It is also in fact what already happened in H2. They gave us The Vector in H1 GOTY which very obviously was a test for the upciming Sniper Assassin Mode in H2.
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Well, I wish they’d put the bullet distraction into The Vector that they have in Sniper Assassin. More than one and they’re running. Irritating.
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I feel that the Vector was more of a callback to St. Petersburg Stakeout and it was (perhaps) a low amount of work to add another level to the campaign.
The concept for Sniper Assassin mode had pretty much been done already with the preorder bonus map for Absolution.
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The concept yes but probably some technical details still needed to be put into the current engine. I did not play the Abso preorder mission so I don’t know which elements were indeed new in The Vector, but I am sure there are some, also under the hood.
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Just had another idea:
There was a training shooting range with all those firearms. What if, hypothetically, you can compete with the AI competent there? “Who gets to shoot x trainees faster”?
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Like the shooting range challenge in Absolution. I like the idea.
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On the topic of experimentation:
IOI tested explosions causing fire, the spread of a fire storm and scripting of the NPC response to fire, in the Siberia sniper map of Hitman 2.
Sniper maps were a great way for IOI to test new ideas – because the only trigger for change from NPC clockwork behavior, and scripting for the behavior change were gun shots, and consequences of gun shots at a distance (where all other triggering behaviors of Agent 47 that are present in a standard mission are completely absent).
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Fully agreed,
I expressed the same sentiment, I think in a leak thread, that the Hitman Live Team might have used the 7DS to prototype a few things.
And that I hoped maybe some of them could come back in a “choose a map and an open objective” mode akin to some of the 7DS, obviously without the narrative element and elevation of the 7DS
An other one I haven’t seen discussed here is the texture changes (floors, walls) in the Envy escalation in addition to the more usual props change.
We might see more of that, who knows
Continuing on this trend, looking at the work done in the Ascensionist Elusive Target. is some change in the level design.
I hope it’s something we will see more, like master mode was in H2016.
Especially if we have games modes more centred on using wholes maps and all the NPCs (like the contract mode currently, a new ghost mode or akin to the gluttony escalation with an “any five npcs of a certain type the choice is yours” objective).
If I may illustrate (it's a rather long so click to expand) :
This maintenance NPC in Dubai and next to the server room will always have his back turned on you
He was certainly placed this way for the How The Mighty Fall story mission as a free disguise for this floor. Because this particular story mission is automatically given and admittedly a tutorial. It would then help you gain access to the server keycard in the nearby corridor, and you even have a nicely placed hammer to knock him out.
It’s genuinely great design.
He’s a small opportunity, during a moment in a run when you find yourself in a new access zone and need to find new advantages. He’s made to be a step in a larger plan, one you “stumble into”.
Now in the Ascensionist this same NPC gained a new routine. I don’t have footage.
But from what I could remember he went back and forth between the shelves and I think the closed. He could catch you and made this room less safe to enter blind.
And many others had the same kind of change in the ET, or even new distraction opportunities (the guard in the corridor next to him walked next to the bathroom and could be attracted with the “sabtoage toilet” prompt).
It could just have been to had some difficulties in the mission, but I hope it could be accessed at least for contract making.
The NPCs were almost all potential better targets with some challenges and opportunities attached to them, where before they where naturally restricted to enter the design and flow of the overall main mission.
It made the map more alive for itself and it’s npcs, more contract and all area as a target one friendly. It’a direction that was a bit taken recently and the 7DS and I hope will be pursued.
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You raise some good points, I guess in a few months we’ll see what happens 
I’m looking forward to see what’s in store for us.
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Don’t know if this is the right place to post this. But I just stumbled upon this article about Fallingwater, a house by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Doesn’t it kind of look like the house in the woods in this trailer?
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with 2021 coming to an end 2022 year 2 will be arrive on 20th january looking forward to it
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Looking forward to it? I’m so fucking excited for new maps and storylines.
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same here wonder what modes we might get in january i know the et arcade and pc vr coming to looking forward to the new maps and new ways to play
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I wouldn’t be surprised, and hopefully it is this way, but a money system could work not for items because we earn those a way already, but maybe money earned to spend on the et arcade mode.
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My hope is an additional “classic” campaign mode, where we start with a little advance salary to prepare for Paris and then buy more items and weapons from the reward we get from that mission buy new weapons for each mission - like it was in Codename 47.
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If that does come to pass, I really hope for remixed levels then to make the game bit more difficult.
A currency system could work for ET arcade for select unlocks from that system, though what new items could they add what aren’t reskins?
Though waiting for news now, reckon be next week or week after gonna get a trailer and details?
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hopefully they add the trinty pack for the people who didn’t get it the first time sorry if i spelled it wrong
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I would love to see the subject 47 the pumpkin suit the solstice suit the unreleased outfit
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Ammunition isn’t free either! Especially in 2020 and 2021. Having to buy ammo was such realism builder in C47
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Also you could look at all the Items and Weapons in that menu, freely moving them around etc. So much better than the still images we got nowadays.
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