History Headscratchers / AssassinsCreed

** I'm not entirely sure thee is one, at least for the flags. The fragments, if memory serves, was mentioned in a semi-offhand comment about being literal "fragments" of data that needed to be collected. Basically, Desmond was going off-script for a bit to run around grabbing shinies. Even that justfication was lost basically immediately afterward, with it becoming almost strictly Doylist in nature. "Collect the things because they're things that you collect."

Throughout the first few games we are presented with TWCB as a powerfull divine race beyond our comprehension and intellect. But as of 2015, human society is ever increaseingly resembling the TWCB. Not only that, but we may even have surpassed them (and will continue to), we went to the Moon several times whilst they stayed on Earth, why? Couldn't they have saved themselves via off-world/off-system colonies? It seems that we are only ~100-200 years away from being roughly where they were on societal and technological level. But unlike them, we seem to "dream bigger". What i'm basically getting at is the seeming disparity between what TWCB did, and what they could have done.

*** But Ezio (and Altair) don't wear gloves with their blades. I think we see a few Assassins that do, but they don't.
*** Well, [[RuleOfCool mainly it looks cool.]] But yes, in the novelizations, they're said to use some type of deploy mechanism attached to their finger.
*** If I remember correctly, when GameInformer did a cover story on the game, someone explained how the hidden blade works. Basically, removing the ring finger is symbolic in that not only can the assassin no longer marry (excluding Ezio in ACII), he is in effect married to the Brotherhood (with the hidden blade being the ring) but it also shows their commitment to the Brotherhood. Once they put the hidden blade on, there is a ring that is attached to the stump with a wire that activates the mechanism that draws the blade whenever the wearer flicks their wrist or so. I'd imagine there's also a safety wire of sorts attached to one of their other fingers to prevent the blade from deploying accidently, can't really remember what they said exactly.
* I don't understand why they made the animus/modern day storyline in the first place. Even by the end of the second game, it still hasn't justified itself to this troper. ''Assassin's Creed'' would have worked just fine as a series of games, each with their own story.

*** It also allows the skipping of boring time, a justification for the side-missions respawning, etc. Basically it's a framing device, and it looks like they're building up to a third in the modern day.
**** Looks like? They set the release date in the first game! December 21, 2012 is repeatedly stated as the Templar's deadline and was on the right schedule for when the game was initially released to provide development time to put out the third game then (maybe a little earlier to make more than last-minute holiday sales unless they're really dedicated to the solstice).
*** While a series of self-contained games could work, the metaplot ties the whole history of the two groups together.

*** This. It's a lazy way to handwave any obvious gamey-ness or problems by making you play a game about playing a game.
**** But that's the beauty of it all! The Animus singlehandedly justified the LifeMeter, RegeneratingHealth, all forms of NonStandardGameOver (StealthBasedMission, EscortMission, TimedMission), the HeadsUpDisplay, SuperDrowningSkills (retroactively, anyway), and control/graphics changes between games ("No more selecting individual parts of your ancestor's body!"); allowed Subject Sixteen's side story and, in fact, the entire MythArc; tied together thousands of years with one (very mortal) protagonist; and [[GenreBusting expertly tied together the genres]] of ScienceFiction and HistoricalFiction -- all without breaking the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief and being explained well enough to avoid falling into VoodooShark territory (although, as a biology major, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology the idea of genetic memory]] rubs me the wrong way). As plot devices go, the Animus is probably one of the best -- expertly constructed, simple, [[MagicAIsMagicA internally consistent]], and very effective.

*** Actually, I figured that was because he had no reason to know how to swim. They don't live in an area with a large number of bodies of water, and he seems to operate mainly in that area. Sure, there are seas sort of nearby, but I don't really see him learning to swim. It would be like learning to move through a forest quietly; kind of a moot point in the area. What makes less sense is Ezio being ''able'' to swim with all of that gear and the heavy clothes on him.
**** Actually, I just remembered something. Lorenzo di Medici, AKA Giovanni Auditore's friend, almost died by drowning. Giovanni saved him with swimming. So, perhaps, when Ezio was a boy, Giovanni said, "Alright, it's a hot day in Firenze. EZIO! We're going to the river. You're going to learn to swim! You'll never know when you need it. . ."

