Difference between revisions of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag"

Revision as of 23:00, 19 November 2017


⤏ Go to series page
Assassin's Creed	2008
Assassin's Creed II	2010
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	2011
Assassin's Creed: Revelations	2011
Assassin's Creed III	2012
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag	2013
Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD	2014
Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry	2014
Assassin's Creed: Pirates	2014
Assassin's Creed Unity	2014
Assassin's Creed Rogue	2015
Assassin's Creed Chronicles (series)
Assassin's Creed Syndicate	2015
Assassin's Creed Origins	2017
Discovery Tour (series)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey	2018
Assassin's Creed III Remastered	2019
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Remastered	2019
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2020
Assassin's Creed Mirage	2023

Key points

Disable Uplay Cloud saving in order to prevent possible progress loss. See save game cloud syncing.

General information

PC Report

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Amazon.com
GamersGate

Incorrect store name. See here for available options.
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Origin
Steam
Incorrect store name. See here for available options.		Incorrect store name. See here for available options.
Incorrect store name. See here for available options.		Special Edition

All versions require Ubisoft Connect DRM.

Version differences

Freedom Cry is available as both DLC and a standalone game.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Season Pass
Kraken Ship Pack	Season Pass exclusive.
Freedom Cry Pack	Also available as a standalone game.
The Castaway's Prize	Deluxe/Digital Deluxe exclusive.
DLC Aveline	Deluxe/Digital Deluxe Edition
Time saver: Resources Pack
Time saver: Collectibles Pack
Time saver: Activities Pack
Death Vessel Pack
Crusader & Florentine Pack
Time saver: Technology Pack
MP Character Pack: Blackbeard's Wrath
Illustrious Pirates Pack
Guild of Rogues

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

File removal^{[citation needed]}

Go to the installation folder.
Go into videos (for single player) or multi\videos (for multiplayer).
Rename, delete or move these files:

ubi_logo.bik
TWIMTBP.bik
abstergo_logo.bik
ac4bf_logo.bik
warning_disclaimer.bik

warning_disclaimer.bik is in a subfolder that corresponds with the set language.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

Template:Game data/row

System	Location
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/242050/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game data location

Template:Game data/row

System	Location
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/242050/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Origin
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect		Uplay cloud synchronization was disabled sometime in 2013.^[1]

There are reports of lost game progress.^[2] Preemptively disable Uplay Cloud saving in order to prevent bad synchronization.

Video settings

Graphics settings.

Template:Video settings

Windowed

Run patcher^[3]
Download AC4 Window Mode Patcher. Copy it to the installation folder and launch it. Type `y` and press `↵ Enter` to start patching.

Use WinExplorer^{[citation needed]}

Download WinExplorer.
Run game and choose a resolution of your choice.
Alt+Tab ↹ to the desktop.
Open WinExplorer and select AC4 from list of running programs.
Head over to style tab and tick WS_DISABLED and WS_CHILD checkboxes.

Notes

You may want to further customize the window style with WS_THICKFRAME, WS_BORDER or WS_DLGFRAME options

Input settings

Controls settings.

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

Audio settings.

General settings.

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play
Online play		8

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Use Helix Mod: Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag.

Issues fixed

Crash when installed in a Storage Space

The game will refuse to run when installed on a drive which is managed by a Storage Space on Windows 8 and later.

Instructions

Instructions

The image freezes but the game still runs in the background

Sometimes the game might appear to be frozen, but you can still hear the sound and the HUD works.^[4]

Enabling "Volumetric Fog" and / or disabling "FXAA" fixes the issue^{[citation needed]}
"Volumetric Fog" may cause artifacts on screen edges in-game, Use Driver AA instead if MSAA is being used.^[5]

FPS drops to 30 when Vsync is enabled

This is caused by lack of triple buffering in the game.

Use D3DOverrider to force triple buffering^[6]
Don't force VSync in D3DOverrider, only triple buffering. Enable VSync in game options (or force it in NVIDIA control panel or NVIDIA Inspector). If you're using SweetFX or another injector, this fix will not work. Use the workaround below.

Use RadeonPro to force triple buffering^{[citation needed]}

Download and install RadeonPro.
Launch RadeonPro.
Add a profile pointing to AC4BFSP.exe or AC4BFMP.exe.
Select the exe profile by clicking on it.
Go to the tweaks tab leave vsync to driver default and check triple buffering.

Notes

Tested on Win8.1 with CFX 7970s.^{[citation needed]}

Use Ctrl-Alt-Del workaround to force triple buffering^{[citation needed]}

This method has only been tested on Windows 7 SP1 with an NVIDIA graphics card and on Windows 10 with an AMD graphics card.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Click the cancel button to return to your desktop.
Go back to the game by clicking its icon on the taskbar.

Alt+Tab ↹ does NOT work.

This workaround makes possible the use of SweetFX or other injectors with triple buffering.

Nvidia PhysX performance issues

Instructions

Change process affinity^[7]
Press `Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Delete` to open Task Manager. Go to the Details tab. Right click `ac4bfsp.exe` and select "Set affinity". Uncheck the last CPU core and hit OK. Go back to the same menu and re-enable it. Close Task Manager.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Vista SP2	7 SP1, 8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.6 GHz AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6 GHz	Intel Core i5 2400S 2.5 GHz AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	30 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512 MB of VRAM Shader model 4.0 support	Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 AMD Radeon HD 5850 1 GB of VRAM Shader model 5.0 support

Supported video cards include: Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or better, GT400, GT500, GT600, GT700 series or AMD Radeon HD4870 or better, HD5000, HD6000, HD7000 series.

