Batman: Arkham Asylum

MAS8705

Edit history:

MAS8705: 2009-09-07 05:39:18 pm

2009-09-07 05:33:12 pm

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

Holy best Comic Book game ever Batman! Not even a month has past and everyone has already had their mind blown away from this game, and who could blame them? The game does the Batman series justice and playing as batman is downright awesome, from the combat, the gadgets, his detective skills, etc.

While I could do a whole summary of how Batman: Arkham Asylum is an awesome game, that isn't the reason why I'm posting this in the planning... This game does have the potential to be a great speed demo if the proper care is taken in the route plans, the management of skills, the solving of riddler challenges and especially the parts where you have to take out armed men... Combat itself shouldn't be too difficult if one knows how to take out foes quickly, combo, and counter... The skills needed to upgrade is hard to say, I'm sure if you know how to sneak around and avoid getting hit, the armor upgrades probably won't be needed, meanwhile other upgrades (hand to hand combat, and gadgets) can come in handy in some parts, one thing that will be necessary if any could be the ones where you take out foes in one hit, to do special moves at a lower combo level and the upgrade that allows the Cryptographic Sequencer to be easier... The Riddler challenges would be a coin flip here, you can do the challenges to allow yourself to upgrade faster, but that would mean you would have to go out of your way to actually finish the challenges... I know that there are times in the game that you pretty much walk past these challenges and riddles and I can imagine that this would be good times to spend a second to get the riddle or challenge out of the way (like at the start where you are stuck in the room until the joker lets you out... you can go rip out the grate, go in, get the trophy and be out before the next part opens up...)

Difficulty can easily sway how one plays the game too since on Hard, you don't get the Counter notice when your about to be attacked and the thugs are more aware of what is going on around them, meanwhile I don't know if that mean on easy, they are too predictable and have the awareness level of a blind man, but who knows... Is there a chance of this game having a 100% run? Maybe, but that would lead to too much backtracking (but hey, this game is pretty much like Metroid Prime, only without a gun and the FPS)... but a low % run, that is very well possible... I will see if I can start a wiki strategy on this later on once I get settled down when an idea of what to try... However, this game has that thing I hate the most, and that is the autosave... That's right kiddies, if you make a mistake your pretty much done for and your back to square one... Makes me wonder if a single segment run would be for the better or how careful some players would have to be to avoid any, "unlikely situations" or as soon as they walk into an area, they will just go "Start and quit" to signal that the segment ends... I'll leave that up to the people who call the shots...

Will the Members of SDA take the Challenge? How quick can they defeat the clown prince of crime? For these answers and many more, Tune in next time... Same Bat-Topic, Same Bat-Forums! (ok, so I changed the cliffhanger ending, you get the joke)

Thread title:

Holy best Comic Book game ever Batman!  Not even a month has past and everyone has already had their mind blown away from this game, and who could blame them?  The game does the Batman series justice and playing as batman is downright awesome, from the combat, the gadgets, his detective skills, etc.

While I could do a whole summary of how Batman: Arkham Asylum is an awesome game, that isn't the reason why I'm posting this in the planning...  This game does have the potential to be a great speed demo if the proper care is taken in the route plans, the management of skills, the solving of riddler challenges and especially the parts where you have to take out armed men... Combat itself shouldn't be too difficult if one knows how to take out foes quickly, combo, and counter...  The skills needed to upgrade is hard to say, I'm sure if you know how to sneak around and avoid getting hit, the armor upgrades probably won't be needed, meanwhile other upgrades (hand to hand combat, and gadgets) can come in handy in some parts, one thing that will be necessary if any could be the ones where you take out foes in one hit, to do special moves at a lower combo level and the upgrade that allows the Cryptographic Sequencer to be easier...  The Riddler challenges would be a coin flip here, you can do the challenges to allow yourself to upgrade faster, but that would mean you would have to go out of your way to actually finish the challenges... I know that there are times in the game that you pretty much walk past these challenges and riddles and I can imagine that this would be good times to spend a second to get the riddle or challenge out of the way (like at the start where you are stuck in the room until the joker lets you out... you can go rip out the grate, go in, get the trophy and be out before the next part opens up...)

Difficulty can easily sway how one plays the game too since on Hard, you don't get the Counter notice when your about to be attacked and the thugs are more aware of what is going on around them, meanwhile I don't know if that mean on easy, they are too predictable and have the awareness level of a blind man, but who knows...  Is there a chance of this game having a 100% run?  Maybe, but that would lead to too much backtracking (but hey, this game is pretty much like Metroid Prime, only without a gun and the FPS)... but a low % run, that is very well possible... I will see if I can start a wiki strategy on this later on once I get settled down when an idea of what to try... However, this game has that thing I hate the most, and that is the autosave... That's right kiddies, if you make a mistake your pretty much done for and your back to square one... Makes me wonder if a single segment run would be for the better or how careful some players would have to be to avoid any, "unlikely situations" or as soon as they walk into an area, they will just go "Start and quit" to signal that the segment ends... I'll leave that up to the people who call the shots...

Will the Members of SDA take the Challenge?  How quick can they defeat the clown prince of crime?  For these answers and many more, Tune in next time... Same Bat-Topic, Same Bat-Forums!  (ok, so I changed the cliffhanger ending, you get the joke)

TheVoid

2009-09-07 05:47:15 pm

Are you now requesting a run or are you going to create a run yourself? It seems you're requesting a run Smiley

In any case, I'm looking forward to a run.

MAS8705

2009-09-07 05:59:54 pm

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

Quote from TheVoid:

Are you now requesting a run or are you going to create a run yourself? It seems you're requesting a run Smiley

Its a little bit of both... like I said earlier, this haven't been out long, so it would be too early to request this run, but it still wouldn't hurt to get the word out and get some people behind the project... As soon as I can get a good idea of how to play better, I'll try later... I can do the combat, boss sequences and the detective mode reasonably, but the Sneaking around and taking out armed men is something I still need to work on... I admit, I normally use the gargoyles to perform inverted takedowns and glide kicks, but in that one part where the gargoyles are destroyed, I must had spent 20 minutes just trying to get through that...

