“The Augustine Commission for Dummies”

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Given the intent of the politicians to fight for the funding their districts currently receive from the Constellation Program (CxP – the current program developing the Ares I and Ares V rockets) as well as go begging for more, and given the budget constraints the NASA faces, it is instructive to see where this course will end up. In the Senate, Richard Shelby has announced his intention to fight for Constellation and will try to increase funding to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida is fighting for Kennedy Space Center and all the jobs and funding there. In the House, Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and Pete Olson of Texas have dug in their heels and reiterated their backing of the Constellation program (See Space News, 21 November 2009).

All this is taking place against the backdrop of the Augustine Commission’s Final Report, which has made it clear that Ares I is over budget and underpowered. As Jeff Greason said at the Committee deliberations, if Santa Clause gave us Ares I and Ares V tomorrow, we would have to scrap them immediately because they would be too expensive to operate.

The Forum at NasaSpaceFlight has been for many years the authoritative site for information on all things NASA. It has been home to the rebel alliance of NASA and industry engineers that have advocated the in-line shuttle derived launch vehicle for the past four years.

The source of this concern was former Administrator Michael Griffin’s decision in 2005 to replace the dual-launch, in-line shuttle derived architecture recommended by NASA engineers, with his personal choice of a small Ares I and a very large Ares V. Instead of building one rocket using existing shuttle components as Congress had directed, he would build two brand new rockets. This decision came just two weeks before the scheduled release of the NASA document on the Constellation program.

Now, four years later in 2009, when the in-line shuttle derived launch vehicle should have been making its first flight, we are five or six years away from Ares I making its first flight. The Shuttle is scheduled for retirement next year and America will have to buy seats on the Russian Soyuz to get to the International Space Station. And the International Space Station is scheduled for de-commissioning in 2015 and would be de-orbited into the Pacific Ocean.

This reality gave birth to the Augustine Commission and its Final Report. We have covered in detail the findings of the Committee. Now we look to consider the possible outcomes.

Philip Metschan (writing as ‘Phoegh’), a long time contributor to the Forum at NasaSpaceFlight, has produced a marvelous interactive series of graphics available at directlauncher.com that illustrate the options identified by the Augustine Commission.

The Budget and Time Line for these options are given in the following table. Included are destinations beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) and the impact of each option on the existing workforce.

We can draw the following conclusions, which are illustrated in the Graphics mentioned earlier and shown below. We start with Option 1, the Program of Record (POR – Constellation) and the funding level provided in FY 2010:

• Option 1 – Ares I crew vehicle is ready a year after the ISS is de-orbited (2015) and Ares V is completed in 2028 with no funds to conduct exploration. There is no Moon in the picture.
• Option 2 – Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2028 with no funds to conduct exploration. There is no Moon in the picture.
• Option 3 – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Ares I crew vehicle is ready a year after the ISS is de-orbited (2015) and Ares V is completed in 2019. The Moon is reached in 2025, but no other destinations beyond LEO can be funded.
• Option 4 – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2023. The Moon is reached in 2030, but no other destinations beyond LEO can be funded.
• Option 4B – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Extend the Shuttle to 2015. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Ares V is completed in 2023. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2026. The Moon is reached in 2030.
• Option 5A – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a smaller Ares V Lite, which is completed in 2023. Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2026. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) Sometime in the Future.
• Option 5B – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a commercial heavy launch capability, which is completed in 2021. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2024. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2026 and Phobos in 2028. Return to the Moon in 2029.
• Option 5C – Add $3 Billion per year to the existing program. Scrap Ares I and substitute Commercial Crew Access to LEO. The money saved is used to keep the ISS operating until 2020. Scrap Ares V in favor of a the Direct Team’s Jupiter 241, which is completed in 2022. Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2023. Develop the Propellant Depot by 2024. Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2027 and Phobos in 2029. Return to the Moon in 2030.

Those are the options explored by the Augustine Commission in their Final Report.

Notice, however, that there is one more slide, Option 5D. This is the architecture that was presented to the Augustine Commission during their first public session on 17 June 2009 by the Direct Team. It provides for:

• Add $1 Billion per year to the existing program.
• Extend Shuttle until 2012.
• Scrap Ares I and develop the Jupiter Core (Jupiter 130) for carrying crew on Orion to LEO and ISS by 2014.
• Develop Commercial Crew Access to LEO to replace the Jupiter 130 by 2015. Use Jupiter 130 for ferrying the few large payloads needed by ISS.
• Continue ISS operations until 2020.
• Scrap Ares V in favor of the Upper Stage for the Jupiter Core (Jupiter 241 or Jupiter 246), which is completed in 2017.
• Visit EML-1 or EML-2 in 2018.
• Orbit the Moon in 2019.
• Visit a Near Earth Object (NEO) in 2022.
• Visit Phobos in 2025.
• Develop the Propellant Depot by 2028.

