STACK NZ Nov #57

GAMES

FEATURE

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According to STACK ’s Paul Jones, Maxime Durand has the best job on earth; he gets to research history for video games. We spoke with him about the history behind Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Revolution

Why did you decide uponThe French Revolution as the historical setting for an Assassin’s Creed game? MAXIME DURAND: The French Revolution was the perfect template for an Assassin’s Creed title for a variety of reasons.The Revolution itself was far more than a simple rebellion against an unpopular king; it was a total rejection of repressive feudal principles that had endured for centuries.The French Revolution gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone who supported the old social order of Europe. It was also a time of firsts. It included the first-ever assault on the concept of organised religion, the first genuinely populist uprising (which was put down by other revolutionaries) and the first modern police state, with show trials, informants, and public executions. On the brighter side, it included the first clear enunciation of modern liberal principles that we, in theWest, now take for granted. For all our focus on the American Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man predated the American document by a year.The French Revolution saw the birth of the charter of rights; it’s the inauguration of a new world. At the individual level, it was exceptionally bloody and nearly all of the victims were civilians. It was a time of terror in which no one was safe. A man could be sent to the guillotine on his neighbour’s whim. In sum, it was an extraordinarily violent, cruel, and momentous decade that took Europe by surprise. And while we might think we know what happened, there are plenty of stories from that time which have, until now, escaped popular imagination. The French Revolution is such a complex period of history.Was it challenging to shape a game from this monumental historical event? Assassin’s Creed: Unity is really about Arno’s story, his relationship with Elise and his redemption quest, epitomised by his journey from novice, to master

assassin.The French Revolution acts as a backdrop to Arno’s story. Consequently, we’ll be crossing paths with numerous and very diverse historical figures, landmarks and events. Unity is respectful to historical facts and intentions regarding these, while integrating them into our unique narrative arc.The historical experience we propose focuses on a vast and immersive reproduction of Paris as a playground. It is filled with real historical crowd life activities, such as tanners, or popular era songs, like La Carmagnole . What’s involved in researching a period for anAssassin’s Creed game? Do you have a team of resident historical experts or do you consult externally? For Unity , we had external and internal historians who worked hand-in-hand with our core creative team. In fact, they start their painstaking research right at the beginning of the conception phase. The core team does a lot of reading on the specific setting and era, and even get to visit the actual location. We then begin our search for our historical villain; someone whose many traits can somehow epitomise an aspect of the setting.The fact that that character died in a relevant moment in the game’s timeline is also a plus… The team itself also undergoes historical training. We also make any pop culture elements that deal with our specific timeline, such as books, films or TV series readily available to everyone. For some specific team members, such as the artists responsible for recreating our buildings, monuments or characters, we provide even more specific elements such as blueprints and costumes. We then usually ask for external historians to review the results.This is important, especially for the script. The setting for Assassin’s Creed: Unity was chosen immediately after Assassin’s Creed:

Brotherhood had been released; but it took years to recreate the city of Paris to scale and level of detail. Paris is by far the most ambitious we have ever attempted in the history of Assassin’s Creed. Although we get to see and experience Paris on a daily basis, it’s only when we get to the later stages of development that we experience it coming together... the magical moment when crowd-life animations match their audio and the final art and lighting are integrated. Only then do we experience the full immersion we were striving for. In terms of authenticity, did the team consult period plans, paintings and documentation in order to construct a historically accurate depiction of Paris? The Paris of ACU is definitely an accurate reproduction of Paris as it was circa 1789-1810. We based it on many historical plans to create our street layout, while adapting it to our navigation metrics. Also, the 35 landmarks we recreated are the most faithful ever reproduced on any Assassin’s Creed game. We use loads of books to get to know the details, but sometimes we actually consult archaeological reports. We do sometimes take a little liberty on some details, such as the stryge on Notre-Dame. For the team, this conveyed an important emotional element, and although it was built a few decades later, we included it in the game. On the other hand, the paintings you’ll find in Notre-Dame are specific to the era. Also, we divided Paris into seven districts. Each uses a different architecture set, mood and specific crowd life.This was done by consulting specific documentation, such as the Cris de Paris, corporation lists, and a load of historical costume books. Archives and libraries, either physical or digital editions, are our best allies.The result is an impressive, immersive experience built on a cinematic scale.

NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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