Just want to see if people want to start leaving feedback and ideas of how to properly complete the run...

Wheels

2009-09-07 10:13:20 pm

I'm the keeper of Time.

It all seems pretty straightforward. Would this be a low% run or do you think toughing out 100% would be fun to watch?

Ascetic Swordsman

2009-09-07 10:30:09 pm

I was wondering when someone was going to make a topic for this game. I got the collector's edition and strategy guide for it an beat it within a few days, albeit on easy mode. I'd be in favour of seeing a run done, and the game while good is straightforward enough that a run shouldn't be too hard to do.

The lack of a manual save feature does suck. If we're lucky a patch to allow it will be released. If not, this is going to be one nice SS run. Practicing it will be the hard part. You could always work on your combat and predator skills by doing the challenges.

I don't think I'd be good enough to do a run myself unless I did a lot of practice but I'll offer any help to anyone who needs it.

The game keeps track of items collected for percentage so 100% is easily possible but I'm not sure what low% would be. I'm guessing none of the riddler challenges would be done. I wouldn't waste time destroying the joker teeth either since the exp. yield is low and targeting them with the batarang could cost several seconds. The same goes for the invisible question marks. Some of the riddler trophies might be good since there are a few right on your path and they could help get an upgrade sooner. A few riddles could be done too as long as you don't take too long to get the target in focus. I guess that's it.

If you're going to do a run, good luck. If not, I'm sure someone will take a shot eventually.

I was wondering when someone was going to make a topic for this game.  I got the collector's edition and strategy guide for it an beat it within a few days, albeit on easy mode.  I'd be in favour of seeing a run done, and the game while good is straightforward enough that a run shouldn't be too hard to do.

The lack of a manual save feature does suck.  If we're lucky a patch to allow it will be released.  If not, this is going to be one nice SS run.  Practicing it will be the hard part.  You could always work on your combat and predator skills by doing the challenges.

I don't think I'd be good enough to do a run myself unless I did a lot of practice but I'll offer any help to anyone who needs it.

The game keeps track of items collected for percentage so 100% is easily possible but I'm not sure what low% would be.  I'm guessing none of the riddler challenges would be done.  I wouldn't waste time destroying the joker teeth either since the exp. yield is low and targeting them with the batarang could cost several seconds.  The same goes for the invisible question marks.  Some of the riddler trophies might be good since there are a few right on your path and they could help get an upgrade sooner.  A few riddles could be done too as long as you don't take too long to get the target in focus.  I guess that's it.

If you're going to do a run, good luck.  If not, I'm sure someone will take a shot eventually.

Wheels

2009-09-07 10:42:02 pm

I'm the keeper of Time.

I guess it has to start with a first step: What would be the best thing to upgrade first?

TheVoid

2009-09-08 01:01:41 am

About the Boobytrapped Gargoyles Predator part, carosh once told me that he used a strategy from the guide (For all Predator parts though). Then he would take down 1 guy and put Explosive Gel on the ground, then wait till the others are there (And in this part they will all come to the spot) and then set it off to knock them all down. Only downside is that putting Explosive Gel on the ground takes a little moment.

Double or Triple Batarang can also be quite useful, especially if there are 3 guys left.

In that area I also found those grates (Those little hiding places in the ground, I forgot the right name) in the house handy. Ledge grabs are awesome too Smiley

A run on Hard would be great, the fighting is more interesting and challenging. Though for a single-segment run I'm not sure if it's the right choice Wink

carosh

Edit history:

carosh: 2009-09-08 03:16:35 am

2009-09-08 03:08:36 am

SS - sucky speedrunner

Quote from MAS8705:

Holy best Comic Book game ever Batman! Not even a month has past and everyone has already had their mind blown away from this game, and who could blame them? The game does the Batman series justice and playing as batman is downright awesome, from the combat, the gadgets, his detective skills, etc.

well.. guess it`s a nice goodbye present for Bruce Wayne (R.I.P.). All Hail Dick Greyson (the new batman ;p).

Quote from MAS8705:

The skills needed to upgrade is hard to say, I'm sure if you know how to sneak around and avoid getting hit, the armor upgrades probably won't be needed,

Well.. I`m not that type of guy, but I still think that (if we`re talking about SS) armor upgrades are needed, well.. at least if you play on normal (1 upgrade), hard (2-3 upgrades). But that's just me.. and I suck at fighting ;p

Quote from MAS8705:

meanwhile other upgrades (hand to hand combat, and gadgets) can come in handy in some parts, one thing that will be necessary if any could be the ones where you take out foes in one hit, to do special moves at a lower combo level and the upgrade that allows the Cryptographic Sequencer to be easier...

Well, it`s hard for me to say this now (but I`ll try to do it once I`m done with my exams (till 18.09)) but I think that top priority skills are:
-Critical Combo Strikes,
-Inverted Takedown (my first lvl choice personaly),
-Special Combo Throw and Boost (can`t remember right now, but if the Special Combo Takedown isn`t needed for a Boost to be unlocked I wouldn`t take the SC Takedown),
-Twin and Tripple Batarang (as TheVoid said) is pretty much essential to all predator fights.. If you have 4 guys with guns all you have to do is takedown one of them.. then just throw tripple batarang at those 3 guys that are making a grand gathering on their unconcious fiend and beat them to deat.. I mean unconciousness ;p
- Cryptographic Range and Power Amplifier are needed as well (you don`t want to decrypt control panels(is that what they`re called?) with joker bombs without Power Amplifier... DAMN... Range migt be needed so that you don`t have to run around near the Control Panel to break it (but I don`t know if it works.. so I`ll have to check it out later)

Quote from MAS8705:

The Riddler challenges would be a coin flip here, you can do the challenges to allow yourself to upgrade faster, but that would mean you would have to go out of your way to actually finish the challenges... I know that there are times in the game that you pretty much walk past these challenges and riddles and I can imagine that this would be good times to spend a second to get the riddle or challenge out of the way (like at the start where you are stuck in the room until the joker lets you out... you can go rip out the grate, go in, get the trophy and be out before the next part opens up...)

