Tim Davies - Level Design
MY WORK
As a level designer, I worked on nine side quests and two murder mysteries set in the Quartier Latin, a part of Paris known for its rich history in science, philosophy, and education. The invention of the printing press at Sorbonne also sparked a boom in publications that helped spread revolutionary ideas, making literature a strong theme in the region.
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As part of my work, I researched historical figures, events, and locations, designing gameplay inspired by their stories. I also worked closely with the world team to ensure the areas I created were seamlessly integrated into the city, complete with parkour routes and natural connections to the surrounding environment.
QUESTS
FLYING BOY
Inspired by Stephen Gray’s electromagnetism experiment, this mission is based on “The Flying Boy”, where a child suspended by silk cords conducts static electricity generated by a rotating sulphur ball. During the experiment, the boy could manipulate lightweight objects without touching them and even deliver shocks to volunteers from the audience.
In the mission, Pierre-Simon LaPlace is under house arrest for trying to prevent the dangerous experiment from going wrong. Arno must first evade guards to reach LaPlace and retrieve the correct Leyden jar. He then infiltrates a guarded courtyard where the experiment is taking place. Using the crowd for cover, Arno can approach the apparatus and stealthily make the swap.
CARMALITE NUNS
Towards the end of the Reign of Terror, 16 Carmelite nuns, known as "The Martyrs of Compiègne", were transported through streets lined with angry and violent mobs. They were to be executed by guillotine, accused of being sympathetic to the monarchy and opposing the revolution.
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Arno is tasked with protecting the nuns during their procession. Although their fate is already sealed, the brutality they would face from the crowd could be far worse. Several gangs of Sans-Culottes have taken up positions along the route. Arno must move ahead of the procession, clearing threats and keeping the streets as safe as possible while the nuns continue their final journey.
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CAFE PROCOPE
Café Procope is one of the oldest cafés in the world and, over its history, has hosted many famous patrons. During the Revolution, Robespierre, Danton, and Marat all used it as a regular meeting place.
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In this mission, Arno must assassinate three conspirators who are planning to meet at Procope to discuss a plot to overthrow The Assembly. One conspirator is already inside the café with heavy guards. The second is travelling through the streets under escort, and the third is at his nearby home, preparing to leave. This dynamic forces Arno to act quickly, as the longer he waits, the more heavily protected the café becomes when all three targets converge.
AN ENGAGING EGYPTOLOGIST
The Rosetta Stone is a tablet inscribed with the same passage written in three different scripts. It allowed historians to decode Egyptian hieroglyphs by comparing them to known languages.
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The Templars have acquired rubbings of the stone before it has been fully translated. Fearing the text may contain sensitive information about the Brotherhood, Arno is tasked with recovering them, assisted by Jean-François Champollion, an expert in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The rubbings are being held by several large groups of Sans-Culottes in the Luxembourg Gardens. Champollion creates a series of distractions, drawing attention away from the area and giving Arno the opportunity to sneak in and retrieve them.
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ROUX'S REMAINS
Jacques Roux was a radical left-wing Catholic priest and revolutionary known for his fiery speeches and strong demands for economic justice. He was part of a group of ultra-radicals known as Les Enragés, who pushed for price controls, wealth redistribution, and direct democracy.
In this mission, one of Roux's lieutenants is delivering a rousing speech in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Cluny. Arno is tasked with assassinating him before he can incite the gathered crowd and cause further violence in the already dangerous streets. The main entrance is heavily guarded, and snipers are posted on the rooftops. Arno can either blend in with the crowd to approach undetected or use a less-defended sewer entrance at the rear of the location to infiltrate and get close enough for the kill.
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STOP THE PRESSES!
With the recent invention of the printing press, publications and information could be mass produced more easily than ever. This helped unify revolutionary opinion, but it also made it easier to spread misinformation. In a time of tension and intense violence, being falsely accused in print could quickly lead to public outrage and even execution.
