I’m sure I’ve done a little writeup on this on one of the old forums at some point, but I haven’t here, so here goes.
One of the things that I find a bit annoying about the HITMAN games is the existance of Superflous Methods. Basically, an assassination method is superflous if it is (more or less) identical to another method, with (or without) extra steps.
A typical example of this can be found in the mission “Shadows in the Water” (Ambrose Island).
Here, one of the main assassination methods sees you freeing Agent Smith, and then electrifying some water (all necessary items are in the same room as Smith’s cell).
Both the carbattery and the valve to turn on the water are within the same room where you free Agent Smith. You don’t even need any extra tools.
Another kill method sees you free Agent Smith, and then waiting for Akka to find out. Her guards will leave her as she goes to her office, where you can get an up close kill (for instance with a fiber wire).
A fairly satisfying fiber wire kill, but it also feels superflous.
The problem is, this method, while cool, feels superflous. I feel borderline stupid for not just electrifying the puddle and being on my way.
One solution to this particular case could be to require a fuse in order to electrify the puddle, and placing the fuse at some other location. Another could be to require a wrench (though I think the one by the welder next to the bar might need to be moved) to get the water running, or maybe you have to do something with the watertank on the roof.
The point is: Add some extra step that requires you to go to another location, making the different kill methods feel more independent of eachother. This extra step doesn’t need to be hard or require you to go to the other side of the map. A slight detour is enough in my opinion.
A hope (or wish perhaps) of mine for HITMAN-missions going forward is that questions like these will be included in some kind of accepted workflow. It doesn’t seem like it requires a ton of extra work, just a bit of afterthought and analysis.