They can always go underground and resurface under a new name.
Nah, donāt want them to have a new name. Keep the name and let everyone think itās an urban legend that theyāre back.
I will say, one thing that I would be ok with is if the ICA comes back and goes more old school with some of their operations. The WoA had them as so big and modern that everything was digital. Communications were done with earpieces, button or lapel pin cameras followed the action, assignments and dossiers were downloaded to laptops and tablets, and all payment was direct wire transfers.
While I do like this, Iād appreciate the ICA mixing it up once in a while and going more low tech. More like what we saw in the first four games; pictures and video footage of targets was obtained by guys like Smith being onsite and obtaining them for the agency. While this was most often sent to 47ās laptop, heād sometimes receive his intel through a direct delivery, or finding it hidden in a public place somewhere, as seen in Blood Money. In H2:SA, heād have his money deposited as gold bars in a Swiss account. The one that really intrigued me is the trailer for Contracts, where heās preparing to go get the target, and he has an actual picture of him on hand, no long bio of info, and his money is actual cash in an envelope that he stuffs into his jacket.
Thatās all the kind of down-to-earth approach you see in other assassination organizations of fiction, like John Wick or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or old spy operations like the Connery and Moore era James Bond. I wouldnāt mind some more of that, where you get a picture and a little bit of info to go on, but thatās it. While learning everything one can know about their target might be useful if a related situation comes up, we donāt always need Diana to give the targetās entire history. Sometimes itās ok, even for a classy pro like 47, to just be given some schmuckās photo and an envelope of cash and go expose his internal organs to daylight.
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How are the guys who make the cool CGI briefings gonna get a job now?! (Yes, I know they donāt actually exist in-universe.)
I assumed the ICA modernizing was inevitable for an organization of their scale. I doubt theyād want a literal paper trail that can be traced back to one of their lesser agents. You are right about how cool the low-tech stuff is though. Perhaps an agency with a lower budget would have to resort to getting by that way. (Iād take the opportunity to bring up the story idea I had of multiple competing agencies emerging during 47ās year long disappearance, but thatās not relevant to the conversation.)
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Iād say thatās what ICA would have to come back as at first, especially if 47 and Diana rebuild it out of their Freelancer operation. Iām assuming ICA was around about as long as Providence; since the end of WWII, since the agency was originally part of MI5 and split off to become an independent for-profit murder business. It took them decades to become what they were by the time 47 joined them. If he and Diana remake the agency, itāll take time again, and so what I described would be their norm as they tried to climb their way back on top. The big facilities and teams of analysts, engineers and researchers like they had in Chongqing would take decades to bring about again.
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That brings me back to the biggest issue I have with this map in terms of story: Why the fuck does the ICA put all of their sensitive information in one location? Thatās the biggest Achillesā heel Iāve ever seen! Actual real life data centers have like ten times the amount of security! If weāre going to have a mission where we have to infiltrate the ICA of all things, make it a challenge!
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āInvisibility is the best security.ā
Your employees are literally outside talking about how they wear disguises to get to work.
āWho notices a chef on their way to work?ā
There are civilians across the street talking about how itās 3 am and thereās several chefs going to work.
You let someone get all the way inside the facility before you perform the ID analysis! Someone in the employee vetting area left their computer unlocked, making it vulnerable to hacking! The employee entrance, apartment, and laundromat all use the same password, and that password is written on a piece of paper left outside! Thereās no security camera inside the shipping container to make sure nobody randomly followed an employee in after they left the door open while entering! The director, who is supposed to be one of the most important people in the agency, has no security accompanying him and is wearing a badge for the secret assassination agency, and the tour guide is openly talking in public about taking him to the secret underground facility!
Iām going to ignore the fact that everyone doesnāt notice that he suddenly becomes bald though. That doesnāt undermine my suspension of disbelief whatsoever.
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Iāll tell you the truth, Iām not interested in the story at all, the story i just play one or two time.
what more important to me its how the location looks and Chongqing is super boring.
The location more important than the story!! The number of times i play the location its more than i play the storyline.
ET, Freelancer, Contracts,feature contracts
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At least the Chongqing Noodle Massacre bonus mission showed us itās possible to improve the map without making dramatic changes to the location.
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Most of these are set up to be convenient for the gameplay, especially something like slipping behind a person through the door - IRL we usually close the doors and donāt leave them open until they close on their own, but I totally understand what youāre talking about. The Partners missions were slightly underwhelming too, Diana talks about top-notch security on highest alert and Marcus walks around some empty hallways with a single ordinary guard? Some Elusive Targets had more protection LMAO
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Thats the inherent problem with making a new game each time. You have to build the difficulty up again
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The worst map ever seen all games.
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Now that is completely unfair, in my opinion. The map is very well made, itās attractive, and it has a lot of interactivity and levels. Thereās nothing wrong with the map itself. I get that some people want more people (not me, but some). The number of people is exactly what makes Mumbai so terrible. Chongqing is a breath of fresh air compared to that overcrowded mess.
I get that some people donāt like the way the ICA facility is stuffed underneath it but there is no functional difference between the ICA facility under the city and the virus lab under the mansion in Sapienza.
To say itās the worst map out of all of the Hitman games is disingenuous at best.
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I think its one of the most beautiful maps. But the content so boring.
What sad in this thing its Chongqing Noodle Kevin Rudd better 3 levels from the original mission.
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The number of people is exactly what makes Mumbai actually feel like weāre in the heart of India. Chongqingās lack of crowds is exactly why it does not feel like weāre in a mega city in China.
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Iāll clarify then given those statements:
If the number of people in Mumbai is what makes it feel like weāre in the heart of India, the absolute last place on Earth I would want to be is the heart of India.
If the lack of crowds in Chongqing is why it doesnāt feel like weāre in a mega city in China, I will happily book a plane ticket to fake Chongqing and stay well clear of actual Chinese mega cities.
Edit: If any one is keeping score here, I officially hate crowds and suits.
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The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions must be a nightmare for you.
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Not so much. Movies donāt give me anxiety as Iām not actually there. Video games are far more immersive than a movie or tv show is.
Now concertsā¦ I HATE those.
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This Chongqing people argument gets ridiculous tbh, as if adding a couple dozens of fake NPCs on the streets would make a tremendous difference, and the level will become from a terrible map to the absolute best.
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ā¦ youāre weird. And thatās coming from me.
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Itās not about whether it would impact how you play the level; I expect a Chinese city to feel like a Chinese city. There are more than a billion people in that country, and I would expect it to feel more like Mumbai, Miami, and Marrakesh than Colorado, Whittleton Creek or Haven.
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