** This troper has a sneaking suspicion that Al Mualim was ever so slightly full of it when he claimed that all the Biblical miracles were nothing but illusions cast by the Pieces of Eden. After all, how exactly does he ''know'' that all the Biblical miracles were illusions? Because he found one of the Pieces of Eden? Nonsense. That's like some future archaeologist stumbling across an old copy of Adobe Photoshop and concluding that Elvis never really existed, he was just some guy they photoshopped into a bunch of pictures. I suspect that at the end of the series we'll discover that there's more truth to religious belief than the Templars ever suspected.
*** In the sequel we're told by one of Those Who Came Before that they and their technology were what inspired human religions, so {{Jossed}}. As for how Al Mualim got his information, the Apple isn't just a hypnotism device it's also a repository of knowledge.
*** Not {{Jossed}} at all. The Truth video reveals that the Book of Genesis is actually a fairly accurate (if poetic and non-literal) account of the creation of the human race.
*** Except for the bit where humans were not created by a god but by the race who made the artifacts.
*** Hence the phrase "poetic and non-literal". And as always, remember Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Those Who Came Before are advanced enough that they may as well be gods.
*** I think we basically agree here but are arguing about two different things. Al Mualim claimed that the Apple and artifacts like it were responsible for all the miracles of various religions, the second post in this block argued that he was wrong and it would turn out that there was more to religions than the Templars thought. That's the point I said was Jossed a few posts back - ''Assassin's Creed II'' makes it quite clear that Those Who Came Before really are ultimately responsible for various apparent miracles (including what is pretty much the big one, as shown in The Truth).

*** This also makes sense in that it explains the period of wandering detailed in the Bible. Since Moses was taking the Jews the long way around, he had to give them some sort of excuse for it taking so long. So he made them think they were wandering in the desert even though he was just making up the extra distance.

*** Al Mualim is not fully informed. We know as of ACII that humans have a dormant neurotransmitter int hem that is triggered by the Pieces, particularly the Apple. This is what he was using to restrain Altair, albeit to a very limited degree thanks to his innate Assassin genes that made him resistant.
*** They seemingly can't decide whether atheists are right or the villains. Chalk it up to that "multicultural team" they want to PC you with.
*** Just because some villains are atheists doesn't mean they're not right about that specific conviction. Ezio's an atheist, or close to; Altair seems not to subscribe to Islam, Judaism or Christianity and later in his life writes his theories about why anyone does, going so far to think of pantheism as a more logical (though still wrong) method of explaining the world. On that note, there are villainous and heroic theists as well. It's not inconsistent so much as, well, realistic. Your faith or lack thereof is part of who you are and may inform your ethics, but it doesn't actually make you a good or bad person. ''Fanaticism'', on the other hand... My point being, TWGB are god-figures, and several humans or human-hybrids throughout history used the power of their artifacts, the Pieces of Eden, to seem like prophets or avatars. The Pieces have varying abilities, from mental domination to healing to boosting combat skills to possibly manipulating time itself. Maybe parting the Red Sea was one of them. Or Al-Mualim may have just been using poetic license. Nothing is true.
*** We get a conclusive answer to this in Assassin's Creed III.[[spoiler: Juno reveals to Desmond that when enough people are enthralled by a Piece of Eden and told to believe something, they can make it come true. By extension, this would mean all miracles actually did happen.]]

