Preface

Preface

Normally we do not use a Preface for a guide but in this case it is necessary because there are several issues that we need to cover BEFORE you start playing the game, and thus logically before you start reading the guide.  As you read on, you will quickly grasp why that is so.

If you played the game to which this one is the sequel you may have used the Unofficial SuperCheats Guide to Batman: Arkham Asylum here and, if so, you may have noticed that I also wrote that one too. 

In Asylum there were some issues with the game -- most notably the gamepad orientation correction instructions for using a gamepad with the PC version of the game, and the Save File Corruptions Issue.  Including the instructions for correcting the gamepad orientation was, of course, not simply a good idea but was even imperative because playing the game with the mouse and the keyboard -- while it is possible -- is not only not ideal but I will even go so far as to say it detracts from the game play experience and especially in the fighting, which is pretty much 98% of the game!  That is still true in the PC version of Arkham City -- so if you are playing the PC version, while the issue with the joystick direction orientation does not appear in Arkham City, I do want to encourage you to play it with a gamepad -- so please jump down to the Gamepad Play on PC Section of this WTG for more details now -- I will wait for you to read that...

Are you back?  Good -- if you never left because you are playing the console versions, good too -- either way let's continue reading this section!

So moving on, I am sad to say that the Save File Corruptions Issue that was so annoying in the previous game is also present in Arkham City, and that being the case it really is an issue that you need to concern yourself with, so we will now address it:

In Batman: Arkham Asylum there was an issue in which you could lose your save if you failed to "properly" end the game -- and when I say "properly" I mean quit out to the main loading screen before actually quitting the game.  This issue HAS returned in Arkham City and I am about to share with you the proper method for how to deal with it -- a set of steps that you need to get into the habit of performing to save yourself aggravation and heartache.

How to Properly End a Game Session

--== Avoiding Corruption of your Save Files ==--

In simple terms is this: When you are ready to end your current game session and stop playing you MUST complete the following steps in order to guarantee that your save does not get corrupted:

Step 1: Pause the Game;
Step 2: Quit the Game in order to return to the Main Game Start Menu!

I want to repeat this and then explain what is happening and why you need to do these steps -- Because you MUST complete these two steps BEFORE powering down, dropping to the Dashboard, or turning off the power to your system!  And yes, losing power while playing the game has a very real potential for corrupting your save file, which means that you may not want to play the game during storms, or you may want to invest in a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for your game console.  If you do decide to go that route, check out the UPS Section for helpful advice...

The game WILL properly save EVERY time IF you faithfully complete these two steps.  It MAY properly save if you do not complete them -- but there is a chance that it will not, so why take that risk and lose your progress?

So to recap, when you are ready to stop playing for the day and thus mean to end your current gaming session, you need to:

Step 1: Pause the Game;
Step 2: Quit the Game in order to return to the Main Game Start Menu!

--== The Source for the Corruption ==--

Contrary to popular belief, the source for the corruption of save files in Batman: Arkham City is not Poison Ivy's dirty socks, or Harley Quinn's hacking (Harley is voiced by Arleen Sorkin by the way, and while it is true she is getting on in years these days, speaking as an older gamer she is still something of a hottie!)

Why is this corruption happening?  That is the question that most gamers will ask when they confront their first corrupted save file and have to start over from the beginning, voicing the question: Why is this happening to me?  The answer is both simple and complex. 

First you need to understand how the game save system works in Arkham City. 

Basically your game save is really a small database of settings and switches, with the game keeping track of some of them "on-the-fly" as you play -- which has the result of the game keeping part of the save file open as you play -- while for other parts it simply saves and closes the file handler for that part.   So, for instance, the bits of the save system that keeps track of what zones you have visited so that it can populate the maps with symbols are among the information that it simply saves and then closes the file handle for.

The bits that it keeps the file handles open for might include the riddles, collection items, and the fog of war feature on the maps as just a few examples.  What it is keeping the file open for is not as important as the fact that it keeps the file open, because it is that aspect of the save system that is causing all of the trouble!

What happens when you abruptly drop to the dashboard, or much worse, simply power down the game, is that the game ends with part of the save file left open.  If you were really really REALLY lucky, the game was not writing to that file when you quit, so nothing was half-written and thus messed up, and when you load the game again, it starts up, properly closes the file, and then re-opens it to load because the save file was not corrupted.  In simple terms you dodged a bullet. 

In graphic terms you are playing Russian Roulette -- there is a bullet in the cylinder, and every time you quit the game without backing out to the start screen, you are spinning the cylinder, putting the gun to your head, and pulling the trigger.  The law of averages dictates that eventually you are going to pull the trigger on the bullet -- the save file will get corrupted -- and you will be an unhappy camper.

When you properly back out to the start screen for the game, the game actually closes the save file completely, and that is why you can safely quit the game at that point.  The reason that the game closes the save file completely is really a practical one -- it does that because you have the option of playing the game from a different save, and thus it NEEDS to close it so that you can select the one you want to use. 

So there you go -- you now know what it is doing, why it is doing it, and how to prevent it from doing it to you!

ADDENDUM -- VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS -- ADDENDUM

It turns out that in addition to needing to do the above before quitting, you also need to make ABSOLUTELY certain that you are NOT downloading ANY content when you start the game, because if you have a download going on -- regardless of whether it is for this game or any other or even is another game, when the download finishes the system will boot you out of the game just as if you had quit the wrong way, taking you to the download completed screen.

Obviously that has the effect of rolling the dice on your save, since you did not pause the game and quit to the main menu prior to terminating it. 

The simple fix for this is to not take any chances while playing Batman: Arkham City...  Make sure that you are not downloading anything -- go into the bloody download menu using the Guide Button and CHECK to be SURE that nothing is being downloaded like a game or DLC  file BEFORE you start playing the game. 

If and when you do want or need to download DLC for this game, do so BEFORE starting the game, and make sure that it has completed the download process BEFORE starting the game.  Are we clear on this?  No downloads!  Do that and she'll be right mates.  Fail to do that, and you will be mad as a bag of cut snakes when you lose all your progress and your save is corrupted.  I am just saying...