You might prove me wrong but I don`t think that you come across so many Riddler thropies i think that exp you might get from those thropies are around.. 1200-1600 ? Nothing more.. but I hope you`ll prove me wrong Wink

Quote from MAS8705:

Difficulty can easily sway how one plays the game too since on Hard, you don't get the Counter notice when your about to be attacked and the thugs are more aware of what is going on around them, meanwhile I don't know if that mean on easy, they are too predictable and have the awareness level of a blind man, but who knows... Is there a chance of this game having a 100% run? Maybe, but that would lead to too much backtracking (but hey, this game is pretty much like Metroid Prime, only without a gun and the FPS)...

HEY.. it DOES have FPP view from time to time ;>

Quote from MAS8705:

but a low % run, that is very well possible... I will see if I can start a wiki strategy on this later on once I get settled down when an idea of what to try... However, this game has that thing I hate the most, and that is the autosave... That's right kiddies, if you make a mistake your pretty much done for and your back to square one... Makes me wonder if a single segment run would be for the better or how careful some players would have to be to avoid any, "unlikely situations" or as soon as they walk into an area, they will just go "Start and quit" to signal that the segment ends... I'll leave that up to the people who call the shots...

I guess the technique "Start and quit" will be much better, the game is just toooooooo random for any sane person to make an attempt at SS.. but I might be wrong (watched some runs...;p)

Quote from Ascetic Swordsman:

I wouldn't waste time destroying the joker teeth either since the exp. yield is low and targeting them with the batarang could cost several seconds.

I think that`s a good exp, they always are in group of 2-3 (100-150 exp is bad?) and all you have to do is (in Xbox360) tap LT, you don`t have to aim...

Quote from TheVoid:

In that area I also found those grates (Those little hiding places in the ground, I forgot the right name) in the house handy. Ledge grabs are awesome too Smiley

Grates are good, never thought about them... they seam usless to me, but hey, got to check them out once I find some time ;p

So... anyway.. anyone has a good Boss battle strategies.. I kind of suck at them so this is the part where I don`t know anything ;p

[quote="MAS8705"]
Holy best Comic Book game ever Batman!  Not even a month has past and everyone has already had their mind blown away from this game, and who could blame them?  The game does the Batman series justice and playing as batman is downright awesome, from the combat, the gadgets, his detective skills, etc.[/quote]
well.. guess it`s a nice goodbye present for Bruce Wayne (R.I.P.). All Hail Dick Greyson (the new batman ;p).

[quote="MAS8705"]The skills needed to upgrade is hard to say, I'm sure if you know how to sneak around and avoid getting hit, the armor upgrades probably won't be needed, [/quote]
Well.. I`m not that type of guy, but I still think that (if we`re talking about SS) armor upgrades are needed, well.. at least if you play on normal (1 upgrade), hard (2-3 upgrades). But that's just me.. and I suck at fighting ;p

[quote="MAS8705"]meanwhile other upgrades (hand to hand combat, and gadgets) can come in handy in some parts, one thing that will be necessary if any could be the ones where you take out foes in one hit, to do special moves at a lower combo level and the upgrade that allows the Cryptographic Sequencer to be easier...[/quote]
Well, it`s hard for me to say this now (but I`ll try to do it once I`m done with my exams (till 18.09)) but I think that top priority skills are: 
-Critical Combo Strikes,
-Inverted Takedown (my first lvl choice personaly), 
-Special Combo Throw and Boost (can`t remember right now, but if the Special Combo Takedown isn`t needed for a Boost to be unlocked I wouldn`t take the SC Takedown), 
-Twin and Tripple Batarang (as TheVoid said) is pretty much essential to all predator fights.. If you have 4 guys with guns all you have to do is takedown one of them.. then just throw tripple batarang at those 3 guys that are making a grand gathering on their unconcious fiend and beat them to deat.. I mean unconciousness ;p
- Cryptographic Range and Power Amplifier are needed as well (you don`t want to decrypt control panels(is that what they`re called?) with joker bombs without Power Amplifier... DAMN... Range migt be needed so that you don`t have to run around near the Control Panel to break it (but I don`t know if it works.. so I`ll have to check it out later)

[quote="MAS8705"]The Riddler challenges would be a coin flip here, you can do the challenges to allow yourself to upgrade faster, but that would mean you would have to go out of your way to actually finish the challenges... I know that there are times in the game that you pretty much walk past these challenges and riddles and I can imagine that this would be good times to spend a second to get the riddle or challenge out of the way (like at the start where you are stuck in the room until the joker lets you out... you can go rip out the grate, go in, get the trophy and be out before the next part opens up...)[/quote]
You might prove me wrong but I don`t think that you come across so many Riddler thropies i think that exp you might get from those thropies are around.. 1200-1600 ? Nothing more.. but I hope you`ll prove me wrong ;)

[quote="MAS8705"]Difficulty can easily sway how one plays the game too since on Hard, you don't get the Counter notice when your about to be attacked and the thugs are more aware of what is going on around them, meanwhile I don't know if that mean on easy, they are too predictable and have the awareness level of a blind man, but who knows...  Is there a chance of this game having a 100% run?  Maybe, but that would lead to too much backtracking (but hey, this game is pretty much like Metroid Prime, only without a gun and the FPS)...[/quote]
HEY.. it DOES have FPP view from time to time ;>

[quote="MAS8705"] but a low % run, that is very well possible... I will see if I can start a wiki strategy on this later on once I get settled down when an idea of what to try... However, this game has that thing I hate the most, and that is the autosave... That's right kiddies, if you make a mistake your pretty much done for and your back to square one... Makes me wonder if a single segment run would be for the better or how careful some players would have to be to avoid any, "unlikely situations" or as soon as they walk into an area, they will just go "Start and quit" to signal that the segment ends... I'll leave that up to the people who call the shots...[/quote]
I guess the technique "Start and quit" will be much better, the game is just toooooooo random for any sane person to make an attempt at SS.. but I might be wrong (watched some runs...;p)

[quote="Ascetic Swordsman"]
I wouldn't waste time destroying the joker teeth either since the exp. yield is low and targeting them with the batarang could cost several seconds.[/quote]
I think that`s a good exp, they always are in group of 2-3 (100-150 exp is bad?) and all you have to do is (in Xbox360) tap LT, you don`t have to aim...

