Animus

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"You're inside the Animus. It's a projector which renders genetic memories in three dimensions."

―Warren Vidic to Desmond Miles.^[src]

The Animus (plural: Animi) was a virtual-reality machine, re-discovered and developed by Abstergo Industries. It was able to read a subject's genetic memory, and project it onto an external screen in three dimensions.

The machine was used in the company's Animus Project, in which several subjects' memories were analyzed for a variety of reasons; including gathering information on the Assassin Order or Pieces of Eden, and training Abstergo recruits.

1 History
2 Usability
- 2.1 Synchronization
- 2.2 Side effects
3 Behind the Scenes
4 Trivia
5 Gallery
6 Notes and References

HistoryEdit

Initially developed by the First Civilization,^[1] the original Animus technology^[2] was re-discovered by the Templars in an unknown year, and subsequently re-developed for their own use.^[3]

Guided by theories devised by Dr. Warren Vidic, the machine underwent several stages of development and prototypes before a satisfactorily working model was created. However, by 2012, the technology had still not been perfected.^[3]

The machine was used in Abstergo as early as 1985; however, even after sixteen test subjects, they had yet to achieve their goals.^[3]

Animus 1.0Edit

The Animus 1.0 (or more precisely, 1.28) was the first model of Animus to be created by Abstergo and enter actual use. Abstergo possessed an unknown number of Animi; with some kept individually in laboratories,^[3] and with at least one large room full of the devices.^[1]

Colored chrome, with blue lighting lining the machine, the Animus 1.0 resembled a bed, and was designed to comfortably fit the user. When in use, the Animus extended a glass panel over and around the head of the user, on which the genetic memories being accessed were projected.^[3]

The Animus 1.0 was not very energy-efficient, however, and was prone to overheating after extended use. Upon overheating, the blue lighting flashed orange instead.^[3]

Animus 2.0Edit

"This baby is twice as awesome as anything you'll find at Abstergo!"

―Rebecca Crane, speaking of her Animus.^[src]

The Animus 2.0 was an upgraded model of the Animus that had been developed by the Assassins in 2012. According to the Animus developer and maintainer, Rebecca Crane, her "Baby" was much better than the ones at Abstergo. She had started developing it with partial schematics sent by Lucy Stillman, the Assassins' spy at Abstergo, and had improvised the rest.^[1]

The Animus 2.0 was different in many ways to the Animus 1.0, both physically and within the three-dimension reality it projected. For example, the background color of the loading sequence changed from an icy blue to white, with the entire region of a memory slowly loading up each time one was accessed.^[1]

The external properties of the Animus also changed greatly, with the 2.0 being an actual chair, and offering increased comfort to the user. However, due to this, a catheter in the user's arm was required, in order to access genetic memories, and link the user into the Animus itself. Despite these improvements, the Animus still suffered from lagged translation software, and was unable to prevent the Bleeding effect over prolonged use.^[1]

The new Animus model allowed for remote interaction from an outside source, which included uploading database-like information packets for the user to view. During Desmond's time with the Assassins in 2012, Shaun Hastings, a historian and tactician for the Assassins, made great use of this utility, providing countless files on historical figures and locations.^[1]

The Animus 2.03 was used as a life support system for Desmond after he had fallen into a coma; his consciousness was threatened by the Bleeding effect. At this time, Clay Kaczmarek took over the role of writing the Animus database articles.^[2]

Animus 3.0Edit

Upon waking from his comatose state, Desmond entered the Animus 3.0 (or, more precisely, 3.01) to relive the memories of yet another of his ancestors. Similarly to as he did with the Animus 2.0, Shaun continued to write database entries for him in the new Animus system.^[4]

By then, the Animus' software had been upgraded to utilize a new visual style.^[4]

UsabilityEdit

"When we switched the Animus control scheme to use standard videogame controls, I guessed that the subject's learning curve would improve; but the increased acclimatization rate we're seeing with these slacker types is astounding."

