Assassin's Creed Shadows / Ubisoft
Yellow labels in games have long been a subject of controversy because they make navigation too easy. Assassin’s Creed Shadows wanted to avoid them, but players changed Ubisoft’s mind.
However, yellow paint does not bother all players: some do not notice, ignore, or like it so as not to get lost in open worlds. Ubisoft has now explained why it changed its mind.
As it turned out, there were no labels at all first. AC Shadows creative director Jonathan Dumont said that the decision to add yellow paint was made after playtesting. The reason is simple — many players simply could not find their way on hidden paths.
«Well, we didn’t have it until players were really struggling in playtests to find their path when engaging in hidden trails activity», — Dumont explained.
A huge open world of feudal Japan is actually a very detailed environment. Users would get lost in dense vegetation or overlook important points for parkour.
«The environment is lush and full, and giving a bit of guidance was needed», — Dumont added.
The yellow paint was a solution to simplify the gameplay, which helps to better navigate the parkour sections. But it’s not a fact that everyone likes it when the gameplay is simplified.
In general, yellow labels are common in games — it is a classic method used by many AAA projects. For example, in Uncharted, Tomb Raider, or Horizon, they have long been a standard. However, some gamers are annoyed by them, saying that they are too obvious and spoil the atmosphere.
The best solution would be a toggle in the settings — with the ability to turn yellow marks on or off. But Ubisoft hasn’t said anything about this possibility. For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 allows you to turn off the marks on the map to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game. As well as customizing the environment for yourself in The Witcher 3.
But let’s be honest, yellow paint — is not the worst thing that could happen to AC Shadows. The main thing is that the game and mechanics are interesting, and the plot does not disappoint. For now, Shadows has surpassed its predecessors by the number of players — Origins and Odyssey. Also, the game is quite was positively received by gamers. And you can always just ignore the yellow paint.
Source: Games Radar
