- AR Training

Side-Mission: AR Training

The first AR Training icon is in the east side of the map a little south, so head there now -- it is a glowing red marker you cannot miss in the world of constant darkness that is Arkham City.  When you arrive you need to stand on the marker to trigger the training.

Augmented Reality Training #1

Training Session #1 -- Gliding

Your first challenge is to glide through five markers.  This is actually simple really -- the first four require nothing but holding 'A' to glide while you maneuver, and then at the 5th marker dive slightly and you bag this!  Now head to the next marker on the nearby crane for the next training session!

Augmented Reality Training #2

Training Session #2 -- Dive-Bombing

This one is also pretty simple -- glide through the first two markers and then dive-bomb the next two, landing on the barge!

The next training session is on the top of the opposite crane.

Augmented Reality Training #3

Training Session #3 -- Dive-Boosting

This one is a little more tricky, because it is supposed to teach you dive-boosting -- which we actually have already done in the Ra's challenges.  If you look at the layout of the markers, what you need to do is glide through the first one, then dive-bomb the next two, banking up at the bottom and gliding through the final two for the win!

Look at the map to spot the final marker and head there now!

Augmented Reality Training #4

Training Session #4 -- Multiple Boosting

This session requires you to complete a series of dive-boosts -- it really looks more complicated than it is -- I will really be surprised if you need more than one go at this!  But if you do, no harm mates, and the experience you get in boost-diving is handy, as is the XP!

Once you nail this you contact Alfred and order the Grapnel Boost -- a prototype Gadget -- so check the map to see where it has been delivered and go there now!

Obtaining the Grapnel Boost -- which allows you to fly through the city without ever touching down when you use it right -- unlocks the Advanced Training Sessions, so look at the map and find Advanced AR Training 1 and head there now!

--== Advanced Training AR ==--

If you have already tried these and are seething with anger, please grab a libation and try to relax before you read on.  Yes, the Advanced AR challenges are total rubbish.  You are not being trained here, you are not learning anything, they serve absolutely no purpose other than to drag out the game.  Other than XP you gain nothing from them.  They suck.  Yes, I know, you are frustrated.  Sorry mates.

There are a few ways you can look at this -- up to now the game has been a lot of fun but for whatever reason the people who created it felt it was necessary to put crap challenges like these into it.  When I say crap challenges the reasoning is that with these it is mostly luck and not skill that gets you through them.  Between the girders above, the fences below, and the armed thugs patrolling the area on some of these, the deck really is stacked against you.

No point in sugar-coating this really -- you have to decide if these are worth doing for you.  Obviously the first four were worth doing because they earned you the Grapnel Boost, but whether you do the remaining AR levels is purely a personal choice...  One thing I do want to point out to you though -- completing these does unlock an Achievement...  Anyway it is your call, if you decide to do them continue reading, otherwise head back to the main story part of the guide now.

Advanced Augmented Reality Training #1

Advanced Training Session #1 -- Power Glides

This (and those that follow) are very frustrating challenges for most players.  This one in particular is very badly executed so that half the time when you launch to do it you cannot even glide through the first marker!  This is one of those instances where you really need to just resign yourself to trying until you get lucky and succeed -- or simply walk away and not bother to do them at all.

Personally since they deliver nice chunks of XP I say do them!  Besides, what is a little frustration mixed in with all of the fun we have had so far?? 

Basically you need to glide through the first marker, then dive through the next ones and glide along the ground through the marker then the door and tunnel and through the next marker to nail this down.  The fact that you have to go through the door and tunnel is usually what messes most gamers up here, but if you apply yourself I will be shocked if you cannot nail this in half-a-dozen tries!

Where you will run into trouble with this one is in the fourth marker, because the suit naturally banks up at the end of a power dive -- so you have to force it not to do that in order to gain level flight here -- you accomplish that by power-diving and then pulling up at the last second but over-controlling by pushing yourself down to go into level-flight rather than allowing the suit to bank up, which is its natural behavior.