The key here is that the goal of expansion of human civilization into the Solar System is better served, is accomplished sooner, and costs less. Indeed, even without the additional $1 Billion per year, only the extension of the Shuttle operation need be eliminated.

Final Conclusions

• Options 1, 2 and 3, which are favored by the politicians with space flight facilities, get us nowhere and cost far too much.
• Options 4 and 4B get us to the Moon, but neither builds infrastructure for support of future exploration.
• Options 5A, 5B and 5C builds the skills and infrastructure for space exploration, but leave us a crew to LEO gap of five to six years.
• Option 5D builds the skills and infrastructure for space exploration, reduces the crew to LEO gap to one or two years, and gives the international community the ability to descend to the surface of the Moon and Mars.

Time is of the Essence

Finally, this note about the political realities. First, if a decision is delayed for four to six months while the politicians fight for every last bit of funding they want, the infrastructure on which the Jupiter program builds will be dismantled and Options 4B, 5C and 5D will be eliminated.

Second, Congress will likely decide that the Constellation program as currently envisioned is too costly for what will be developed and not worth throwing more money down the drain. Options 1, 2, 3, 4B and 5A will be eliminated.

Thus, only commercial crew and cargo capabilities will be funded. NASA will be reduced to research and contracting for services. The Marshall Space Flight Facility will have little purpose. And the politicians will lose most of the jobs and funding that their districts currently enjoy.

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Assassin’s Creed is one of the year’s most anticipated games. It features Ezi Auditore de Firenze. He is the son of Giovanni Auditore, an assassin. This game takes place a few hundred years after the events of the first Assassin’s Creed.What starts the ball rolling in the story is when Ezio’s father, and two brothers are hung right in front of him. This drives him to thirst for vengeance and from then on you are a killing machine, gaining new weapons and armor as you go. You can even attain the legend, Altair’s sword and armor. It is up to you. Would you buy this game?

First Published Monday 23rd November 2009 here at Ace Gamez - Admitting you were wrong takes a lot of guts in this industry. Any developer willing to throw its hands up and come clean about its shortcomings is to be applauded. But rather than champion these studios, the typical reaction is one of scepticism from gamers who feel burned by a lacklustre title or by promises the developer failed to keep.  Just look at Sega which, year after year claims to have listened to the opinions of Sonic the Hedgehog fans desperate to see their favourite platform hero restored to his former glory, only to be disappointed time and time again. Ubisoft Montreal suffered a terrible backlash over the original Assassin’s Creed and, to be frank, the whole thing became an absolute circus for no good reason. Sure the game was repetitive and the stealth mechanic was broken in several places, but as a technical yardstick, it was highly impressive.

Two years on, the launch of Assassin’s Creed II was in some ways a lot more exciting than the release Modern Warfare 2. The gaming majority knew Infinity Ward’s shooter would be good, but how would Ubisoft’s sequel stack up to the original? Would it make good on the developer’s promise to make things right again or would it fall completely flat? With so many questions surrounding the story and how the war between the assassins and the shadowy templars would play out this time around, it was surprising to see Ubisoft scale back on the pre-release media hype. The game was visible, but it was promoted with a muted confidence that seemed to suggest the studio was on to a winner.

So after much waiting and debating, the game has finally been released and thankfully, it is indeed a vast improvement over the original in almost every aspect. But instead of hitting the ground running, the opening 20 minutes are more of an awkward stumble as we see Desmond and Lucy escaping the Abstergo labs and engaging in some clunky stealth sections and clumsy fighting. Don’t let this put you off however as the core of the campaign will have you hooked, delivering a balance of well-paced action and a narrative that is rammed-full of gripping twists and turns. Before the escape sequence, Desmond hops onto the Animus one last time to pin point the birth date of Ezio Auditore, the lead character of Assassin’s Creed II and the potential key to bringing down the templars once and for all. We see him being born in the 15^th century, shortly accompanied by a brief control tutorial that shows baby Ezio learning how to use his hands, feet and head.

It’s a touching scene that is let down slightly by your arrival at the assassin’s hideout. Once there, you meet two awkwardly stereotypical characters; one being a chap that takes an instant disliking to Desmond and the other is a quirky tech girl with a screw loose and an annoying voice. When compared to Ezio himself, this pair is as deep and as colourful as a murky puddle. You quickly learn that the assassins have busted Desmond out of Abstergo to hook him up to the Animus 2.0 and learn years of master assassin training in just a few hours thanks to the machine’s bleeding effect. It’s the same effect that unlocked Desmond’s latent eagle vision power at the end of the first game.

Once you boot up, you are whisked away to sun-drenched Florence and guided through a combat tutorial that sees Ezio and his brother scrapping with members of the Pazzi, a rival family that cause you a great deal of grief throughout the campaign. Many of the vast improvements on the original are apparent from the outset and while the combat system still sees enemies circling you and politely attacking one at a time, the pace has been ramped up here and you now have a greater range of attacks at your disposal. In fact, Ezio is much more adept than Altair was at the start of the first game, with improved speed, fighting skill and free-running ability, making things all the more enjoyable from the outset.