[quote="TheVoid"]
In that area I also found those grates (Those little hiding places in the ground, I forgot the right name) in the house handy. Ledge grabs are awesome too :)
[/quote]
Grates are good, never thought about them... they seam usless to me, but hey, got to check them out once I find some time ;p

So... anyway.. anyone has a good Boss battle strategies.. I kind of suck at them so this is the part where I don`t know anything ;p

TheVoid

2009-09-08 04:26:50 am

Here's a little something which could help.

After the Batcave after Croc's Lair, you need to disable 3 Water Pumps. In the room with the 2 Water Pumps you can disable them from the top floor (Range upgrade is most likely required. I'm not 100% positive since I can't quickly check it now but I highly doubt you can reach those without the upgrade) and then you can just leave through the door. Normally you would need to secure the area when enemies are alerted but I guess that's not necessary here because you're on a higher floor than they are.

Would save a fight against 4 normal guys and 1 armed guy.

Ascetic Swordsman

2009-09-08 07:11:46 am

Here's some basic data courtesy of my strategy guide. First, how much experience you get from various things:

Unarmed henchman: 25
high security henchman: 50
pipe wielding henchman: 35
stun baton henchman: 75
rifle/shotgun henchman: 50
sniper: 50
Lunatic: 50
titan henchman: 1000
joker teeth: 50
Ivy's plant pods: 25
riddler trophy: 200
interview tape: 200
chronicle of arkham: 200
secrets map: 200
solve a riddle: 200

It seems like getting the trophies and tapes, as well as solving the riddles is worth it. The Joker teeth seem good now. I forgot you could quick throw a batarang to destroy them. I always manually aimed them. Since fighting is the slowest and low yield avoiding it should be a priority. Some areas require you to secure the room to advance though.

As for levels, you need 2000 for the first and second upgrades, then it increases by 500 each time until it reaches 5000 where it remains constant.

For the upgrades inverted takedown and then the twin/triple batarangs might be the way to go. You could string up an enemy and when someone comes by to check on him cut him down and knock out anyone below him. There's an achievement for that. The sonic/sonic shock batarangs could be useful later on when the suicide collars come into play. They could be used to lure some enemies into a trap. I don't know if the gel upgrades are needed, but the auto proximity one would save you the trouble of having to detonate it yourself. The armor upgrades could be useful depending on the difficulty. That just leaves the cryptographic sequencer. The upgrades for it should be useful, and since it's not acquired until later in the story you can still get some other upgrades before then.

That's all I've got for now. I'm not quite sure what's needed to be known now but I'm willing to help in any way I can.

Here's some basic data courtesy of my strategy guide.  First, how much experience you get from various things:

[spoiler]

Unarmed henchman: 25
high security henchman: 50
pipe wielding henchman: 35
stun baton henchman: 75
rifle/shotgun henchman: 50
sniper: 50
Lunatic: 50
titan henchman: 1000
joker teeth: 50
Ivy's plant pods: 25
riddler trophy: 200
interview tape: 200
chronicle of arkham: 200
secrets map: 200
solve a riddle: 200
[/spoiler]

It seems like getting the trophies and tapes, as well as solving the riddles is worth it.  The Joker teeth seem good now. I forgot you could quick throw a batarang to destroy them.  I always manually aimed them. Since fighting is the slowest and low yield avoiding it should be a priority.  Some areas require you to secure the room to advance though.

As for levels, you need 2000 for the first and second upgrades, then it increases by 500 each time until it reaches 5000 where it remains constant.

For the upgrades inverted takedown and then the twin/triple batarangs might be the way to go.  You could string up an enemy and when someone comes by to check on him cut him down and knock out anyone below him.  There's an achievement for that.  The sonic/sonic shock batarangs could be useful later on when the suicide collars come into play.  They could be used to lure some enemies into a trap.  I don't know if the gel upgrades are needed, but the auto proximity one would save you the trouble of having to detonate it yourself.  The armor upgrades could be useful depending on the difficulty.  That just leaves the cryptographic sequencer.  The upgrades for it should be useful, and since it's not acquired until later in the story you can still get some other upgrades before then.

That's all I've got for now.  I'm not quite sure what's needed to be known now but I'm willing to help in any way I can.

MAS8705

2009-09-08 08:51:43 am

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

(I know that we have already discussed the upgrades a bit already, but I just want to do a quick break down still)

From what I can tell, the upgrades are in 11 groups and 20 full upgrades to get...

Group 1: Combat boosts, (Special Combo Throw, Special Combo Takedown, Special Combo Boost)
Group 2: Combo batarang
Group 3: Critical Combo Strikes
Group 4: Inverted Takedown
Group 5: Armor upgrades v1-v4
Group 6: Batarang power
Group 7: Twin/Triple Batarang
Group 8: Remote Control Batarang
Group 9: Sonic Batarang (/w Sonic shock batarang)
Group 10: Explosive Gel (Multiple Frequency Detonator & Auto Proximity Detonation)
Group 11: Cryptographic Sequencer (Range Amplifier & Power Amplifier)

Groups 1-8 can be worked on right away while Groups 9-11 are blocked off until you get the item first... Also if there is more than one upgrade in groups 1

