Blitz Requirements
So what exactly are the requirements, for a blitz to count towards a WR?
Here's what Ian had to say in the topic for the William SuperFast blitz:
Getting to the target in a fashion unintended by the developers doesn't make it a glitch. I think the records for Garnier (entering the hospital before the cutscene formally ends), Abul (running behind the rear guard before he turns around), Robert (assassinating before the final battle) could all fall into this category.What would be a glitch? Something that cant be reproduced reliably. For example, one player reported that he saw Sibrand strolling through the streets of Acre as he was headed to the Acre port to start the cutscene for the assassination mission. He killed Sibrand in the streets, and the game counted it as the assassination. The likely explanation is that the game had spawned Sibrand in the wrong location, and Sibrand was just headed to the port for the cutscene, as it was his next waypoint.
Obviously, using a cheat engine is cheating, and doesnt count. That said, different people will have different tastes for what counts as "cheating." For example, I can see how some people would view your (Aurel's) Pazzi Conspirators blitzes as being a cheat because you moved the "start line" to the "finish line." This blitz on William is quite different... you simply positioned yourself strategically during the cutscene, which is a standard practice in designing blitzes.
But, looking at what constitutes as a record in the Fastest Assassinations Menu, it seems that the requirement is to not disturb the scene. Placing Altaïr somewhere else is okay, but you can't alter the scene, like Aurel did in his latest video and I did in the pre-exposed blitz on Majd.
In the first case, Aurel disturbed the scene because the guard he brought with him knocked him out of paralysis. In the second case, I disturbed the scene because I caused the guards to aggro on me, making them leave their posts.
What we could do is make another category for these types of blitzes, but then we'd need rules for different blitz designs. Does that sound like a good idea?
If the superfast blitzes were discovered sooner the rules might have been different. Just think about it: It's not permitted to kill or scare characters beforehand because it might give you an unfair advantage. But it's acceptable to be able to get where the target appears and immediately assassinate him/her. Your pre-exposed blitz might be questionable to some, PHI, but all the same it's impossible to stay anonymous for that since it requires detection (and anonymous blitzes are harder to pull off). The Al Mualim superfast blitz may also seem questionable, but right before that Altair is forced to fight off enemies anyway, and this is the only way to kill him while anonymous.
Are you saying that your blitz would be valid for WR because it's anonymous?
No, I was just saying it's the only way to be anonymous when killing Al Mualim. When I made the video I wasn't sure if it would count as a legal blitz, but since it's in the blitz section I guess Stabguy considers it legal. For the setup I kept an enemy alive, which is the opposite of what isn't permitted (killing an enemy beforehand). Perhaps IanXO4 can join this discussion, he could give us some good insight.
but since it's in the blitz section I guess Stabguy considers it legal
The pre-exposed blitz is in the video too. So the categories seem to be a bit looser.
For the setup I kept an enemy alive, which is the opposite of what isn't permitted (killing an enemy beforehand).
Yeah, that's true, but that doesn't mean it counts as legal. Because I kept enemies alive as well. I just disturbed the scene somewhat, like you did as well. I think the relevant difference is that you positioned yourself advantageously, while I positioned the characters advantageously. In any case, I hope Ian reads this and clear stuff up.
Perhaps IanXO4 can join this discussion
I sent Ian an email about this yesterday, alerting him to the topic. He will probably be here soon.
*gulp* Lets hope he's not too harsh on these techniques. Killing/scaring characters was not permitted probably because it makes it easier to kill the target faster while still anonymous. For example, killing all the guards on the docks beforehand will allow you to run straight to Sibrand undetected. But it also takes away the challenge. I guess positioning was allowed because it's done during the scene as a means to set up a path to the target.
The original set of blitz rules was just a set of artificial constraints to make for a fun challenge. What I had envisioned was various players trying different paths and strategies to minimize the time to the kill. I devised the rules in effort to make for a level playing field - so that people could participate in fun, not frustration.
Times have changed; numerous exploits can be used for superfast blitzes. These, too, are challenges, but they don't really fit the original intent of the blitzes. That said, I actively try to keep an open mind, and so I try to rationalize why superfast blitzes should be included. The superfast blitzes don't break any rules. They rely on game mechanics, not glitches. They exemplify deliberate and careful design, which are the elements of assassination design that I was trying to promote at the time.
So... are these valid blitzes? If people enjoy making the videos, discover new mechanics along the way, push boundaries, etc. , then why not? Superfast blitzes may not have been the original intent, but in many ways, they meet the spirit.
Also... I think the requirement not to kill any characters was too restrictive. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I put that rule in.
With that said, I'd like to propose an "original" category for blitzes. You know, the ones without exploits. Just because the exploited blitzes are in a whole other league in terms of speed, and I really liked some of the original blitzes.
If I were to make an "Eleven Man Blitz 3.0" video today, it would be about 11 seconds long!
You'd need at least a couple of seconds for Talal. 
In any case the blitz rules for AC1 should stay for AC1. You guys spent a lot of time trying to assassinate the targets in those conditions, and it would be unfair to remove them now. But the other games are different. For example the blitzes done on Carlo Grimaldi were done after killing all the guards in the place. This is probably because that's the only way for it to be anonymous.
With that said, I'd like to propose an "original" category for blitzes. You know, the ones without exploits. Just because the exploited blitzes are in a whole other league in terms of speed, and I really liked some of the original blitzes.
Hmmm. It may be too much to make another category for blitzes. But even so perhaps in the fastest assassinations menu there could be a symbol for specially designed blitzes.
If I were to make an "Eleven Man Blitz 3.0" video today, it would be about 11 seconds long!
Remember that one time in chat I asked you if you were ever going to make an Eleven Man Blitz 3.0 or if you would mind someone else making it? You said I could go right ahead, and that's what I hope to do once I get a good recording device. But with AC3 around the corner even that will have to wait. I even have a song picked out, so you can't make Eleven Man blitz 3.0, you just can't! 