The first few hours follow Ezio as he runs errands for his father, defends his sister’s honour by beating up her unfaithful boyfriend and evading guards after being caught in the sack with his love interest. He’s a great character, coming across as a loveable rogue but he also hides a ruthless temperament that explodes into a flourish of violence at several points throughout the campaign. It is only after his family gets caught up in a conspiracy that we see his transcendence from street fighting nobleman to cold blooded assassin out to get revenge. In order to bring those responsible to justice, Ezio must work his way closer to the truth by completing missions for key figures around the cities of Florence, Venice and Rome.

While the original game suffered from a lack of mission variety, Ezio will have to prove his worth by completing a wealth of tasks ranging from simple courier errands to the key assassinations that drive the plot forward. There are also plenty of hidden collectibles to distract you from the core mission strands, but rather than serve as bragging rights, these actually have a purpose in the greater scheme of things. Treasure boxes are hidden in every nook and cranny of each city and these can be ransacked for Florets that can be spend on armour, clothes, maps and other useful items. Ezio can also pickpocket currency from civilians and thankfully, this is much simpler to execute than the erratic system of the first game.

Feathers replace flags in this game and these can be collected to complete pieces of a much bigger story, as well as glyphs that have been coded into the Animus by the mysterious Subject 16, Abstergo’s previous test subject. These well-hidden symbols unlock puzzles that all relate to the Pieces of Eden, a mysterious set of relics hinted at by Altair’s leader Al Mualim. Once you crack each puzzle, you are given a piece of an encoded video called ‘The Truth’ that, when completed, will reveal the truth behind the original of the Pieces of Eden. It’s genuinely intriguing stuff that keeps you pressing on to reveal more snippets of the overarching plot.

Each glyph is hidden on landmarks dotted around the cities and will require a lot of climbing to reach. Thankfully, Ezio is an adept free-runner, leaping and bounding across a vast playground of architecture with little effort. Another welcome addition to this instalment is the ability to swim. While you are restricted to swimming on the surface and unable to dive down, it does remove all of the annoyances of the first game’s instant-death water. Walking the streets has also become less laborious this time around. If you remember back to the first game, Altair had to walk painfully slow to avoid arousing the suspicion of guards and even the slightest increase in pace would send a handful of guards bearing down on your position with extreme prejudice. In short, it was annoying, but now Ezio is free to stroll around without too much hassle thanks to a brilliant notoriety system.

City guards are not permanently suspicious of you and are more or less likely to react to your presence based on your notoriety. For example, as you pickpocket, scrap with the Pazzi and kill targets, the guards will become even more aware of you and will try and stop you for questioning. Unless you evade their line of sight or distract them somehow, they will turn violent and attempt to kill you. Notoriety can be reduced by tearing down wanted posters with your face on them or bribing city officials. It’s a great mechanic that asks you to walk fine line between meeting your goals and keeping your status in check.

Status and wealth also play a significant role in the Auditore home town of Monteriggioni, which is where Ezio meets with his uncle Mario to further his assassin training. This serves as a central hub and by paying local architects you can restore the dilapidated town to its former glory and unlock new mission strands along the way. It is here that you first come across the pages of a mysterious codex that was written by Altair many years ago. Each page contains vital information regarding the methodology of the assassins, as well as blueprints for the tools of the assassin trade. These can be passed back to Leonardo da Vinci, a close friend of the Auditore family, who can then make new equipment such as dual wrist blades, concealed firearms and even a hand glider. The pages can also be taken back to Monteriggioni and re-arranged to reveal a greater truth about the assassins.

Needless to say, Assassin’s Creed II is a game full of intrigue and mystery that will keep you engrossed from the awkward opening to the epic finale. However, this is not a game that relies solely on myth or the creation of more and more questions. Ubisoft Montreal has worked wonders to salvage the series and deliver the game it always intended. While the combat still feels disjointed and at points, turn-based, it is the only slight downside in a game packed full of positives and although the campaign will take you around 20-30 hours to complete, you will be entirely captivated for the duration. Surely a measure of how to improve on an original design and one that other developers might do well to acknowledge.

93%

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

In Part 1, we looked at the pieces strewn about our living room floor. In Part 2, we examined the Goals and Destinations in Chapter 3.0. And in Part 3, the three current Human Space Flight programs were reviewed (International Space Station, the Space Shuttle and the Constellation Program). In Part 4, we looked at the launch vehicles examined by The Augustine Commission.

Chapter 6 of the Augustine Commission Final Report deals with Program Options and Evaluation. This is one of the many contentious issues commentators have with the Commission. While they did select five possible exploration programs (Chapter 6), and while they did evaluate various launch vehicles (Chapter 5), the Committee seems to have ignored the possibility that different launch vehicles have greater or lesser ability to cover the five exploration programs. This failure may in the end, prove to be disastrous for human space exploration. As we write, the Space Shuttle infrastructure is being actively dismantled. The end result of failing to evaluate the physical infrastructure and the human infrastructure capable of supporting a Shuttle derived architecture may be that the United States is left with no heavy lift human space flight capability for at least the next several decades. We may have surrendered our space faring capability to Europe, China, Russia, India and Japan.