-8, they have to be accquired in order instead of selecting what you want like in groups 9-11 where after you get the item, you can select one or the

other...Combat boosts do come in handy with the close range fighting you perform, and with special combo takedown, you can perform an instant KO after a combo of 8, and special combo boost reduces the 8 combo needed down to just 5...
Combo batarang is a coin flip, it helps to continue to combo, but not really much for speeding up fights...
the critical boost to allow you go not only get a higher combo, but to enable for higher exp outtake and faster kos...
Inverted takedown is a must in my books, it helps when it comes to performing the takedowns...
the armors are also a coin flip, if you play well enough, then why bother with upgrading your armor? but that being said, it would still be a benefit to have it in those sitations where you may still get hit...
Batarang power helps stun people for a longer period of time, which maybe I can see as a helper in the invisible predator, but that still doesn't go for much if your in a group...
Twin/Triple Batarang can be said the exact same, perhaps in the combat, it can come in handy for throwing people off track, but personally I didn't really use this upgrade for much other than maybe getting joker teeth faster...
Remote Control Batarang is a very good upgrade to have since it allows you to control how the batarang is thrown and any enemy who gets hit gets knocked down to allow you to run up and take them out, but the animation is slow the game down a bit (since it would be very hard to control a batarang at full speed) so I can only assume that it would be helpful in close range throwing than long distance...
Sonic Batarangs I thought would be a helpful ugprade to have, but really I was questioning as to the reason why I didn't think it was more effective... One time I threw it and I got no one who went to check it out, another time, the enemy shot it the moment it was seen and rendered the weapon useless afterwards... Perhaps the first upgrade is worthwhile, the 2nd one not so much... Granted that Sonic Shock does disable the collar's beeping, but that can only be used one and that's it...
Explosive Gel has nice power ups, but the only one worth while is the auto Proximity since it can take out foes without you having to set the charge... Now if anyone knows how to use the multi. frequency, they are welcome to use it, but I didn't really see a need for that since setting one gel and just setting it off worked well...
Cryptographic Sequencer should be upgraded ASAP when you get it... The Power amplifier helps make the hacking much easier and faster, while the Range amplifier helps in situations to not be so close to the encoder (such as what was pointed out in the caves to hack the vents or pipes without having to fight and where you won't be stuck in the animation where batman fliches when he is close as the door opens)

So if I was to say which power ups to collect, I would say get inverted takedown first, followed by the critical combo strikes, and start working on the combat boosts... As for armor, I'm still debating how that fits in and as for the cryptographic sequencer, that should take top priority once you get it with power being the first thing followed by range...

I'm also debating the riddler's challenges since there are still plenty of areas that this can come in handy (and some of the challenges, joker teeth, and even chronicles of Arkham are indeed along the way...

(I know that we have already discussed the upgrades a bit already, but I just want to do a quick break down still)

From what I can tell, the upgrades are in 11 groups and 20 full upgrades to get...

Group 1: Combat boosts, (Special Combo Throw, Special Combo Takedown, Special Combo Boost)
Group 2: Combo batarang
Group 3: Critical Combo Strikes
Group 4: Inverted Takedown
Group 5: Armor upgrades v1-v4
Group 6: Batarang power
Group 7: Twin/Triple Batarang
Group 8: Remote Control Batarang
Group 9: Sonic Batarang (/w Sonic shock batarang)
Group 10: Explosive Gel (Multiple Frequency Detonator & Auto Proximity Detonation)
Group 11: Cryptographic Sequencer (Range Amplifier & Power Amplifier)

Groups 1-8 can be worked on right away while Groups 9-11 are blocked off until you get the item first... Also if there is more than one upgrade in groups 1

-8, they have to be accquired in order instead of selecting what you want like in groups 9-11 where after you get the item, you can select one or the

other...Combat boosts do come in handy with the close range fighting you perform, and with special combo takedown, you can perform an instant KO after a combo of 8, and special combo boost reduces the 8 combo needed down to just 5... 
Combo batarang is a coin flip, it helps to continue to combo, but not really much for speeding up fights... 
the critical boost to allow you go not only get a higher combo, but to enable for higher exp outtake and faster kos... 
Inverted takedown is a must in my books, it helps when it comes to performing the takedowns... 
the armors are also a coin flip, if you play well enough, then why bother with upgrading your armor?  but that being said, it would still be a benefit to have it in those sitations where you may still get hit... 
Batarang power helps stun people for a longer period of time, which maybe I can see as a helper in the invisible predator, but that still doesn't go for much if your in a group...
Twin/Triple Batarang can be said the exact same, perhaps in the combat, it can come in handy for throwing people off track, but personally I didn't really use this upgrade for much other than maybe getting joker teeth faster...
Remote Control Batarang is a very good upgrade to have since it allows you to control how the batarang is thrown and any enemy who gets hit gets knocked down to allow you to run up and take them out, but the animation is slow the game down a bit (since it would be very hard to control a batarang at full speed) so I can only assume that it would be helpful in close range throwing than long distance...
Sonic Batarangs I thought would be a helpful ugprade to have, but really I was questioning as to the reason why I didn't think it was more effective... One time I threw it and I got no one who went to check it out, another time, the enemy shot it the moment it was seen and rendered the weapon useless afterwards... Perhaps the first upgrade is worthwhile, the 2nd one not so much... Granted that Sonic Shock does disable the collar's beeping, but that can only be used one and that's it...
Explosive Gel has nice power ups, but the only one worth while is the auto Proximity since it can take out foes without you having to set the charge... Now if anyone knows how to use the multi. frequency, they are welcome to use it, but I didn't really see a need for that since setting one gel and just setting it off worked well...
Cryptographic Sequencer should be upgraded ASAP when you get it... The Power amplifier helps make the hacking much easier and faster, while the Range amplifier helps in situations to not be so close to the encoder (such as what was pointed out in the caves to hack the vents or pipes without having to fight and where you won't be stuck in the animation where batman fliches when he is close as the door opens)

So if I was to say which power ups to collect, I would say get inverted takedown first, followed by the critical combo strikes, and start working on the combat boosts... As for armor, I'm still debating how that fits in and as for the cryptographic sequencer, that should take top priority once you get it with power being the first thing followed by range...

I'm also debating the riddler's challenges since there are still plenty of areas that this can come in handy (and some of the challenges, joker teeth, and even chronicles of Arkham are indeed along the way...

your_name_here

2009-09-08 12:50:07 pm

Segmentation would be easy. you can back up and restore save files on all versions (360 would require a memory card, though).

MAS8705

2009-09-08 10:19:09 pm

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

Alright, I just did a run on easy mode and got somewhere around 5-6 hours(maybe seven at the most, but unlikely)... I also found out that that I only used

14 of the 20 when I was quickly trying to run through it...