*** I thought the ending sequence of ACII made it pretty clear that eagle vision was a sixth sense passed down from Those Who Came Bedfore, based on what Juno said while Desmonds trying to hit all the power switches underneath the Colleseum.
*** It's very, very strongly implied in Subject 16's glyph puzzles that the Assassins (or at least, Desmond's bloodline) are descended from a half-human, half-Those Who Came Before coupling. As TWCB were essentially Gods, this means that Desmond's ancestors possess several unique abilities, including Eagle Vision. It's possible that their extreme durability (ability to survive falling from great heights) and unlimited stamina could also come under this, if they're not simply effects of the Animus.
*** Eagle Vision is not the sixth sense that Those Who Came Before kept from us. If it was, there wouldn't be any reason for Juno to tell Desmond to "Awaken the Sixth". Eagle Vision is just a more basic version of the Sixth Sense. This also justifies the sudden renaming and upgrade it gets in Revelations, where it's named Eagle ''Sense'', and allows you to do the same as with Eagle Vision, as well as predict where a target will go, and where he has already gone. In other words, Desmond, Ezio and possibly Altaïr as well, awaken the sixth sense in Revelations.
* Why is "being in the Animus" a legitimate excuse for every illogical feature of the Animus?
** Because the Animus is basically a [[ShowWithinAShow Game Within A Game]]. It's explicitly shown to be not fully realistic, to tell the story in BroadStrokes and to glitch at times.
*** Yes, I know. This is more of a thing that Bugs Me than an actual FridgeLogic situation. Any nonsensical situation occurring within the Animus can be {{hand wave}}d in this manner. It's just such a lame excuse.
*** Oh, baw. To you, it's lame. To me, personally, it's brilliant, clever, simple, and highly effective.
** Indeed; the Animus isn't so much "viewing the past" as it is creating a video game based on Desmond's genetic memories in his DNA. Even in-universe, the playable Altaïr and Ezio sections are basically a video game that Desmond is playing via virtual reality.
*** So what will the excuse be when it's time to fight in Desmond's shoes? I think less emphasis should be on the nature of the Animus and instead remember the MST3KMantra.
**** ACII is consistent about this -- Desmond's fight scenes happen without a user interface.

*** According to the more dramatic interpretations of the Bible, Cain was cursed by God to wander the Earth forever without the ability to die (i.e. never being able to enter heaven). If the next sequel deals with Cain then, in keeping with the {{Rule of Drama}}, it'll probably have him as some sort of immortal BigBad (supreme leader of the Templars, perhaps?).
**** I doubt it, just because it would draw comparisons with [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries another Kane]].

*** And, of course, Maria (Altaïr's wife and Desmond's ancestor) was white and probably English.

*** Case in point: The fact that they needed Desmond to actually dive into the memories and personally sift through them suggests that they don't know exactly what they're looking for. Abstergo knew Altaïr had found several other Pieces of Eden, but they don't know when, where, or how he found them. Even if they had the ability to omit certain memories (and they might not, the design of the Animus or the nature of the genetic memory may not allow it), they don't know which memories are relevant to their search. Suppose one of those street guards had provided Altaïr with a piece of vital intelligence that was key to the completion of his mission. If they remove all the guards, Altaïr can't get that intelligence, can't complete his mission, and Abstergo can't find the Pieces of Eden.
*** Right at the start of the first game they ''try'' to skip right to when Altaïr found the Apple, but end up with an incomprehensible glitchy mess. They had to replay a bunch of previous memories to give Desmond enough context to watch the important scene.

* Okay, I have one question that confuses me about the Assassin's Creed games. What are the Templars after? At the end of ACII you hear Minerva's warning and learn that there is a threat to the entire planet approaching. So, what do the Templars do in all this? Each Templar leader or prominent member have wildly differing goals, from Robert and Al-Mualim, to Rodrigo and then Cesare Borgia. Do they have any other goals other than obtaining the POE for personal gain? We have enough information to suggest otherwise, but am I missing something or do the Templars' overall goals seem to be more and more aimed at destroying the world (which they happen to live on)?

*** That's not what was asked. I believe the question being asked is how the Assassins and Templars could possibly run organizations to span the globe with non-modern methods of communication? The internet hasn't been around long, nor has the telephone. Basically what is being asked is how they could be so large when the methods of communication would require days/months/years of travel in order to function either from carrier pigeons, messengers sent on horseback/ships/foot.

*** This has irked me as well. How exactly does one continue to follow the genetic memory of someone up until the very moment of their death? It would seem to me that the only genetic memories that would be "recorded" would be up until the next person in the genetic line was concieved. At that point it becomes a completely new person, without the ability to alter their genetic code to continue adding memories. Thus it would be impossible to create a synch nexus unless there were very specific circumstances. Fully living out Altier's memories were done through Ezio's experiences, but it would be impossible to see Ezio's final memories because he would have had to sire a child before then.
**** Desmond doesn't see Ezio's death. At some point after the end of ''Revelations'' Ezio had a daughter with Sofia, which is where his genetic memory would end (but this memory isn't in the games) and you see his death in ''Embers'', which is not part of the framing device genetic memories. Altair's death was recorded on magical discs, not his DNA.
*** You don't follow the memory until the moment of their death. The words used in ''Revelations'' is "until your ancestor has nothing left to show you". Presumably, that means all the important and significant memories of that ancestor you have in your DNA, not every single memory from birth to death.
*** Again, you weren't following Altair's memories in ACR because of the genetic memory, you were following Ezio who saw Altair's memories through the magical DVD's.

