"When the deed is done the third act of a misssion is the escape, which can involve any combination of combat with guards, acrobatic roof running, or finding a way to hide or blend in with the surroundings and slip away, depending on the players preference"
"The full arc of once assassination can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a full hour, entirely based on players choices and decisions"
"The Scimitar game engine allowed us to have over 60 NPCs onscreen, each with individual AI and behaviours"
"Every NPC has a wealth of needs, each with a relative value. High social need might send a person to find someone to talk with. NPCs can develop thirst or hunger, and be drawn to a market fruit stand or fountain. Those that desire rest might look for a bench. Those who want entertainment might seek out a streetside piper, a juggler, or even an afternoon hangout at the town square"
"Finally some NPCs will be driven by a certain duty like a patrol, the protection of another NPC, or other set tasks."
"As you move among the tightly packed clusters of people, a pushing and balancing feature dictates both physics and the need for civil conduct with others. In other words, every NPC carries weight and force. Just as you wouldn't be able to run to the front of the stage at a musical concert, in the game the crowd will block your way. Run full tilt into a very large fellow, and you might knock him off his balance, but you will almost certainly be thrown to the ground as well."
"Beyond physical reaction from such a man as you might in real life, he may very well be angry or even violent. Meanwhile other passerby will stop and react, some will point and stare at your socially abnormal behaviour, others might join in the fight."
"Every character in the world will have multiple layers of tolerance for the actions of a player. Climb onto a roof in broad daylight on the main street and just like real life, people will pause and stare. Guards will act more forcefully and climb up after you in pursuit."
"NPC tollerence acts as a totally organic solution to the "wanted stars" dilemma of open world games."
"The only way to return tolerance to normal is to find a place to hide, enter a place of worship, assassin hideout, etc"
"Dynamic camera that alters based on player action. It will zoom in when moving slow, and out when moving fast, every behavior has a related camera, from horseback riding to climbing"
"Enviroments will also be filled with "NPC traps" as the designers called it, These are groups of like minded individuals who will act as a force to either impede you or your enemies, depending on their opinion of you."
"Beggars, prostitutes, monks and gossiping women, groups like these will all start out generally hostile to a person like the player who disrupts the natural order of the city"
"Beyond dozens of assassination missions that the players will undertake, they can also chose to attempt helping missions for the struggling populace."
"Aid the monks and the next time your being pursued they will help you hide amid their white robes, rather than breaking apart and pinpointing your location."
"Burly men might block your way to a side street if they don't know you, but split open if you aided them."
"Beggars may trip guards, citizens may even through rocks at the guards instead of you"
"There are no spinning blades or spouting flames to hinder progress in a realistic setting like this, that role is now reserved for the crowd which now doubles as camoflague."
"Assassin's creed seeks to offer the actuality of freedom, for that reason, every inch of the game world and enviromental geometry has been set up as part of a massive grid."
"Any object on this grid that sticks out more than five centimeters from its surroundings has been made interactive."
"Any ledge, rock, pole, box, window or countless other objects can all be leaped over, climbed into, or in many cases knocked over."
"levels designed so that any direction you go there will be excitement movement, also a plan that every 10 meters should offer at least once chance to interact meaningfully with the enviroment."
"The ground may demand quick dodges and blind turns into dark alleys, Players might jump between interconnected rooftops along a patchwork of thick planks. Countless paths are open to you at any step"
and www.Kotaku.com are reporting its not a PS3 exclusive.
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