The only parts where I actually died was scarecrow for not paying much attention and trying to rush in areas where that is suicide and killer croc for the

same reason (apparently the quick throw doesn't work on croc... Somethign I figured after 5 failed attempts... Meanwhile parts where I came close to dieing

were parts where I don't sneak around well enough with people with guns and The fight with Ivy... Granted I went almost the whole game without using an

armor upgrade (the only time being when I was off to fight the joker one last time, and even so that wasn't needed...) Of the armors, I only used up to v2,

though I could have used more just for the sake of being more reckless...

One thing I noticed was the parts in invisible predator, for in these parts, you can be a bit reckless and punch people if you want to, or batarang them...

For skills, I'll quickly break it down... close range did help a good amount while the inverted takedown did have a good few moments... Armor is ok to

ignore a bit at the lower difficulty, though I think that v2 is good enough... the batarang did actually come in handy in a few parts of fighting groups of

enemies and batarang power does help make things more manageable... Sadly, the remote batarang was actually never used at all, I don't know if it can come

in handy, I think it still can, but who knows.. Sonic batarang is the same, instead, it was never upgraded... Explosive gel also was never used, I figured

as much for that and of course the Cryptographic upgrades made it easy... Also from what I could tell, I also apparently finished about 67 of the riddles (some of these were of course destroying the joker teeth...) and I can't really tell if some of these would help... I admit that at times I did go a bit out of my way sometimes to get a few riddles, but not completely out of the way...

I may attempt recording this weekend, just need to get a memory card ready... overall, this can easily be done under a good short time...

Alright, I just did a run on easy mode and got somewhere around 5-6 hours(maybe seven at the most, but unlikely)...  I also found out that that I only used

14 of the 20 when I was quickly trying to run through it...

The only parts where I actually died was scarecrow for not paying much attention and trying to rush in areas where that is suicide and killer croc for the

same reason (apparently the quick throw doesn't work on croc... Somethign I figured after 5 failed attempts...  Meanwhile parts where I came close to dieing

were parts where I don't sneak around well enough with people with guns and The fight with Ivy... Granted I went almost the whole game without using an

armor upgrade (the only time being when I was off to fight the joker one last time, and even so that wasn't needed...)  Of the armors, I only used up to v2,

though I could have used more just for the sake of being more reckless...

One thing I noticed was the parts in invisible predator, for in these parts, you can be a bit reckless and punch people if you want to, or batarang them...

For skills, I'll quickly break it down... close range did help a good amount while the inverted takedown did have a good few moments...  Armor is ok to

ignore a bit at the lower difficulty, though I think that v2 is good enough... the batarang did actually come in handy in a few parts of fighting groups of

enemies and batarang power does help make things more manageable... Sadly, the remote batarang was actually never used at all, I don't know if it can come

in handy, I think it still can, but who knows.. Sonic batarang is the same, instead, it was never upgraded... Explosive gel also was never used, I figured

as much for that and of course the Cryptographic upgrades made it easy...  Also from what I could tell, I also apparently finished about 67 of the riddles (some of these were of course destroying the joker teeth...) and I can't really tell if some of these would help... I admit that at times I did go a bit out of my way sometimes to get a few riddles, but not completely out of the way...

I may attempt recording this weekend, just need to get a memory card ready...  overall, this can easily be done under a good short time...

TheVoid

2009-09-08 11:51:59 pm

Quote from MAS8705:

(apparently the quick throw doesn't work on croc... Somethign I figured after 5 failed attempts...

On Easy and Normal I was able to use the quick Batarang throw, but it didn't work on Hard (Which is good, made it slightly more difficult ;)). Are you using the Xbox 360 version? I can't recall you mentioning that.

Quote:

Sadly, the remote batarang was actually never used at all, I don't know if it can come in handy, I think it still can, but who knows..

I'm quite positive that the Remote Batarang is useless, mainly because of its extremely slow animation. That thing has the same principle as a normal Batarang, it's just that you can control it and knock out multiple enemies with just 1 (That's possible, right? I actually can't remember right now). So upgrading to the Double/Triple Batarang is more effective since they execute faster (And also don't forget the quick Batarang throw).

Quote:

Sonic batarang is the same, instead, it was never upgraded...

Meh, I've barely used that thing (And its upgrade) in my playthroughs, it felt quite useless Smiley

Quote:

Explosive gel also was never used

I actually doubt that the Explosive Gel is really useful, once again because of its slow animation/setup.

So far to me it sounds like you should upgrade to the Triple Batarang as quickly as possible.
And if I'm not mistaken you can use the Triple Batarang and then right away after it you can also throw your normal Batarang (Quick Batarang throw). So that's actually 4 guys knocked down and then you take out the fifth Smiley

Upgrading Armor shouldn't be needed, especially not on Easy. You mentioned a Memory Card, so I take it you're going to do a segmented run? Then you absolutely don't need to buy Armor upgrades.

[quote="MAS8705"](apparently the quick throw doesn't work on croc... Somethign I figured after 5 failed attempts...[/quote]
On Easy and Normal I was able to use the quick Batarang throw, but it didn't work on Hard (Which is good, made it slightly more difficult ;)). Are you using the Xbox 360 version? I can't recall you mentioning that.

[quote]Sadly, the remote batarang was actually never used at all, I don't know if it can come in handy, I think it still can, but who knows..[/quote]
I'm quite positive that the Remote Batarang is useless, mainly because of its extremely slow animation. That thing has the same principle as a normal Batarang, it's just that you can control it and knock out multiple enemies with just 1 (That's possible, right? I actually can't remember right now). So upgrading to the Double/Triple Batarang is more effective since they execute faster (And also don't forget the quick Batarang throw).

[quote]Sonic batarang is the same, instead, it was never upgraded...[/quote]
Meh, I've barely used that thing (And its upgrade) in my playthroughs, it felt quite useless :)

[quote]Explosive gel also was never used[/quote]
I actually doubt that the Explosive Gel is really useful, once again because of its slow animation/setup.

