[Speedymanic]

NickIO over on the Hitman answered a few questions,

Would you say that the changes being made to the game are additions to the franchise, rather than replacements? Obviously changes to the game engine will benefit this title and any future titles, so you will see the dramatic improvements to the AI and the graphics in later games. Beyond this though its too early to say what ideas from Hitman Absolution will carry over into later Hitman games. I’m sure we’ll want to listen to the comments from the fans when Absolution ships and we’ll monitor what gameplay features people are enjoying and respond from there... Will there be rewards for players that play stealthy and achieve Silent Assassin? Yes. Stealth is still the primary way to play Hitman. Will we be able to manually save our game at any point, like in all Hitman games so far? That remains to be seen but currently, no. It could change, however, depending on how play testing goes. Could Glacier 2 handle the same amount of same sized levels as Hitman 2: Silent Assassin? Glacier 2 is far superior to G1 so it can do everything the old engine could and more on top! Is there variety to these safe spots? I don't want to see donut boxes in every table in the game, like in Blood Money there were those body-sized boxes conviniently placed everywhere. We’re obviously going to create safe spots that make sense to each environment where safe spots would be good to have. You will not see doughnuts all over the place. They will likely be fairly obvious but not I’ve not seen anything glowing. As with most of the gameplay, you should take your time to poke around the environment to identify these places. Can we recharge the Insinct energy doing REAL Hitman stuff; not by silently killing innocents, but by sneaking around, knocking someone unconscious and taking their clothes? We will have lots more details on what Instincts is and does later on. But, basically, the idea is that you gain instinct by being a hitman, not by acting like a gun nut. Will there be more dialogue in the game than previous titles? There will be more talking this time around, yes. Why did you decide to remove the newspaper feature? will anything replace it? That’s very much up in the air right now. We’ll see what works best. Overall, as the creators of the Hitman series from the very beginning, are you happy with this game so far? (laffo) Yes. The team is doing everything it can to make the absolutely best Hitman game ever, and I personally think they’re succeeding. It plays incredibly well already. For those of us that don't want to bother with 'Instinct' will we be getting the traditional satellite map to navigate around the missions? No. You will have to rely on the mini map and your own judgement. How does "instinct" work? Is it a power that is limited in some regard, or lessened depending on difficulty? We’ll get into loads more details on instincts later on, but for now, suffice to say it’s not something you can use all the time (especially on harder difficulties). Since this is a more "personal" story, will 47 be getting paid for his contracts and buying upgrades like Blood Money, or is it a collection only system like that seen in Contracts and SA? You will have to wait a little while longer for details on the story. Do you guys have any ideas for a pre-order pack? Yes. And special editions. I’m not aware of what the end products are going to look like but I know that the guys are looking to craft some sweet stuff for the collectors out there. What made you guys pick Chicago as the location? Not that I'm complaining, just the thing I'm most curious about. It seemed to fit well with what we wanted that part of the game to show. We’ll get into loads more details on the locations later on. Will there be any daytime missions ? all the artwork and screenshots posted are at night while its raining. Yes, there will. Will you guys be at gamescom 2011? We are looking into it at the moment. I’m not sure we’ll make it but it hasn’t been ruled out yet. The checkpoint system. Are the checkpoints just going to be used to tie in larger areas together? Say, if you were to remake some H2:SA missions with this forumula, Hidden Valley, At the Gates and Shogun Showdown could be just one larger level in which the old three levels were just areas separated by checkpoints. Something like that. Yeah, something like that. We’ll talk about it more later on (holy mama, I get to say that a lot today). Will it, theoretically, be possible to beat the game without ever firing a gun? Well, honestly, the game isn’t done yet so I don’t really know. I know that the ambition is that you should be able to get through all levels without taking out anyone but your intended target. Can we expect to see the entire E3 demo at some point in the future? Possibly. We’re looking into how to best show this to the world. For pistols with sound suppressors, will there be two variants of the gun (a sound suppressed and non-suppressed version like previous games), or will 47 be able to pull out a sound suppressor and thread it onto the barrel? Right now, he pulls out a suppressor. That is subject to change, though. Are bullet-wound decals still in the game? Overall, how much gore (which is always a good thing) can we expect? Yes and not that much. You shouldn’t make a mess if you’re a Hitman, you know ;) NPC's sound more individual and emotionally driven than before. If this is the case, is the following scenario possible: you silently cut some cop's throat and then leave the body. A friend of his comes along, finds the body, and gets more upset/worked up than other cops might get, and perhaps start swearing revenge, break down crying, etc? With the current AI system, yes, I’d say that was possible. Any female assassination targets? Yes. Any hard, ultra-hard, insanely hard to get achievements/secrets/rewards planned? Oh yes. You don’t get to be a Silent Assassin by playing this casually. Any "new game+" or special collectibles (i.e. hidden packages in GTA, the cheese locations in every level in Perfect Dark even though they took out the reward at the release) added for fun replayability or longevity of the game? Well, we have the surveillance tapes and I know that the boys are looking at implementing other things but getting the core game experience perfect is top priority right now. In-game collectibles are more fluffy items. The gameplay and the levels should offer plenty of replayability for you all. There will still be the rating, but what about the statistics? still there too? We’re tracking a number of things so, yeah, I’m guessing that stats are also still shown. When will the e3 gameplay demo be released? If you mean, when can you try it, the answer is ‘never’. We are not going to release the E3 demo for the public. If we turn off the instinct mode, will we have a map (via older hitman games) to rely on to know where to go? No. Will there be easter eggs like the ghost in Contracts? There will be Easter eggs, yes.

