Wanted was a virtual training mode in the first and second stage of the Animi Training Program,[1][2] as well as during the console stage of Abstergo Entertainment's Animus technology.[3][4] It consisted of four to eight Abstergo recruits, who were each assigned targets to kill and pursuers to avoid. Sessions lasted for 10 minutes, with only one round.
From there, each recruit selected an Animi Avatar and a profile set, which were separate sets of abilities, perks and kill-streaks that can be modified in the program's main menu.
Description[]
A maximum of 8 recruits could play a match of Wanted at a time, though the mode could start a session with a minimum of 6. If a recruit left the mode during a session or if a space was available, another recruit could enter into the match mid-progress.
Once the session was over, the recruit would have an option to rematch with the same opponents. If they were unwilling to rematch, however, the recruit could choose to exit to the main menu, where they could start another session of their choice.
Targets[]
At the start of the mode, each recruit was given a target to hunt down and assassinate. As such, the profile picture of the target's Animi Avatar appeared in the upper-right corner of the screen, along with a stealth meter.
To aid the recruit, a compass at the bottom of the screen pointed out the direction of their target and whether they were above or below the recruit. This appeared as a blue disc which gradually filled up when they got closer to their target.
To further help the recruit find their prey, the blue light of the compass would glow brighter when the target was in sight. Wise recruits could use this to find the individual instead of attacking a random persona.
The contract on the target could be lost if they were killed by another player, if a civilian was killed instead, or if the pursuer was stunned by their target.
While hunting a particular persona that the recruit was certain of being a target, a good idea was to use the lock function. If clicked rapidly, a running target would instantly be locked onto, but a stealthy target could be targeted precisely by holding down the lock button and releasing it once they were in the cross-hairs.
Pursuers[]
A target's perspective of Wanted. Shown here the target is being pursued (top), then escaping (middle), and hiding (bottom)
Most often, every recruit would be assigned a pursuer in Wanted. Occasionally, a person with less points would not be hunted by anyone, enabling them to climb back up the scoreboard, with their pursuers returning should they do.
Pursuers were shown as a red triangle icon in the top-left portion of the screen, and would also appear near to a recruit's compass if they were being chased by their pursuer. The amount of pursuers could rise to a total of 4 in Wanted, although rare, and red markers would also appear above a pursuer's head if they engaged in high profile activities.
A recruit would be wise to remember that their pursuers were other recruits, instead of an artificial intelligence, so they could notice sudden movement, a group of random civilians turning into exact copies of a specific Animi Avatar, and a target who was sprinting. However, it should also be remembered that they could be tricked, which was why the Morph ability worked well on those who were more oblivious to their surroundings.
Once a pursuer was close, the recruit would be able to hear "whispers", which sounded like a whooshing breeze. These would enable the recruit to know that their pursuer was in close proximity, prompting them to attempt to identify their pursuer once they began. Whispers also got louder as a pursuer got closer, as well as when they were performing high profile actions nearby.
During a chase sequence, the "Chase" meter would appear on the screen for the pursuer, or the "Escape" meter for the target. For both recruits, if the meter emptied completely, then the contract on the targeted party would be lost, prompting the pursuer to wait to reassigned a target and the escaping recruit to receive the Escape bonus.
For the pursuer, any strategy that worked for them was the best kind. Some preferred the Hidden Gun (though often discouraged) to kill a fleeing target, while some liked to poison the sneaky ones that hid in crowds. In Wanted, hunting and hiding were blended into a frenzy of action between the entire group of recruits, giving an opportunity to those that surprised everyone else with their tactics.
Advanced Wanted[]
This mode was the same as the basic mode of Wanted, aside from the fact that the compass to locate targets was reduced in effectiveness. With this in mind, the compass would no longer tell a recruit whether their target was up or down, making it a far more difficult game mode to play.
However, in the second stage, the Advanced Wanted mode did not make a return.
References[]
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