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Starting a funny moments thread here - there are wandering minstrels that basically dart in front of you playing their instruments, which greatly impedes your travel down the road.  Of course, you could run the rooftops, but that risks the archers wrath.  Here's a better way - as the minstrels run to impede your walk, steal their cash - they drop their instrument and run off uttering things like "My playing wasn't that bad was it?" or "Guards, we have a thief!"

My current method is to do this every time I see them running toward me - very funny, and I often have to keep from laughing aloud.  ;D

good one PZ!  I never tried to pickpocket them.  You have the option in your weapon wheel to choose a money back and Ezio will throw about 10 florins on the ground.  The minstrel (and everyone else around) will go crazy for the free money.  This gets rid of the minstrel but also creates a nice distraction.

Lately I've gotten into the habit of just punching them, it's less mean than a blade to the heart, but costs less than throwing money.  Your idea is even better though - take their money!

You're going to lol, literally when they dart toward you and you see their reaction when you pick their pockets.  The way they run off is priceless, and has turned an annoyance into something that I actually looks forward to these days.  Their stupid behavior is much like the FC2 mercs.

On an aside, my wife was watching me play for a few minutes and made the following remark: "Your new game alot like like that other one you play... FarCry, is it?"

Quote from: spaceboy on December 06, 2009, 05:19:18 PM
... You have the option in your weapon wheel to choose a money back and Ezio will throw about 10 florins on the ground.  The minstrel (and everyone else around) will go crazy for the free money.  This gets rid of the minstrel but also creates a nice distraction.

Great tip space - I've not used that one before but will be sure to do so when I enter the game next time (soon, I hope).  Speaking of money, my coffer is not up to about 20,000 florins with only a few missions between having to draw the money out - seems like I have plenty of cash on hand all the time so I might as well use it to distract the crowd!

Hey PZ I remember your wife found the idea of FUEL mildly interesting, and heck she remembers "Far Cry".  That's pretty good.  Show her your art gallery in your villa and she may just be hooked - and allow you all the gaming time you need...  The nice thing is you can find out facts about each painting by going up to them - (I think you hit triangle).

How did I miss out on this topic?!

Nice read, the two of you :)

The minstrels and the stab to the heart etc reminds me of AC1, there were beggars that really got on my nerves. Only I couldn't pickpocket them... The devs of AC2 did their job well, it seems. So far, all the annoying stuff has been removed, as far as I can tell by reading all of your posts :)

Quote from: Art Blade on December 06, 2009, 06:29:58 PM
How did I miss out on this topic?!

Nice read, the two of you :)

The minstrels and the stab to the heart etc reminds me of AC1, there were beggars that really got on my nerves. Only I couldn't pickpocket them... The devs of AC2 did their job well, it seems. So far, all the annoying stuff has been removed, as far as I can tell by reading all of your posts :)

Thanks Art.  Yes the days of the annoying beggars and lepers are gone!  You can also just jog away from the minstrels and they don't follow for too long (they're lugging around their instruments afterall)

Oh and another great thing they fixed is when you are running through a crowded street you can actually plow through them (a different button) - you run a bit slower than sprinting but you don't lose your balance like Altair did.  Ezio lowers his shoulder and "breaks the tackle" - you can almost see him carrying a football headed for the endzone...

I've watched a video of an interview with one of the devs (not really worth it for you, you've got the game, and for the rest of us, reading your stories and all those posts plus the couple of gameplay videos here are worth more than all that interview stuff). Basically he was so in love with his creation, hehe, he said that they took care of the flaws and annoying stuff, and made the game as open as possible, giving the player more choices. I'd translate his speech to "make it so! make everything possible!" :)

That sounds perfectly reasonable - the game is quite amazing in it's open world nature.  For instance, if it looks like you will be able to climb it, jump over, walk through, it will be so - no invisible walls nor other barriers in any of the main traveled areas that I've been to.

This game is rapidly becoming even more of a favorite than FO3 - if it doesn't let me down in the future, I may get it for the PC as well, just to be able to take the screen captures - this game is perfectly designed to do the embedded graphic article Art just did for the OCC growers  :-X

Here's a funny moment (and minor spoiler) - courtesans can't swim.  I hired a troupe of Venetian ladies to distract a couple guards so I could get a codex page.  I stopped short of the water thinking they wouldn't follow...and one fell in - never to be seen again.  She didn't even flounder...sank like a rock.  So I jumped in and two more followed - gone.  The two smart ones held back.  I told them to stop instead of follow, jumped across and instead wound up hiring some rooftop thieves.  Now these are the guys you can count on - and they always complement my climbing abilities!  It was great, I hung over the top of the building I needed to access, instructed the thieves to distract and as they jumped down and did their job I just dropped in front of the entrance and sauntered in to get my codex.

As for your earlier question Leonardo has his shop set up in Venice just like Florence and you can find it with an L on your map.

I agree the depth of the game is great and I'm so interested in the story I'm finding it hard to do side missions as I just want to find out what happens.  However, I've decided to basically skip most assassinations, races, and beat up side missions.  I also don't exert much effort for treasure unless it's ready for the taking.  The main story, glyphs, tombs, and codex pages are keeping me busy enough!

I'm really glad to hear your enjoying it so much as well PZ!  :-X

I'm glad that you're enjoying it so much too space - makes for lively communications, almost FC2 style  :-X

just on a sidenote, a friend of mine got AC2 for his PS3 on friday (3 days ago) and he's already deep into it... he is happy with it, too :) All he's missing is an intro how the main character (you) got used to killing, he thinks the game skipped that. He would have liked to see the reaction of how it felt to do the first assassination for the main character, because one day he was a kid, then he was 17 when he witnessed the hanging of his father, and then -- already an assassin. In my oppinion it doesn't matter much because it already is a sequel, and even if not, it might have expanded the game too much. Yet, so far, he likes it very much :)

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

that's interesting because I've actually heard other people grumble a bit that it takes too long to set up the story and get to be an assassin.  I found it just about right.  I can understand your friends point of view for someone who wants more story, but I think it works.  The game shows how he is already good at climbing and fist fights...I don't know, I figure if I'm a strapping young Italian and I witness the betrayal and hanging of my father and two brothers, I can get to killin' pretty easy... especially after finding my father's assassin robes and blade  ;)

With my nickname, that game and I seem to match just perfectly  ;D

haha yeah we'll call you Art "of the kill" Blade

hehe, the Art of Blade  ;)

Oh, please don't think I'd call my offspring "throwing knifes"  ;D or the wife "hidden Blade" lol

How about "Butcher Blade"?  ;D

I just had to say that one because I just purchased that weapon for almost 6000(+) florins.  It has a damage rating of 4 units - more than any other weapon I have in my arsenal.  The animations that Ezio performs are different than with the other weapons too - more blood spatter.

I agree with spaceboy - I think the intro is just about correct - not too much, and not too little.  The people that think it is too much may be AC1 players that are already familiar with the story line, but for me, not knowing AC1 at all, it is good.

Just for the record, I'm staying away from these threads, because I dont want to read any spoilers, but it seems like you are having a blast with AC2, which is great. :)

I'll try to be sure to mention "spoiler" but to a reader sometimes that's like trying not to look at an accident when driving by...

I understand Fiach - I hope you give this one a chance, there is a little bit of RPG element to it since you can choose your weapons etc.  It's definitely story driven and although I've unlocked half of the glyphs the meaning of them AT ALL eludes me still....either it'll be really good or really off the wall (probably a little of both depending on your perspective)

Yes, a friend said that it really picks up after awhile, the start is just a pretty prolonged tutorial, I only played up to where you kiss some girl.

I have the game, I just have to get a round tuit before I can play it apparently  :P

Yes, the action really picks up after a while, and when you climb to the top of high towers, your map will update with all kinds of new "mission" icons.  The game can be as fast paced or as slow as you want it to be due to it's open world nature.  In that sense, it is much like FC2.

I actually enjoyed the tutorial part of it because I'd not played anything like it before.  If the developers had not programmed in the tutorial aspect, I'd probably have given up in frustration and put the game on the shelf because of my lack of skills.  In fact, I just today learned a new skill and I'm well into the game - I think that it has a nice balance of letting you play to develop your existing skills and then when you're ready, giving you a new skill to learn.

It was funny - I'm preparing dinner and am watching a movie titled Poltergeist Legacy in which there is an old Victorian style building - my first inclination was to assess how I was going to scale the sides to get to the roof top.  ;D

Reminds me of propane tanks, driving around town, and FC2  ;)

I had another funny moment - I've always been irritated with the roving pickpockets - the ones that sneak up behind you , knock you down, and steal your money.  Well, I discovered that if you turn to look at them, they'll run away, typically toward the rooftops.

This morning, I had one sneak up behind me and I turned just a bit later than I normally do and accidentally hit the wrong button as I was turning, and I picked his pocket!  He was stunned, and just stood there for a moment too long because I pulled my hidden blades (my favorites) and perforated his thorax.  ;D

LOL you're mean, PZ  ;D

It was me that was also a bit stunned as I heard the "cha-ching" of 507 florins flowing my way - the move with the blades was almost reflexive!  ;D

AC2 has some wonderful moments  :-X

I always kill that thief if I he comes at me too close.  He obviously does not follow the same "code" as the other thieves do between them and assassins.  jerk.  One of my favorite double blade moves is the quick multiple strikes to the gut - alternating blades into a guys stomach. left-right-left-right-left-right.....drop.