6.1 Evaluation Criteria

As noted by the Commission:

The Committee did not intend that the evaluation would generate a single numerical score; rather, it would provide a basis for comparison across options, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with each. Assigning weights to individual figures of merit is within the purview of the ultimate decision-makers.

Three primary evaluation dimensions were identified:

• Benefits to Stakeholders
• Risk
• Budget Realities

These three dimensions were expanded into 12 criteria for comparing the options.

• Exploration Preparation
• Technology Innovation
• Science Knowledge
• Expanding and Protecting Human Civilization
• Economic Expansion
• Global Partnerships
• Public Engagement
• Schedule and Programmatic Risk
• Mission Safety Challenges
• Workforce Impact
• Programmatic Sustainability
• Life-Cycle Cost

6.2 Key Decisions and Integrated Options

6.2.1 Key Decisions

1. What should be the future of the Space Shuttle?
2. What should be the future of the International Space Station (ISS)?
3. On what should the next heavy-lift launch vehicle be based?
4. How should crews be carried to low-Earth orbit?
5. What is the most practicable strategy for exploration beyond low-Earth orbit?

6.2.2 Integrated Options

The Committee identified five basic options: One based on the Program of Record (POR – Constellation – Ares I and V, Orion and Altair), and four alternatives. Options 2 and 3 were budget compatable alternatives to the POR. Option 4 was a Moon First program (with two variations), and Option 5 was the Flexible Path (avoiding the gravity well of the Moon).

6.2.3 Methodology for Analyzing the Integrated Options

Two budgets were used. The “Constrained Budget” used the FY 2010 budget, while the “Less Constrained Budget” allowed for an increase by 2014 of $3 Billion per year higher than FY 2010.

6.2.4 Reference Cases of the Entirely Unconstrained Program of Record

The Program of Record was evaluated and found to be a total of $45 Billion over the FY 2010 budget by 2020, wherein it is $5 Billion a year over FY 2010 in 2016 and $7 Billion per year over FY 2010 in 2019.

6.3 Integrated Options Constrained to the FY 2010 Budget

6.3.1 Evaluation of Integrated Options 1 and 2

Option 1 was found to allow for rocket development, but lacked funds for exploration. Option 2 extends the lifetime of the ISS, delays rocket development, and has no funds for exploration.

6.3.2 Examination of alternate budget guidance

The Committee found no alternatives to Options 1 or 2 that were viable under the FY 2010 budget. This conclusion has been disputed.

6.4 Moon First Integrated Options Fit to the Less-Constrained Budget

6.4.1 Evaluation of Integrated Options 3 and 4

Option 3 was to execute the POR under a less constrained budget. The ISS is de-orbited in 2010, and the Shuttle flies the remaining missions into 2011. Human lunar return occurs in the mid 2020s and the lunar base becomes operation late in the decade. An alternate extending ISS to 2020 was found to push these dates out by three to four more years.

Option 4 uses the less constrained budget, scraps Ares I and substitutes commercial crew services by 2016 It extends the ISS to 2020. Ares V is scrapped in favor of a dual-launch Ares V Lite vehicle for lunar missions.

Option 4A retires the Shuttle in 2011, while Option 4B extends the Shuttle to 2015 and develops a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift vehicle in place of Ares V Lite.

6.4.2 Examination of the key decision on the ISS extension

Given the International Partnerships that have been developed, and the fact that the extension to 2020 would only delay the lunar return by a few years, the Committee found that the extension provides greater value than ending the ISS mission.

6.4.3 Examination of the key decision on Ares V vs. Ares V Lite dual launch

Baseline Ares V has more launch capability than the Saturn V, but current NASA studies show that when used in combination with Ares I, it does not have enough launch capability to robustly deliver the currently planned landing and surface systems to the Moon.

The Committee concluded that Ares V Lite represents less development risk, likely will reduce costs and provides more substantial margin for the lunar mission.

6.4.4 Examination of the key decision on the provision of crew transport to low-Earth orbit

Commercial crew services, based on a high-reliability rocket with a capsule and launch escape system could significantly reduce development costs, as well as lower operating costs.

6.4.5 Examination of the key question on Shuttle extension

The Committee favored early retirement of the Shuttle (2010 or 2011), although they noted several advantages to Shuttle extension to 2015, including up-mass and down-mass capability and workforce retention.

6.5 Flexible Path Integrated Options Fit to the Less-Constrained Budget

6.5.1 Evaluation of Integrated Option 5

Option 5 operates the Shuttle into 2011 and extends the International Space Station mission until 2020. A variety of destinations beyond low earth orbit are possible. The Committee developed three variants of this option.