Laptop graphics cards may work but are not officially supported.

Dual core processors will, despite the minimum requirements, most likely work.^[8] (only LGA1150/LGA1155 dual core processors will, under most circumstances, deliver a playable frame rate - LGA775/LGA1156 and AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1/FM2 dual core CPUs are unlikely to suffice due to significantly lower IPC)

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (242050) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ Ubisoft Customer Service Screenshot
↑ I've lost nearly all of my progress - Steam Community Discussions
↑ [GUIDE] Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - Dead End Thrills
↑ Steam Forums: AC4 freezes but the HUD still okay???
↑ Steam Forums Post
↑ Verified by User:Blackbird on 2017-01-26
Tested on W10 (1607)
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named physx
↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PC Performance Analysis

[Proton_path_note-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (242050) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[3] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[4] The app ID (242050) may differ in some cases.

[5] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[6] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] Ubisoft Customer Service Screenshot

[3] I've lost nearly all of my progress - Steam Community Discussions

[4] [GUIDE] Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - Dead End Thrills

[5] Steam Forums: AC4 freezes but the HUD still okay???

[6] Steam Forums Post

[7] Verified by User:Blackbird on 2017-01-26
Tested on W10 (1607)

[physx-8] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named physx

[9] Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PC Performance Analysis

[Note 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 ==Essential improvements==
 ===Skip intro videos===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=File removal|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|File removal|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Go to the installation folder.
 # Go into <code>videos</code> (for single player) or <code>multi\videos</code> (for multiplayer).
@@ Line 137: / Line 136: @@
 ===[[Glossary:Windowed|Windowed]]===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Run patcher|ref=<ref>[http://www.deadendthrills.com/forum/discussion/55/guide-assassin-s-creed-4-black-flag &#91;GUIDE&#93; Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - Dead End Thrills]</ref>|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Run patcher|ref=<ref>[http://www.deadendthrills.com/forum/discussion/55/guide-assassin-s-creed-4-black-flag &#91;GUIDE&#93; Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - Dead End Thrills]</ref>}}
 # Download [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0BwMAnE6mjogMdjl5UFZCVENFUG8 AC4 Window Mode Patcher].
 # Copy it to the installation folder and launch it.
@@ Line 144: / Line 142: @@
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use WinExplorer|ref={{CN|date=March 2017}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Use WinExplorer|ref={{CN|date=March 2017}}}}
 # Download [http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/winexp.html WinExplorer].
 # Run game and choose a resolution of your choice.
@@ Line 415: / Line 412: @@
 {{ii}} Sometimes the game might appear to be frozen, but you can still hear the sound and the HUD works.<ref>[http://steamcommunity.com/app/242050/discussions/0/558756168091445803/ Steam Forums: AC4 freezes but the HUD still okay???]</ref>
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Enabling "Volumetric Fog" and / or disabling "FXAA" fixes the issue|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Enabling "Volumetric Fog" and / or disabling "FXAA" fixes the issue|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 {{ii}} "Volumetric Fog" may cause artifacts on screen edges in-game, Use Driver AA instead if MSAA is being used.<ref>[https://steamcommunity.com/app/242050/discussions/0/558748822711618462/#c540744474971873347 Steam Forums Post]</ref>
 }}
@@ Line 423: / Line 419: @@
 {{ii}} This is caused by lack of triple buffering in the game.
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use D3DOverrider to force triple buffering|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Blackbird|date=2017-01-26|comment=Tested on W10 (1607)}}</ref>|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Use D3DOverrider to force triple buffering|ref=<ref>{{Refcheck|user=Blackbird|date=2017-01-26|comment=Tested on W10 (1607)}}</ref>}}
 {{ii}} Don't force VSync in D3DOverrider, only triple buffering. Enable VSync in game options (or force it in NVIDIA control panel or NVIDIA Inspector).
 {{ii}} If you're using SweetFX or another injector, this fix will not work. Use the workaround below.
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use RadeonPro to force triple buffering|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Use RadeonPro to force triple buffering|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Download and install [http://www.radeonpro.info/download/ RadeonPro].
 # Launch RadeonPro.
@@ Line 441: / Line 435: @@
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Use Ctrl-Alt-Del workaround to force triple buffering|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Use Ctrl-Alt-Del workaround to force triple buffering|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 {{ii}} This method has only been tested on Windows 7 SP1 with an NVIDIA graphics card and on Windows 10 with an AMD graphics card.
 # Press {{Key|Ctrl|Alt|Del}}.
@@ Line 455: / Line 448: @@
 {{Fixbox/fix|Disable Shadowplay|ref=<ref name="physx">[https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/714270/pc-games/-finally-assassins-creed-4-physx-performance-fix-/ (Finally) Assassins Creed 4 Physx Performance Fix!! - GeForce Forums]</ref>}}
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Change process affinity|ref=<ref name="physx" />|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Change process affinity|ref=<ref name="physx" />}}
 # Press {{Key|Ctrl|Alt|Del}} to open Task Manager.
 # Go to the Details tab.

Developers

	Ubisoft Montreal
Publishers
	Ubisoft
Engines
	AnvilNext
Release dates
Windows	November 19, 2013