I hadn't realised Hitman was a stealth game. O_o

[Interfectum]

Sounds awful.

[whalleywhat]

Is it really called Abomination? Hmm...

Absolution.

Ah. I'm dumb.

[Seda]

Is it really called Abomination? Hmm...

Absolution.

[WoodenLung]

Don't think it sounds awful, I enjoy splinter cell. It just doesn't sound like the hitman I want at all.

[jgminto]

Do you guys have any ideas for a pre-order pack? Yes. And special editions. I’m not aware of what the end products are going to look like but I know that the guys are looking to craft some sweet stuff for the collectors out there.

Ugh...

[Messi]

does not sound bad to me, great trolling thread title btw.

[web01]

Pretty much a damage control interview.
Game is gonna suck.

[scy]

Huh ... it sounds like what I expected out of a new Hitman. More stealth and a bigger focus on not-gunning everything down. Map changes are the only standout, really.

[Messi]

some people seem to just have it out for this game. we have yet to see any io released footage.

[Spat_triate]

NickIO over on the Hitman answered a few questions, I hadn't realised Hitman was a stealth game. O_o

Not in the traditional sense. They introduced stealth mechanics in the third game(?), but the core game always revolved around puzzle solving.

I really don't get why this sounds 'awful'. It just seems like they're expanding on what's already there (just like they did in BM). If you want to get a SILENT Assassin rating, guess what; you're going to have to be silent.

[Duffyside]

I predict people with this attitude will be eating their words in a few months...

Oh, wait, no I don't. I predict they will take credit for the game being awesome, saying the developers worked to make the changes they stomped and pouted about.

[The Dutch Slayer]

Will we be able to manually save our game at any point, like in all Hitman games so far? That remains to be seen but currently, no. It could change, however, depending on how play testing goes.

ow come on :|

[Eggman]

Where's that Splinter Cell Conviction boxart mocking this shit.

[jgminto]

Not in the traditional sense. They introduced stealth mechanics in the third game(?), but the core game always revolved around puzzle solving. I really don't get why this sounds 'awful'. It just seems like they're expanding on what's already there (just like they did in BM). If you want to get a SILENT Assassin rating, guess what; you're going to have to be silent.

Honestly, this is just a PR backlash interview. The fact that most of the topics are 'subject to change' allows him to say whatever he wants.

[theDeeDubs]

Sounds great to me. The changes all seem like improvements so far.

[ArjanN]

ow come on :|

The first hitman game didn't even have a save function.

[WoodenLung]

some people seem to just have it out for this game. we have yet to see any io released footage.

Ehm that footage from DR1 was straight from IO, they had interviews with the producers and stuff too.

[Deadly Cyclone]

SMH at thread title. Most journalists to see the game being played loved the look of it, so I think Gaf needs to take a breather before having a heart attack...

[GuardianE]

I'm confused. I figured that everything in the thread title is what GAF wanted out of a Hitman game. Why the troll, then?

[subversus]

I see nothing in his replies to justify the title of the thread.

[Interfectum]

SMH at thread title. Most journalists to see the game being played loved the look of it, so I think Gaf needs to take a breather before having a heart attack...

Most journalists are easily swayed by pretty graphics. Their opinion means shit, honestly.

[Goldrusher]

Ah. I'm dumb.

Don't quote the future. Very annoying.

[Corky]

SMH at thread title. Most journalists to see the game being played loved the look of it, so I think Gaf needs to take a breather before having a heart attack...

Most journalists will give MW3 9+ regardless of content.

[Deadly Cyclone]

Most journalists are easily swayed by pretty graphics. Their opinion means shit, honestly.

So obviously we should never trust anyone that has seen the game and have mini panic attacks at the mere thought of Hitman turning into Splinter Cell: Conviction with very small amounts of proof...right?

[sixteen-bit]

Most journalists will give MW3 9+ regardless of content.

This is true

[Interfectum]

So obviously we should never trust anyone that has seen the game and have mini panic attacks at the mere thought of Hitman turning into Splinter Cell: Conviction with very small amounts of proof...right?

Small amounts of proof... meaning virtually everything the developers have said so far? If it's nothing like Conviction then why are they hellbent on making us think it is?

From GI:

The demo showed all manner of gruesome ends for an entire squad of guards, including death by garrote wire, pulling foes off of ledges, chokes, breaking necks with a baton, and using Instinct to orchestrate Red Dead Redemption-type shootouts where you tag multiple targets before you take them down.