• Option 5A develops the Ares V Lite, visits the Lagrange points, near Earth objects, on-orbit refueling and achieves a lunar return by the end of the 2020s.
• Option 5B develops commercial heavy lift capability, restructures NASA, and follows a similar mission profile as 5A, but on a slower time line.
• Option 5C scraps Ares V Lite and develops a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift vehicle. 5C follows a similar mission profile as 5A, but on a slower time line.

6.5.2 Examination of the key question on Ares V family vs. Shuttle-derived heavy launcher

While the Shuttle derived in-line launch vehicle (SDLV) with two four-segment solid rocket motors (SRM) and the 8.4 meter external tank (ET) was the 2005 ESAS candidate for the cargo vehicle, it was forced to evolve into the Ares V due to the problems encountered with the underpowered Ares I. For some reason, the Committee decided that in order to match the capabilities of the Ares V, or the Ares V Lite dual-launch mission, that there had to be three SDLV launches. Therefore, operations would be more costly.

This is a clear Committee miss, as the current planned lunar return missions can be accomplished with good margin by a dual-launch SDLV program, thus costing less than the Ares V Lite. There is no need for the enhanced capabilities of the dual-launch Ares V Lite.

6.5.3 Examination of the key question on NASA heritage vs. EELV-heritage super-heavy vehicles

The Committee considers the EELV-heritage super-heavy vehicle to be a way to significantly reduce the operating cost of the heavy lifter to NASA in the long run. It would be a less-capable vehicle, but probably sufficiently capable for the mission. Reaping the long-term cost benefits would require substantial disruption in NASA, and force the agency to adopt a new way of doing business.

6.6 Comparisons Across Integrated Options

6.6.1 Cross-option comparisons

The Flexible Path program (Option 5A) scores more highly than the Baseline (Option 3) on 9 of the 12 criteria outlined in section 6.1 ( See figure 6.6.1-1). The higher rankings include:

• Exploration Preparation (due to much more capable launch system)
• Technology (due to investment in technology)
• Science (because of more places visited)
• Human Civilization (due to the ISS extension)
• Economic Expansion (because of commercial involvement in space elements and crew transport)
• Global Partnerships (gained by extending the ISS)
• Public Engagement (by visiting more new locations, and doing so each year)
• Schedule (exploring beyond low-Earth orbit sooner)
• Life-Cycle Costs (due to commercial crew services)

6.6.2 Examination of the key question on exploration strategy

Three exploration strategies were examined in Chapter 3. The choice of Mars First was found not to be viable due to technological problems. Two strategies remained:

• Moon First on the Way to Mars, with surface exploration focused on developing capability for Mars.
• Flexible Path to Mars via the inner solar system objects and locations, with no immediate plan for surface exploration, then followed by exploration of the lunar and/or Martian surface.

The Moon first is favorable to lunar science and exploration (although much can be done robotically). The Flexible Path missions explore more of the Solar System, while initially doing less on the Moon. Flexible Path has the advantage of developing infrastructure for deep space exploration, including the moons of Mars and Mars itself. The Committe notes that:

Considering that we have visited and obtained samples from the Moon, but not near-Earth objects or Mars, and also that the Flexible Path develops the ability to service space observatories, the Science Knowledge criterion slightly favors the Flexible Path. Broadly, the more complex the environment, the more astronaut explorers are favored over robotic exploration. In practice, this means that astronauts will offer their greatest value-added in the exploration of the surface of Mars.

Final Scoring

Although the Augustine Commission did not publish a final tally of the scores (for reasons they made clear), the following table does compare and tabulate the scores.

Option 5D: We will have more to say about this proposal in our final segment: “Wrapped Up” or “The Augustine Commission for Dummies”.

(Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Wrap Up.)

Första spelrelaterade inlägget på länge, tiden räcker knappt till att tillbringas framför datorn som jag faktiskt saknar. Forumet får inte heller den uppmärksamhet jag vill ge det, men det här är bättre än ingenting alls. Idag efter jobbet åkte jag ner till Game i Uppsala och hade bara ett spel i tanken, DJ Hero.

Suktat som tusen efter detta, men sitter nu istället med det spontana köpet av Assassins Creed 2 White Edition. Jag vet inte om det kan kallas sjukdom, men när det gäller spontana köp så är jag kungen av kungar, framförallt om köpet i sig är spelrelaterat. Här nedan är den fina editionen, med en riktigt fin plastfigur av Enzo.

