..."
Well, I think I've had enough of Ubisoft's "support". Here's the latest response from Ubi:
If you have purchased separate key for the game it means that the key for the game is from illegitimate source, as Ubisoft has never released separate keys for sale. In this situation please pursue this matter further with your retailer.
Hello - I did NOT purchase a separate key, I asked if that was possible seeing as how there is a button with "BUY A KEY ONLINE!" printed on it in the game's rego dialog. Obviously this dopey nong hasn't read my request properly. This is what I originally wrote:
----------------------------------------
I recently purchased Assassin's Creed 2 online from ebay Australia and it is a brand-new, previously unsold game from a commercial supplier. The game installed OK but when I tried to enter the registration key I received a message saying that the key had already been used. There was an option in the game's registration window to purchase a new key online but the page cannot be found (404).
Here is the registration key:
<registration key was shown here>
I have included the product bar code and a screen capture of the registration window.
I would appreciate any help you can provide with this. I am willing to purchase a new key if that will resolve the issue.
----------------------------------------
And here's the image of the rego window I sent them, with the key showing. Note the button:
[smg id=4040 width=604]
And remember, I later had to send them a picture of the inside of the case with the sticker clearly showing the same rego key, so that's three times I've given them that key - once in my original request (above), a second time in the accompanying image of the rego window, and a third time in the picture of the case interior. You would think that that would reinforce the fact that I did not buy a separate key. Maybe I should go over there and brand it into back of the guy's hand...
Since I paid a whole $14.00 for the game, maybe I'll just buy another one from a shop and put this down to costly experience, i.e. don't rely on Ubisoft for support. I can't rule out the possibility that whoever supplied the ebay seller has indeed pulled a swifty (there was no shrink-wrap around the case like there usually is) and if so a genuine brand new copy from a proper shop might resolve the prob. I hope... I don't want to spend even more money on another copy and have the same thing happen again.
There's one last thing I can try: opening a new account with Ubi using a different username with my other email address (I have two) and trying the rego thing again just in case my password reset mucked something up. I still don't see how though. But I will be sending one last message to Ubisoft support advising them that it might be in their interest to pay closer attention to their customers' correspondences.
I'll get into this game one way or another :D
Strange that your game was not shrink wrapped - that would cause me suspicion right away. Have you tried contacting the seller with this issue?
I do hope you can get in because I think you'll enjoy it once you get past your anger and frustration with the system!
Yep, I've been on to the seller and they assure me that the game was brand new from their distributor. But I suspect that someone somewhere is doing a dirty. This was the same seller I got my Tomb Raider games from and had no probs with them - but they don't need any registration at all so I think I might have just lucked out there.
I'm going into town later today so I'll see about ordering a new copy of AC2 from the store and write the whole episode off as a costly lesson: don't buy games through ebay.
You could try sending the game back along with your correspondence with Ubi to see if they will give you a refund. If they do not (even as a goodwill gesture), then I'd never buy from them again, and tell them so. Of course, I am known to have a bad attitude. :-()
:-D
Good news and bad news.
Good is that I found a proper new copy of AC2 in the store discounted to AU$19.95 and it installed OK, no registration key issues.
Bad is that it runs like molasses on my PC. I had to turn all graphic options down to the lowest possible settings and knock the res right down to 800x600 and it's still only barely acceptable, and looks pretty horrible.
I don't get why some games run fine on this rig and some don't. I can run some games with at least medium graphic settings in 1980x1080 res widescreen mode and they're fine (FC2 is smooth as silk), while others won't play ball unless I drop everything down to the bare minimum and even then they don't run very well.
Looks like I may have to relegate the AC games to the growing pile of titles awaiting the day when priorities allow me to spring for new hardware. Curses :D
That's a real shame fragger - sorry to hear about your PC woes. You might check the web site of your cards manufacturer to see if they have anything about the AC series - I didn't think the hardware requirements were that steep.
Yeah that is weird fragger. ????
A glitch I have in my system causes FC2 to demand more from my graphics card than either the smooth running AC2 or AC:R which are the two Creed games I have from the series.
Yeah, it's odd. But who knows what kind of results can arise from all the various combos of games, graphics cards and motherboards out there. According to the game's recommended specs my machine's configuration should be well and truly up to the task. I may try updating my video driver and see if that helps. It's a pity because from what I did see of the game I'm sure I could really get into it.
I'd recommend investigating the driver update after reading the features of the update. I'm using nVivia, and each update specifies what will be improved for games, listing the titles by name. However it is always a risk on PC - I recall mandru having problems with a driver update, when the exact same update on my PC resulted in improved performance.
Good advice, cheers :-X :)