I've seen that move in a vid, awesome :)

I love that move as well - my favorite animation.  I'm using the high profile assassinations lately because they raise my notoriety.  ;D

On my second play through, I just collected the last of the 6 tomb seals, and have just donned Altair's armor.  Now, I'm set to go back into the AC2 world and do all the side missions - have not done any of them yet because I played only enough to get the armor.  Interestingly, with it comes Altair's sword which packs quite a punch.  This play will be lots of fun because I have so little of the maps revealed.

Does anyone know how to get the Auditore cape?

Hilariously funny game play for me:

Ezio has recently acquired Altair's armor and has traveled to Florence for a bit of fun.  Because he couldn't don the Medicci cape to remain incognito, he decided to pickpocket everyone he encountered - was difficult to choke down the laughter as he pickpocketed his way through crowds of people with each one stumbling away exclaiming something about losing their purse, etc.  The "caaa-ching" of cash being transferred from their purse to his was priceless (no pun) - he accumulated several thousand florens last night.  Some individuals (women included) even had the audacity to start a fistfight with Ezio, who naturally beat everyone who did so senseless.  Interestingly, the message warning that Ezio did not kill citizens did not display, yet he was able to loot and carry the bodies away. (The citizens wee really outraged at this behavior.)

The reactions of the towns folks while this was occurring was fascinating, and when Ezio needed to fight guards with bladed weapons, some of the citizens even joined the fight, some of them dying due to collateral damage.

not sure about the Auditore cape (2 posts up)

That sounds fun PZ, I haven't gone outside of what I feel Ezio would do as his character, so while I still steal a few florins here and there it's mainly to get the Kleptomaniac trophy.   Once I finish the story and go into free roam to find the remaining feathers etc. I'll try some of this.  As with visiting our friends in Pala, it's always fun to "push" the AI and see what they do.

Well one thing I do for fun (not sure if it fits Ezio's character)  during Carnival if I see a performer walking on his hands, I knock him over.  Can't pass that up.  ;D

Until this recent incident, I was playing like you are - but I couldn't help myself as I power walked into a group and heard all the money flowing into my pouch.  I kept it up and it was so much fun that I just started laughing, and each time I bumped into someone and stole their money (you know how they stumble when nudged) the laughter continued.  Then the rest of the crowd backed away as I moved toward them while someone with courage came up behind me and took a swing.  Turning to punch their lights out made me laugh even more.

EDIT: I just discovered that if you collect all 100 feathers you get the Auditore cape.  This is how it reportedly functions: you don the cape and then go about your bad activities - your notoriety will increase (if you do bad things), but if you remove the cape, your notoriety will return to the level it was before you donned the cape.

Ha, that Auditore cape works just the same way as in Oblivion the grey mask you got from a notorious and most wanted person. Everybody thought it was him when you wore it, and all the crimes you comitted were chalked down on him. Remove it, and return to your own self and previous notoriety (if any).

I wonder if the Auditore cape "resets" it's notoriety to incognito once you take it off, or if it keeps you notorious the next time you wear it.  I don't know if I'll personally be able to find out because finding 100 feathers in the AC2 world is a daunting task - way worse than collecting all the diamonds in FC2 in my opinion.

if it behaves like that mask in Oblivion, it will w@&k like an alter ego: build up or reduce its notoriety, independently from your own. The mask would "remember" what you did with it ;)

Quote from: PZ on December 17, 2009, 02:25:52 PM
I wonder if the Auditore cape "resets" it's notoriety to incognito once you take it off, or if it keeps you notorious the next time you wear it.  I don't know if I'll personally be able to find out because finding 100 feathers in the AC2 world is a daunting task - way worse than collecting all the diamonds in FC2 in my opinion.

Maybe D_B will take a liking to AC2!

Wouldn't that be great - while there are map graphics on the 'net for AC2, none of them are really all that good.

there can only be one (mapper)  ;D :-X

Still having fun stealing from towns folks

While in Florence, I'm wearing the Medicci cape which gives me permanent incognito status - lots of fun to bump into as many people as I can and steal their florens.  The cape makes it so that my notoriety does not increase with each theft (as it would without the cape).  The comments are as funny as the ones that the FC2 mercs make!

Quite frequently, one of the crowd will come up behind me to enter into a fist fight - Ezio is really good in hand-to-hand so the wimpy town guy doesn't stand a chance.  One good thing is that many of the towns folk are carrying either a medicine or poison vial that you can loot.  This game gives me even more laughs than FC2 does  ;)

I've been finding myself use my fists more than normal so I can disarm a guard.  Also I like taking brooms from shop owners and using those as a weapon, there's something very Italian about beating someone with a broom - like stories of my grandmother chasing my father with her wooden spoon!

 ;D Your poor pops! :)

That's hilarious space!   :-X

I saw another great animation of fist fighting.  Ezio slammed his hands against the guards ears, grabbed his head and pulled it downwards while slamming his knee upwards (ouch!).

Also when a guard is down, take the time to hit Triangle - it makes Ezio taunt the guard.  Very funny!

lol, that does sound like a good funny - will try it next time in the game!  :-X

just a little FYI: I've cleaned up your topic and created "AC2 violence (http://openworldgames.org/owg/forums/index.php?topic=1276.0)" for the stuff with which I hijacked this topic ;)

This is a kind of funny method:

As I'm slowly working my way through the initial parts of the game (Leonardo just fixed my first blade), I have accumulated approximately 14,000 florins.  I'm completely notorious and need to get to the other side of town.  On prior plays through, I simply went the roof tops and assassinated archers along the way.  This time, something different - hired a group of thugs for 150 florins and then immediately started pick pocketing towns folks to pay for the hire  ;D

It was funny watching people stumble in the crowd and see the florin count accumulate - in no time I had paid the bill so to speak, and received quite a chuckle to boot.

Now, I can walk through the towns pick pocketing to my heart's content, paying for help along the way.   ;D

that's clever and fun  ;D :-X

Someone in the development group must have a sense of humor - the individuals I now know as scholars wander around in groups - when pic-pocketed, they yield very few florins, but they are the first to respond with violence!  ;D (whoever said that the educated are against violence have clearly not visited 15th century Italy)

There is a hierarchy of response by the different groups.

• Scholars have few florins, but want to punch your lights out
• Tradesmen also yield little, and don't mind fighting, but are a bit more reluctant
• The colorful dandys have up to 5 times as many florins as the scholars, but are more reluctant to enter a fight.
• Women also fall into social order categories, but all are very reluctant to fight - women are the easiest to steal from without repercussion.
  

Quote from: PZ on January 02, 2010, 12:19:57 PM
(whoever said that the educated are against violence have clearly not visited 15th century Italy)
...
Scholars have few florins, but want to punch your lights out

I dunno, PZ, they sound like modern-day uni students to me ;D

Muahahahaha  :-X :-X :-X

hahahaha.... good one fragger!  :-X

This one was a funny on me - sort of.

I was walking amidst a group of courtesans intending to go past a line of guards when in hops this wandering musician singing a song and wanting a handout.  I usually pick the pocket of these guys and they run off screaming "I can play something else!" or some such nonsense.  However, because I was distracted by planning how to get past the guards, I accidentally hit the attack button while he was with me in the middle of the courtesan group and my double blades quickly sent him to the ground.  I expected the guards to come rushing at me, but evidently being "hidden" among the courtesans also hid my misdeed and they paid no attention to my actions.  The funny part (in addition to getting the pesky guy off my back) was that when me and my courtesan group left his dead body behind while we were still heading toward the line of guards, they (the guards) finally noticed the corpse and rushed past us to investigate.  Phew - problem solved - stupid mercs.. I mean guards.

You have an amazing talent for stuff like that, like accidently killing and robbing people, and on top get away with it  ;D :-X Nice story, PZ  :)

I normally just throw a punch at the guys, now if only I could pick up the guitar to do some guard beatings with.  I guess those ladies have seen enough in their time not to run away screaming at someone being murdered in their midst.

Quote from: spaceboy on January 04, 2010, 12:23:39 PM
if only I could pick up the guitar to do some guard beatings with

LOL That's our spaceboy!  ;D Muahahaha, I can almost see the guitar breaking apart with some pling! ploing! sounds after a couple of hearty strokes to the guards' heads  ;D

lol thanks Art... I'm kinda surprised you can't actually because you can pick up the shop owner's brooms and use them to beat up guards.

Hm, if you can't pick up the guitar to beat a guard with, why not pick up a guard to beat the guitar with  ;D That would give the expression "he beat me to it" a completely new sense  ;D

lol, you guys are too funny!  ;D

One of the actions the developers programmed into the game makes me laugh every time my character performs it - although you (as Ezio) are not allowed to kill citizens, you can enter into fist fights with them.  These typically ensue after you have pic-pocketed someone and they come up behind you.  You can always sense this because the people in front of you are backing away from you while keeping their eyes firmly glued to your position - turn around and sure enough - there is an angry citizen trying to punch your lights out.

You have several options of combat that you can use in any sequence - punch, head butt, knee to the belly.  I usually use a combination of these, but it takes 3 of them (in any sequence) to get the guy (or gal) down to the ground.  He/she is still capable of getting up for one more punch/head butt/knee, but there is another option - while he is still on the ground, you can walk up to him and kick him in the nuts.

