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The weather in Assassin's Creed Shadows is a pretty big deal for Ubisoft, mostly due to a fancy new tool called Atmos that allows for fully simulated weather that affects gameplay.
Talking to VG247, Assassin's Creed Shadows art director Thierry Dansereau said there's a big focus on the game's skies because they "represent a major visual element that greatly contributes to the perceived visual quality and level of immersion." Dansereau added that the simulation of realistic clouds will help Ubisoft bring to life a "dynamic world that is in constant transformation."
So, what exactly is different about the way Ubisoft is designing Assassin's Creed Shadows' skies compared to earlier games in the series? Well, apparently it all comes down to that Atmos tech I mentioned at the start of this article.
"In AC Shadows, the entire weather is simulated, which means that the clouds are dynamic, and they evolve over time," explained Assassin's Creed Shadows tech lead Maxime Beaudoin. "[...] Atmos not only drives the clouds that you see in the sky, but the entire weather as well (precipitations, wind, wetness accumulation on the ground, thunder strikes, etc)."
Beaudoin said these weather effects aren't just for lookin' at - they also will have a real impact on gameplay. It's unclear to what extent, exactly, but Beaudoin said NPCs will have a tougher time detecting the player during thunderstorms because of all the noise and reduced visibility.
The Atmos tool also means artists don't have to manually create and script clouds and various weather effects; Beaudoin said they only have to "tweak a few parameters, and a cloudscape emerges automatically."
"This means that they don’t control the exact shape of the clouds like in previous games; instead, they focus on the composition, determine the overall look they want to achieve and let the simulation fill in the gaps. This makes it possible to create a very realistic looking cloudscape in a matter of minutes."
Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the first Ubisoft game to use the new weather tech, but Ubisoft assures it won't be the last. "We barely scratched the surface of what’s possible to do with it," Beaudoin said. "It's such a different way to do things that we're still learning how to use it at its best, so you can expect future titles to take advantage of it in much more depth."
Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on November 12.