So far to me it sounds like you should upgrade to the Triple Batarang as quickly as possible.
And if I'm not mistaken you can use the Triple Batarang and then right away after it you can also throw your normal Batarang (Quick Batarang throw). So that's actually 4 guys knocked down and then you take out the fifth :)

Upgrading Armor shouldn't be needed, especially not on Easy. You mentioned a Memory Card, so I take it you're going to do a segmented run? Then you absolutely don't need to buy Armor upgrades.

sshplur

Edit history:

sshplur: 2009-09-09 02:57:03 am

2009-09-09 02:43:10 am

I think a time close to 3 hours should be your target. I haven't done many playthroughs, but my most recent one on Normal mode clocked in at 3 hours and a half with lots of deaths and no plans for about half the predator parts. I can record another one and upload it so we can pull it apart and discuss.

-in the Croc segment you can run and let the alarm beep 3-4 times before stopping. It's a bit random and I would only let it beep 2-3 times because Croc's killed me a few times after only 2 beeps.

-when you hit Croc with the Batarang, there's a lot of time before the alarm will beep from your running. Take advantage of this and run as far as possible.

-when you fight the skeletons in Scare Crow's gas they die in one hit from the explosive gel. During the 2D part you have time to spray two gels on the ground once the fight is triggered. In the last segment, where you fight 3 waves of them, you have time to spray gel over the whole arena.

Ascetic Swordsman

2009-09-09 02:56:32 am

I have a few tips for the killer croc part of the run. First is to try using the line launcher to get around and see if that's faster. You shouldn't be able to alert croc while using it. Second, after croc shows up and is taken down you can run a bit before he shows up again, but like sshplur said it might just take a few moments for him to appear. Finally since he breaks down the gates when he charges that could be used to clear some paths to collect the plant spores and escape in a more efficient manner. You'd have to test and see if you can collect them out of order. That's all for now.

sshplur

2009-09-09 03:06:07 am

I'm sure the line launcher should help a ton in the Croc part. It might not be that useful in the second half because there were a lot of turns and Croc had a habit of showing up out of nowhere and killing me when I used it.

Gliding and the line launcher are faster than running, so it's important to plan when to use them for large chunks of land, especially when you're traveling in a straight line.

MAS8705

2009-09-09 01:44:27 pm

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

I'm surprised that Killer Croc is receiving the most interest in the run, granted that his part can be a run killer if not done correctly...

From what I have noticed, I don't think it is really the platforms that tip him off, granted that if you run, your asking for an early death wish... While looking at some youtuber's video runs of Killer Croc, I stumbled over something....

fastforward to 6:15 and watch about 15 seconds... You will see that even if your not on the platforms, Croc can still jump out and even in from of you...

This fight can be broken down in a few things... 1) Croc will pop out from the same spots every time, so it is to figure out where he comes out from... 2) halfway through the run, he will start crashing platforms, I don't know if that needs to be memorized but that can also help in the "Start running now" situations... 3) Regardless of there being a fast route by taking an alt. direction than what the game says, it is wise to keep on track and perhaps to memorize the way to get to and from the exit and the spores... I may have to see about recording the run in croc's area to use that as reference... The only time it is safe to run in this whole part is either when the game says it is save or after you hit croc... As what Sshplur pointed out, it doesn't take much to have Croc perform an instant kill so I perfer the crouch to move around since that has faster movement that just walking...

I am going to try one more run to see a few more things, the thing I need to figure out though is how exactly the upgrades should be done, I believe that I got the critical boost first, then inverted takedown... From there I just worked on the close range combat for a while getting the throw, takedown, and the x8->x5 bonuses next... Perhaps somewhere in between this, I held off from using an upgrade a bit until I got the Cryptographic and then used the 2 upgrade I had to get that out of the way...

The parts for getting the riddles aren't too difficult since in a few parts are either along the way or to just go a bit off the way to get it (scanning scarface in the room, you take a second to scan it and get the points...) I still need a ruling on the joker teeth since I'm still a bit iffy about that... While Joker teeth do offer a good amount of xp it still stalls for time a bit and I don't know if it is good to have it or to just run past it... That and also figuring out parts of being able to bypass the more trickier parts... One example I like to use is during the first time you see armed foes, You can just simply go over them, crawl into the next room, take out the thug and move on... The other part where you can bypass a fight is in the last part of the mansion where you can go above on the gargoyles and behind them and out the door... The problem though is that there are some "Secure" areas where you actually have to fight people while other areas, you can just sneak around or just run for it...

As for how the run will be completed, I believe that for now a segmented run will be for the best for now... A single segment run is possible, though lately I've had pretty bad luck with single segment runs and it would be better to go this route... Granted if I had a PS3 I would be outta luck since (from what I can tell) the PS3 doesn't really use memory cards or at least not like the Xbox 360... I feel that I have to ask about it to see if that is allowed since it feels like cheating, even if it isn't...

A short time maybe possible, though 3 hours could be stretching it a bit, again, not going to question it... if anything, I may start another strategy wiki about this topic later on once I get my school work completed...

I'm surprised that Killer Croc is receiving the most interest in the run, granted that his part can be a run killer if not done correctly...

From what I have noticed, I don't think it is really the platforms that tip him off, granted that if you run, your asking for an early death wish... While looking at some youtuber's video runs of Killer Croc, I stumbled over something....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSi4y_embo4 fastforward to 6:15 and watch about 15 seconds... You will see that even if your not on the platforms, Croc can still jump out and even in from of you...

This fight can be broken down in a few things... 1) Croc will pop out from the same spots every time, so it is to figure out where he comes out from... 2) halfway through the run, he will start crashing platforms, I don't know if that needs to be memorized but that can also help in the "Start running now" situations... 3)  Regardless of there being a fast route by taking an alt. direction than what the game says, it is wise to keep on track and perhaps to memorize the way to get to and from the exit and the spores... I may have to see about recording the run in croc's area to use that as reference... The only time it is safe to run in this whole part is either when the game says it is save or after you hit croc... As what Sshplur pointed out, it doesn't take much to have Croc perform an instant kill so I perfer the crouch to move around since that has faster movement that just walking...