While the fight progresses, the crowd of onlookers keeps growing, and they are boo-ing, making hand gestures, and uttering other choice phrases, but if you kick the guy in the nuts, they quickly back away and start running in a panic (evidently they are quite empathetic to the guy's predicament)  ;D

However, if I don't kick the guy when he's down, I quickly circulate through the crowd pic-pocketing everyone I can - I figure that they have seen the show, so they might as well pay for it.

Nice story, and I am again surprised at how evil a man you are in those games  ;D ;D ;D

Not long now, february, and I'll be able to get my copy for the PC :)

On an aside, after finishing the game in AC1 you no longer had those restrictions and were "allowed" to kill citizens. Let's rephrase that, you were now able to. Is that also the case in AC2?

Thanks for the comment - unfortunately, no you can't kill even when you finish the game, although some of them really deserve it  ;D

However, you are allowed to kill a certain number in a specific time frame - not sure exactly what that is though.  The game does inform you after you have killed 2-3 that the next time you kill, you'll be de-synchronized.

Actually, you can kill citizens any time in AC1, but you`ll be de-synchronised, leading to loss of a bit of energy, which will be restored short after.  :P

It's like smacking your hand and saying "- bad, bad assassin!!"  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

hahahaha!  ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: JRD on January 19, 2010, 11:10:25 AM
"- bad, bad assassin!!"

Quality  :-X

that is a good one PZ.

I've been feather hunting and trying to knock out glyphs and other trophies - this may be my first Platinum (complete all trophies) if I can get 'em all done.

While I've never tried to chase every trophy the good ones are the ones that lead to trying something you may not typically do in gameplay.  The best are the funny ones.

To get the "Sweeper" trophy you have to sweep (knock out their legs) 5 guards at once with a long weapon.  Since you can't outfit yourself with one at the villa you have to take one from a guard after killing him.   Well I saw a gaggle of guards congretating (typically they only travel in packs of 3 or 4) AND I saw another guard nearby with a long weapon.  Ah - my chance!  I assassinate the guard but while trying to pickup his weapon instead Ezio starts to loot him and meanwhile the large group of guards have been alerted and come to kill me.  I had to run away and then come back quickly to get the long weapon.  They were on me like flies - by holding the attack button and then releasing you perform the sweep  - a few tries and I got 5 at once - "pling" -trophy!  It was so much fun though I kept waiting for them to get up and doing it again until finally putting them out of their misery.

Great story space - one of the things that keeps me coming back into the game is the great variety with which you can do battle.  I learn new techniques quite frequently, but this one I was not aware of - thanks for posting.  :-X

You know the palace in Venice which is guarded by 4-5 brutes at the front gate, and numerous others dispersed throughout the area? My latest method is goad them into a fight and immediately go on the defensive - can usually deflect their blows until I can grab them and slit their throats - this really disturbs some of them and they run away.  One by one, they fall to the blade until they are all gone.  In fact, I'm now traveling while fully red just so I automatically cause the guards to attack no matter where I go.  It seems like the phrases coming from the towns folk changes as you become adept at killing quickly.

good stories, guys :)  :-X

Thanks Art!

PZ, I know just where your talking about and that was where I intended to get the "No-hitter" trophy.  (Kill 10 guards without taking a hit AND while staying in conflict)  The problem is not only avoiding getting hit but invariably my master Assassin skills scares away the last guard of any group and I go "out" of conflict.  The trick seems to be keeping them alive long enough for the backup to come.  This one is tough.

oh - other favorite trophies that are fun/funny:

Street Cleaner   
Hide 5 dead bodies in a Bale of Hay.

Fly Swatter   
Kick a Guard while using the Flying Machine.

Messer Sandman   
Stun 4 guards at once by throwing sand in their face.

Doctor   
Perform an Air Assassination on a Poisoned NPC.

No-hitter   
Kill 10 enemies while remaining in conflict without being hit.

Kleptomaniac   
Pickpocket 1000 Florins.

Lightning Strike   
Sprint for 100 meters.

Sweeper   
Sweep 5 guards at once by using a Long Weapon.

Red Light Addict   
Spend 5000 florins on Courtesans.

Man of the People   
Toss more than 300 florins on the ground.

Thanks for the list!  I know that I've accomplished a few at least (have seen messages pop up, but have not paid attention to them), but am unsure of which ones - I'll need to go in and check.

Here's a couple posts you may enjoy...

A little love story I experienced with a courtesan, with pics of our night on the town
http://mygamepages.com/index.php?topic=481.0

Plus a guard getting his arm caught in the roof as he slid down
http://mygamepages.com/index.php?topic=482.0

Quote from: spaceboy on January 20, 2010, 08:55:02 PM

A little love story I experienced with a courtesan, with pics of our night on the town
http://mygamepages.com/index.php?topic=481.0

Don't let spacelady read over your shoulder as you write this!!  ;D ;D ;D ;D

Funny!  ;D

Nice, spaceboy  ;D

Hm,

QuoteShe consoled me as I felt bad for not having saved those other girls

-- that is annoying. There is no way that could ever happen to me. Or JRD. Because there is no way of saying

"She PC'ed me as I felt bad for not having saved those other girls"

;)

hehe - I'm sure if we try hard enough we can come up with a suiteable use of PC as an acronym.  ;)

Funny I just noticed I called him Altair, not Ezio...duh - I changed it.

Nice pics and a good little story there, spaceboy :-X

"She Palm Caressed me as I felt bad for not having saved those other girls"?

 ;D

"She Permanently Conked me as I felt bad for not having saved those other girls?"   ;D

Please ... C'mon

good ones guys.

As for funny moments I have one funny and one cool involving my trusty steed.

In my feather hunting escapades I was riding my horse through the Forli countryside and took a bridge at full gallop.  Too many civis on that bridge and just as we crossed me and my horse went tumbling down (how uncool).  The horse was animated quite well as it rolled on it's side and struggled a bit to get back up - Ezio went sliding on the ground 5 feet or so.  Way uncool for a Master Assassin!

But my cool meter jumped back up a bit as I was climbing down from a small tower and dropped down the last bit (hanging from a wooden post sticking out).  My horse had manuevered itself directly underneath me and I dropped right into the saddle like the Lone Ranger.   Actually I have done something similar intentionally (you can jump from a one story rooftop onto the back of your horse) - but this time it wasn't planned and came off really cool.

nice stories, space :)

You can always threaten your nag with two slices of bread and mustard -- better a halfways decent lunch than a horse that makes you look uncool  ;D

**Spoilers**

After installing the sequence 13 DLC (Bonfire of the Vanities), I started a new play through.

When you first begin, you are a young man with an attitude and a quick fist (no weapons), so it is lots of fun to walk around town collecting florins by pick-pocketing everyone you see.  Today I managed to collect 15,000 florins before I decided to collect my assassin's costume and start in seriously.

By the way, you stay incognito and can do whatever you want as long as you have not watched your father and brothers being executed (beyond that you become notorious).

Here's the funny part that I experienced this morning - I was practicing my pick-pocketing techniques in a large crowd when a couple of towns folks decided to give me a beating - however, my skills developed from prior plays through gave me an edge  ;D

Then I decided to see how many I could get to assault me at once - by doing rapid pick-pocketing I was able to have 7 people surrounding me trying to teach me a lesson at one time.  I repeated this process several times, and before too long, I was knee deep in dozens of people lying on the ground moaning.  All of this carnage did not however, dissuade others from attempting the same - was laughing so hard I nearly dropped my controller.

Another funny thing programmed into the game - the monks and scholars are the easiest to rile - they will almost always pick a fight with you.

that does sound like a good way to spend time and earn money prior to starting seriously :)  :-X

can you actually kill anyone before you have your weapons or just beat them to a pulp?

I could not kill anyone with bare fists. Only when throwing them off rooftops  :)

Speaking of rooftops, AC2 had me laugh just then: I had hired a bunch of thugs and they followed me up on the roofs. Alright, they do that. But the funny part was, since I'm in Venice now, there is a lot of water around. So, I jump up a roof, three more thugs jump after me, and the fourth one produced a sounding splosh down and behind me somewhere. I had to stop playing for a moment, laughing so hard  ;D

Quote from: spaceboy on March 08, 2010, 06:52:05 PM
can you actually kill anyone before you have your weapons or just beat them to a pulp?

