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First details on the next Hitman game (IO, PC/next-gen, open levels, no checkpoints)

Hindle

Banned
Also true. Fuck that was so disappointing after the demo chinatown level they had.

I thought Chinatown was just the beginning of their ambitions, not the apex of it...

It's probably one of the most stupidest design decisions of last gen. Hitman could have been huge if they kept to the BM template, instead they followed the standard AAA model and killed any momentum the franchise had.
 

Kabouter

Member
No more checkpoints? Good.

Now get rid of the Absolution disguise and instinct system and we're in business.

Exactly this, the disguise system in Absolution was one of the worst parts about it, it was just a fundamentally wrong design choice to make.
 

Pooya

Member
adopted an open, non-linear level design approach to the game, ensuring the game will play out across huge, checkpoint-free, sandbox levels. Our aim is to create living, breathing and believable levels which will allow gamers to play around with the AI to create those unique moments every fan of the Hitman franchise loves.

I guess they had to make a failure of a game to realize they needed this, they couldn't just look at their previous game and its reception to find out what a huge downgrade their new game is...
 

eXistor

Member
Sounds like they took criticism of the last game to heart (for the record: I liked the game). That's a good thing. I thought the good by far outweighed the bad in Absolution, but that was my first Hitman game and I have no basis for comparison. I'm there regardless.
 
Z

ZombieFred

Unconfirmed Member
Awesome, awesome news. All they need is to tweak the disguise system to be a blend with Blood Money and then we're good. It would be nice to have Kyd back as well!
 

Stet

Banned
I'm tempering my excitement. I hated Absolution. I yelled at it a lot. I quit after the mineshaft level because it was so infuriatingly stupid on Purist. They said a lot of these things about that game too.
 

Sn4ke_911

If I ever post something in Japanese which I don't understand, please BAN me.
Sounds good but i remain sceptical after Absolution.

but this is a good start.

You will also be glad to hear that we have removed 47’s magic pockets. We believe that’s all we need to say about that subject.
 

Kabouter

Member
Sounds like they took criticism of the last game to heart (for the record: I liked the game). That's a good thing. I thought the good by far outweighed the bad in Absolution, but that was my first Hitman game and I have no basis for comparison. I'm there regardless.

While most Hitman games are a bit dated now, Blood Money still holds up, I'd recommend checking it out if you want to see what people think is missing/wrong.

Awesome, awesome news. All they need is to tweak the disguise system to be a blend with Blood Money and then we're good. It would be nice to have Kyd back as well!

Yeah, Kyd would be great to have back. Previous Hitman games had amazing soundtracks.
 
Please fix detection\disguise system from Absolution.



THIS. For something to be such an big part of the gameplay mechanics, the disguise system was awful. Detection was inconsistent, some disguises just wouldn't disguise you. However, I still enjoyed playing the game and thought it looked really good.
 
Sounds like they learned from their mistakes. I'm looking forward to a new Hitman in the vein of BM with Absolution's Contracts mode. If the disguise system hadn't felt so broken I would have logged a LOOOONG time in Contracts.
 
Oh, one more key thing: remove Instinct and the dumb disguise system made around it. It says a lot when your game plays more like previous Hitman games when a modder releases a trainer to change the parameters of the AI's response to you in costume and make it very close to the older games. It's absurd that you have to hide behind cover when you have a disguise when a man 15 feet from you can make you out..in a factory. Where everyone is a PMC. It's either that of holding your forehead...which somehow works? Dumb, dumb dumb.

Please IO. I want the greatness of Hitman, so bathe inspiration from Silent Assassin, Contracts, and Blood Money. You have a trilogy of games that got it right under your belt.

EDIT: The CG render on the page has the name "AirportRender_Absolute_Final". This might be a stretch, but could the game actually be called Hitman Absolute? It sounds way too similar to Absolution, so I hope not.

w9EawtZ.jpg


That render might also give away some potential locations.

From that angle, he kinda looks more like David Bateson than in Absolution. Hopefully they're keeping him on to do the mo-cap in addition to the voice this time.
 

