QUOTE(metaldevil @ Mar 29 2006, 01:57 AM)
I was going to reply to the other lockpicking thread that asks how to do it, but my answer grew so large that I thought it warranted its own topic. Besides, it'll be easier for people to learn how to do it properly in the first post instead of sifting through countless "woe is me" replies.
As far as I can tell, you can pick every lock in the game with only one lockpick. Granted, I have only one achievement in the game, but I've come across several pickable locks. I have over 60 lockpicks in my inventory. I've broken maybe three or four lockpicks (before I devised my method) and have picked about thirty to forty locks with one lockpick.
When you approach a lock that's "pickable," you'll see an icon of a lock and the difficulty of it (easy, average, hard). At this point, save your game. The leftmost tumblers spring slower than the ones to the right of them. Like grander said in the other thread, when the tumbler is at its topmost position, press A. If you're having trouble with the thumbstick, use the d-pad. I've yet to pick a lock requiring all five tumblers so my experience is currently limited to picking 4-tumbler locks. However, this post should give you enough information/strategy that, if you come across a 5-tumbler lock berfore I do, you'll be able to pick it without my advice.
With the No. 1 tumbler, you have an ample amount of time (nearly one full second) to engage the tumbler (press A) after springing it (press up on the d-pad).
With the No. 2 tumbler, it's about half a second.
With the No. 3 tumbler, it's about a quarter of a second.
With the No. 4 tumbler, it's a very quick amount of time. Think of it as the same amount of time it takes you to quickly type the number 45 on your keyboard.
Like I said before, I haven't reached a point where a 5-tumbler pickjob is required, but I imagine that it would be a nearly simultaneous button entry of up (d-pad is easier) and A. I'm guessing it would be about the speed of an eyeblink.
And now, metaldevil's method for lockpicking:
Like aforementioned, before you pick a lock, save your game. Make sure you have ample picks in your inventory. I suggest 15 to 20 lockpicks. Keep a good amount when starting out for practice. Once you get the hang of things, you'll only need one lockpick. The 1-tumbler and 2-tumbler locks shouldn't pose a problem. You should be able to breeze through them.
The 3-tumbler (average) lock is the first challenging lock. Its timing seems to be hugely different compared to the other two. I think grander is right about each tumbler not being the same speed if you spring it constantly without engaging it. However, I think the difference in time isn't as large as he says. If anyone here has been able to nail the 100-jump attack in Super Mario RPG, you'll understand what I mean by the difference in time is almost imperceptible, but there's still a little difference. Don't let that scare you. Most of the time, you can get away with using a common time frame in which to engage the tumblers. If your press of the A button is 1/10 of a second off, don't worry, it happens to me, too. I'll tell you how you can combat that later.
So, on a 3-tumbler lock, the best approach is, seemingly, the most difficult approach. To quickly get familiar with the timing, start with the rightmost tumbler first. It jumps fast, and you need to act fast to engage it. Work your way left as you decrease the speed in which you engage the tumblers. It seems difficult because you have to start off fast then decrease your speed. Unlike Geo Wars where you warm up pre-100k then gradually increase intensity to reach 1 million, starting on the fast tumblers gets you to "feel" the timing better than if you were to warm-up with the first two tumblers.
Use the same right-to-left method for 4- and 5-tumbler locks. Don't worry too much about the No. 1 and No. 2 tumblers after you're comfortable picking 3-tumbler locks. You'll be engaging the 5th and 4th tumblers so fast and with such accuracy, that you'll be able to engage those first two tumblers without looking. No kidding.
This is how to combat the off-timing and breaking of your lockpicks like I mentioned before:
If you pick a lock successfully, but you managed to accidentally break one or more lockpicks in the process, reload your save before you started lockpicking. Getting into this habit will force you to get better at it with one lockpick. Believe me, before you know it, you'll be picking 4-tumbler locks without having to save before picking it. It'll damn near be an instinctual reaction.
I'm still not far in the game. Hell, the only achievement I have is the first one (haven't logged onto Live in a few days). I've just been exploring the world and stealing as much as I can carry.
I hope this helps those of you who are having difficulty with lockpicking and want to learn how to overcome and master it.
Off-topic Oblivion gripe:
One thing Bethesda hugely screwed up on is the whole Fatigue fiasco. The game tells you that walking increases your Fatigue quickly and running increases it slowly. They should have used the word Stamina instead of Fatigue because if you (as a person not game character) start running, your fatigue increases quickly. You can tell they messed up with this because when your Fatigue bar (green bar) is low, you can't attack much with melée weapons. And if you take a potion or eat a food that increases your Fatigue, you can attack more with melée weapons. If your fatigue was actually low, your stamina would be high and you would be able to attack more with melée weapons. So, yeah, Bethesda were thinking backwards as far as Fatigue is concerned. It's one of those things that just gnaws at me. Back to lockpicking...
Or, you could just get a unbreakable lockpick, the skeleton key.
but whatever man, if you want to do it that way go for it...
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Topic: How To Pick Every Lock In The Game... (Read 117 times)