Wow, I must have missed this one somehow - sorry, Space

Although you can't actually kill them, they writhe on the ground and you can loot their bodies.  They never get up though so they might as well be dead.  ;D

@Art - I love it when they fall into the water!

hehe, indeed :) I might add, in the previously described moment, the splosh was so resounding because I was way up some roofs, so I heard three guys grunt behind me in short order (means that they just arrived) and the fourth grunt was missing. Several moments later I head the splosh. So he must have fallen down like 30 yards or so LOL  ;D

That was part of a mission when you have to kill someone inside a building with an atrium, guarded with archers which you helped replace with local thieves. Local thieves also help you distract guards to which you point them to do so. When I got to some brute guard and his three mates, I ordered my hired thieves to distract them, but I interfered and stabbed the brute from behind with an impressive double-bladed move. For the fun of it, I picked up that massive two-edged battle axe of his and started walking around the building to find more guards. Which wasn't exactly possible, that massive "house" was basically an isle by itself, one (I think) passage to it being a bridge. However, my thieves and I, armed with that massive axe, walked around in town to find another entrance. Now the funny part:

Those pesky guitar players and those hyperventilating crate carriers saw me, held it for a moment, dropped their stuff (guitar or crate), and decided to leg it, uttering something that showed how little fun they expected to have with me nonchalantly carrying a ton of metal the form of a double axe. Apart from the massive sword and knife I had dangling happily from my belt. Must have scared the living daylight out of them ;D

Still carrying that murder instrument, other citizens who witnessed me slaughter some guards with it, who had had the silly idea of chatting me up, uttered supportive comments, along the line of "finally someone who teaches them" etc. Did really feel good  ;D

speaking of hired persons following you, it's funny to hire courtesans and then take rooftop and cross-canal trips in Venice.  They are loyal (especially since they've already been paid) - gotta love 'em for that.  They can't climb (or swim) so they frantically try to find a path across a bridge to catch up to you.  One time a girl fell into the canal and did not come up.  I jumped in to save her but she was gone...

The hired thieves though are totally awesome to bring along in a battle.  There was one tall rooftop fight I recall distinctly where they followed loyally and fought alongside me.  Even after all but one had been felled by the guards, that last one stuck with me to the end.  I hired a group of courtesans for him as thanks when our mission had ended.

LOL  :-X

I only just found out that there are thieves (mask symbol) and thugs (sword symbol) to hire. The thieves distract, the thugs fight. Thieves climb, thugs don't.

I too lost a guy once in a canal (rescue mission, get thieves out of prison). I jumped across the canal using poles sticking out, and while three were stopping at the ledge, the fourth guy fell in and was gone. Bah. Hehe. The other two groups of four arrived sound and safe  :)

Now that I'm through, I think the funniest thing in the game was ignoring the objectives sometimes, when it came to sneaking into a heavily guarded place "undetected" or, different kind of mission, to chase and catch someone. The only thing you need (halfways through you'll have it) is the hidden pistol. All you need to do is get in range of the target so you can mark him, train your gun at him, wait until the line of fire is established, and bloody shoot the guarded target or, respectively, the runner. Saved me a lot of trouble going through flocks of guards and chasing runners who were on steroids  ;D

Excellent tip - I always forget about the pistol, and usually resort to sneaking in via courtesans or other groups of civilians.

Do you have any tips regarding the fast-paced missions during Carnivale?  The ones where you need to capture the flag 3 consecutive times, and the one where you need to pass the numerous checkpoints until you reach the ship in the harbor?

yes :) The CTF was a royal pain in the arsenal, and I found a quite simple way.

You start on a roof, down ahead, slightly to the left is a small passage through houses; behind it (down on the ground) is the flag. Your opponent is very quick and seems to have started running down there already, so your best choice is to run forward and jump those three storeys deep to the ground. It will cost you like 2/3 or 3/4 of your health, but will gain you a significant headstart. When you are down and have the flag, check for the lovely ladies waiting for payment, left of them is a ladder straight up to the roof. Run up, from there on it's ahead, look out for thieves on the roof ahead to the right, that's where you have to jump over the wooden fence to pass to the roof behind it, and you're almost done. Do that three times, and you will have won :)

The checkpoint race isn't that complicated, take your time (well, you'll lose but you gather information about the track) and think simple: when you run on the ground, you next cp will be on the ground, too. If not, you will see a cp halfways up, well visible. Once you're up, it continues up there, and I believe there was a part where you'll have to jump onto something dangling from a roof and swing hanging on it around the corner, and continue at the same level. You'll see once it gets down again, those cps are always well visible when you have to change your altitude.

I had a funny moment and if you've played through you might remember the spot.  When you track the guard that is carrying the Apple of Eden and you assassinate him in the courtyard, you normally put on his armor and admire yourself in it.  However, I'm using the purchased Altair armor and it did not change to the guards armor in the animation (i.e., I'm still wearing my normal armor).  I had a good laugh when the Captain told me to follow him, but I clearly still looked like an assassin - but no one seemed to notice.

Heh, I do remember, but I couldn't prevent my character from changing.

I experienced the same when I'm using any of the armors that are built into the game, but with the armor that you can purchase using the Uplay points, you evidently wear it all the time (unless you change it to another type).  Before I made the purchase, I was hoping that it was the cool-looking black armor that is in AC2, and that you'd have it from the beginning, but that is not the case.  The Uplay Altair armor is actually the suit that Altair wears in AC1.

the suit looked very good, though  :)

I think so too, but I haven't started a new game on the PC yet (still on my first play through) to see if the outfit is available from the beginning.

Quote from: PZ on March 08, 2010, 09:29:39 AM
**Spoilers**

After installing the sequence 13 DLC (Bonfire of the Vanities), I started a new play through.

That quote was the start of yet another  topic called AC2 funny moments, also started by PZ  ;) A funny moment for me when I made them stickied, hehe. Fortunately, one topic ended and then the other one was started so I could merge both topics with identical subjects without mixing up any posts. However, some of the quotes that refer to a post inside of "funny moments" (linking to a now non-existent version of it) may not w@&k any more and you'll end up on the front page with an error message telling you that the topic is "off limits" or something like that. Don't worry, it's still here, I can fix those links if you like, please send me a PM (so this topic doesn't get messed up with that kind of requests) with a link to the post which contains the broken quote.

Now on topic (the one and only, hehe)

I had hired thieves for fun and was climbing around on some rooftops to remove warrants of apprehension. I had to jump over quite a gap to get there. Then I pointed my thieves to the guard who stood there looking into the opposite direction. Two of them jumped a little short and the spark of their lives went with a remorseful "aaAAAaahrg!" when they hit the ground down in the dark alley behind me. The rest of the thieves kept the guard busy while I removed the wanted poster. I then climbed down to search the two bodies, got some money off them and all of a sudden and with a nice thud the guard from the roof came plummeting down right at my feet, already dead. Nice of the thieves on the roof to dispose of him in a way I could just continue looting him, made me chuckle ;D

that's pretty funny Art.  I love how the thieves interact and w@&k with you in this game.

That's a good one  :-X

My favorite three games these days all have funny moments where the allies or opposition can do the strangest things almost simulation-like.  The three games are AC2, JC2, and RDR.  I'm still playing all of them, and enjoying each for it's unique moments.

AC2 is more personal than JC2 (you keep seeing faces in cut scenes) and probably even a little more personal than FC2 (there are simply a lot more cut scenes and interactive elements). I like all those three games, but unfortunately I don't know about RDR (damn console exclusives).

Here is another funny moment:

[smg id=2396 align=center width=400]

I had some business to finish in Venice and recently I started to keep a gang of thieves around me for various reasons (they make your life a lot easier when they're around). I lost four of them when they dropped dead off some rooftops trying to keep up with me and also when they drowned after falling into one of those many canals. So I was left with a single thief as my body guard when I got attacked by three city guards patrolling the street where I had just climbed some crates to remove a wanted poster. I flicked out my hidden blades and killed two, my last man was teasing the last guard. I thought well, doesn't look good for that thief with a knife versus a guard with a massive sword. So I interfered and used bare fists so I could disarm the guard, which I did. I refrained from killing the guard with a counter attack. Now it was my thief with a knife versus a guard without weapon. My good man realised he was on the winning side and immediately ran his knife through the guard's neck. Nice team play  ;)

I think that RDR is like the others - at least for me.  I like them all, and will keep playing for some time to come.  My favorite at the moment is JC2.

Ever watched the training ground? Nothing special, really. Only when for some reason one of those fighters has left the ring.. and they kept throwing stones at each other?! Sometimes a stone bounced off near me, I could hear the sound of that, lol

[smg id=2412 align=center width=400]

Funny moments? Well, this time no, it wasn't. I was close to surpassing 1m of florins last time I checked and already visualising the large number on my screen when the next time I checked it was only like 890k. While I was wondering what the heck might have happened or on what I had spent money, I noticed a message on my screen with a large number, like 44,584 or something. And next to it the text read "you've been pickpocketed."  :o :o :o WHAT the HECK! The last couple of times I remembered thieves had stolen perhaps a few thousand florins, and I mostly got it back off them, so when I was on a mission I didn't bother much when someone nicked "a few coins" off me. But FORTY thousand?! Now I was at like 850k, 150k short of a million! I chased that thief and ripped him off, literally. Back to 890k. Man, they are a god damned plague when you've got some cash.  >:(

Still funny, though  :)

That's what you get for carrying everything you own in your pockets  ;D ;D ;D

hehehehe ;D I should have known someone nicked a good bit of coins off me -- I could move so fast, suddenly  ;D

Get yourself a money belt ;D

I have a knife belt. And I always have a couple spare knifes for low lifes  ;D

lol!

Teach those thieving bums a lesson - it is quite gratifying for me when I do.

I hate them! They have a knack for getting to me when I least need them, like while amidst a group of suspecting brute guards or in a narrow alley next to a canal into which I jump rather than climb a wall, all stuff like that. Hehe  :) Now I started to use my pistol on them while they climb away, BANG... collect money. hehehehe

I know exactly what you mean - I watch for the red icon in the mini-map and then turn to face them, which scares them off.

