I agree there. BTW, I still think that the extra patrols were not well balanced on Paris. Those extra guards on the helipad were a pain only if you were planning to disguise as Helmut Kruger, while I usually avoid that area during a SO run. Also, I remember they added more guards on the attic, without forgetting the infamous guard inside the Dalia’s bathroom. I think in Pro mode was more difficult to eliminate Dalia rather than Victor, wich routes were almost not altered from the “easy” mode.
I didn’t care much for the old pro mode, but at least it was more interesting than the current difficulty levels, which are kind of pointless IMO.
Bangkok and Colorado SASO on Professional in 2016 
I enjoyed the changes in difficulty, and that there were some things you could only unlock by playing it, and I liked how it was unlocked after getting Mastery 20 on the stage (well, initially anyway), implying “Well, you think you’ve got the level down pat? Time to get good.” In 2 I never bothered playing Master unless I was getting the classic challenges or feeling extra bored, and in 3 I don’t even really notice much difference lol. Granted, I don’t think I ever played Professional in 2016 once I unlocked the challenges either, but I at least felt like trying it out.
Colorado definitely took me a gazillion tries, though the positive thing about it is once you get to the house you can make a save and it’s much smoother sailing from there.
Are you sure about that? I’m pretty sure that shooting someone on Master difficulty still renders the disguise ruined.
Yes. But remove the save limit (or increase it to 3 saves at least) as that limitation just detracts from the playing experience in my opinion. There are so incredibly many other clever and interesting ways to add difficulty as seem from the list below:
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Make NPCs scream if they see you with an illegal firearm, instead of only running towards a guard. They would scream loud enough to attract any guards close enough to realistically hear it. This would it more dangerous to be spotted even by civilians.
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Make Hitman 3 maps way harder on Master mode, similar to H2016 and H2. More cameras, more enforcers, different item placement (and move a lot of items into NPC pockets), more frisk points where it would make sense, etc.
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As others have suggested, split the maps’ camera networks into zones, each with their own central. Disabling surveillance in one place would only disable the cameras in that particular zone, and not the entire map.
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Make guards investigate destroyed cameras (I could swear they did this in Hitman 2016?)…
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Make more targets flee the map if spooked sufficiently (like Yuki Yamazaki does in Hokkaido), adding more mission failure threats.
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Make targets react if their bodyguards suddenly are gone (even if taken out silently). Make the target seek out another guard on the map and make them their new bodyguard. If no new bodyguards can be found, the target would go to a safe area, or perhaps stay in a public place.
- It’s funny how this recognition for lack of guards already exists as evidenced by how Dalia in Paris will point out that guards are missing if you take them out. Expand on this mechanic.
If it can be implemented right:
- Make more items suspcious again (suspcious, not illegal). If caught with a suspicious item, the guards would not arrest you as being arrested for having a pair of scissors is just silly. Instead of an arrest, they would just ask you to drop the illegal item, then preceed to pick it up and take it away. It’d be even better if they asked you to hand it over, then you could proceed to give it to them, and everyone would go about their business as usual after that.
- Don’t just bring back the mechanic from Hitman 2016. It would need to be made more realistic and believable.
- Not sure if this should disqualify you from Silent Assassin rating or not, but it probably should since you will have attracted attention to yourself.
Professional Mode was a mixed bag for me. A standout feature was the item restrictions, but it always felt they could have been based on some sort of real life logic. For example, guards should be suspicious of other guards carrying around custom guns they would never carry, but who cares if I pick up a wrench, hammer, or a letter opener? It’s nice that this sort logic exists for sniper rifles now, but I wish it had been expanded upon and tweaked for all items.
I like Master a lot as it is, the one save system, the unforgiving combat, the ruined disguises (this is such a great mechanic), I play on this mode all the time with the HUD disabled, and I feel like the experience is more challenging and rewarding this way. This, to me, is the way to play, though I can’t deny that I often miss the greater challenge from the older, pre-Glacier 2 days. I think item restrictions should still be a thing, but dialed back to feel more fluid and natural. I need to be able to say, “yeah, I get why that was a bad thing to do and I’m at fault” instead of feeling cheated because picking up a wrench shouldn’t appear suspicious to anyone. Maybe guard npcs should react and civilian npcs shouldn’t care? I don’t know.