Frisch auf dem europäischen Markt ist Ubisofts neuer Hit, Assassins Creed 2. Für mich gibt es das Erlebnis leider erst frühestens ab 1. Dezember. Das Spiel ist allerdings schon ein paar Tage länger in den USA draußen und soweit ich das sehe soll das Spiel eines der besten Singleplayerspiele sein. Ich freue mich schon wahnsinnig auf das Spiel, endlich wieder über Dächer hüpfen und ungesehen irgendwelche Wachen töten. Nur ein paar Details, die ich aus Videos gesehen habe:

ACHTUNG SPOILER

Zu Anfang gibt es ein Flashback aus Teil 1 bei dem Desmond ein wenig erzählt. Das Spiel startet mit dem Bild, mit dem das erste aufgehört hat, die Wand mit den seltsamen Symbolen, die man anschaut. Lucy kommt in dein Zimmer und will dich wieder in den Animus legen ohne dass sie erklärt warum. Daraufhin sieht man, wie Ezio geboren wird.. den Rest erfahrt ihr, wenn ihr das Spiel spielt.. btw.: Man verlässt endlich diesen sehr kleinen Teil des Gebäudes, in dem man im ersten Teil “gefangen” war.

-Fenrol

All diese Attribute treffen auf mich zu.

Obwohl ich weiß, dass mein Monatsbudget durch die Konzertkarten für morgen schon arg strapaziert ist, habe ich heute den nächsten größeren Betrag auf den Kopf gehauen:

Eigentlich wollte ich den Kauf dieses Spiels ja abwarten. In letzter Zeit bin ich eh so gut wie gar nicht zum Zocken gekommen. Doch dann lachte es mich heute im Media Markt so vergnügt an. Und winkte mit seinem für ein neu erschienenes Game unverschämt günstigen Preis.

Ich bin jetzt an dem Punkt angelangt, an dem Ezio seine Assassinen-Kleidung erhält. Und bin baff, was sich in Sachen Storytelling und Missionstypen getan hat. Die Rahmenhandlung um Desmond Miles scheint dieses Mal richtig aufregend zu werden, und in welchem Spiel hat man eigentlich schon mal die Geburt des Protagonisten live miterlebt? Irre!
Von der Handlung versprech ich mir wirklich verdammt viel.

Die Abwechslungsarmut bei den Missionen war wohl der Hauptkritikpunkt des ersten Teils. In den ersten Spielminuten von ACII zeigt sich, dass in der Hinsicht ordentlich gearbeitet wurde: Botengänge, Prügeleien, Wettrennen – all das erlebt man, bevor es überhaupt zum wesentlichen Aspekt des Spiels kommt, dem Ausüben von Attentaten. Bin gespannt, was sich da getan hat; die Videos versprachen ja schon ziemlich viel.

Nun sitz ich also hier und freue mich, dieses großartige Spiel endlich in Händen zu halten, und ärgere mich gleichzeitig schwarz, dass ich schon wieder so viel Geld ausgegeben habe. Die Welt ist schlecht :/

No te pierdas el trailer de lanzamiento del juego de PSP que contará con una nueva aventura de Altaïr en la perseguirá a la orden de los templarios en Chipre.

El trailer:

Este juego exclusivo para PSP es la continuación directa del primer Assassin’s Creed y que servirá como un link entre Altair y Ezio.

Recuerden que Bloodlines es compatible con Assassin’s Creed II de PS3 y se podrán desbloquear nuevas armas para este ultimo.

Fuente | ºanaitgames.com | youtube.comº

Efter att snart ha spenderat två dagar som lönnmördaren Altair i miniformat kan jag inte annat än säga; Jag älskar det! Spelmekaniken imponerar grafiskt sett med möjligheten att se hela staden på en gång från höga punkter utan någon störig “dimma”. Dessutom är kontrollen en av de bästa hittills på en bärbar konsol, tog nog inte mer än tio minuter innan knapptryckningarna för evigt var inpräntade i hjärnbarken. Några bekanta höjde varningens finger över den repetitiva spelstil det första Assassins Creed till de större systemen drogs med, och den finns kvar i pspversionen också. Varför se detta som något negativt? Det finns gott om uppdrag, både ett main quest och små, för storyn irrelevanta avstickare, som alla går ut på att på ett eller annat sätt ta sig till en plats på ett visst sett och utföra ett uppdrag. Men miljöerna och de otaliga sätt varje uppgift går att lösas på gör att spelet till och med har potential att bli varat både en eller två gånger av inbitna gamers.

I mina ögon ett införskaffande ett måste!

Inatt hade Webhallen nattöppet för släppet av Assassins Creed 2, och passade dessutom på att hålla en konsttävling där man kunde vinna resepresentkort och konsoler. Jag och Sofia knåpade ihop ett bidrag i helgen och fnissade oss fördärvade över hur fantastiskt fint och roligt det var.

Dock räckte det inte hela vägen fram utan vi fick se oss slagna av två bidrag i malmö, och bidraget längst till höger på bilden ovan. Mycket tjusigt!

Dock tyckte juryn att vårt bidrag var så roligt att de utökade prispallen med en fjärdeplats och gav oss varsitt spel. Hurra!

Vad det gäller Assassins Creed 2 så att döma av det lilla jag hunnit spela verkar man ha lagat det som fanns att klaga på i ettan. Kan vara ett riktigt dunderspel det här!