The pistol is just perfect for them (as well as for Borgia couriers) -- lock on the target and you'll keep it locked on the thief even while he is moving around. Perfect to pick him off before he reaches a rooftop  ;D

Nice - I've not used the pistol much, and did not realize that it kept lock-on-target.  I'll need to try this the next time.  :-X

Yes, the pistol is a bliss. While on missions, I kill distant targets rather than sneaking up on them, I don't have to worry about restricted areas or fleeing targets. After completing the game we're stinking rich anyway, those few bullets cost nothing. At the beginning you can't really afford them, though.

I love Carnival. Here I try to be funny with one of those pesky clowns.

[smg id=2413 align=center width=400]

The best thing is if you kill one of those fire eaters. They are being funny even when dead, they keep breathing flames..

[smg id=2414 align=center width=400]

That's funny!  :-X

Hehe ;D

I always wanted to say that..

;D
[smg id=2415 align=center width=400]

Well, it wasn't that  what made this woman go stark raving mad. I have no idea why, before she attacked me I had done nothing.. well, a little perhaps. I had nicked her money, beaten her boyfriend to pulp and then kicked his family jewels through the roof. ;D

[smg id=2416 align=center width=400]

That's another good one - the women rarely attack you.  Did she use a knife like the courtesans do?

Art - a menace to Venice


nice shots there.  :)

Haha, space, and thanks  ;D

PZ, no -- she attacked me with her bare fists! (maybe razor-sharp fingernails, though)  :)

Guys, have you ever seen some people sweeping the street? If they drop their broom, pick it up. Then beat someone up with that beasty toy ;D I've massacred an entire platoon of guards in San Marco district of Venice, in that big restricted area. Best move was three hits to the head and blood spurting with each strike.. didn't expect a broom to be so dangerous.  :)

lol I've done that (maybe not as many guards) but yeah the broom is funny to beat people with.

hehe :) Pity I can't beat those pesky bards with their own lute  ;D

Quote from: Art Blade on July 27, 2010, 06:32:34 AM
hehe :) Pity I can't beat those pesky bards with their own lute  ;D

LOL!  I nearly spit out my dinner when reading this one - I typically pick-pocket those pests so that they run off, but occasionally slit their throats because they have the uncanny ability to annoy you just when you need to be focused elsewhere.

That nearly made me choke on my smoked salmon, LOL! Yes, I either punch them in the face so they run away or I jump at them and stab them through the eyes with my hidden blades, and then  I loot their corpses  ;D

 ;D

I finished another play through the main missions just now.

Spoiler

When I was at the point where I was to try to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia with my clones, I used fists instead.  I grabbed and held Rodrigo to deliver the three punches after which he falls down.  I then pick him up and begin pummeling him again - repeated cycles until his health meter indicated that he was almost gone.  The funny part is that while being beaten to a pulp, he said things like "How long do you think you can keep this up?"  [as long as it takes, I thought while laughing] and "You are right to fear me" funny - it wasn't me being beaten like a dog - that man certainly has
chutzpah.

 ^+-+ :-X

Minstrels!   :D

I've read all 130 posts on this thread for a second time (the first time for the fun of it) to make sure I'm not repeating something one of you guys has already covered on dealing with them.  Art has mentioned carrying a big double bladed axe when confronted by them but I'll add to that concept in a bit.

The opening post of this subject thread touched on annoying minstrels and there have been a few other good tips for scraping these barnacles off your hull along the way.

My first method I picked up for dealing with these mosquitoes was a quick burst of speed straight into them. Being bumped hard causes them to drop their lutes with a stunned expression and then they flee (the fleas) crying things like "But I love you" or "But I wrote that song just for you, if you don't like it I'll write another".  I like it when I have three of them blocking my path all croaking different tunes and can score all three of them with the same bump.

The second method I discovered quite accidentally was a situation where again they were doing what minstrels do.

Typically I will switch to fists when I'm wandering around inside a town so that I don't accidentally slash down some poor fish monger or his wife but I'd just walked away from a discussion I'd had with a few guards over a chest they were protecting and hadn't switched back yet.  Because I'd sprinted for a bit my scimitar had been returned it's sheath by touching the space bar.

At this point I was blocked by three of the crooners.

I'd intended to just punch one of them in the face but because my sword slot was equipped when I tapped the button instead of delivering a knuckle antipasti I drew my sword and stood there glaring at them.  This was the moment where the trio discovered religion, dropped their noise boxes and ran screaming.

One of them actually displayed a remarkable latent talent for free running by going straight up the side of a building, leaping across the narrow street and eliciting warning shouts from an archer as he fled over the roof tops.

This would have been funny enough on it's own but the whole thing happened just a few paces away from a group of thugs for hire who were highly impressed. They cheered and pumped fists in the air and shouted accolades after me as I walked on up the street unmolested.

Quote from: mandru on December 29, 2010, 08:35:39 AM
One of them actually displayed a remarkable latent talent for free running by going straight up the side of a building, leaping across the narrow street and eliciting warning shouts from an archer as he fled over the roof tops.

This would have been funny enough on it's own but the whole thing happened just a few paces away from a group of thugs for hire who were highly impressed. They cheered and pumped fists in the air and shouted accolades after me as I walked on up the street unmolested.

lol, that was a good one - I've not seen that action by the minstrels  :-X

I can totally picture it mandru - great story.  I too have never witnessed that. 

For some reason that part about the rooftop guards made me think of chasing theives, especially in Brotherhood.  I'll start after him to get my money back, but the guards are ruthless towards my foe.  and you know, an enemy of my enemy...  Since my beef with the theif is over a trifling 500f while my beef with the guards is a longstanding hatred of all they stand for, I often find myself taking on the theives' attackers and cheering him on as he flees to freedom.

Even though I'm at the point of stepping on the boat to Venice I'm still trying to figure out who I can kill and who I can't without risking desynchronization.  I've killed a thief two steps away from a squad of three patrolling guards and they didn't even blink but because I've not repeated that I don't know if that was the exception or the rule.   :-\\

It is possible to kill the town's folk before you talk to Ezio's father.  The first time I received the "Ezio did not kill citizens" slap it was because I'd grabbed a scholar (I think, they're the ones in the red robes, right?) turned him towards a low rail fronting the rived in Florence and dumped him in the drink.

If you cause the normal citizens to witness something really outrageous many of them can display prodigious free running skills.  I had one woman dash up the front of a doctor's cart and scramble up to a balcony.  ;D

Dead archer bodies falling from the rooftops can also liven things up for a while.   :-X

:)

Nice playgrounds for you, mandru  ;D  :-X

Yeah, I'm having some fun with it.   :)

There where you catch the boat into Venice I did see another funny thing.  As I was looting those treasure bearing gondolas one of the fishermen stepped off the pier proving they are at least as buoyant as the courtesans.  ;)

I'm enjoying the interaction with horses but they have some funny quirks.

First off they are so damn needy!   ????

I had been sent out on a stealth assassination mission in Forli an operative was being held and if her captors spotted me she's be killed.

Sizing up the situation I could see that there were a few obstacles outside of the mission parameters to clear out of the way namely 2 guard patrols and 2 rooftop archers that while all of them were not part of the task I was in a red zone and I didn't want them butting in at an awkward moment either.

I'd left my horse in what passes for the nearby Park and Ride lot with a couple of his other horsey friends to keep him company and then dashed between patrols to hang on the roof edge awaiting that archer to step within the kill zone.  As I was hanging there I heard my mount's plaintive cry behind me.  It was a flat roof top that I was hanging off of so I was able to quickly swivel the camera view behind me just in time to see my horse plow right over the top of the passing patrol knocking them a$$ over tea kettle.

It seems that when a patrol is marching their field of focus is mainly ahead of them but because this patrol had been interrupted in their route (and it was a low roof being just a single hop to grab the edge) I was suddenly in their field of awareness.  Because of their shouts the archer I was laying in wait for was also alerted and came dashing to my position shouting "You will not get away!"

This was the point where I discovered that the guards in this town had undergone more intensive training.  There was no chance for a clean hidden blade hit on the archer as he's switched to a mace so as I pulled up onto the roof I'd changed over to "Fists" so I could make a quick kill through a disarm and counter kill move.  Then with time allowing, reequipping hidden blades and hopefully catch a couple guards still on the ground flat footed with a double air attack.  At least that had been the plan.   :-X

When I keyed the disarm move the bugger blocked me and gave me a chop in the kisser for my efforts.    :-[

Another disarm attempt received another counter (I'd used a right dodge to avoid the return blow) but I could see gloves grasping the roof edge and the cries of alert from the 2nd patrol group rounding the corner they'd become aware that there was a clam bake party going on which was all compounded by the fact that an arrow from the 2nd archer had just whizzed past and I knew that things were about to get hairy.    :o

  The frantic sound of my horse dashing back and forth below calling for me was the icing on the cake.   :D

I was grateful for the fact that I was equipped in full steel kit and packing the scimitar as I backed myself into a roof corner out of sight of the 2nd archer and to limit the guards options for approach me.  It was a Gala event, I was the belle of the ball and all the boys wanted to make sure they were on my dance card (or ballspende as Art may know it).