Mark and execute much?

[X26]

what, is chicago the only place the game takes place? one of the best parts of hitman is the various locales

[subversus]

Mark and execute much?

disgusting

[Spat_triate]

This is true

We also had a GAF mod (i believe) who vouched for it after seeing it at E3.

[Messi]

what, is chicago the only place the game takes place? one of the best parts of hitman is the various locales

its only one of the locations, all locations are in america this time tho..

[Derrick01]

SMH at thread title. Most journalists to see the game being played loved the look of it, so I think Gaf needs to take a breather before having a heart attack...

Most journalists don't know shit about these types of games and what makes them good, and they constantly complain about complex games that make you think.

<-- is another example of how shitty these journalists are. Some of the Witcher 2 reviews are good examples as well.

[jgminto]

From GI: The demo showed all manner of gruesome ends for an entire squad of guards, including death by garrote wire, pulling foes off of ledges, chokes, breaking necks with a baton, and using Instinct to orchestrate Red Dead Redemption-type shootouts where you tag multiple targets before you take them down. Mark and execute much?

RDR actually slows down the game as well, so worded like that it's much worse than mark and execute.

[derFeef]

For those of us that don't want to bother with 'Instinct' will we be getting the traditional satellite map to navigate around the missions? No. You will have to rely on the mini map and your own judgement.

Good.

[UrbanRats]

It's not so much the interviews, it's that K6L 1/2 sucked major balls.
Anyway, i think it might be a fun game regardless, the way Conviction was, not a good hitman game though.
But ofcourse, we'll see.

[X26]

its only one of the locations, all locations are in america this time tho..

that's not too bad then, blood money was pretty much entirely U.S I think and there was plenty of variety

[Koopakiller]

what a bunch of fucking stupid questions, should've asked if fiber wire and sedatives were still in, whether there will be any fun colorful locales or if it will be completely 'dark' like in contracts (daytime doesn't tell you shit)

[Ahoi-Brause]

5hitman: Conviction

Reposting some images from the old threads
[IMG]http://i54.************/3u17a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i55.************/149rzpj.jpg[/IMG]

[Deadly Cyclone]

5hitman: Conviction

*Sigh*

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

The only thing that bothers me about the interview is the lack of manual saves and the checkpoints. The map was a huge cheat in the earlier games, although I don't remember if it was there on harder difficulties. We need to see more of the game to be sure, but it sounds like getting Silent Assassin still means killing your target, no collateral damage, no witnesses etc.

Although this opinion is going to be controversial, I like the idea of disguises being "interactive", I think it'll add a bit of challenge to maintaining disguises. The early games made disguises stupidly easy for enemies to see through, but in Blood Money you had way too much freedom if you got your hands on a good disguise.

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

The interview sounds fine. Was kind of hoping they'd answer the questions about Bateson, but of course not.

I'm still optimistic.

[ultron87]

Not having a map screen anymore qualifies the game for "abomination" status? Yeesh, lighten up.

[Ahoi-Brause]

Not having a map screen anymore qualifies the game for "abomination" status? Yeesh, lighten up.

Yeah, it's clearly only the missing map that's wrong with this game.
Nothing to see here folks! Go home and preorder!

[Speedymanic]

Good.

Why is that good? It very heavily implies that levels will be very linear with very little, if any opportunity to play as you want like you could in Blood Money.

It's also at odds with what the developers said earlier, that they want to remove/tone done trial and error gameplay.

[Deadly Cyclone]

Yeah, it's clearly only the missing map that's wrong with this game. Nothing to see here folks! Go home and preorder!

[ultron87]

Why is that good? It very heavily implies that levels will be very linear with very little, if any opportunity to play as you want like you could in Blood Money. It's also at odds with what the developers said earlier, that they want to remove/tone done trial and error gameplay.

Having no satellite map does not imply that in any way. It implies that their "instinct" system is designed to point you to various opportunities without requiring you to pop into a satellite screen.

You can turn it off, but they won't support other methods.

Edit: Replaced "mini-map" with "satellite" because that is what I actually meant.

[Feature]

sounds awesome in my opinion.

[bjaelke]

That all sounds very good. Don't get the hate here on Gaf...

Why is that good? It very heavily implies that levels will be very linear with very little, if any opportunity to play as you want like you could in Blood Money. It's also at odds with what the developers said earlier, that they want to remove/tone done trial and error gameplay.

Tore Blystad has shared a few level designs on Twitter and they're far from linear.

[Ahoi-Brause]

Having no mini map does not imply that in any way. It implies that their "instinct" system is designed to point you to various opportunities without requiring you to pop into a mini-map screen. You can turn it off, but they won't support other methods.

Maybe you should re-read the thread.
There will be a minimap, just no satellite map like in the old games.

I sometimes wonder if some people just say they like how this game sounds so far out of spite.

[ultron87]

Maybe you should re-read the thread. There will be a minimap, just no satellite map like in the old games.

Sorry, replace mini-map with satellite view in my post. That's what I meant.