What is the "Live" component of HITMAN?

[TravisIOI]

"HITMAN is a truly episodic game experience with a major live component."

Q: What exactly is the "live component"?
A: It covers many things. Get ready for a long read.

Elusive Targets

The Contracts that are available for a limited-time are what we call Elusive Targets. An Elusive Target is the closest thing to the Hitman fantasy that we've ever created. These targets will be custom-created characters that are added to existing locations and are only there for a limited time in real-time. You'll only have one chance to take them down. If they escape, they are gone for good. If you kill them, that's the way that you killed them. There are no do-overs and no second chances. When an Elusive Target leaves the game world (one way or another) they never return.

Each Elusive Target will have a custom briefing video, a backstory and a unique reason for being in that location. When you're actually playing in the location, the Elusive Target will not appear on the map and will not appear in Instinct. In order to find them, you'll need to use clues from the briefing video and a photograph that you will be able to review. You'll need to explore, find your target, learn their patterns and come up with a plan to eliminate them - all whilst playing. The pressure will be on when you've got the target in your sights. If you miss the shot and chaos breaks loose, you will need to have a plan B, because the save-game is disabled during an Elusive Target. If you kill the wrong person or die when trying to exfiltrate, that's it. Game over, the target escapes.

As the season unfolds, you’ll earn in-game rewards for completing multiple Elusive Target contracts. The rewards are signature suits from previous Hitman games and versions of those suits with gloves. There’s also a version of the signature suit from the new HITMAN with gloves.

We know that Elusive Targets are not going to be easy, they were designed that way.

Escalation Mode

Escalation Mode is something else completely new for HITMAN and was created as a way to regularly provide a fresh challenge to players. You'll need to master the location as well as the gameplay mechanics to complete a hit that will escalate in difficulty by adding new elements. As an example, the first stage could be to eliminate your target with a sabre. Then, the second stage could be to eliminate your target with a sabre whilst dressed as a waiter and removing any security camera recordings within two minutes. We are able to change where the security cameras are and also add additional ‘security’ measures to the locations, such as laser trip-wire explosives that you’ll need to avoid.

Escalation Mode has a strong focus on having fun with the game mechanics and mixing them up – pretty much anything goes in this mode. It’s more about being playful than realistic. For each Escalation Contract, there are five stages and you're free to replay them as you wish to climb the leaderboards. As with Elusive Targets, the save-game functions are disabled.

All Escalation contracts and Elusive Targets are created by IOI and will be released between the location releases as part of the live content.

Contracts Mode

On top of those new features, we also have Contracts Mode. You'll know this from Absolution. Play-to-create, mark your own targets, choose how to kill them and compete against your friends. IOI will also pick the best of the bunch and put them in the Featured Contracts list so you've got something fresh to play whenever you load up the game.

Live Challenges

Additionally, we have the ambition of adding community-inspired challenges into the game. As you'll have seen from the recent Beta period, the game is full of challenges you can complete to prove your mastery of a location. We are looking into creating new challenges that we can periodically add to the game. These challenges will be an homage to some of the more elaborate, amusing, difficult or creative feats that we see our players complete. As an example, one of the first ‘live challenges’ we are looking at creating is called “Hammer Time” and was inspired by a ‘2AngryGamers’ livestream[www.twitch.tv] of our PS4 Beta, where they used only a hammer to knock out almost every guard in the ‘Final Test’.

At this stage, Community-inspired challenges (or whatever we actually decide to name them) are just one of the ideas we are working on to keep the game fresh and live as we go through the season. These are not a guaranteed feature but something we’re testing and trying out.

All of those things are part of the live component of HITMAN. We'll be watching and listening to what you do in our game world and want to shape that world to what you've already done in it.

[dandywise]

This will be the best hitman of the series but.. I still think that some "pvp" mode would be good, it would help the game to increase it's value.

[moco]

this sounds f'n fantastic, I can't wait!

[Samurai]

It's a nice way of saying "always online".

Not saying the modes aren't worth it but unless it's working even if you lose connection it's exactly what it is and from what i read about the beta on ps4, i am on point.

[Krackers]

@Heisenberg the PvP mode is contracts pretty much. Although I would love if they implemented a mode where you have 2 hitmen both randomised look. both start in different areas of the map and both have to take out the same target which would work like the elusive target thing and then once the target is dead try to kill the dude who killed him before he escapes. Obviously no instinct mode.

[Mars]

Sounds cool.

Originally posted by John Titor:

It's a nice way of saying "always online".

Not saying the modes aren't worth it but unless it's working even if you lose connection it's exactly what it is and from what i read about the beta on ps4, i am on point.

They've already said before it's always online.

[dandywise]

Originally posted by Krackers:

@Heisenberg the PvP mode is contracts pretty much. Although I would love if they implemented a mode where you have 2 hitmen both randomised look. both start in different areas of the map and both have to take out the same target which would work like the elusive target thing and then once the target is dead try to kill the dude who killed him before he escapes. Obviously no instinct mode.

It would be awesome

[DisableBore]

All of this sounds like a challange.

Bring it

[Samurai]

Originally posted by Mad Mike Marsbergen:

Sounds cool.

Originally posted by John Titor:

It's a nice way of saying "always online".

Not saying the modes aren't worth it but unless it's working even if you lose connection it's exactly what it is and from what i read about the beta on ps4, i am on point.

They've already said before it's always online.

That somehow excuses it? Challenges shouldn't be at all. Absolution could do it without needing the connection but now somehows it's needed.

