I'm curious as to how other people react to screwing up badly (i.e alerting a bunch/all of the guards) in Hitman. Generally I will restart from my last checkpoint instantly but I am slowly starting to just say "fuck it" and shooting my way through the level, the way the K&L dudes have sharpened up the shooting mechanics makes this approach super fun, also the way this game animates makes 47 look like a badass when he murders people with his Silver Ballers. So when the guards are on your case do you blow their faces off or restart?

I spent about... oh....3 hours on one level section yesterday. And I enjoyed every second of it. I've been making myself do Suit Only/ Infilitrator runs on every level on Hard mode. Poking at a level over and over to see what happens is what all the fun is about. I'll save the cathartic "shoot everyone" rampages for when I'm just toying with the game later on.

I will mess about for a bit and then start again for real. I have found myself kinda cheating by just running about when I get caught to get a layout of everything and where stuff is and then starting the checkpoint again.

I start killing for a bit, then restart so that I don't spoil what's coming up next. Half the fun comes from the "oh shit, how can I possibly get past this?" moments, after all.

@Demoskinos said:

I spent about... oh....3 hours on one level section yesterday. And I enjoyed every second of it. I've been making myself do Suit Only/ Infilitrator runs on every level on Hard mode. Poking at a level over and over to see what happens is what all the fun is about. I'll save the cathartic "shoot everyone" rampages for when I'm just toying with the game later on.

Yeah, I am trying to be stealthy but sometimes you've just got to go a bit crazy.

The first few times I screw up I normally run around and start shooting everyone while taking note of the environment and try to spot anything that gives me an idea for a better path on my next attempt. Later on it is usually restart immediately.

I will not continue a level until I get silent assassin. I start most levels by shooting through it, just to learn the layout, then I restart and go on the prowl.

@MikkaQ: That... is actually really tough to do in some levels in Absolution simply because of how the ranking system works and it being based on score instead of just successful play. Although most of the later missions ive been getting SA's on.

When I get spotted I usually try to neutralize the dude and all the witnesses if they're not too many. Leaving a room full of bodies after getting busted without anybody else in the level suspecting anything is one of the most satisfying things you can do in this game.

Most of the time it doesn't work out and I end up reloading the last checkpoint, but I always try. I think I even prefer when a mission doesn't go completely as planned. I can always play the game again if I want to have the best score on every level, but for a first playthrough I like when shit gets a bit dicey.

Throughout my first play through the campaign, I was the same way, trying to get Silent Assassin when I could and in the beginning, restarting every time, but by the end, I tried to play missions in a "cool" way, that felt right for the context. For example, in the last non-epilogue mission, I just walked through it, shooting who I had to, but in the epilogue, it was vital that I get Silent Assassin for it.

Now going back through it and trying to get the challenges, and then I'll focus on Silent Assassin. Isn't Hitman great, you guys?

I pretty much do the same thing, shoot my way out if things get too hot.

I'm exactly the same as OP. Started off with lots of restarts, now if I make a mistake I just mow them down.

I think it's mostly because I don't get nearly the satisfaction i'd get from previous HM games. For the most part it, feels more like a Splinter Cell, than a Hitman.

This is the most disappointing, good game I've played in a while.

I restart automatically. I have it in my head that if the shooting starts there will be an endless spawn of enemies, so I don't let that happen

@Demoskinos said:

@MikkaQ: That... is actually really tough to do in some levels in Absolution simply because of how the ranking system works and it being based on score instead of just successful play. Although most of the later missions ive been getting SA's on.

Yeah like in those "transitional" areas where you only goal is to make it to the exit, I don't even know if SA is possible, I consider it a success when I pass through with 0 score or whatever you get for evidence. But those main areas, the traditional Hitman ones, it's not too crazy to get SA, you just gotta use the Hitman mentality. Kill with accidents and never get spotted, that tends to be enough. It just takes a LOT of trial and error. I'm 10 hours in and not even half-way which by modern game standards is fucking crazy long.

Then again I'm still early, I hope I don't give up on the whole SA thing cause it's so immensely satisfying. I'm at the barbershop now, and I aced the "streets of hope" mission, but this one seems really hard.

I love how much mileage I am getting out of Absolution, so long as you have the motivation to toy around, see all the possibilities and strive for SA. I have put tons of hours in and I'm not even halfway done with this game.

Depends. Sometimes I'll reset if I know what I did wrong and how to fix it. Sometimes I'll run around killing everybody and exploring before resetting. Sometimes I'll try to recover and finish the level.

Usually it depends on how far into the level I am

I'm still restarting checkpoints. But my approach to games is the first run is legit and the second time I play it (assuming I want to play again) usually involves godmode and a rocket launcher (or unlimited ammo if a rocket launcher isn't available).

I once grabbed a trainer for my second playthrough of Blood Money, because I wanted to see what the newspaper would say after I gunned down everyone in the mardi gras level (eat your heart out, 'No Russian'). Unfortunately it broke my heart when my (admittedly crappy, even for back then) former computer crashed the game to desktop during my final sweep for survivors. I couldn't stomach doing it all again.

I'm really looking forward to the massacre that my second playthrough of Absolution will be.

Also, I should really try the Murder of Crows thing again. This computer should definitely handle it.

If I get caught I usually restart the checkpoint. Yesterday on a mission I got caught by two guards and I plugged them with the silverballers and walked into the checkpoint. Didn't feel bad.

A lot of my play revolves around doing the challenges. So depending on what challenge(s) i'm going after, alerting guards isn't a big deal
 
I'll give each level 3, broad strokes
 
1. Play it stealthily and get through the level best way i can while completing any easy to do challenges
 2. Play it "x" amount of times completing remaining challenges
3. Play it stealthily (usually going after "suit only") in order to get a higher score with all the multipliers in effect. 
 
Because of this. I'm only on level 6 or so after about 10 hours. 
 
That "hunter and the hunted" level took up about 3 hrs alone. Not because it was hard but because it was really long (had about 6 different sections to it) and some of the things (such as killing the guy in the strip club) required a lot of patience.