Ikväll är det dock Gamingmingel på Pause som gäller. Äntligen smäller det! Känner du dig tillräckligt tjejig för att gå på en tjejkväll så hoppas jag att du kommer, och gör du inte det så hoppas jag att du ser till att skicka det alla tjejer du kan hitta som du tycker borde spela lite mer tvspel! Rapport kommer givetvis i bloggen imorgon.

Wie jeden Monat erscheint auch im November die Ausgabe. Und wir haben die Themen gut ausgewählt. Zum Lesen auf das Bild klicken!

Was definitiv neu ist, die Kategorie EE-Music, die wir ja schon im Podcast erwähnt haben. Hier gibt es auch zwei Reviews zu Clips.

Außerdem haben wir als Titelthema diesmal Assasin’s Creed 2. In unserem 4-seitigen Review sind massig Informationen, auch über die deutsche Fassung und deren (nichtvorhandene) Änderungen, sowie die Freigabe der USK. Ihr könnt über die einzelnen Waffen lesen und euch selbst ein Bild von Ezio Auditore sowie Florenz, Venedig und Rom machen.

Auch noch wichtig, der Test des Flashspiel SAS: Zombie Aussault 2. Dieses Flashspiel kategorisiert sich im Horror Genre und bietet viel Spaß. Der Artikel ist dabei, genau wie der zu Assasin’s Creed 2, nicht zuvor online erschienen. (sprich: exklusive Artikel des Magazins)

Wem das noch nicht reicht, der sollte sich vom Inhalt einfach selbst überzeugen und das Bild rechts neben dem Text anklicken!

Check out loads of comparative screen shots for AC2 of comparison between Xbox 360 and PS3, i saw some comparative screen shots of COD: MW2 as well, which is churning out a common observation that PS3 images are jagged to some extent and appear washed out, though they are better on lighting, Xbox 360 is better on rendering and shading, same is the opinion of the reviewer here, check out the pics.

Es ist soweit Leute, lange habe ich drauf gewartet (und ich hoffe ihr auch sonst war die letzte Woche voll fürn Arsch) und nun ist es endlich soweit, Assassins Creed 2 steht seit heute in den USA zum Verkauf! Ich habe meine Bestellung bei Spielegrotte übrigens storniert… mir ist das nichts, ich hols mir lieber selbst und hab derbe Glücksgefühle während ich an der Kasse dafür bezahle und es endlich MEIN ist =)

Ich hab grad mal Mails an alle Händler in meiner Nähe geschrieben, mal schaun ob da einer dabei ist der heute verkauft, Saturn meinte jedenfalls schon das sie erst ab dem 18ten verkaufen werden. Naja mal sehen, wenn nicht kann ich auch noch einen Tag länger warten, ist ja nicht so als hätte ich nicht genug zu tun, denn da kam ja nun erst Torchlight, Dragon Age Origins und Modern Warfare 2 raus. Ausserdem wollte ich ja noch Risen und Need for Speed Shift durchzocken, was ich, schande über mein Haupt, immernoch nicht getan habe. Den grönenden Abschluss dieses Specials macht der Red Carpet Launch Trailer, der sich so eben auf Gametrailers.com aufgefunden hat.

Falls das Video unten nicht geht: Klick

Nur noch zwei Tage leute, dann ist das Spiel was ich dieses Jahr am sehnlichsten erwarte endlich draussen, ich kanns garnicht glauben… Ich bin halt ein sehr starker Fan des Assassin Szenarios, spiele in Games wie Dragon Age eigentlich immer den Rogue/Assassin/Thief und war trotz schneller langeweile auch schon ganz hin und weg vom ersten Teil. Der erste Teil war übrigens mein aller erstes Next-Gen Game, wenn das keine guten Zeichen sind =)

Nun, was unterscheided Ezio von seinem Vorgänger Altair? Einiges. Aber bevor ich euch erzähle was ich nur von einem Video weis und euch dann das Video zu verlinken NUR das ihr das selbe nochmal euch antun müsst NUR damit ich nicht viel machen muss NUR damit ihr sauer auf mich seiht…PUH! Schaut euch einfach das Video an, morgen dann ein Beitrag zu den neuen Städten, den Events oder mein persönliches Fazit… mal schaun.

Daha çıkmasına 2 gün var ama sanırım birileri erken davranmış

Das Missionsdesign ist nun nicht mehr nur “mach das selbe 500 mal bis du jemanden wichtiges killen darfst”, diesmal gibt es viele viele Nebenmissionen, und verschiedene Wege diese zu meistern. Seit heute gibt es ein neues Video, in dem euch einer der Entwickler zeigt, wie diese verschiedenen Wege aussehen können. Viel Spaß beim anschauen, nur noch 3 Tage – ich freu mich sehr drauf und hoffe das spielegrotte mein Game rechtzeitig abschickt.