***(In retrospect I have to remember that a well timed smoke bomb is perfect for that kind of mob scene to use the confusion to shift things back into my favor but it's my first play through and I'm still figuring things out as I go.  Hmm... maybe a smoke bomb will make horses forget how much they love me or at least cover up which direction I'd gone and get it to stop following me while I'm attempting to be stealthy.  There's still so much to explore.)***


Another note on horses when approaching one of those arched cobble bridges in Forli.  Drop out of gallop before attempting a crossing.   :o

During a race event I hit one of those bridges at full tilt, the horse's feet flew out from under him and it was suddenly rodeo clown time.  It must have been rush hour as the bridge and approach roads were packed with a lot of foot traffic when it happened.  In a culture where horse traffic is so prevalent the pedestrians show an alarming lack of a sense of self preservation where equine traffic is involved and they kept trying to pack onto the bridge.

The now furious horse turned sideways at the very apex of the bridge set about bucking and kicking every nearby target (real and imaginary) to vent it's frustration.  It wouldn't allow me to remount for about 30 seconds (costing me that round of the race).


*** Maybe this part should be split to another thread.  It's not funny I put it here as it was still on the subject of horses. ***

I've not seen mention of this elsewhere here on OWG though I did do a forum search for "Mountain" and screened for the AC2 results but after the mission to drive Leonardo over the pass you can go back to Florence and return to the mountain way stop where you met up with Leonardo.  There is fantastically scenic pass crossing that you really don't get a chance to enjoy on your first dash through.

I think the programmers spent a fantastic amount of design effort and wanted to make sure the players had a chance to actually see it at a less frantic pace.  It's really beautiful and I would suggest the tourist's crossing taking time to get off your horse and look over some of the roadside vistas.

I went through at sunset, and was inspired to make a return trip with a full moon rising.  It was glorious.  :-X

There are quite a few chests to loot with 3 or 4 k pay off (possibly more as I lost count because cash isn't a concern for me) and a roadside ruin to explore but for me it's all about the views along the way.  Wow! 

I plan on keying that sequence up and letting my wife take that enjoyable meander into Forli because there is no possible conflict along the route, I know that she will be impressed with the views as well as the feel of the feed back from the horse (the easy controls for riding are a big game plus) and it may get her on board towards a copy of AC Brotherhood on the PC.   ;)  >:D

nice impressions there, mandru :) Funny actually, I never had those issues with my ride. Hehe  ^-^

And regarding "ballspende" -- no idea what that is, mate... Looks like comprised of "Ball" and "Spende" -- Ball meaning a prom or a ball, in this case (combined with Spende) more likely a prom, and Spende meaning a donation.. so a donation for a prom  ????

Sorry mate, Wiki gives the German word ballspende as another name for a dance card, the little booklet with an attached pencil that the ladies kept containing a list of the song titles, what type of dance it was (i.e. two step, waltz and so on) that would be played during the program and the partners she had promised to dance with throughout that evening at a sponsored ball.

Popular young women at dances were always well booked which I think is the source of the idiom "Booked solid".

It also gave them something to have as a souvenir afterwords as a keepsake of the event.

That gave me the idea to go for the English wiki first, then check the left hand link to the German counterpart, where I learned that it is actually originating from Austria (they do speak German with a few different expressions and pronunciation) hence the word is unfamiliar here in Germany. Now in that article was another link which uses an alternative word (Damenspende) and it explains that indeed it is a donation (Spende) or a gift, a present, from the promoter/ host of the ball for ladies invited to/attending the prom -- specifically the Vienna Opera Ball (which is/was a VIP /high class people's event). The first link shows some of those gifts, the second/third are about the V.O.B. (English/German, different pics)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damenspende (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damenspende)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Opera_Ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Opera_Ball)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Opernball (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Opernball)

:)

Quote from: mandru on December 31, 2010, 10:05:18 AM
...There are quite a few chests to loot with 3 or 4 k pay off (possibly more as I lost count because cash isn't a concern for me) and a roadside ruin to explore but for me it's all about the views along the way.  Wow! 

I think that the developers encourage you to explore for these chests just so that you can experience the beautiful landscape (or other features they would like you to see)

Quote from: mandru on December 31, 2010, 10:05:18 AM
I plan on keying that sequence up and letting my wife take that enjoyable meander into Forli because there is no possible conflict along the route, I know that she will be impressed with the views as well as the feel of the feed back from the horse (the easy controls for riding are a big game plus) and it may get her on board towards a copy of AC Brotherhood on the PC.   ;)  >:D

I know that you'll be successful with the "educational" approach, mandru  :-X

The saddle trip over the Apennines was a big hit.   ^-^

I'm pretty sure I've hooked her for another go sometime soon with the line "You know the view is completely different when you hit it from the other direction.  Ain't I a stinker?   >:D

Also a quick note for clarification.  The total florins that can be collected going over the pass is 3 or 4K not several chests that pay off 3 or 4K each.  I realized that was unclear when you quoted me PZ.   :-X

Quote from: mandru on January 04, 2011, 11:50:31 PM
I'm pretty sure I've hooked her for another go sometime soon with the line "You know the view is completely different when you hit it from the other direction.  Ain't I a stinker?   >:D

^+-+

Ok, I searched for "Lucy" and for "finger" to see if anyone else had caught this and posted on it with no hits in the results so I'll toss it out here.

I encountered a continuity error in the very game start of AC2.  When Lucy comes in to break Desmond out of his cell she shows him her hand with a missing ring finger which I think Desmond recognizes from digging into the past about Altair that she is an assassin so he decides to go along with her.

However, once they are back at the assassin's lair to the point where he is being instructed to climb into the animus machine "Baby" if you look at Lucy's hands as she is at her desk typing on the computer she has all of her fingers!

Oops!

I reckon they did create that scene with the Animus previous to the scene with Desmond..

"Sorry, baby, you've got to do this. It's only one finger. See, you're an assassin and Desmond needs to know that. And stop crying, for heaven's sake, you'll get some sweets later!"

 ;D

Good catch mandru - I'd noticed the missing finger, but not the one that had regrown.  :-()

Trying to check this out further online I Googled Lucy's missing finger and there seems to be some argument going on that Lucy isn't really missing a finger.  Some sites are suggesting that she bent the finger in the assassin's sign to identify herself to Desmond.

So I may have jumped the gun on this one but still if it had been the intent of the developers for her to just give the recognition sign to Desmond then they should have shown the complete gesture removing all doubt of a continuity error.

Well, I have no idea if this is true, but offhand, I'd think that she was just faking it for Desmond's sake.  If she really had a finger missing, then she'd likely want to keep wearing the hidden blade because of the pain she had to endure to get it on in the first place.  :-()

She could open up a hell of a barber shop.. "So you'd like a close shave with my hidden blade, sir?"  :-()

"Which side would you like your head.. er.. hair parted on?"

>:D

"Going to shave you now.. do you want me to mind your ears?"  :-D

Lucy: "Sorry about all the nicks and cuts while shaving you.  Would you like me to wrap your face in a hot towel?"

Customer: "No thanks, I'll just carry it home in my coat pocket."

 ^+-+

 ^+-+

Lucy: "Aw, geez.. I keep forgetting how that bloody blade snaps through that gap where my finger used to be. Does it hurt a lot?"

Customer "I'm not sure what hurts more, the right nostril where the blade entered or the left temple where it emerged."

Lucy: "Funny, look, it went right through the chair!"

Customer "I can't move.. you nailed me to the chair with it"

 ^+-+

ROFL at that last exchange ^+-+ ^+-+ ^+-+ :-X

 >:D

Lucy "Although I can't fathom out what you're mumbling with those cut lips and half your tongue hanging out that cut in your cheek, but it sure was a pleasure. Please do come visit us again. Oh, and don't slip on your blood when you leave."

Resquiate in patches... rest in pieces.   ???

If it has come to that, then it's time for the next customer!  :)

This time Lucy won't use the hidden blade. She'll use the double-sided giant war ax.

Lucy: "I hope you're sitting comfortable. Sorry I had to strap you to the seat, but you'll have to understand that it is for your own safety. See, you're trembling like a leaf. STOP it, please.. OK, now I'll take a practice swing.."

Customer: "MMMMMmmmMMMmmMmmh!"

Lucy: "That gag works rather well, don't you think? If it tastes a bit funny, don't blame me. Blame the last customer. He was well over 80.. all he could eat was soup I believe. That's what it looked like when he vomited around that gag. Alright then. Ready? OK, 1.. 2.. 3!"

<SCRTCH!>

Lucy: "Oh my god. Don't worry, it's not your blood.. it's from that dog that came in with you. Was it your dog?"

 ^+-+

(talk about Dark Zone   ;) )

I completed my 2nd play through AC2 this morning and shifted over to the after the game free roam (rampage) mode.   ;D

I came across an interesting and moderately funny glitch while knocking the snot out of the guards in the main town square in Forli.  First I'd thrown an archer off a roof top so I could use the elevated vantage point to set up a double eagle strike on the patrolling guards that circle the square as they stopped to investigate just out of detection range of the four stationary guards guarding an open door to the SW.  Then picking up one of the freshly looted guards I strolled over to the door guards to inspire their wrath.

Long story short I was trying to see how many guards could be stacked up on the sofa inside the office using both groups of guards (at one point adding one more guard would pop two of them off so I gave up on that diversion  ::) ) but there were still a couple bodies out in the town square so for the sake of clean up I decided to toss them in through the door.