I am going to try one more run to see a few more things, the thing I need to figure out though is how exactly the upgrades should be done, I believe that I got the critical boost first, then inverted takedown... From there I just worked on the close range combat for a while getting the throw, takedown, and the x8->x5 bonuses next... Perhaps somewhere in between this, I held off from using an upgrade a bit until I got the Cryptographic and then used the 2 upgrade I had to get that out of the way...

The parts for getting the riddles aren't too difficult since in a few parts are either along the way or to just go a bit off the way to get it (scanning scarface in the room, you take a second to scan it and get the points...)  I still need a ruling on the joker teeth since I'm still a bit iffy about that... While Joker teeth do offer a good amount of xp it still stalls for time a bit and I don't know if it is good to have it or to just run past it...  That and also figuring out parts of being able to bypass the more trickier parts... One example I like to use is during the first time you see armed foes, You can just simply go over them, crawl into the next room, take out the thug and move on... The other part where you can bypass a fight is in the last part of the mansion where you can go above on the gargoyles and behind them and out the door... The problem though is that there are some "Secure" areas where you actually have to fight people while other areas, you can just sneak around or just run for it...

As for how the run will be completed, I believe that for now a segmented run will be for the best for now... A single segment run is possible, though lately I've had pretty bad luck with single segment runs and it would be better to go this route... Granted if I had a PS3 I would be outta luck since (from what I can tell) the PS3 doesn't really use memory cards or at least not like the Xbox 360... I feel that I have to ask about it to see if that is allowed since it feels like cheating, even if it isn't...

A short time maybe possible, though 3 hours could be stretching it a bit, again, not going to question it... if anything, I may start another strategy wiki about this topic later on once I get my school work completed...

jdenicholls

2009-09-13 11:55:01 am

I played through the game on easy mode. I've only just made it to Killer Croc in 2 hours 30 mins. By my estimations that leaves me with less than an hour of the game left. Taking out mistakes, with a more efficient route and predator sections properly planned I'd estimate the game could be done in under 3 hours for low%.

The differences between Easy, Normal and Hard are minimal. Enemies have more health, you are not prompted as when to do counters (which you easily get used to), using the Crypto gadget is harder and most importantly boss battles will take a lot longer. Considering this is a single segment run I'd be surprised if Hard mode low% completion wasn't a lot longer (30 minutes +).

I'm going to aim for single segment low% completion on easy mode, which I reckon I can nail in under 3 hours. For that I'm going to need a proper route plan (which parts of the game can be bypassed, which route to take through traversing the island), know if there are any timesaving glitches or tricks I can employ, which upgrades to get and good technique in combat and boss fights. I'll report back after I do my research and have some more attempts.

I played through the game on easy mode. I've only just made it to Killer Croc in 2 hours 30 mins. By my estimations that leaves me with less than an hour of the game left. Taking out mistakes, with a more efficient route and predator sections properly planned I'd estimate the game could be done in under 3 hours for low%.

The differences between Easy, Normal and Hard are minimal. Enemies have more health, you are not prompted as when to do counters (which you easily get used to), using the Crypto gadget is harder and most importantly boss battles will take a lot longer. Considering this is a single segment run I'd be surprised if Hard mode low% completion wasn't a lot longer (30 minutes +).

I'm going to aim for single segment low% completion on easy mode, which I reckon I can nail in under 3 hours. For that I'm going to need a proper route plan (which parts of the game can be bypassed, which route to take through traversing the island), know if there are any timesaving glitches or tricks I can employ, which upgrades to get and good technique in combat and boss fights. I'll report back after I do my research and have some more attempts.

your_name_here

2009-09-13 12:15:09 pm

You're doing a low%? What makes it that much different from an any%?

jdenicholls

2009-09-13 12:55:55 pm

Yeah any% or low%, they mean the same thing. I'm not familiar with all the terms here :S

Just finished off the game on Easy in 3 hours 5 minutes (roughly). Some sections of the game I did rather poorly, I died a few times and had to make some quick judgement decisions on how to do certain sections. I'm thinking easily under 3 hours for the next run, perhaps 2 hours 45 or lower?

Ascetic Swordsman

2009-09-13 01:51:02 pm

I'd call a low% run one that didn't get any waynetech upgrades or solve any joker riddles. The riddles only add experience points, which wouldn't be used but still add to the percentage that's tracked for each file.

Good luck to jdenicholls on your run. I'll have to start playing again soon and see if I can find out anything that would help.

TheVoid

2009-09-13 02:09:42 pm

Are you all familiar with the SDA Strategy Wiki? Sometime ago I put up a page there about this game because I found a few things. Feel free to write any route, trick, or strategy stuff in there: link.

jdenicholls

2009-09-14 03:20:55 pm

Cheers TheVoid, I can see those tricks cutting a good 10 minutes or so off the run. I'm going to play through the game again as soon as I get a chance and see how many sequence breaks I can squeeze out of it. Annoyingly certain sections of the game don't allow you to skip bad guys, but plenty of others do. Sequences with snipers will allow you to skip, but it's inadvisable as it's almost impossible to get past without getting shot.

On the subject of waynetech upgrades, you definitely don't need any of them to make it through the game, but having some of them makes getting through certain sections a lot faster (eg combat upgrades). I'll have to prioritise the upgrades based on how much time they can cut down on, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that it's not worth going out of the way to do riddler puzzles for exp purposes.

Rudy06

Edit history:

Rudy06: 2010-01-22 12:08:30 am

2010-01-22 12:00:42 am

Hey, this is a run I am definetly interested in. I've beat Arkham Asylum on all 3 difficulties, and have almost 100% Normal.

I did a straight run through on Easy, gathering trophies and such on the way, and got around 4 1/2 hours. Just from my experience playing the game, the spots that will save the most time will be avoiding any fights. (It's nice to know I can skip the Pump Room fight with the extended range.)

Two questions I have: Is it faster to do a ground takedown than an instant takedown. (Unfortunately, which animation makes a big difference). The game goes into slow motion and, me being new, I'm not sure how that would affect the time. The other question is, the 100% percent run. If we are referring to the percentage given by the game, that includes challenges (which should kind of be its own category), unless the main game is 1 segment, then all the challenges are individual segments.

I know this topic was kind of dead, but hopefully this will spark some interest. =D