Welcome to Rapture*

Vita-chambers

1. Right outside the Bathysphere
2. First room after Electro Bolt
3. Right outside the Footlight Theater
4. In the lobby/trap between Medical and Neptune's Bounty

Normal Progression

The Bathysphere to Kashmir Restaurant

Leave the bathysphere, listen to Atlas' directions, watch the spider get chased off, pick up the wrench.

* "Move to higher ground" - let play
* "Smile for the camera" - let play
* "Draw her out" - let play
* "Smile for the camera" - let play (short)
* "Find a weapon" - radio skip with "Smile for the camera" (*slightly* 
  faster if you're quick, I think)

Stand between the debris and the wrench, then spin quickly once you pick up the 
wrench to save a half a second.

Kill the thuggish splicer, go up and get Electrobolt 1, watch the cut scenes.

You have to kill that first splicer; otherwise the debris blocks you from 
going up and getting Electrobolt 1.

TODO: Any tricky way to skip the cut scenes? :)

Zap the door, pass the plane wreckage, and battle the two thuggish splicers.

The first splicer is triggered when you descent the small staircase to the 
right and look back up into the hallway.  Then he respawns in the room opposite.
So, enter, back down the stairs to the right until he's triggered, and head 
back towards the other room.  Once he's dead, the 2nd one spawns at the door 
out.  It might be fastest just to zap and move around him (if you angle it 
right). (Side note: these dudes stay zapped for a VERY long time.)

cortez has another way to do this.

See flaming dude, use the elevator, listen to Atlas spin a tale about his family, see the momma splicer.

TODO: any way to use that neat jumping trick to skip the elevator ride here?

Ignore the flaming dude and the momma splicer - just grab the gun on the way 
by. Or skip the gun.

But have the wrench equipped going into the Footlight so you can knock the 
lock off that much faster.

Footlight Theater to Medical

Drop down to Footlight, watch the "cut scene".

360 only: 
* "Lower Weapon" - let play.
* "Little Sisters" - radio skip with any message as soon as you drop down the broken stair.
  The splicer will come out as soon as you begin playing the new message.
* Watch the splicer get pwned (waits for "Little Sisters")
* "Big Daddy" - let play
Note: Tremalkinger was unable to replicate this on the PC version. The map won't come up
once Atlas asks you to lower your weapon.

Make you way to the lobby between Medical and Neptune's, trigger the trap, fight the 5 splicers.

You must kill the splicers before Atlas will open the gate out of the trap.  This includes
one that spawns near the bathrooms and two waves of Leadheads and Thugs.  Immediately after
triggering the trap, run back toward the middle of the room and look into the far bathroom. 
You should reach it just in time to watch the splicer spawn.  Kill that one then just zap 
the two waves of splicers as they land in the water, standing as far under the balcony as 
possible where you can still see the water so the non-spawning splicers don't shoot you while
you wait.

Or - position yourself right at the base of the stairs, beyond the rail to the left as you 
get off them. If you position yourself just right, you can pick off the splicers as they
spawn, like cortez does.

Listen Atlas' speech, head to Medical.

You can skip Ryan's and Atlas's speeches by avoiding the trigger in that room.  The non-
trigger path is along the far wall as you enter (the one with the closed gate on it). 
The area of the floor between the gates is clear, so feel free to waltz right across the
room to the closed gate.  The tightest spot is the door frame of the closed gate, which
you must hug, or you'll hit the trigger.  Make the first step, and you're in. (It warrants
some practice.)You could also skip Atlas's "Andrew Ryan" with "Electro Bolt in Water",
but there's no point. Ryan's speech is unskippable and long.  Use the non-trigger path
instead.

Useful Death Warps

None. All the Vita-Chambers are placed "upstream" from where you want to go.

Note that you're invincible between getting Electrobolt 1 and the battle with the 2 thuggish splicers.

Notes

Atlas' message ANDREW RYAN, which controls the trigger to open the gate to the Medical Pavilion, does not get affected by the Radio Skip trick. (TODO: diary skip, tho?)

Cauldrath's notes on his first run: [1]