―Warren Vidic.^[src]

At first, Abstergo found their test subjects having difficulty adapting to the Animus control scheme. Thus, they changed the controls to match that of gaming consoles projected into the users' mind, significantly improving the user response rate, and allowing for quicker adoption.^[5]

Despite the core of the technology merely allowing the user to view genetic memories encoded into their DNA, the Animus also allowed the user a degree of interaction with the environment they were viewing. Although this was limited in the Abstergo model, the level of interaction increased greatly in the Animus 2.0, allowing the user to choose the pace at which they progressed through the memories.^[1]

SynchronizationEdit

Main article: Synchronization

The Animus 2.0's meter depicting its user's synchronization with an ancestor.

Added by Aeroeagle49

As the user of the Animus was able to interact with the environment in which he was viewing, the concept of synchronization was brought into play. Failure to follow the memories of an ancestor exactly often resulted in a temporary decrease in synchronization with said ancestor, and continuing such actions would lead to complete desynchronization. This in turn forced the user to reload the memory from an earlier point.^[3]

The Animus was designed to put up barriers when the user attempted to interact with an environment the ancestor had not entered at that particular moment in their life, and was also capable of ejecting the user in extreme cases of desynchronization.^[1]^[3]

Side effectsEdit

Main article: Bleeding effect

Use of any variant of the Animus technology was prone to cause mental instability with its users. Prolonged use caused a condition known as the "Bleeding effect", which blended the real-time and genetic memories of the user, transferring thoughts, skills and experiences from the ancestor to the descendant.^[3]

Continued and uninterrupted use of the Animus often resulted in mental degradation of the subject, and in extreme cases, total psychological instability.^[1]^[3]

Behind the ScenesEdit

In Assassin's Creed, the Animus acts only as a machine and plot element, allowing Desmond to play through Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's memories the same way the player controls Desmond himself.

In Assassin's Creed II, its use was expanded. The Animus became an interface to a new world, including information about the historical locations, people, and time periods. It was developed as a modular tool, allowing the game developers to explore any aspect, be it additional memories, multiplayer or other content. In an interview for IncGamers, producer Sebastien Puel said:

"This franchise has a lot of potential. The Animus allows us to do anything we want, whether it's talking about multi-player, whether it's talking about additional missions, whether it's talking about additional content - whatever it is, the Animus is a perfect tool for that."^[6]

TriviaEdit

"Animus" is a Latin term referring to "the mind" in a variety of senses; ranging from the intellect, the will, or the soul.
In the Animus 1.28, sprinting long enough during the interactive loading sequence will rid the Animus of the random bits of data flickering around, showing only a blue, foggy expanse. Additionally, Altaïr can hit an invisible barrier.
While replaying memory blocks in Assassin's Creed, an unusual red-beige tinted abnormality shows itself for one frame as the memory is initiated. This is the inside of Desmond's face, as the camera for the initiation sequence is shown in 3 ways: starting back and moving forward, starting front and moving backwards, and upside-down. When the camera moves slightly backwards, it glitches into Desmond's face. His eyebrows, nose, and lips are easily seen if the screen is frozen.
Once a player completes the main storyline of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the option to leave the Animus is removed from the main menu due to Desmond's now comatose state.
A different and older design of the Animus, used by Daniel Cross, is present in Assassin's Creed: The Fall. The main design is reminiscent to a lounge chair, with a metal visor installed at the top, along with several metal panels attached to the back.
The Animus 1.28 has made an appearance in every main game so far; they are used in the multiplayer modes of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations.

GalleryEdit

Notes and ReferencesEdit

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 ^1.7 ^1.8 Assassin's Creed II
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Assassin's Creed: Revelations
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 ^3.7 ^3.8 ^3.9 Assassin's Creed
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 GameInformer April 2012 issue: Assassin's Creed III
↑ Assassin's Creed Game Manual
↑ IGTV: Behind The Scenes - Assassin's Creed 2

First Civilization

Members	Jupiter ∙ Juno ∙ Minerva ∙ Consus

Locations	Eden ∙ Temples (Grand Temple \| Vatican Vault \| Colosseum Vault \| Pythagorean Vault)

Technology	Pieces of Eden ∙ Animus ∙ Memory Seals

Other	Humans ∙ Eagle Vision ∙ Human-First Civilization War ∙ Toba Catastrophe

Assassin's Creed

Characters

Assassins	Desmond Miles ∙ Lucy Stillman \| Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad ∙ Al Mualim ∙ Malik Al-Sayf ∙ Kadar Al-Sayf ∙ Abbas Sofian ∙ Rauf ∙ Rafiqs