Im zweiten Teil gibt es nicht nur eine bessere Story sondern auch mehr Waffen und dadurch einen komplexeren Combat. In Teil 1 hatte man ja nur das Schwert mit dem man ein bisschen rumhaute und eh immer den kürzeren zog, und ein Hidden Blade mit dem man seine Feinde unbeobachtet und leise ausschalten konnte.

Nun gibt es zwei Hidden-Blades, in der E3 Demo wurden diese benutzt um zwei Gegner auf einmal sehr schnell und wirksam auszuschalten. Desweiteren hat er neue Moves, läuft so wie ich das gesehen hab auch etwas schneller und ist generell agiler als sein Vorgänger Altair. Nun kann er seine Gegner während des Combats ständig entwaffnen und so zum Beispiel dem Gegner ein Speer klauen um diesen dazu zu verwenden ihn zu durchlöchern. Natürlich benutzt er weiterhin seine Hidden-Blades um die Leute leise auszuschalten. Nach kurzer Zeit bekommt man auch den doppelten Umhang, was man damit macht bzw. besser machen kann konnt ich nirgendswo rauslesen/heraus erkennen.

Natürlich solltet ihr nicht vergessen das er das alles von Leonardo DaVinci höchstpersönlich bekommt =) So auch seine Maschinen die er damals baute, wie z.B. die Flugmaschine. Ob es noch mehr Maschinen gibt weis ich nicht, um ehrlich zu sein bin ich auch kein großer Geschichtsfan so weis ich nichtmal was er für Sachen baute damals… Zu guter letzt gibt es da aber auch noch das Poison Blade, mit dem man, wie der Name schon sagt, seine Gegner vergiftet und die Hidden Gun, mit der man Leute, wenn es ganz brenzlig wird auch einfach erschiessen kann. Um euch die Flucht nach den Assassinations leichter zu machen gibts dann auch noch Rauchbomben!

Viel neues wie ihr seht, ich kanns garnich mehr abwarten das alles auszuprobieren, aber dauert ja auch nur noch 5 Tage!

Videos zu diesem Thema

떠남에 대한 동경을 항상 마음에 품고 사는 사람이라면, 혹은 스스로를 ‘여행 생활자’로 정의내릴 수 있는 사람이라면 더더욱, 바르셀로나에서 반드시 들러봐야 할 곳이 있다. Altaïr (알타이르)라는 이름의 서점이다. 빈 공간 없이 꽉 들어찬 두 층과 세계지도 수십장과 천장에 달린 지구본이 이어진 2층의 난간을 포함해 1000m2가 넘는 이 서점의 공간은 여행과 관련된 ‘모든 것’으로 채워져있다.

서점에 들른다면 ‘모든 것’이라는 규정이 찬사가 아닌 사실이라는 데 동감하게 될 것이다. 60,000권이 넘는 여행 관련 서적과 수천 장의 지도, 지구본, 여행 용품, 세계 민속 음악 CD, 다이어리 등 여행과 관련된 방대한 컬렉션은 유럽 최대의 여행 전문 서점이라는 타이틀에 고개가 끄덕여진다.

1979년, 바르셀로나 대학 본부 건물 앞 그랑비아 거리 616번지에 문을 연 여행 전문 서점 알타이르는 “여행은 다른 사람들과 타문화와 타지역과 오늘을 만나게 하는 계기”라는 믿음을 가진 두 인류학자에 의해 설립되었다.

그들의 믿음은 지금도 서점의 곳곳에 유산처럼 흔적으로 남아있다. 입구에 들어서면 세계 각국으로 배낭여행을 떠나는 사람들이 팁을 구하거나 일행을 구하기 위해 붙인 쪽지가 한 벽면을 차지하고 있다. 1층의 홀에서 올려다보이는 2층의 모든 벽면은 세계지도와 지구본으로 둘러쌓여 있다. 1층에 대륙별로 정리된 가이드북과 여행 서적들은 책장 안에서 나라별로 다시 구분되어 있고, 지하로 내려가면 지구, 문화, 문화, 음악, 환경, 인류학, 고고학, 포토그래피 등을 주제로 한 책들이 진열되어 있다.

알타이르를 특별한 공간으로 만드는 요소는 같은 이름으로 발간되는 월간 여행잡지 Altaïr와 서점에서 운영 중인 Orixa라는 이름의 여행사. 매월 특정 한 지역만을 주제로 다루는 잡지는 심도 있는 기사와 높은 퀄리티의 사진으로 여행 매니아들의 지지를 받고 있다.

서점을 걸어다니다보면 심장박동 소리도 들리고 발끝이 간질간질해지는 기분도 들지만, 손을 꼽아보면 떠날 수 있는 날은 한참이나 남았다. 뭐 어때, 지도에 둘러쌓여 책 한권 꺼내들고 빠져들기 시작하면 여행은 이미 시작되는 것 같다.

• 주소: Altaïr Barcelona: c/ Gran Via, 616, 08007, Barcelona, Spain
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