Developer IO Interactive has gradually been hyping up Episode 2 of their episodic HITMAN game. First they released screenshots, then the launch trailer. Now they've moved onto phase three: patch notes.
On April 25th, the day before "Sapienza" launches, there will be a mandatory patch that will boost performance and add new features. The developers are calling it a "pre-release update."
The April 25th update will add the following:
Reconnect Option
If a player is playing in online mode and gets disconnected during gameplay, they will have the option to immediately reconnect and resume play without losing any progress, instead of returning to the main menu.
Immediate Challenge Awards
Challenges are now awarded and saved immediately upon completion, rather than when completing a mission.
Loading Times
Significant improvements to load and restart times across all locations.
(Reduced by approximately 50% on Xbox One)
Challenge Verbosity Settings
Players can now choose between three options for how challenge descriptions are displayed in the game menu.
Full: All Challenge information is shown.
Minimal: Only the image and name of the Challenge are shown
Off: Only the image of the Challenge is shown.
Weapon HUD Settings
Added three options for displaying the holstered/equipped weapon icon.
Full: Show weapon HUD for equipped and holstered weapon.
Minimal: Show weapon HUD only for equipped weapon.
Off: Don’t show weapon HUD.
Immediate Intel
Added an option for players to access the intel menu immediately after finding new intel.
Dropped Items
Disguises, weapons and items that are dropped are now shown on the in-game map.
Holstering animation
Added an animation for 47 holstering a small item, such as a pistol.
Escalation Contracts Improvements
- The list of complications and objectives are now viewable during gameplay and the planning phase.
- Players can now easily see from the in-game menu how many stages of each Escalation Contract they have completed. (e.g 3/5)
General improvements to stability
They also provided details of what will be included with the "Sapienza" episode, available April 26th. The episode will include the new destination in Italy, seven new achievements and more:
New Destination: Sapienza
New Story mission: World of Tomorrow
10 new Opportunities for ‘World of Tomorrow’
20 levels of Sapienza Mastery, with the following unlocks:
8 new Sapienza starting locations
(+1 starting location unlocked via a challenge)
8 new Sapienza Agency Pickup locations
6 new weapon/gear unlocks
New suit for Sapienza: Italian Suit
75+ Sapienza-specific challenges
7 new achievements
Live Content for Sapienza will include: New Escalation Contracts, Elusive Targets & New Featured Contracts (Contracts Mode)
Native Ambient Audio
Added an audio layer for Sapienza that will play native ambient dialogue in crowded areas.
‘Hide in Plain Sight’ Options
The Sapienza location includes more options for Agent 47 to ‘blend in’ whilst wearing his suit.
Opportunities System Improvements
- Persistent reveals: When a player has ‘revealed’ an Opportunity once using the pop-up tracker, they are not required to do so when they encounter the opportunity on future playthroughs.
- Fail Categories: Added categories to explain why an opportunity was failed.
Note: The above Opportunity improvements are only implemented in Sapienza.
Opportunities in the ICA Facility and Paris destinations are not affected.
And remember, "Sapienza" will be free to download at release for owners of HITMAN The Full Experience. For players who own the base HITMAN Intro Pack, "Sapienza" will be available for purchase separately, and can also be obtained by upgrading to the full version of the game via the HITMAN Upgrade Pack.
Now that Episode 2 is almost here, hopefully more details will be released soon about Episode 3, said to be set in Marrakesh, Morocco.
We've got the full list of HITMAN achievements - check the list for guides to unlocking them.