Hi,
I recently finally started playing Assassin's Creed, but I'm either really bad at it, or I'm doing something wrong.
You know how to pickpocket, right? Well, apparently I don't-- the tutorial bit where you have to pickpocket the merchant took me almost 30min to complete, and I never understood why. I slowly get behind the dude and he doesn't notice I'm there, but AS SOON as I press the pickpocket button the guy immediately turns around, pushes me away and calls the guards. Finally, after those nearly 30min and a lot of despair, it finally worked, but I didn't notice me doing anything any different from before.
Anyway, I was just kinda relieved that was over and hoped there wouldn't be much more pickpocketing throughout the game; but of course I was wrong. In Damascus (first city you go to after the first memory block) I've to pickpocket a guard-- and a guard that's up against a wall. Now, no matter how slowly I get close to him (even using the "blend" feature), the guy is always facing AND looking at me. I can't do it no matter what, so yeah... I think I'm doing something wrong.
 
Is there anything I should be doing that I'm not?
Help? :)

As for some additional info, I'm playing the PC version, but I keep getting the same (lack of) result with both the keyboard and the controller... :(
 
Thanks in advance, guys!

Hi,
I recently finally started playing Assassin's Creed, but I'm either really bad at it, or I'm doing something wrong.
You know how to pickpocket, right? Well, apparently I don't-- the tutorial bit where you have to pickpocket the merchant took me almost 30min to complete, and I never understood why. I slowly get behind the dude and he doesn't notice I'm there, but AS SOON as I press the pickpocket button the guy immediately turns around, pushes me away and calls the guards. Finally, after those nearly 30min and a lot of despair, it finally worked, but I didn't notice me doing anything any different from before.
Anyway, I was just kinda relieved that was over and hoped there wouldn't be much more pickpocketing throughout the game; but of course I was wrong. In Damascus (first city you go to after the first memory block) I've to pickpocket a guard-- and a guard that's up against a wall. Now, no matter how slowly I get close to him (even using the "blend" feature), the guy is always facing AND looking at me. I can't do it no matter what, so yeah... I think I'm doing something wrong.
 
Is there anything I should be doing that I'm not?
Help? :)

As for some additional info, I'm playing the PC version, but I keep getting the same (lack of) result with both the keyboard and the controller... :(
 
Thanks in advance, guys!

You may want to distract the guard, somehow. Maybe kill a civilian, lead him away, and then lose him in a bale of hay? Then, when he's leaving, pickpocket his ass and repeat the sequence.

" You may want to distract the guard, somehow. Maybe kill a civilian, lead him away, and then lose him in a bale of hay? Then, when he's leaving, pickpocket his ass and repeat the sequence. "

Watch a YouTube video or something. It would be a shame if you gave up due to such a dumb little mechanic. 
 
Did you already figure it out?

" Watch a YouTube video or something. It would be a shame if you gave up due to such a dumb little mechanic.  Did you already figure it out? "

This is weird, most pickpockets I could beat by holding in the pick pocket button and charging at them.

Maybe this is an early mission that you have to do, but just fyi, you can totally just not do anymore pickpocket missions. I think you only need to do two of the side missions per city to advance.

" I never had any problem with pick poketing  so I can't help you there but for the rest of the especially the end My advice is master countering not practice but master. Do that and the game is a cake walk but mastering it is essential because the end sequence you fight 100 guys pretty much all of them hand to hand. Also using the one shot daggers works well when you are in a pinch. "

I don't remember having any problems with that, like awesomeusername said, as soon as you pick pocket  just turn around and walk away, don't run.