Disappearing bodies

[Tyrannosaur219]

So, just doing a no-kill/low-chaos run here and, well, I've been noticing that every now and again when I knock people out I'll turn my back and then when I look back they're gone.
I highly doubt that it's that one perk that makes bodies disintegrate upon death, seeing as how A) none of them are dead and B) I don't have that perk. The only other thoughts that I can think of is that they've glitched through the map or that this is a feature and the game was just getting rid of them for... some reason. My money's on the former.
In any case, I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue and if it's messing up my "no kill" thing because the guards are falling through the world and dying for whatever reason because of it.

[Valden21]

Where are you leaving them when you knock them out?

[Tyrannosaur219]

Some were just sprawled across the floor/ground, several others were sat up against walls.
If you're suggesting that someone came by and woke them up.. when I say "I turned my back and then look back" I mean that in the latest one, I had literally placed down a body and crossed the room to go and grab another, and when I turn around to go and place the second body near the first one, the first one was gone.

[rod66]

1) there is a limit on the dead/unconscious bodies that can be on a level, however this can be extended in the config file (as I understand it the limit was enabled due to memory issues).
2) HOWEVER you seem to have a glitchy form of this as usually bodies don't de-spawn when you turn around like you describe. you generally have to leave an area and then come back to notice it.
3) If the knocked out person was safe when they de-spawned this will not count against you, but verify at the end of the level.

[Tyrannosaur219]

Hmm, odd. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see, then. Going to assume “safe” just means “still alive” and not “stashed in a dumpster or similar location” a la that one Guard Captain from the High Overseer mission.
In any case, I do appreciate the help; and if anyone else has anything to add, then feel free to do so.

[Valden21]

Were any of them near ledges? Bodies near ledges will fall off, and this will kill them if they fall into water or if they were up high. It's a good idea in these kinds of runs to move them into a dumpster or behind a wall, where they'll be both hidden and safe.

[Tyrannosaur219]

No, except for one they were all stashed in dark corners or just on the floor. The one exception being in that one area of the High Overseer mission where two overseers are confronting another and his sister in an alley about the latter’s suspected witchcraft. One of the two is at the top of a flight of stairs - and upon sleep darting him from an above ledge and jumping down to choke out his partner, he slid down the stairs to the bottom where I and his partner were now stood - at which point I turned around to proceed with choking out his partner and the moment I’m done and turn back he’s gone. Sword was still on the ground, the grenade he had on him had rolled a ways away, but the body was gone.
Also, an update: Upon finishing the mission, stats showed no kills - so I guess this isn’t really an issue unless one of them disappears with an important key or some such item on them.

[Eternie]

I know if you attempt to slowly clear a map and take out one guard at a time and store the bodies in a safe place you cannot have 5 or more bodies stacked as there, as there's an achievement to do with shooting 5 at once. So as you bring the fifth body to a pile, a previous boby will disappear.

I had this happen in the last lighthouse mission area, where I attempted to slowly clear the starting area and place bodies so that they wouldn't be seen and new guards kept spawning and the old bodies disappeared till I moved past the narrow corridors and opened up the next sections.

For me that did make sense eventually.

[MadBone12]

Bodies disappearing when you are next to them is not a bug. You don't have to leave an area for this to happen. Or if it is a bug, it is a common one. I have had bodies disappear if I turn away for a few seconds, and when I look back, they are gone. This is normal behaviour as far as I can tell, although I will say that it is more common that they despawn when you walk away. I have found, however, that they don't disappear in the order that you knock them out. I have gone back to areas after ten minutes and found the bodies gone, but the bodies I placed an hour ago are still there. It seems a bit random to me. Either way, it doesn't seem to have an impact on gameplay.

[Tyrannosaur219]

I suppose it would have a minor impact on gameplay, as I doubt that guards would be able to wake up their unconscious comrades if said comrades have disappeared from existence, making things a bit easier.
Honestly, I’m just going to start assuming it’s the Outsider ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with me and move on

[MadBone12]

Originally posted by Tyrannosaur219:

I suppose it would have a minor impact on gameplay, as I doubt that guards would be able to wake up their unconscious comrades if said comrades have disappeared from existence, making things a bit easier.
Honestly, I’m just going to start assuming it’s the Outsider ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ with me and move on

I don't think they do wake up unconscious guards. I know that happens in Hitman and maybe MGS but in Dishonored, after the initial reaction and once they stop searching for you, the guards keep walking around their fallen comrades like they are not even there, which personally I find hilarious.

[Tyrannosaur219]

No, I’ve watched guards or overseers or whatever wake up their comrades if they find their unconscious bodies lying around. Made for a bit of trouble when I was trying to haul Campbell back up to the interrogation room for branding and it turned out the one or two overseers who are in that room adjacent to the meeting hall had left it and found some of their unconscious comrades, woke them back up, and set them back to patrolling.
Saw one of them (through a wall - Dark Vision) patrol through the archive room, find a body I had stashed in one of the aisles, and say “Hey, wake up” and he did.

[Queltis]

I had this happen in a Clean Hands run and the body that disappeared was considered a kill even though nothing could attack them (I dump all my unconscious people into dumpsters; it’s a habit from the original Hitman series).

Very frustrating when it happens, but at least if you recognise when it happens you can be mindful not to target that particular person.

[Doom Sayer]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=174895104