:o

Apparently right where the camera switches to the interior view for Ezio as he enters the office there's a slippery spot if you throw the guard right before hitting that point that the program has problems processing.  The guard I'd tossed in was trapped in a loop where he got hung up at the top of the doorway and started dancing like a very limber Jumping Jack toy.   ^+-+

After going through several cycles of popping to the top of the door and rattling around and slowly settling down through the door frame only to bounce back to the top the guard snapped out of the loop and was slammed against the back wall of the office.   :-X



I've also noticed that once you've completed all the main missions in a town the townsfolk start getting pretty nasty in their comments about you continuing to slaughter guards and looting them for kicks.

"I thought you were supposed to be protecting us!"

"Go to some other city! Leave us alone!"

And so on.   ;D

Hehehe, nice observations, I like your attitude  :-() :-X

I've seen glitches like that one in various games involving some body and a door or a door frame. Sometimes the ragdoll effect is provoked out of the blue and at a breathtaking speed, also sometimes accompanied by adequate rapid flopping and flapping rattling sounds  :)

Good to see you're enjoying the game a lot  :)

Sounds like you're having great fun - the same kind I was having when playing AC2  :-X  I've not experienced exactly what you describe, so evidently you never know what you're going to see!  :-()

Quote from: PZ on January 25, 2011, 12:53:10 PM
I've not experienced exactly what you describe, so evidently you never know what you're going to see!  :-()

And sometimes the thing you're not going to see.   :D

I was dressed as a guard delivering the apple to "The Spaniard" during the part of the mission where you have to stay in formation and those crate carrying merchants are going out of their way to run into you so the local guards will knock you down.

This last time through I had one of those merchants spawn two steps in front of me and headed right at me just seconds before completion of the event causing me to desynchronize.  :o

Strange, I only had trouble getting changed in time, but carrying the crate didn't involve any problems.

Interesting problem - one that I did not experience either.  I found that if you stop as soon as one heads your way, he will go around you and not drop his crate.  Then you can pick up the pace to get back to the Captain.

Sometimes it might be a good idea to give a flying f@rt about a desync and drop that crate just to beat the sweet bejesus out of those pesky merchants or minstrels and feel relieved.  >:D Knowing that you did it will lift your spirits high enough so the next time you try seriously again you'll be rather chillaxed.  :-()

Here's a couple more funny observations.

1. When doing the assassin's tombs inside he cathedrals there are a few points where you jump onto the heavy iron chandeliers as you navigate through.  In the second cathedral with the 4 timed obstacle courses (N. S. E. & W.) and the cool rotating mosaic tile floor hiding the tomb I encountered an anomaly.

When one of the completion levers for a timer is reached you down on a raised dais at the front of that wing and jump out to one of those huge chandeliers which swings ponderously under your feet.  From there you have to drop down to the top of an 8 or 10 foot high marble railing to avoid taking damage getting back to the start point of the next task.  When you drop from the chandelier to the rail any swing still in the chandelier is still present in your character and he will scoot back and forth along the rail matching the motion of the still swinging chandelier overhead.

2. Citizens can free run but not very well.  In Venice there are certain areas along the canals where there are alcoves with treasure chests that are being guarded that are visible from a nearby bridge but can only be reached either through an awkward jump off the bridge railing or more easily by gondola or just swimming to it and climbing out.

If you kill the guards and carefully place them at the front of the alcove so that passing citizens can see the dead bodies the townsfolk will start jumping up on the bridge rail and trying to hop over to the guards to take a closer look.  Many that try fail the jump and go splash.  Others succeed but are then trapped and will try to free run out of their predicament causing another great concentration of splashes.  At a fairly busy crossing point earlier this evening I watched at least 50 citizens drown themselves in 3 or 4 minutes.

3. Some of the highlighted counter kills really crack me up.   ^+-+

It's hard to pick one but a personal favorite has to be with the flanged mace where on occasion you remove a guards lower jaw with a quick forehand, step past him and then with the backhand swing you you nail him right in the, ahem, barse.   :o

The guard goes down in a faceplant with one of his hands clamped onto the one place that won't be injured any further in his fall.  >:D

lol, good ones, mandru  :-X  Definitely ones I'll try the next time I'm in the game, especially that technique involving the man's barse  >:D

 ;D

Empty handed, I'd disarmed him and was just trying to give it back to him.   >:D

As is often said, it is better to give than receive  :-()

hehe  ^-^

I'd like to watch those 50 idiot citizens dash and splash while I'd have something to eat and drink.  ;D :-X

I did consider getting some microwave popcorn for the show but it will be a couple months before I have teeth good enough for that.    :(

That's OK.  I've noted a few spots in Venice that this trick works great and I have plenty of time to practice body placement to get the best results for drawing in victims until then.   :-D

maybe a carload of marsh mallows, until then?  :-D

 ^+-+

On a side note, I understand that home made marshmallows are supposed to be good enough to eat by themselves as a desert, whereas the store-bought kind are good only when combined with something else.

combined with a bonfire?  ;D

Yes! ... and chocolate, and a graham cracker...

I'll just go for the chocolate.  It melts without chewing.  In two weeks it's 16 extractions in one go.  So it'll be a while before I do much of that.   8-X


Also I noticed in one of the glyph clues to be unlocked which I think was possibly the one that had a Templar letter that mentioned the president's driver was conditioned by a Piece Of Eden to retrieve the P.O.E. president ". F." (inferring JFK) had on his person and also using a P.O.E. to create eye witness confusion by convincing bystanders that there was a suspicious person on the grassy knoll.

The following string of Morse code is on one of the pages:

-  .  --  .--.  .-..  .-  .-.  -  .  -..-  -  ...  .-  -..  .- .--.  -  .  -..  -...  -.--  --  .-.  .-.-.-  ...  --  ..  -  ....

Which translated as "Templar texts adapted by Mr Smith"

While not really funny unless you consider it funny/weird I couldn't find a better spot to place this here.

A funny thing I've noticed from throwing guards in the canals of Venice (well they used to be guards) and apart from the baseline humor of just the act of tossing bodies into the canals I've noticed that if you watch the water very closely when you toss in a brute (haven't checked seekers for this but they have the heavy armor too) yes, they sink below the surface very quickly and don't bob back to the surface because they are no longer there!

Here's where watching the surface of the water I mentioned above comes into play.  Almost every time I toss in a brute I can see his form (like a shadow) jet away from me quickly in the direction I'm facing as I've tossed him in just beneath the surface of the water.  This effect can best be seen in strong daylight or moonlight and if you are tossing the brute into ocean water around the outside edge of Venice instead of one of the narrow canals.

I like to imagine it's the giant octopus/squid Easter egg from the assassin's tomb at Santa Maria Della Visitazione in Venice making a grab for him and dashing off instead of me having spotted something I wasn't supposed to see from the game's mechanics.

Either way Venice is going to have one hell of a eel harvest this coming year due to all the guards I've chucked in for them.   >:D



Also earlier this evening in Venice I had a funny episode occur while jumping a group of guards watching a doorway for one of the offices with treasure chests.  I sprinted up to avoid being pushed away planning on applying a double hidden blade attack but I absentmindedly was set to empty hands and delivered a punch to one of the guards.  So instead of dropping two of them and trying to follow with a clean sweep before the other two could draw their swords I had four angry guards all after me.

In that kind of situation I prefer to be empty handed as I have the best luck with disarm and turn their own weapon on them so I targeted the group, assumed a defensive posture and repositioned myself into the middle of the lane so we'd have room to dance.

That was right about the time a group of four additional patrolling guards saw that there was a shindig in progress and decided to jump in.  I'd blocked a couple exploratory swipes from the first group and out of nowhere one of the new guards charging in swung his mace and solidly clonked a scimitar wielding guard from the first group right in the middle of the back knocking two life squares off him.   ^+-+

Every little bit helps, right?   :-X

What I didn't expect was the scimitar guard turned and went after the mace guard as if he was... Well, as if he was me.   :o

I mopped up the remaining six that had stuck with me and turned to see that these two other idiots had worked their way off about 20 paces taking turns swinging, dodging and taunting at each other with a lot of fuss and fury but little real effect as they were pretty evenly matched in weapon class and armor.  It was another minute of so before one of them emerged victorious and I was right there to congratulate him.   >:D

Other than in the south of Florence I'd never seen guards go after each other and even those in Florence were opposing factions. 

Quote from: mandru on February 01, 2011, 12:58:12 AM
... one of the new guards charging in swung his mace and solidly clonked a scimitar wielding guard from the first group right in the middle of the back knocking two life squares off him.   ^+-+

Other than in the south of Florence I'd never seen guards go after each other and even those in Florence were opposing factions.

Cool - I've thought that this would be possible, but have not witnessed it yet myself.  Quite reminiscent of the merc wars in FC2, and having an angry citizen in AC:B hit one of my merc friends only to be taken down.

great story mandru!  I've never seen that either.

very good stories there, mandru  :)

I haven't witnessed that sort of a guard's behaviour either.

About time to give you another slap on the back, then :-() :-X

Glad you enjoyed the stories of my random bumbling and the extensive mumblings relating them.

Thanks for the kudos Art.  ;D

 ;D

I like to slap people on the back when they write extensively about a subject that's new and if it's entertaining on top, hell, that's what makes OWG worthwhile. Why not say thanks with a slap on the back then :)

Touching back on the situation I had arise where a guard attacked another guard I may have been able to find what was going on in the background behind this.