Targets	Tamir ∙ Garnier de Naplouse ∙ Talal ∙ Abu'l Nuqoud ∙ William of Montferrat ∙ Majd Addin ∙ Jubair al Hakim ∙ Sibrand ∙ Robert de Sable ∙ Al Mualim

Others	Warren Vidic ∙ Leila Marino ∙ Alan Rikkin \| Maria Thorpe ∙ Masun ∙ Richard the Lionheart

Factions

Abstergo | Assassins ∙ Civilians ∙ Knights Hospitalier ∙ Knights Templar ∙ Knights Teutonic ∙ Saracens

Locations

Abstergo laboratory | Solomon's Temple ∙ Masyaf ∙ Damascus ∙ Acre ∙ Jerusalem ∙ Arsuf ∙ Kingdom ∙ Assassins' Bureau

Terms and gameplay

Abilities and Equipment ∙ Abstergo ∙ Achievements ∙ Animus ∙ Assassins ∙ Blend ∙ Cryptic Messages ∙ Eagle Vision ∙ Eavesdropping ∙ E-mails ∙ Feather ∙ Flags ∙ Genetic memory ∙ Glitches ∙ Horses ∙ Informants ∙ Interrogation ∙ Investigation ∙ Leap of Faith ∙ Pickpocketing ∙ Pieces of Eden ∙ Save Citizen ∙ Scholars ∙ Social Stealth ∙ Synchronization ∙ Thugs ∙ View Points ∙ Vigilantes

Weapons

Hidden Blade ∙ Fists ∙ Short blade ∙ Sword ∙ Throwing knives

Assassin's Creed II

Characters

House of Auditore	Ezio ∙ Giovanni ∙ Mario ∙ Maria ∙ Federico ∙ Claudia ∙ Petruccio \| Domenico

Assassins	Desmond Miles ∙ Lucy Stillman ∙ Shaun Hastings ∙ Rebecca Crane \| Niccolò Machiavelli ∙ Antonio de Magianis ∙ Paola ∙ Teodora Contanto ∙ La Volpe ∙ Bartolomeo d'Alviano ∙ Dante Alighieri \| Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Assassination targets	Rodrigo Borgia ∙ Uberto Alberti ∙ Vieri de' Pazzi ∙ Francesco de' Pazzi ∙ Antonio Maffei ∙ Stefano da Bagnone ∙ Bernardo Baroncelli ∙ Francesco Salviati ∙ Jacopo de' Pazzi ∙ Emilio Barbarigo ∙ Carlo Grimaldi ∙ Marco Barbarigo ∙ Silvio Barbarigo ∙ Dante Moro ∙ Ludovico Orsi ∙ Checco Orsi ∙ Girolamo Savonarola

Others	Clay Kaczmarek ∙ Warren Vidic \| Annetta ∙ Leonardo da Vinci ∙ Lorenzo de' Medici ∙ Rosa ∙ Carlotta Moro ∙ Caterina Sforza ∙ Cristina Vespucci ∙ Alvise da Vilandino ∙ Agostino Barbarigo \| Maria Thorpe \| Minerva

Factions

Assassins ∙ Templars ∙ Civilians ∙ Courtesans ∙ Mercenaries ∙ Merchants ∙ Thieves

Locations

Abstergo laboratory ∙ Hideout | Florence ∙ Monteriggioni ∙ Villa Auditore ∙ Tuscany ∙ San Gimignano ∙ Apennine Mountains ∙ Romagna ∙ Forlì ∙ Venice ∙ Rome

Terms and gameplay

Abstergo ∙ Achievements ∙ Adam ∙ Eve ∙ Animus ∙ Art Merchants ∙ Blacksmiths ∙ Bleeding effect ∙ Borgia Messengers ∙ Codex ∙ Customization ∙ Doctors ∙ Eagle Vision ∙ Economic system ∙ Fast Travel Booths ∙ Feathers ∙ Flying Machine ∙ Glyphs ∙ Guards ∙ Heralds ∙ Monteriggioni Statuettes ∙ Notoriety ∙ Officials ∙ Pieces of Eden ∙ Secret Locations ∙ Side Missions and Events ∙ Tailors ∙ First Civilization ∙ The Truth ∙ Uplay ∙ The Vault ∙ View Points ∙ Wanted posters

