Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Discussion

I know a bunch of us are playing this so thought a thread might be worthwhile. Try to keep any big spoilers in tags though. I am in Sequence 3 so far. The general gameplay is just sort of played out for me still. The follow and eavesdropping missions are dreadful. The modern day stuff has been very minimal for me so far which is good. But the pirate/ship stuff is cool. The map feels really big and fun to explore though I have not got to do a ton of that yet. I find myself stopping at random islands though because why not. Also think the two main cities I've visited have been fairly interesting. More so than AC3's. Probably helps that the game runs much better.

Having finished AC3 last week before playing this, I can really appreciate all of the refinements. The tailing and eavesdropping missions don't happen that frequently so they don't bother me. Its too early in the game for me to tell if the real world stuff is a problem but at least they're brief. They can't be as fucking looney as the AC3 material (holy shit, that stupid ending). Combat (especially the aiming mechanic), sailing and exploration are tops and truly addicting. I just reached the point where I can manage my fleet. Also, Kenway isn't the dullard that Conner was.

I'm about 50% done in all progress categories even though I've probably put 40 hours into the game. I do like the pacing because I feel like I'm getting rewarded with a ton of gameplay for dealing with the bullshit story parts like eavesdropping or getting stuck in an elevator.

I'll keep mum on most things until you guys catch up. I mean, I know next to nothing about the story, but the gameplay tricks and surprises I dont want to give away.

I finally got the Mayan outfit. It looks so badass. Kind of like something out of Mass Effect. Bullets don't actually hit you; The animation shows them hitting the ground next to you and ricocheting. The only thing that sucks about it is there isn't a hat/hood. I'd say the only cooler looking outfit I've seen so far is the Legendary Pirate one you redeem on uplay.

I'm on the final memory sequence or whatever it's called. That really doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to point that out before I say that I know very little of what has happened in the game and who everyone is. I find that really amusing since I thoroughly enjoy the game.

After I finish that up, all I really have left is 100% synch on a few missions, the 4 elite ships, and some random loot and challenges. The game gives such incentive to explore and do sidequests, that post game clean up doesn't look to be daunting or troublesome.

Found my first white whale a few hours ago. Not sure how it works, but it was on a timer and an icon appeared after a notification popped up. It popped when I fast traveled to Kingston. Also not sure how sharing the locations with friends works either.

I'm still having fun finishing up everything, but I do wish there were some dynamic missions to warrant sustained play. And some of the challenges are vague as to what you have/haven't done so that sort of sucks. Not as vague as Ni No Kuni though so that's good.

At first I was alone; I was petrified/Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side

I figure if I'm alone in this thread I might as well practice my Gloria Gaynor.

/dance

Just finished the game. Very satisfactory in the end and not brought down by bullshit sci-fi mumbo-jumbo like AC3. Loved the end credit sequences (they're still playing as I type this). Overall a damn good game but I want to take some time off from this franchise for a while.

Everything you said is spot-on. The fact that Ubi threw in the AC stuff was a bad decision at best. Or maybe the fact that it's the only good AC game says something. Good is a bad description; this game is phenomenal. I have so few complaints about it that any negativity would be nitpicking.