‘Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’ Trailer Explains How Next-Gen Looks Better [Video]

The latest Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag trailer explains the specifics behind why the next-gen versions of the game will look better.

Previously on The Inquisitr, it was stated that it’s obvious that next-gen games will look better than their siblings on current consoles. If they don’t, the developer isn’t really trying to use the capabilities. In this trailer, associate producer Sylvain Trottier tells us why instead of just stating what should be obvious.

First off, the sea looks more realistic thanks to different layers and technologies all interlocked. A new physics engine and complex shaders give the water a touch of depth and realism never seen before.

The weather engine creates thousands of rain drops with individual aspects such as lighting and velocity. Puddles react to each individual raindrop and subtle winds to create realistic rippling effects. Reflective surfaces more accurately give off a more realistic appearance when covered in the virtual rain and moisture. Unlike current generation games, rain doesn’t make everything look oddly metallic. The Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag trailer also explains that fog is computed based on more accurate environmental elements, reflecting multiple light sources as they pass through, and obscuring the view in ways that Silent Hill might eventually use.

Plants are each affected by all of the weather and lighting effects to give them a lush appearance, making them appear less like oddly nonexistent blades sticking out of the ground or tree branches. As you creep up on your target, you can see where you are by the motion in the leaves. Every material is now given its own independent light reflection as well.

New to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is the ability to turn what was originally scenery into interactable surfaces on the fly, so you can board enemy ships that you might have seen coming from a mile away and assassinate Templars and rival pirates with ease as the ship becomes a moving environment. It is a dynamic mesh that turns individual objects into a 3D map.

Thanks to the game’s associate producer Sylvain Trottier, the new Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag trailer now explains why the next-gen version looks better.