Hitman: Absolution

[mmosu]

Wowzers! It's all shaping up quite nicely, isn't it?

[ninzza]

Hitman: Absolution to Feature Crowds of up to 1200 Characters

Square Enix Ltd. has today announced that IO Interactive is set to showcase some of the technology behind the forthcoming Hitman: Absolution at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week. The G2-CROWD TECHNOLOGY is a feature of IO Interactive's new proprietary engine: Glacier 2.

Built from the ground up by the team at IO, Glacier 2 was tailored to meet the demands of the development team and enable them to realise their vision for Hitman: Absolution. A key requirement for this vision is to have very dense crowds which allow players to both interact with and influence the behaviour of each individual character.

IO Interactives lead physics programmer Kasper Fauerby will introduce the technology behind this amazing achievement at this year's GDC. The presentation describes the techniques and optimizations used to achieve the 1200 character crowds present in Hitman: Absolutionwhile still running at 30fps on current-generation consoles. He will provide an overview of the crowd implementation and discuss both the algorithms used as well as how gameplay considerations affected the design decisions.

The talk, entitled "Crowd-Technology in Hitman: Absolution", is set to take place this Wednesday, 7th March 2012. Electronic Theatrewill keep you updated with all the latest details onHitman: Absolution.



GDC2012 Tech demo showing the crowd mechanic:

Hitman: Absolution GDC 2012 Crowd Mechanics Tech Demo

[PZ]

Impressive!  You certainly can go on a mad rampage with that many people in the crowd.

I'll bet Art is going to drool once he gets his hands on the game.  :-()

[Binnatics]

This is indeed impressive. Can be great fun!! But the impact of your presence seems only to influence the people in the red circle ???? Doesn't the panic kind of wave over the crowd, what should be more realistic (and fun) when someone starts shooting? >:D

[Art Blade]

I am not so sure if this time hitman will be as cool as before. The very first trailers where he has to escape through a mass of police force is ridiculous and strange to start out like that. Now these masses.. it is a silent assassin, so why bother with all that action?

By the way, that previous vid (jump to 2:22) with a German who wears a shade of a moustache and a haircut that reminds me of a historical figure of Germany's past.. last name starts with "H" and ends with "itler"  ???

[PZ]

There's no way the German censors would let that pass...  :-()

[Art Blade]

As long as he doesn't paint swastikas all over the place they probably won't even notice.

[PZ]

 

[Binnatics]

I'm not worrying too much about the crowd and the hectic scenes making it look less like the silent takedown style we hope for. I think they just want to make a more realistic and true acting world wherein you still do the same tricks. Although the time management might be an issue. I remember the job at the theatre, where you had to act at that supreme moment of truth to take out you enemy, otherwise it would be a drake of a mission because your best shot had passed by...

[Art Blade]

That was a decent riddle (how and where, and the alternative ways). I was more thinking of the end of a HM game when you ended up in a surrounded hotel in France while special forces were storming the place. The escape from that scenario was a nightmare. And it looks as if this time we start with the same sort of nightmare (difficulty level).

[Binnatics]

Hmmm, yeah, that might be an issue. But that doesn't bother me much. I think when devs make a sequel they don't have to make the player run through numerous levels where the tips and tricks are demonstrated in an easy way. That was one of the good parts of Batman: Arkham city. It was crowded and insane from the very first start. I was very glad I had played Batman AA recently, because otherwise it would've been damn hard to get started, lol :-D

[mmosu]

Also remember that the Hitman series has utilized non-linear storytelling in the past - the scenes you play through didn't happen in the order you see them.  Contracts was an excellent example of this, and there could be more of this at w@&k in the new game.  Even though some of these scenes look like they belong at a certain point in the story arc, they may not actually appear there.  Plus, you have to have moments of sheer pandemonium to make the moments of stealth and strategy all the more tense  >:D

Anyway, this looks like more of a "proof of concept" type demonstration, I think (read: "I hope") the real thing will be a little more sophisticated than a red circle  8-X

[ninzza]

World's first hands-on footage:

[E3 2012] Hitman Absolution - world's first hands-on footage

[retiredgord]

Anyword on PS3 release. I''ll put it on my wish list for Christmas if so.  ;D My better half still will not let me get a new puter cuz she just got an iPad. :D  DOesn't seem fair.  :'( :'( I'm retired and have lots of time to play.  BAAAAWAAAAAA. :'( :'( :'(

[PZ]

  ;D My better half still will not let me get a new puter cuz she just got an iPad. :D  DOesn't seem fair.  :'( :'( I'm retired and have lots of time to play.  BAAAAWAAAAAA. :'( :'( :'(

Not fair at all.  The next time you go out for steak dinner tell her she can't have one because you ordered first  :-()

[Art Blade]

 

[Binnatics]

  :-X

I visited the local gameshop today and my eyes got cought by the 'pre-order box' for Hitman; Absolution. It promises a free additional game called Sniper Challenge. Normally costs €5,-. Would be nice ^-^

[ninzza]

Not fair at all.  The next time you go out for steak dinner tell her she can't have one because you ordered first  :-()

:-X

[mmosu]

That footage still seemed a little rough around the edges - I hope a lot of that will be polished out, I will be disappointed if the quality control isn't better than it was on Blood Money.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good game, it just could have spent a little more time in play testing to iron out some annoying glitches.