It really disappoints me, as it did with the H2016 Professional difficulty, that Master difficulty is not available in the Hitman 2016 bonus missions and contracts mode. As a result, these modes and missions feel very disconnected from the rest of the game. It feels sloppy, and it makes it tough for me to become invested in Contracts mode anymore. Absolution, a game with some pros and many more cons, at least allowed you to make and play contracts on multiple difficulties. I’d like that feature to make a return.
A side thought: wouldn’t it be awesome if you could add your own complications to story/bonus missions in the planning menu before you play them? Say you want to play Apex Predator, but are looking for an extra challenge in the main mission, so you decide to turn on the No Pacifications complication and a 4 minute timer, choose your difficulty, and start playing.
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Random guard in the streets of a Sapienza/ Whittleton Creek/ Chongqing: “Sir, it’s highly illegal to openly carry a screwdriver/wrench/fire extinguisher in public unless you’re dressed as a plumber, technician or statue. I have to confiscate the item now.”
Sorry but that’s still silly.
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I agree with everything except the suspicious items. I hope IOI updates Master Mode a year later or just makes a new difficulty called ‘Purist’ or something.
I haven’t tried this mode yet as I always play ‘Professional’ mode. I might have to try Master difficulty and see what I think.
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Then limit it to non-civilian areas/private grounds. 
Which is basically everywhere except public streets.
Your example is almost only applicable on the streets of Sapienza (or Marrocco).
It would be perfectly reasonable for guards to confiscate such items in all of Hokkaido or on the Miami race event grounds for example.
Or Whittleton. Or Chongqing. Or Mumbai. Or Santa Fortuna. Or Haven.
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So Sapienza, Marrakesh, Miami’s park area, Santa Fortuna, Mumbai, Whittelton Creek, the area in front of the Disco and Chongqing. That’s still a lot of areas. We can probably included places like Bangkok and Haven too. Can’t imagine the staff telling their paying customers that they can’t have screwdrivers because reasons.
It would be perfectly reasonable for guards to confiscate such items in all of Hokkaido or on the Miami race event grounds for example.
Why would a screwdriver or a wrench be an illegal item?
And what disguises would be allowed to carry which item? Can only mechanics carry wrenches? Or security, too? What about medicis and waiters?
Feels like there would have to be a lot of different rules about whether or not an item would be illegal depending not only on the disguise but also the location within in the map.
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Whittleton is a high security area with what’s going on there. It could be justifiable to confiscate such items.
Haven is private property. I’m sure they would even have rules against keeping such items, just like Hokkaido. You would be suspicious in real life if you were running around with a sharp screwdriver in such a place as a civilian.
I’ll give you the other three, but then again, it’s easy to make the distinction of openly carrying those items on the streets vs. inside private property.
Idk, people say they want Hitman to be even harder and more realistic. Sure, this system would be complicated, but if implemented correctly, it would be realistic and make things harder (although not arbitrarily).
And I’d keep items like wrenches out of that system. Only sharp lethal objects and very suspicious items such as crowbars should be counted as suspicious.
Now you’re just moving the goalpost, pal.
Care to elaborate?
You seriously wouldn’t bat an eye if a random civillian was walking around a neighbourhood with a crowbar? That is like the most suspicious item ever and you would attract attention to yourself for sure.
Ultimately what I’m saying is that the old suspicious items mechanic from Hitman 2016 had its merits and was a good idea in principle. They should NOT bring it back as it was, but if they could implement it correctly and sensibly, it would be an awesome addition to the Master difficulty.
Silenced weapons should be suspicious too imo
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I wouldn’t care enough to have it taken away from them. Most people don’t give that much attention to other people’s business.
