What was assassins creed based off of

Rodrigo is not only Pope, but also the head of the Templars, and his papacy is one based on the tenants of corruption and violence. Yet again, when we look at the history of the time, there was a Pope called Rodrigo Borgia whose papacy began in History tells us that the real-life Rodrigo was just as bad as his in-game counterpart. The real Rodrigo was said to have bought the papacy with bribery and vote corruption, and as soon as he took office, he began elevating his family to positions of power or, if no such position existed, creating it for them.

Poison was suspected but never proved, though if it was used, it was a fitting end to a man who history would have us believe was more violent and corrupt than even his video game counterpart. To include such a strong historical figure in George Washington was a bold but logical choice for Ubisoft. He who charted the fate of the United States has a real history just as exciting as the in-game character. Washington is famous for being the first president of the United States of America and for being commander-in-chief of the American forces during the American Revolution.

He was responsible for giving the order to carry out a scorched earth war policy that saw 40 Native American villages destroyed and which would see him come into conflict with Connor over the order.

Still, Ubisoft chose wisely in giving focus to a historical figure that represents the Revolutionary War and the forging of the United States. Now, Blackbeard, or Edward Teach as he was known, is an ideal character to get the Ubisoft historical makeover.

You see, Blackbeard was an English pirate who, according to records, terrorized shipping endeavors across the Caribbean from to Merchant ships attacked by Blackbeard would be treated leniently if they put up no resistance.

This was a smart move by the pirate, as it meant the authorities were less likely to hunt him down or put a reward on his head. In fact, at one point, Blackbeard was pardoned for his piracy by the British government, but then decided to blockade and ransom an entire port, landing him back on their hit list.

When Ubisoft announced the first Assassin's Creed in , the publisher made a point of highlighting the game's basis in history, such as the Crusades, important figures, and ancient cities like Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. Another point it touched on was the existence of a real Order of Assassins - but a lot of the group's real history was left off the table, even though it's just as interesting, if not moreso, than the fiction.

In the game, the Assassins are a secret society engaged in a war with the Knights Templar over artifacts called the Pieces of Eden, the real prize being whether humanity is free or under rigid control. Only a select cadre, the fida'is, actually carried out killings and espionage - there was a Nizari Isma'ili state with Assassin rulers such as Rashid ad-Din Sinan, who Assassin's Creed 's Al Mualim is loosely based on.

The fida'is were needed because the state lacked an army - killing or threatening other leaders deterred the sect's enemies. In fact, according to Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa , the Assassins are claimed to have killed hundreds of people before collapsing in , including emirs, viziers, and caliphs, as well as a few Western rulers, like the King of Jersualem Conrad of Montferrat.

The real Assassins didn't have wrist blades, but it was probably falsely rumored that some of them were so loyal that they would voluntarily leap to their death if ordered, hence Assassin's Creed 's leap of faith. Their killings were often deliberately public, since the goal was terrorism. In other cases, merely the suggestion of violence was needed. They were led to believe that they were religious warriors. While not their only military tactic, the public killing of their enemies was what the Assassins became known for.

Instead the player would control an Assassin who had to protect an immature prince. The game would have been set in the Middle East during the 12th century.

As it developed, it became less and less like a Prince Of Persia game until eventually Ubisoft realized it needed to be a new IP. The game had been in development for three years by the time Raymond stood on stage at E3. Ubisoft had build an entirely new engine so that they could leverage the power of the PS3 and Xbox Freed from the constraints of being a next-gen sequel to one of the most successful PS2 games ever the developers went to town.

Where possible, historic documents were used to make the cities and buildings as authentic as possible. As the release date approached, Ubisoft revealed more details about the game. The screen artifacts and closing shots of the E3 gameplay footage were starting to make sense. More than a year had passed since the E3 announcement and people, including me, were getting eager.

Ubisoft, aware they had a potential hit on their hands, ramped up the hype machine. I live in Ireland. Game releases are a special kind of torture for me.

Games normally launch early in the week in the US but not until Thursday or Friday over here. For the three days between the US and Irish releases I was caught in limbo. I was torn between devouring every scrap of gameplay footage and religiously avoiding spoilers. I read every review I could get my hands on while avoiding forums they were still at thing in where I might have the game ruined for me.

Friday rolled around and I was ready. I was outside my local game store when it opened to pick up my preordered copy. Unlike many American gamers I knew what to expect. The free running, assassination missions, story and graphics were all universally praised, while at the same time huge parts were described as boring and repetitive. For every person who loved the modern day frame story — and the crazy ending — there was someone else who hated it. I got home and finished the game over the weekend.

So much was so close. Few gaming experiences have ever made me feel the wonder I felt when I first climbed a wall, ran along the roof tops or performed a perfect air assassination, but similarly, few have made me as frustrated as playing a stealth game for odd hours only to find that the final mission is wave after wave of combat or being hunted by half the guards in Jerusalem for running too quickly.

More than enough to warrant a sequel. The developers, with the animus frame, had the freedom to do something different. Rather than return to the Crusades, Renaissance Italy was chosen for the sequel. A far more engaging and directed story was written. Rather than being presented with the same stock, research gathering, side missions before every assassination, the player was driven through the game by an exciting revenge narrative with close to side quests.

The two main cities — Venice and Florence — were filled with things for the player to do and each had its own unique look and feel. The villa at Monteriggioni gave players a home base to make their own. Again the developers used historical documents to recreate 15th Century Italy in as much detail as possible. Once again I had to deal with three days of hell. YouTube was far bigger now and gameplay footage was easy to find.

The reviews were astounding. Critics loved it. When release day came, I was outside the same store ready to collect my preordered copy. The whole weekend was going to be given over to assassinating Renaissance Italians.

The critical acclaim the game had achieved had my expectations through the roof. Venice was the perfect city. The canals and narrow streets made for exciting rooftop routes.

I got chills down my spine the first time I climbed to the top of a tower and looked out at the city below. There was so much to do!

I found every secret location, played every side mission and climbed everything bigger than a tree. It showed what games could be. II was far more fun than the original, and not only that, the developers were clearly taking everything less seriously. His greeting? The frame story was once again bonkers.

Desmond had escaped from Abstergo with the help of a group of modern day Assassins. The underlying mythology really began to solidify. I doubt anyone truly grasped what was happening on their first play through but with the help of online discussions it was possible to understand what was happening. The Pieces of Eden were credible McGuffins and the threat of a civilisation ending solar flare was a semi-plausible motivation for the whole series.

The appearance of Minerva at the end was one hell of a cliff-hanger. Ubisoft was obviously delighted with the success. After two blockbuster games Jade Raymond had done more than enough to earn a promotion to Managing Director of Ubisoft Toronto. Her time as the public face of the series had come to an end.

Instead of two cities and the surrounding — and largely empty — countryside there was just the one: a huge reimagining of Rome that had to be reclaimed from the Templars district by district. Even more side missions were added. These recruits could be sent off on missions on their own or help Ezio in a fight.

New weapons , such as the crossbow, were added.