Challenging assassin's tomb quest

[PZ]

**SPOILER (kind of)**

I'm up to my 5th assassin's tomb quest - only need to do 6 before I get Altair's armor.  This one is a real challenge though - located in Venice, it has about 20 or so guards, and a complicated way that you need to get onto the building before you can even open the lock to start the assassin's tomb quest.  I haven't even made it into the building yet - the roof has a spiked iron fence, and the walls do not have hand holds to climb the walls.  I actually have to start on another building and follow a complicated sequence of moves just to get to the target building - man, what a challenge.

[spaceboy]

I think I have only one or two left myself but I have to check.  One hasn't come up in awhile it seems.  Glyphs on the other hand have been relatively plentiful.  I'm about halfway through those...since they are so different from normal gameplay I'm sure most people will be divided on whether they like them...I think they're a nice change but can be frustrating.

[PZ]

Can you enlighten me on the glyphs?  As far as I know, I'm not sure I've done any.

[spaceboy]

*******minor spoilers*********

Sure, these are the little bits of information regarding the "pieces of Eden" that Subject 16 left behind for you in the Animus (I guess) that you have to decode and they lead you to "The Truth".  This is a series of video clips that are found in the database.  Remember Lucy mentioning subject 16?

Anyways, you are notified on screen when you find something with a glyph on it (and these buildings also appear darker on your map as well).  Use Eagle vision to see some markings somewhere on the walls of these buildings. Get close to it and you are then prompted to solve a puzzle of some sort.  Sometimes it's finding the piece of Eden (from AC1) in a picture, or moving a spinning series of markings to get aligned.  They're getting tougher to do.  (this is all on screen and NOT using Ezio) - not gameplay like the rest of the game - kind of hard to explain.  It seems to be showing how all of history is tied together with these pieces of Eden and conspiracies along the way etc. (including the assassination of JFK of course).

You'd know it if you did one.  The video clips are quite strange but quite compelling for me to find out what crazy theory the game is purporting.  ;)

[Art Blade]

(this is all on screen and NOT using Ezio) - not gameplay like the rest of the game - kind of hard to explain.

"a mini game" or "game in a game" perhaps? :)

[PZ]

I remember now, I actually did do one - something with the apple in paintings.  I've not come across any other symbols though - probably playing through a bit too fast - I tend to do that to see how the game flows, then play again to fully enjoy - as long as I like the game that is!  ;D

[spaceboy]

yeah I think that was the first one.  I've been moving a little slower trying to get these things because I figure it ties in to the whole story and like I said they are strangely compelling. but that said I have moved quicker through story missions lately since I'm fully engaged in what happens to me (I mean Ezio) - there goes that bleeding effect again...

@ Art - mini game is probably about right  ;D

[Art Blade]

 :)

[PZ]

I know how you feel - by the way did you play AC1 and if so, how do you think it compares to AC2?

[spaceboy]

I did play AC1 and at first loved it, but then it got shelved due to Killzone 2, inFamous, FUEL, etc.  I picked it back up in anticipation of AC2.  The game was actually quite fun if you get into it and gave it a little leeway.  It was much more repetitive, the story wasn't as good, and I spent a lot more time running and hiding from guards.  There were just a lot of little annoyances.  That said there were also a lot of fun parts - the graphics were great, the battles fun, climbing was fun, and just walking around those recreated Holy Land cities was fun.  I'm glad I completed it.

I suppose I'll put it this way...Assassin's Creed is like your first girlfriend, and Assassin's Creed 2 is like your college girlfriend.  AC1 was fun and looked great, but you never really got everything you hoped for out of it.  AC2 delivers the goods in spades and is a much better game, but I still look back fondly at AC1 and remember all the good times as well.  Plus it helps me appreciate AC2 even more...

just kidding btw....but it's like AC2 is good enough to make my memories of AC1 that much better.  It might be hard to go back and play AC1 if you never did because you'd have come to expect to be able to do certain things like you did in AC2.  For instance, you can just move around town better without alerting the guards to an all out chase.  That alone is probably the number one improvement in my eyes.

[Art Blade]

As long as you returned to a town in AC1 without starting to kill anyone, it was well possible to walk around unmolested by those guards, if I remember correctly. It was different with the guys on rooftops, though, kind of invading restricted areas, they never liked that. One downside of AC1 was how you got your weapons. One more or less good upgrade (more throwing knifes than before, for example) per main mission completed. Like that, you only got a limited number of weapons and you had to be far in the game to get the good ones (I remember one brute sabre). Travelling from city to city was a bit painful and took quite some time, if you skipped that fast travel option, but travelling across the country was interesting too (and necessary sometimes). In general, my fondest memories are walking around in Damascus and Acre :)

[PZ]

Thanks for the impressions guys - I might pick it up just to see the cities - the ones in AC2 are already my best friends - have come to know and appreciate each one.

Back on topic, it turns out that you need to complete the memory start mission that is available before you attempt to do the assassination tomb quest.  It is evidently impossible to get into the building without having completed that main mission, although I could swear that I was just inches from doing so by the circuitous climbing pathway.

**SPOILER**






The way you enter the building is by flying one of Leonardo's inventions, but the entrance to the tomb quest is not even inside the palace - it is hidden in a small alcove near toe flat marble area where you find a treasure.
PS: forgot to mention that this main mission is where you get your hidden pistol.

[PZ]

I added a few more movies to the secret locations page in the wiki - we now have links to all the assassin tomb quest walk throughs http://openworldgames.org/mwiki/index.php/Category:AC2_Secret_locations