I get elusive targets and contracts being online modes but that's it. So once the servers have issues (they will) you can't do any challenges for the time.

[Mars]

Not excusing it. Once again you put words into mouths. You said "It's a nice way of saying 'always online,'" as if they haven't explicitly stated before that the game is, yes, always online. My post was clarification that the game being always online is old, well-documented news.

[Chaos]

How about adding some Hitman killers like those what we see in Blood Money where was one wrong move and you're dead. Challenge accepted.pic

[Samurai]

Originally posted by Mad Mike Marsbergen:

Not excusing it. Once again you put words into mouths. You said "It's a nice way of saying 'always online,'" as if they haven't explicitly stated before that the game is, yes, always online. My post was clarification that the game being always online is old, well-documented news.

For the online modes yes but not for challenges which i mentioned in what i wrote. If you don't mind, show me the well documented information on that particular part of the game being gated behind always online.

This thread of course doesn't count because you said it has been known for a while and is old news.

I mention it again, i am talking about "challenges".

I also never put words in your mouth before, i assumed that's what your comment is, an excuse.

It doesn't even matter if they said it before in that context, always online is always crap so besides posting a pointless comment and now trying to attack from the sidelines what's your beef exactly?

Did i ask if they mentioned that before? No, i didn't. You assumed i didn't know so i guess you're also putting words in my mouth. Funny how that works, huh?

[t0a0]

Originally posted by John Titor:

Originally posted by Mad Mike Marsbergen:

Not excusing it. Once again you put words into mouths. You said "It's a nice way of saying 'always online,'" as if they haven't explicitly stated before that the game is, yes, always online. My post was clarification that the game being always online is old, well-documented news.

For the online modes yes but not for challenges which i mentioned in what i wrote. If you don't mind, show me the well documented information on that particular part of the game being gated behind always online.

This thread of course doesn't count because you said it has been known for a while and is old news.

I mention it again, i am talking about "challenges".

I also never put words in your mouth before, i assumed that's what your comment is, an excuse.

It doesn't even matter if they said it before in that context, always online is always crap so besides posting a pointless comment and now trying to attack from the sidelines what's your beef exactly?

Did i ask if they mentioned that before? No, i didn't. You assumed i didn't know so i guess you're also putting words in my mouth. Funny how that works, huh?

shut up imbecile, always online is good in any game. Judging by the way you express your thoughts as well as by your profile picture i proudly conclude that u are a miserable lonely kid with unfulfilled expectations and lack of friends of any kind and your father probably beats you every day

[BOT Cecil]

Originally posted by the0neAnd0nly:

Originally posted by John Titor:

For the online modes yes but not for challenges which i mentioned in what i wrote. If you don't mind, show me the well documented information on that particular part of the game being gated behind always online.

This thread of course doesn't count because you said it has been known for a while and is old news.

I mention it again, i am talking about "challenges".

I also never put words in your mouth before, i assumed that's what your comment is, an excuse.

It doesn't even matter if they said it before in that context, always online is always crap so besides posting a pointless comment and now trying to attack from the sidelines what's your beef exactly?

Did i ask if they mentioned that before? No, i didn't. You assumed i didn't know so i guess you're also putting words in my mouth. Funny how that works, huh?

shut up imbecile, always online is good in any game. Judging by the way you express your thoughts as well as by your profile picture i proudly conclude that u are a miserable lonely kid with unfulfilled expectations and lack of friends of any kind and your father probably beats you every day

Judging by the beta, the game will probably be playable offline as well. You just don't get access to the challenges and probably contracts. You can still kill people in creative ways :)

[Samurai]

Originally posted by the0neAnd0nly:

Originally posted by John Titor:

For the online modes yes but not for challenges which i mentioned in what i wrote. If you don't mind, show me the well documented information on that particular part of the game being gated behind always online.

This thread of course doesn't count because you said it has been known for a while and is old news.

I mention it again, i am talking about "challenges".

I also never put words in your mouth before, i assumed that's what your comment is, an excuse.

It doesn't even matter if they said it before in that context, always online is always crap so besides posting a pointless comment and now trying to attack from the sidelines what's your beef exactly?

Did i ask if they mentioned that before? No, i didn't. You assumed i didn't know so i guess you're also putting words in my mouth. Funny how that works, huh?

shut up imbecile, always online is good in any game. Judging by the way you express your thoughts as well as by your profile picture i proudly conclude that u are a miserable lonely kid with unfulfilled expectations and lack of friends of any kind and your father probably beats you every day

You say always online is good in any game and i am the imbecile here? lol

The pure outrage without so much as any sense of coherence in what you wrote is just plain...well, stupid. <3

"Judging by the way you express yourself". Should take a look at how and what exactly you wrote maybe. lol

"I proudly conclude" You conclude nothing. You assume things based of a picture in my profile and what i wrote (without probably understanding half of it) and claim to be proud about that fact.

Amazing in it's own right i give you that but overall you are way below any other wannabe troll who attacked me because you don't even have any points to make besides inventing insults. Laughable.

Always online is crap in any game that is primarily singleplayer. Feel free to provide proof otherwise but as that would involve critical thinking skills i doubt i will get a reply from you about that topic anytime soon.

Feel free to post another set of made up insults instead because that is pretty much all anyone can expect from someone like yourself.

[Graheemy La'Broy]

this is the reason i bought this game. hitman is a great game, but these elusive targets and user input is really really exciting, particularly with the 'monthly' maps. the content and longevity potential for this game is enormous. cannot wait.