ZeroAlpha

Banned
Enjoyed Absolution despite it not being as good as Blood Money, going back to a more open level design is already a great idea. Considering just how good Absolution looked i expect greatness.
Edit: Oh and please if you do checkpoints don't have all the AI routines start again.. that was so odd.
 

Fruitster

Member
No checkpoints, sandbox levels? Exactly what I was hoping to hear. Absolution got some things wrong imo, but the potential for a great Hitman title was there. The mechanics were very sound in Absolution, and the graphics and atmosphere were great. Just that wretched disquise system and it's linear approach let it down. The few sandbox levels in Absolution were easily it's best parts.

Maybe this new title will be the proper Blood Money follow up.
 
"We’ve adopted an open, non-linear level design approach to the game, ensuring the game will play out across huge, checkpoint-free, sandbox levels. "

Best line in the whole release! though "adopted" is more like "we went back to" :D
 

vpance

Member
I think console memory limitations kept them from achieving the kind of scope and level size they wanted to really have in the last game. There's no reason to expect that kind of cooridor design anymore, so I think its safe to have higher hopes this time around.
 

Nemesis_

Member
I really love the exotic locales in Hitman, it's part of the reason that I love the franchise so much - the team puts so much effort into each location and barely any assets are reused.

Hope they deliver on all their promises.

Fuck, I have to finish Absolution at some point too.
 

Moff

Member
This is excactly what I was hoping for, take the good from absoution, the graphics, the controls, contract mode and make a full sized blood money style game with it.
excellent.

I also have full trust in IO.
the have proven in absolution that they can still do it, it included some good levels. they just chose not to make all levels like that for several reasons.
If they say now they'll make more or even only contracts and blood money inspired levels I have no reason not to believe them.

oh and no magic pockets is a good thing

I would also have loved to see something new, like a second playable character, but since they seem to want to please the fans first, they might not be open for experiements.
 

ScOULaris

Member
That all sounds great, but they said the same shit about Abolution, which was a travesty. I'm not trusting a word that they say until this game ships and we see some impressions.
 

Terra_Ex

Member
So they're actually attempting to make an actual hitman game this time, that's good news. I'll believe it when I see it in action, contracts mode in a proper hitman game has a lot of potential though.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Actually no, i'm not glad to hear that. This new teams main objective seems to be making each new Hitman game less fun than the older entries. Broken stealth, weapon limits, what's next?

Hitman always had weapon limits. Actually, Absolution was the game that removed them. In previous Hitman games you had to put sniper rifles in suitcases and couldn't just put away bigger guns like shotguns and aussault rifles. In Absolution they just said 'fuck it' and allowed players to stuff anything in their pockets.
 

loganclaws

Plane Escape Torment
Absolution was so so so bad that a million announcements like these won't convince me IO. Will definitely wait for reviews and hope you won't:

- Use instinct mode
- Have linear levels with no assassinations
- Use splinter cell type sneaking behind cover
- Use the disguise system from Absolution
- Have QTEs, scripted set pieces and retarded cutscenes
- Try to make it an action game instead of an intelligent puzzle game
 

Famassu

Member
I don't understand some people. First, they whine and whine and whine and whine and whine about Absolution and all that they think is wrong with it. Then, when the developers actually listen to the gamers and are promising to try to improve on those aspects, the same people are all "lol, sorry, won't buy, this just reeks of desperation". I mean, do some of you people get off on the constant negativity in your lives or why is it so impossible to be at least (very) cautiously optimistic? Sure, the execution might still be lacking in the end, but at least they are trying to listen to even the worst negative nancies and improve things, which should be commendable instead of being met with constant hostility & negativity towards the devs.
 
Sounds really good so far. Seems like IO has learned from Absolution and realise the mistakes and missteps they have taken with it. Getting rid of checkpoints is the best decision in terms of game design in my opinion (especially if they decide to bring back manual saves).
Personally, I'm very pleased by the bigger variety of locations the player will travel to as Agent 47, as the US got a bigger focus with each installment of the franchise.