The Comte de Mirabeau is one such person who has been falsely accused. Arno must remove three libellous posters and destroy the press responsible for producing them. Each poster location has attracted a crowd, but they have also drawn the attention of nearby Sans-Culottes. While many of the enemies can see one another, it is possible to pick them off carefully without being detected.
ENCYCLOPEDIE DIDEROT
Denis Diderot worked as editor-in-chief of the Encyclopédie for nearly 30 years and was the driving force behind creating such a comprehensive collection of human knowledge. He believed that education should be accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy.
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In this mission, Arno returns to Café Procope to borrow a section of the Encyclopédie and check whether it contains any sensitive information about the Brotherhood. Just as he begins speaking to the café owner, a thief snatches the book from the shelf and makes a run for it. Arno must give chase through the crowded streets, dodging ambushes from nearby Sans-Culottes. Once caught, the thief signals to his allies, triggering a large street fight.
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CASSINI'S CONSTELLATIONS
Dominique, comte de Cassini, was an accomplished astronomer and cartographer, and the last in a long line of renowned scientists in the Cassini family.
With unrest growing in Paris and his aristocratic background putting him at risk, Cassini is preparing to flee to the relative safety of the French countryside. However, in his haste, he has left behind some of his latest research. To assist him, Arno must retrieve three important documents from the Paris Observatory, now occupied by several large groups of Sans-Culottes. The papers are scattered across the compound, making strong use of its natural verticality.
There are multiple access points into the observatory. Arno can enter through the sewers, climb trees, or attempt a direct approach through the front gate. Each route offers a different tactical advantage.
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THE CONDORCET METHOD
The Marquis de Condorcet was a philosopher, mathematician, and political thinker known for his progressive Enlightenment ideals. He believed in equal rights, constitutional government, free markets, and public education for all, and was also a contributor to Diderot’s Encyclopédie. He is best known for developing the Condorcet method of voting, which compares candidates head-to-head. Though he initially supported the Revolution, he later criticised the Jacobins' authoritarian rule and was arrested. He died in prison under suspicious circumstances.
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We meet him after a warrant for his arrest has been issued. He asks Arno to recover two of his academic papers that have been stolen by his rivals. The first is carried by a scholar moving through a deep, narrow courtyard closely monitored by the National Guard. The layout allows for observation of patrol routes and encourages a stealthy approach.
The second paper is hidden inside a three-storey townhouse filled with guards. Arno can isolate and eliminate them as they move between floors, using moments of opportunity when they check windows or separate from each other.
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MURDER MYSTERIES
THE DEATH OF MARAT
Jean-Paul Marat was a radical journalist known for his inflammatory pamphlets and newspapers that called for attacks against the enemies of the Revolution and showed strong support for the sans-culottes and Jacobins. Marat suffered from a painful skin condition which confined him to his bath for relief, where he was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, who blamed him for the September Massacres. His death made him a martyr for the revolution and was captured in the famous painting, “The Death of Marat” by Jacques-Louis David.
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​Arno investigates Marat’s death. He searches Marat’s home for evidence, examines the murder weapon, studies letters, and questions witnesses to piece together what really happened. The witnesses lead Arno to a group of suspects held outside a nearby prison. He can question each of them and follow any leads that arise. One of the suspects is Charlotte Corday, Arno can track her movements to uncover evidence of her motivations.
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HAND OF SCIENCE
The Hand of Science is a fictitious murder mystery that draws on the region’s themes of science, education and faith.
A brilliant chemistry teacher has been found dead under suspicious circumstances near his laboratory. Arno investigates the lab and its grounds, inspecting science equipment, unusual chemicals and scattered notes to reconstruct the victim’s final experiment. By cross-referencing the clues, he must determine which of the suspects, former students, members of the clergy, or colleagues, murdered the Enlightenment-era chemist.
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ABOUT
Assassin's Creed Unity follows Arno Dorian during the French Revolution as he joins the Assassin Brotherhood to uncover the truth behind his father’s death. Amid the chaos in the streets of Paris, fuelled by the Sans-Culottes and rival factions vying for power, he is torn between his duty to the Brotherhood and his love for his childhood friend, a now Templar, Élise.