Watch the video carefully if this gives you trouble and you will see what I mean...

Advanced Augmented Reality Training #2

Advanced Training Session #2 -- Power Glide

Locate the marker on the map and head over to the west side of the city to activate it.  Sadly this is yet another variation of power glide training -- but this one is not as frustrating as the last one once you know where you are supposed to be going!

With this one after power-diving through the first marker you need to be sure that you break the dive BEFORE you reach the second marker or you will be too low and hit the fence inside the covered walkway.  Break it too high and you land on the girders above.  You really do need to hit this just right, but that is all a matter of luck not skill -- as is making the bank and continuing the run to the last marker without being shot or landing or hitting something.

This one is going to take you a LOT of tries -- sorry that is just the way it is -- but remember you only have to succeed once, you can fail as many times as it takes.

Advanced Augmented Reality Training #3

Advanced Training Session #3 -- Power Glide

For some odd reason they placed these on opposite side of the city -- which really if you think about it is pretty insulting of them, as they now only added luck-based "training" that isn't but then they added insult to injury by forcing you to travel in order to get to them.  Yeah, I cannot think of anything else that they might have done to stick it to us!

When you arrive at the marker on the crane you will notice that this is basically another variation of the same power-dive glide training.  But this time you have to get really close to the surface of the water prior to leveling out.  Honestly I think this one is easier than the first two but it is still a challenge!

The trick to this is not to fly it like it appears you should.  Honestly.  I have eight mates playing Arkham City and all of them had problems with this -- when I examined what they were doing they were all making the same mistake -- they were maintaining the power-dive all the way down to just above the water and then pulling up.  When I sent them the video of how I did it, every one was able to instantly understand what they were doing wrong and get it right in one or two tries, so if you are having trouble, use the video as a guide.

The easy way to do this is to power-dive about halfway and then release it and let the inertia carry you into level flight -- look at the video carefully and you will see exactly what I am talking about!  By taking this tactic you not only gain the speed you need by approach the second marker already in the process of establishing level flight -- so that your trip through the tunnel is very fast and eliminates pretty much everything that can go wrong with this one.

Advanced Augmented Reality Training #4

Advanced Training Session #4 -- Power Glide

After another trip across the city we arrive at Session 4.  Now remember when I said that the first one was more difficult than the others?  Yeah, should have kept my mouth shut because this one?  This one is bad.  Basically you have to power-dive and then glide and reverse direction -- a sort of twisted Immelmann turn but you do it vertically instead of horizontally.  Yeah, that is a tough one.

What makes this worse is there are thugs on the ground and, when you fail this -- and you will fail it a few times -- they attack, so it would be an idea to clear out the thugs BEFORE you attempt this.  Really, it will make life a lot easier.

The trick to this is to start turning while you are on your way down to the second marker -- the bitch to this is you can actually do a perfect run and then end up landing on the bloody light pole ten feet before the last marker and no way to prevent it. 

When that happens it really sucks, so to avoid that what you want to do is this: about halfway through the power-dive start to turn, and then as you finish the turn pull back on the joystick SLIGHTLY to initiate a climb that takes you JUST over the top of the light poles so that there is no risk of accidentally landing on one.  When you do this though you are going to have to force your self down in order to line up with the final marker, so be ready to do that.  The video pretty much shows you how in detail.

Once you hit the final marker you will complete the AR Training Side-Mission, scoring a big chunk of XP and a Level Up, and for all of the effort that you put into this you also unlock the Achievement "AR Knight" (25 GS)! 

You stuck with this instead of giving up, and I just want to say that I am both impressed and proud of you!  Well done!  Now pat yourself on the back and go grab the beverage of your choice to celebrate!  Perhaps some Batlemonade, or a Batcoke?  How about a Batbeer? 

Speaking of bats, did you know that scientists have discovered that a lot of the viruses that make humans really sick come from bats?  Yeah, they pass them on to other animals and then those animals pass them on to us.  Swine Flu, Bird Flu, maybe even SARS all come from bats...