Weapons

Fists/Metal Cestus ∙ Heavy weapons ∙ Hidden Blade ∙ Hidden Gun ∙ Improvised weapons ∙ Long weapons ∙ Poison blade ∙ Short blades ∙ Smoke bombs ∙ Swords and Maces ∙ Throwing knives ∙ Warhammers

DLC

Battle of Forlì ∙ Bonfire of the Vanities

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Characters

Assassins	Desmond Miles . Lucy Stillman ∙ Shaun Hastings ∙ Rebecca Crane \| Ezio Auditore da Firenze . Claudia Auditore da Firenze ∙ Maria Auditore da Firenze ∙ Mario Auditore ∙ Bartolomeo d'Alviano ∙ Niccolò Machiavelli ∙ La Volpe

Templars	Rodrigo Borgia ∙ Cesare Borgia . Juan Borgia the Elder ∙ Octavian de Valois ∙ Micheletto Corella . Il Carnefice ∙ Silvestro Sabbatini ∙ Malfatto ∙ Brother Ristoro ∙ Gaspar de la Croix ∙ Donato Mancini ∙ Lia de Russo ∙ Lanz ∙ Auguste Oberlin

Others	Pantasilea Baglioni ∙ Lucrezia Borgia ∙ Pietro Rossi ∙ Patrizio ∙ Nicolaus Copernicus ∙ Leonardo da Vinci ∙ Duccio de Luca ∙ Ercole Massimo ∙ Salaì ∙ Caterina Sforza ∙ Juno

Multiplayer	Doctor ∙ Courtesan ∙ Executioner ∙ Noble ∙ Priest ∙ Prowler ∙ Barber ∙ Engineer ∙ Blacksmith ∙ Captain ∙ Smuggler ∙ Footpad ∙ Mercenary ∙ Harlequin ∙ Hellequin ∙ Officer ∙ Thief ∙ Dama Rossa ∙ Pariah ∙ Marquis ∙ Knight

Factions

Abstergo Industries | Assassins (Guilds) ∙ Civilians ∙ Followers of Romulus ∙ Guards ∙ Hermeticists ∙ Merchants ∙ Templars

Locations

Sanctuary . Monteriggioni ∙ Rome ∙ Colli Albani ∙ Naples ∙ Valnerina ∙ Monte Circeo ∙ Viana ∙ Florence ∙ Venice ∙ Secret Locations

Terms and Gameplay

Animus ∙ Achievements ∙ Bleeding effect ∙ Borgia towers ∙ Chase-breakers ∙ Customization ∙ Eagle Vision ∙ Economic system ∙ Flying Machine ∙ Heralds ∙ Horses ∙ Lairs of Romulus ∙ Leap of Faith ∙ Lifts ∙ Mounted cannons ∙ Officials ∙ Parachutes ∙ Pieces of Eden ∙ Ranks ∙ Notoriety ∙ Secret Locations ∙ Side Missions ∙ View Points

Weapons

Axe ∙ Crossbow ∙ Fists/Metal Cestus ∙ Heavy weapons ∙ Hidden Blade ∙ Hidden Gun ∙ Improvised weapons ∙ Long weapons ∙ Multiplayer weapons ∙ Poison blade ∙ Poison darts ∙ Short blade ∙ Smoke bombs ∙ Swords and Maces ∙ Throwing knives ∙ Warhammer

DLC

Animus Project Update 1.0 ∙ Animus Project Update 2.0 ∙ Animus Project Update 3.0 ∙ Copernicus Conspiracy ∙ The Da Vinci Disappearance

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Characters

Assassins	Desmond Miles ∙ Clay Kaczmarek ∙ Rebecca Crane ∙ Shaun Hastings ∙ William Miles \| Ezio Auditore da Firenze ∙ Yusuf Tazim ∙ Piri Reis \| Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad ∙ Rashid ad-Din Sinan ∙ Abbas Sofian ∙ Maria Thorpe ∙ Darim Ibn-La'Ahad ∙ Swami ∙ Niccolò Polo ∙ Maffeo Polo