Contracts mode making a return is also nice, as it showed potential, but the small levels didn't give enough opportunitites for the players to let their imagination run wild.
 

Sn4ke_911

If I ever post something in Japanese which I don't understand, please BAN me.
removing magic pockets is good but the MUCH MUCH better news would have been if they got rid of the fucking instinct mode.

Worst mode in gaming history, Agent 47 seeing through walls and knowing where the enemy is going? GTFO... seriously who asked for this shit? This is one of the main reasons why i hated Absolution.

Edit: I know you don't have to use it but the game is design around this terrible thing.
 

FloatOn

Member
it's a shame derrick is banned. I always enjoy what he says in hitman threads.

Absolution was my first hitman game and I hated it. Mainly due to the extremely inconsistent AI. I really hope this one is better.
 

Moff

Member
it's a shame derrick is banned. I always enjoy what he says in hitman threads.

Absolution was my first hitman game and I hated it. Mainly due to the extremely inconsistent AI. I really hope this one is better.

try blood money, chances are low the new one will be better than that one


removing magic pockets is good but the MUCH MUCH better news would have been if they got rid of the fucking instinct mode.

Worst mode in gaming history, Agent 47 seeing through walls and knowing where the enemy is going? GTFO... seriously who asked for this shit? This is one of the main reasons why i hated Absolution.

Edit: I know you don't have to use it but the game is design around this terrible thing.

you always had the maps in hitman with enemy positions, instinct had the same effect gameplaywise.
but I definitely prefered the maps, I hope they will come back. thats actually my biggest wish that wasnt already announced, even before the disguise system.
 

Dremark

Banned
I didn't think Absolution was a terrible game, but I don't feel that it lived up to the earlier titles either. It sounds like they are going to make a game with a similar scope to Hitman 2's and hopefully better gameplay than Absolution had but keeping the contracts mode which was it's best new feature.

Perhaps I am being optimistic, but I am looking forward to seeing how it pans out.
 

CloudWolf

Member
you always had the maps in hitman with enemy positions, instinct had the same effect gameplaywise.
But those kinda made sense, wouldn't a good hitman figure out where his targets are and mark them in some way? The Instinct magic stuff was just... odd.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Let's not lose sight of the truth here. Instinct wasn't the real problem with Absolution. The broken disguise system was. They ruined the defining trait of Hitman's stealth gameplay!

2-3 disguises per level (and some had only 1), and if someone else in the same outfit saw you from across the map you'd be busted. Total bullshit.
 

Kitty

Banned
Oh, one more key thing: remove Instinct and the dumb disguise system made around it. It says a lot when your game plays more like previous Hitman games when a modder releases a trainer to change the parameters of the AI's response to you in costume and make it very close to the older games. It's absurd that you have to hide behind cover when you have a disguise when a man 15 feet from you can make you out..in a factory. Where everyone is a PMC. It's either that of holding your forehead...which somehow works? Dumb, dumb dumb.

Please IO. I want the greatness of Hitman, so bathe inspiration from Silent Assassin, Contracts, and Blood Money. You have a trilogy of games that got it right under your belt.

EDIT: The CG render on the page has the name "AirportRender_Absolute_Final". This might be a stretch, but could the game actually be called Hitman Absolute? It sounds way too similar to Absolution, so I hope not.

w9EawtZ.jpg


That render might also give away some potential locations.

It goes under the name "Hitman: Profession".
 

Foffy

Banned
removing magic pockets is good but the MUCH MUCH better news would have been if they got rid of the fucking instinct mode.

Worst mode in gaming history, Agent 47 seeing through walls and knowing where the enemy is going? GTFO... seriously who asked for this shit? This is one of the main reasons why i hated Absolution.

Edit: I know you don't have to use it but the game is design around this terrible thing.

Like I said earlier, this is a trainer that addresses the need for Instinct in its entirety, primarily with AI detection range and the like. The catch, however, is you need to be playing the launch version of Absolution, as a late patch changed things that actually cause the trainer to crash the game. I have the game from Steam, so I assume this avenue is 100% out of my hands to use now, isn't it?
 
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