The red caps are guards that by way of their faithfulness to the Church  are under the control of the Pope Sixus ((sp?) I mean the Spaniard Borgia) who happens to be not only a Templar but has use his position in both of those power bases to promote his own nefarious schemes.   8-X

The yellow caps are faithful to the Medici family and protection of Florence.  Therein lies the conflict and the trigger that can set off guard wars.

The the area inside the Eastern entrance in Northern Florence has guards with red and also yellow berets.  There is one point of the game where the Spaniard is trying to perform a coup against the Medici to seize control of Florence and during the mission where you save the leader of the Medici family from assassination the two factions of guards are openly fighting in the streets.  Even after that mission has been completed the red cap guards continue to maintain a presence in that area but it seems to be an uneasy truce.

I've now been able to trigger a few of these  confrontations between guard factions by wearing the Medici cape and punching one of the red cap guards posted in front of a doorway while a group of yellow caps are walking past.   >:D

It looks like because of my Medici cape the yellow caps see the Borgia guards as a primary enemy and go for them but be aware that with your assistance the moment the last red cap is dead any remaining yellow caps will see you as the blame for the conflict and will instantly come after you.   :-D

Very nice observation, mandru  :-X

I must remember to try that technique on my next visit to Florence.  :-()

hehehe, good one, mandru  :-()

Just taking a tip from the masters.    :bow

It seems to me that OWG's all about squeezing every bit of amusement and gaming pleasure out of the games that our attention falls on.   :go

Quote from: mandru  on April 08, 2011, 11:07:39 AM
It seems to me that OWG's all about squeezing every bit of amusement and gaming pleasure out of the games that our attention falls on.   :go

:-X

Here's something else I've picked up in AC2 that I've not see mentioned.

OK, it's not the art dealers or metal smiths who are in storefronts but the vendor's awning covered street stands scattered throughout the game that besides being breakable when a guard is thrown into it but also has the amusement factor that when you run into the stand from the right or left side in free running mode you dive through the stall under the canvas cover but over the cowering merchant.

I was wearing the Auditore cape roaming around Florenza rolling guards for their spare change as I sought out every one of these covered stalls that I could and all of them that I've found so far allow the dive through.   :)

It was a pricey bit of experimentation though.  While was engaged with one set of guards a pickpocket hit me from behind and lifted 178,000+ coins off me and led me on a merry chase to get them back.  When I finally did catch him it was on a roof over hanging the river dividing N and S Florenza and he slid off into the water before I could loot him to get my coins back.   :D

Oh well the dive through the stall is fun and may come in useful next time I need a short cut or a quick get away.   ::)

Good one!  :-X  Much like FC2, there appears to be something new to find at every turn

I remember that dive and it usually happened when I least expected it and usually caused me some trouble. Something like when you want to run around a corner and instead start to climb something or vice versa. And yes, hehe, I've lost pick-pockets the same way as you did, mandu.. they fell off a roof into canals or whatever and I couldn't get my coins back. That is also a technique to remember if you want to reduce the number of followers but that includes your hired thieves and the likes. Run around and jump a lot and you'll occasionally hear a splash behind you when someone misjudged a leap and went down like a rock instead  :-()

Quote from: Art Blade on April 16, 2011, 08:34:21 AM
.. Run around and jump a lot and you'll occasionally hear a splash behind you when someone misjudged a leap and went down like a rock instead  :-()

I recall that being somewhat annoying when the thieves you rescued from the cage fell off of the rooftops - what clumsy fools  :-()

Funny how they (hired thieves and the rescued escort group) are more likely to go splash or splat than the normally land loving guards when they decide to come after you.   :'(

well.. I guess they just need better training  :-D

Yeah, but preferably said better training would be before I hire them or try to escort them to safety.   ???

sure.. and keep those alive who had better training. They might fall victim to low grounds and waters..  :-D

Natural selection, fellows  :-()

rise and fall of an empire  :-()

I'm amused by the guard's behavior in Venice.  Partially because by this point in the game your actions can be so intimidating to them that out of a group of four. two of them may bolt and run and then if another group of four stroll up on patrol while you are polishing off the first remaining two maybe as many as three of those new guards will spook and dash off too.   ???

It's not uncommon for me to have it turn out that out of twelve guards I only end up with three or four of them which can be pretty annoying if I'm intentionally seeking them out to loot and refill a medicine slot in my inventory.

Then there's the Double Eagle Strike.  It throws citizens into a blind panic.  So there they go running and screaming in all directions as I calmly stroll away right past a group of guards posted at a doorway barely around the corner from that recent spot marked X.  These new guards are oblivious and trying to enjoy the sunny day except for all these annoying screaming town's folk that keep slamming into them knocking them down.   ^+-+

If they don't see it happen or the bodies afterwords it escapes their perception even though the citizens are seriously freaking out but let's take that situation up one more notch of weirdness.

If a guard has seen you commit a crime every new guard who comes along while you are in notorious status they will attempt to get at you.  Enter the guards who become frightened and run away as you are killing the last companion or their little squad.  A fleeing guard is no longer perceived by other guards as being a guard and not only that when a guard turns to flee from you as you kill the last member of his squad who is fighting you the fleeing guard loses the ability to mark you as notorious.

I have chased a fleeing guard (hot pursuit right on his tail) through crowds as he runs screaming for help right up to and past other squads of posted or patrolling guards.  It doesn't even cause them to raise an eyebrow.  The biggest third party reaction (chasing guard A, response from guard B) I've ever received was one guard commented when I got too close "We might want to keep an eye on that one."

???

The guard I'm chasing turns a corner or there's a moment of 'no line of sight' so I take another notch out of any chance I had at sainthood then I turn and walk back towards that group of guards I just ran past.

Target locked.   >:D

 :-() :-X

What I like to do is walk up to four guards posted around a door behind of which I want to loot a chest. So I walk up close, slam both hidden blades through the necks of two of them and watch the two remaining guards turn to me.. and then I enjoy their facial expressions when they die simultaneously by the hidden blades, an expression of utter surprise and disbelief.  :-D Then I loot the chest.

That is also one of my favorite approaches to dealing with guards Art.  I've spent a lot of time after completing the story line filling the wells and canals of Venice with the bodies of dispatched guards I've noticed a couple things that will make that move go smoothly and increase my chances of success.

I'll pick either the two guards on the left or the two guards on the right.  Of the four guards (as I approach them) killing the two in the middle makes it impossible to polish off the two remaining with a single move.  So I make my move and kill the first two.  If I've hit the right mouse button just before the left mouse button when I take them, the strike is usually a power move that will slam them to the ground and get them out of my way so I can turn and kill the other two without having to w@&k my way around the bodies of the first two.

If I've walked up without using the right mouse button and calmly used the double hidden blade strike they will stagger around for a while getting in my way giving the remaining guards a chance to react and switch to combative mode before I can get to them.  Once a guard has gone into combative mode it removes the option to use Assassinate strikes with the hidden blades (unless you are positioned at a level higher than them) so if I do hit the first two guards and get tangled with them (they block the approach to the other two guards) a trick that I've learned to disengage from bodies that are still falling as quickly as I can before the remaining guards are able to react is to use the direction buttons (AWSD) to indicate the direction I would like to be moving if I wasn't tangled up, then hit the right mouse button to engage the Assassinate Command and then hit the left button to perform the double hidden blade strike on the remaining guards who (if I move quickly enough) are still standing there in shock going "Whoa!"   :o

That sequence of key strokes I described will often cause Ezio to leap straight up in the air above the still stumbling bodies of the first two guards in their death throes and come sharply down at the other two guards in a move very similar to the Double Eagle Strike though I've never checked to see if it counts as such.



It's funny, if I'm on the prowl looking for trouble it's my hidden blades that are usually equipped and my stats show that they are my favorite weapon but the empty hand (fist) is steadily creeping up on the hidden blades.  If I'm engaged with a large group of guards (the more the merrier  :-D ) using empty hands while riding the right mouse button for defense so I can disarm and counter strike them with their own weapon allows me to keep more of my health longer.

Other than a Brute who has pulled his weapon back in a power strike I can either strip their weapon and kill them or at worst they'll block my disarm move but either way I've taken no damage.  And that Brute in the power strike stance there's an amusing possibility that arises with that situation too.   ;D

Being aware of the positions of the group of attacking guards around me when a Brute starts a power strike I move away from him to create a gap so that he can't quite reach me and the other guards will obligingly shift out of the way allowing me to do so while still positioning themselves looking for their own chance to strike.  When there's a gap like that the Brute either follows or another of the surrounding guards will step into that opening I've created by avoiding the Brute.

Once a Brute has loaded up for a power strike he will usually follow through and take the swing even though I'm just beyond reach which can be quite unfortunate for one of his squad mates that's stepped in between him and me.   ^+-+

Oh that's sweet  :-() I too love to manoeuvre guards between me and an attacking guard, and yes, particularly those attacking brutes are great :-D Sometimes you'll see them slash innocent bystanders (or, more to the point, "byrunners" who may come to an abrupt stop with a weapon stuck in them)  >:D

And regarding fists, hell, yes. I like to pickpocket people like a maniac until one of them (finally) engages me. That's just the kind of excuse for me to beat him and everyone else who is up to it to pulp  >:D Rinse and repeat  :-() By the time I'm finished the place looks like the Black Death had paid a visit upon the town with bodies piled up everywhere  ^+-+