Templars	Laetitia England ∙ Warren Vidic \| Ahmet ∙ Manuel Palaiologos ∙ Shahkulu ∙ Leandros ∙ Cyril of Rhodes ∙ Damat Ali Pasha ∙ Georgios Kostas ∙ Lysistrata ∙ Mirela Djuric ∙ Odai Dunqas ∙ Vali cel Tradat ∙ Vlad Tepes \| Haras

Others	Sofia Sartor ∙ Bayezid II ∙ Selim I ∙ Suleiman I ∙ Tarik Barleti ∙ Dilara ∙ Duccio de Luca ∙ Janos \| Jupiter ∙ Juno ∙ Minerva

Multiplayer	Bombardier ∙ Brigand ∙ Champion ∙ Corsair ∙ Count ∙ Courtesan ∙ Crusader ∙ Deacon ∙ Gladiator ∙ Guardian ∙ Knight ∙ Ottoman Doctor ∙ Ottoman Jester ∙ Privateer ∙ Renegade ∙ Sentinel ∙ Thespian ∙ Trickster ∙ Vanguard ∙ Vizier

Factions

Assassins ∙ Mercenaries ∙ Mongols ∙ Ottomans ∙ Romanies ∙ Templars/Byzantines ∙ Thieves

Locations

Atlas Village · Cappadocia (Derinkuyu) ∙ Constantinople (Constantine | Bayezid | Imperial | Galata) ∙ Masyaf

Terms and Gameplay

Abstergo Files ∙ Altaïr's Library ∙ Animus ∙ Animus data fragments ∙ Assassin Dens ∙ Black Room ∙ Blend ∙ Book Shops ∙ Desmond's Journey ∙ Den Defense ∙ Eagle Sense ∙ Ezio Auditore's letters ∙ First Civilization · Heralds · Masyaf Keys ∙ Mediterranean Defense · Officials · Pieces of Eden ∙ Stalkers ∙ Synch Nexus · Templar Tax Collectors ∙ Ziplines

Weapons

Fists ∙ Bombs ∙ Crossbow ∙ Heavy weapons ∙ Hidden Blade ∙ Hookblade ∙ Hidden Gun ∙ Improvised weapons ∙ Long weapons ∙ Multiplayer weapons ∙ Poison Blade ∙ Poison Darts ∙ Short blades ∙ Swords and Maces ∙ Throwing knives

DLC

The Ancestors Character Pack ∙ Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack ∙ The Lost Archive

Assassin's Creed III

Characters

Assassins	Desmond Miles · William Miles ∙ Shaun Hastings ∙ Rebecca Crane \| Connor Kenway

Templars	Warren Vidic

Others	George Washington ∙ Benjamin Franklin ∙ Thomas Jefferson ∙ Charles Lee ∙ Lafayette ∙ Samuel Adams ∙ Israel Putnam ∙ Paul Revere

Factions

Abstergo Industries ∙ Assassins ∙ Templars | British Army ∙ Continental Army ∙ Freemasons ∙ Mohawk

Locations

New York ∙ Boston ∙ Philadelphia ∙ Frontier (Lexington | Concord | Charlestown)

Events

French and Indian War ∙ American Revolutionary War ∙ Battle of Bunker Hill

Terms and Gameplay

Animus ∙ Pieces of Eden ∙ View Points

Assassin's Creed (French comic)

Characters

Assassins	Aquilus ∙ Accipiter ∙ Lucius ∙ Cuervo ∙ Lugos \| Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad ∙ Al Mualim ∙ Malik Al-Sayf \| Ezio Auditore da Firenze \| Desmond Miles ∙ Lucy Stillman ∙ Tom ∙ Herman Geier ∙ Rebecca Crane ∙ Shaun Hastings ∙ Jonathan Hawk ∙ Stella Crow

Templars	Gracchus ∙ Caïus Fulvus Vultur ∙ Faustin \| Tamir ∙ Al Mualim \| Warren Vidic ∙ Herman Geier

Others	Isis ∙ Osiris \| Weke ∙ Valeria