@RedFox wrote:
We'll start with the basics.. Firstly, Hitman should be a SANDBOX.
This means lots of possible outcomes to each level.. a sense of freedom.
The player should be given time to carry out their main objectives, they should be encouraged to explore the map without being made to... and there should always be corny, inventive and downright cold methods of taking out the target.However, these various assassination methods should never be obviously pointed out to the player. As soon as this happens... it is no longer a sandbox; it essentially becomes a tutorial level.
COMPLEX LEVEL DESIGN
Many of the fan favourite levels from previous games are almost labyrinthian by design, it should confuse players at first glance.. there should be enclosed spaces.. areas which are harder to access, areas which you may never need to access. Heavily restricted areas with unique weapons/objects to be collected, and interesting encounters with NPCs.The player should never be required to explore the majority of the map to complete the level, this will not keep players coming back to that level (ahem, Absolution!)
There was always this feeling (in Hitman 2 and Contracts especially) that you could discover something more if you played again.
A House Of Cards, Beldingford Manor, St. Petersburg Stakeout.. all of these levels gave me this feeling of complete hopelessness when I started out. You had to slowly work your way around the map and peel back each layer, figure out where you could go under which disguise.. and carefully infiltrate until you found the room where the target was.
The player should almost always be required to think, in order to get that opportunity to complete the objective.
PERSONALITY
The game world and it's NPCs should always be interesting. The player needs to be entertained in other ways as they guide themselves through the missions.. and this does not mean throwing in a bunch of scripted dialogue sequences. That gets old fast (ahem, Absolution!)You can have these amusing dialogue sequences take place in all manner of different places on the map, not always the same spot. Maybe give the characters various dialogue sequences.. based on the player's actions, where they are and so on.. but not always the same dialogue in the same place for every playthrough, you know? Hitman needs to be messy and unpredictable, not scripted and linear.
Make certain problematic NPCs move around erratically.. give them a unique personality with their body language.. have them possess interesting items or costumes to tempt the player away from their objective. Make them unpredictable and memorable.
The player should always be left with a sense of longing to play the level again, opportunities they may have missed.. interesting items they could have found.. interactions they have missed, and various ways they could have improved their score.
However, you can put all of the things I mentioned in a Hitman game and still fail. It also needs to be satisfying and challenging.
..and it doesn't matter how much content you throw in there if it doesn't feel good in the players' hands.
It should be fun to simply walk around and make-believe as an innocent bystander, go and get a drink at the bar, perhaps talk to some people in the crowd..
Remember how good it felt to move 47 around when you booted up Blood Money?
..and never underestimate the intelligence of the Hitman fanbase.
Throw us curveballs, surprise us, break the fourth wall, keep us on our toes like that very first game did.
Good luck for the release of Hitman 6, IO Interactive! Keep working, keep listening to the fans.. and if you guys have the time to take the game from an 8/10 to a 10/10, DO IT! This episodic format is your chance to show the rest of the industry how critical fan feedback is.
So please do us proud, make a game for the gamers.. not the drones.
Bring Hitman back.
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