* What's the Watsonian explanation for common collectables, such as flags or Animus fragmnets?

* ''Do'' the Templars even want to mind control people? Didn't Revelations' MP unlock documents saying Eye-Abstergo was meant to awaken the 'Knowing' sense that TWCB had?

**** I doubt it, just because it would draw comparisons with [[CommandAndConquer another Kane]].

** Yes. Yes they do.

* I honestly don't know how the Templars are going to make the world better. According to them, once the pieces of Eden are in their hands, they will be able to control the collective will of humanity and bring world peace. That sounds mighty fine and all, except the ones with any free will left will be the Templars themselves. And if there's nothing to control the will of the Templars, what's to keep them from abusing their power and turning the world into a dystopic nightmare? What happens if a Templar with mental illness gains control of the pieces of Eden and decides to make everything into a model of his twisted fantasies? How many templars would be needed to keep humanity in check? What will prevent one Templar from using the pieces against his fellow order? How will the worlds' economy keep itself in check? For example, we humans have domesticated many animals to service our needs. Alot of our accomplishments and survival wouldn't happen if it weren't for sheep, dogs, cows, and horses. Yet that hasn't stopped us humans from waging wars against each other and being dicks to each other. Do the Templars honestly think they will be so above such things that things like this wouldn't happen!?

*** This. It's a lazy way to handwave any obvious gamey-ness or problems... aside from how astoundingly repetitive it is. The developers seem to think we need a crutch to our suspension of disbelief and that (nearly) all game conventions need to be explained... by making you play a game about playing a game.

* I honestly don't know how the Templars are going to make the world better. According to them, once the pieces of Eden are in their hands, they will be able to control the collective will of humanity and bring world peace. That sounds mighty fine and all, except the ones with any free will left will be the Templars themselves. And if there's nothing to control the will of the Templars, what's to keep them from abusing their power and turning the world into a dystopic nightmare? What happens if a Templar with mental illness gains control of the pieces of Eden and decides to make everything into a model of his twisted fantasies? How many templars would be needed to keep humanity in check? What will prevent one Templar from using the pieces against his fellow order? How will the worlds' economy keep itself in check? Will they work their slaves to death like common cattle?

** All I know is that they had some major famous leaders on their side in the newer generations, like FDR, and that the Assassins were pretty scattered and crushed, as we learn in Assassins Creed Brotherhood. Considering that Abstergo had enough money to purchase Ubisoft to research Edward Kenway by ACIV, I'd say the newer generations had become more powerful.

** She completed the first plan (use the tower to disperse the sun's energy). Remember, the only reason TWCB scrapped it was they didn't have enough time, and Juno was in the tower for thousands of years. The aftermath (disaster averted with some minor damage in various spots worldwide and global communications temporarily messed up) supports this.

* Massive ''VideoGame/{{Assassins Creed III}}'' Ending Spoilers: So in the end, the Second Disaster is averted by Juno... how? Throughout the game we're told repeatedly that Those Who Came Before didn't find a way to stop their disaster despite spending years working on plan after plan to survive. The world was still devastated despite the entirety of the First Civilization still being alive and aware of the problem. So how is it exactly that only one
First Civilization member managed to avert the disaster when the rest of her species couldn't?

* Massive ''VideoGame/{{Assassins Creed III}}'' Ending Spoilers: So in the end, the Second Disaster is averted by Juno... how? Throughout the game we're told repeatedly that Those Who Came Before didn't find a way to stop their disaster despite spending years working on plan after plan to survive. The world was still devastated despite the entirety of the First Civilization still being alive and aware of the problem. So how is it exactly that only one First Civilization member managed to avert the disaster when the rest of her species couldn't?

** Simple because the Templars represent an Idea. The Templar's Ideal and goal is to create a Utopia with happiness and no suffering, which will attract many people, no matter how many Templars the Assassin kills their will always be people who want to create an ideal world. Similar to how the Assassins still exist, they represent freedom and independence, and someone will always wants that.