With 30% of the game taking place on the Forntier, a large countryside area in the north-east of America that links all the cities together, the developers had to create a way for the protagonist to easily navigate through the wilderness, forests, cliffs, rivers, and mountains.
Movement & Navigation
With a few changes from previous games, mostly cutting out having to hold R1/RT ALL THE DAMN TIME, the controls have not changed significantly and the game will introduce the use of all controls through gameplay tutorials.
| PS3 | Xbox 360 | Standard | Battle |
|---|---|---|---|
| L Analog | L Stick | Character Movement | Character Movement |
| Kill Streak Aiming | |||
| R Analog | R Stick | Camera Movement | Camera Movement |
| D-Pad | D-Pad | Quick Inventory | Quick Inventory |
| X | A | - | |
| O | B | Interact | Counter |
| Release/Drop | |||
| ▀ | X | Primary Attack | Primary Attack |
| ▲ | Y | Secondary Attack | Secondary Attack |
| R1 | RT | Run & Climb | Exit Combat Mode |
| R1 + X | RT + A | Manual Jump | - |
| Back Eject | - | ||
| R1 + O | RT + B | Tackle | - |
| L1 | LT | Precision Aim | - |
| R2 | RB | Weapons & Tools Menu | Reload Firearm |
| L2 | LB | Assassin Menu | - |
| L2 + ▀ | LB + X | Assassin Guild | - |
| R3 | R3 | Reset Camera | Reset Camera |
| L3 | L3 | Eagle Vision | Eagle Vision |
| Start | Start | Pause | Pause |
| Select | Back | Opens Map | - |
Freerunning Through Trees
Although intimidating at first, once the player learns the visual signs for freerunning through trees they will find that it is easy and quite fluid. Unlike normal freerunning in the previous games or freerunning in town, where paths tend to end abruptly with nowhere to go, tree paths tend to link to each other seamlessly to reach cliff sides or bent trees leading back to the ground. The following are a bullet point set of tips:
- Bent trees with a stump at its base or rock outcroppings that create a ramp usually signify a freerunning course
- Although most tree trunks can't be climbed, some trees have small branches up its trunk that create hand-holds for Connor
- Some larger trees with v-shaped notches can be used to climb to a higher section
- Other small v-shaped notches must simply be jumped through
- Trees with branches on both sides of the trunk can be quickly passed around the trunk by holding R1/RT
- Thin branches can be swung across in most cases
- Many of the viewpoints in the Frontier are in huge trees. These are all the same model and are climbed the same way
Fast Travel Networks
Fast Travel has been greatly improved by the ability to simply hit Select/Back to bring up the map and then select any of the following locations with X/A:
- Zone Lines (Boston = Frontier = Davenport = New York)
- Fast Travel Icons (The Underground network in cities and a select few places of importance, such as the Davenport manor and villages on the Frontier)
- Harbormasters
- Liberated Forts
Swimming
Although the player will rarely spend time in the water, swimming is an older feature that returns in AC III. Controls are limited to R1/RT swimming faster, O/B to dive, and the L stick to navigate direction.
Horseback Riding
When the player is on the Frontier or in Davenport, the horse is the best means of travel.
| PS3 | Xbox 360 | Command |
|---|---|---|
| X | A | Mount |
| Rear Up (Not Galloping) | ||
| O | B | Dismount |
| L Analog | L Stick | Trot |
| R1 | RT | Gallop |
| R1 + O | RT + O | Leap Off |
| R1 + X | RT + X | Spur Horse (Frontier) |
| R1 + ▀ | RT + X | Assassinate |
