FAQs: General Questions

General Questions

Q: At the end of level screen, it says that I was caught on camera. What does that mean and how can I stop it from happening?

A: When you're on a mission, sometimes you'll see a green-tinted P-I-P, that means you have been caught on camera. If you want a Silent Assassin rating, you'll need to locate the security room and steal the Videotape; failing that, you might be able to sabotage a camera with a well-aimed bullet before being caught.

On some missions, like A House of Cards it can prove quite awkward to retrieve the Videotape after a certain point, so it's best to avoid routes with cameras, even if it takes you longer to reach your destination. Apart from CCTV cameras, there is a television crew on A Vintage Year. If you're filmed in this way, you'll need to pacify the camera man and take the Videotape from the camera.

Q: My cover keeps getting blown; I don't know how it keeps happening, why?

A: It all depends on where you were and what you were doing at the time. When you get changed, a Civilian may sometimes spot you (even if you're not immediately made aware), or you may have wandered into a restricted area (think Clowns in a private swimming area). Like I said earlier, certain costumes allow you to carry certain weapons with impunity, however, carrying an item that you're not supposed to will rouse the suspicion meter greater than normal.

And like I already mentioned, a sure-fire way to lose your cover is if the body where you got the uniform from is discovered and identified. It's not so bad if there happens to be plenty of people dressed just like you (like a Guard or Worker), but if your costume is one of a kind (Clown, etc), then your cover will be blown straight away).

Q: How and where do I permanently dispose of bodies?

A: Not every mission has a place to permanently remove bodies from the prying eyes of all. For the sake of being thorough, here's a good list for your bad self. Disposing of a body is as simple as dragging it over to the hazard and waiting for the appropriate command to appear.

A Vintage Year:
There are vats of tasty vino sitting in the cellar, just going to waste. How can we rectify this injustice? We can dispose of bodies in them - as to what that will do to the taste, who knows? Apart from this unorthodox method, there is also the harbour.

A New Life:
You can throw people down the manhole at the start (try it on the Jogger, if you like) or you can bundle people into the trash compactor at the back of the garbage truck (just like in the Turtles movie) - closing the lid or waiting for a little bit will activate it.

You Better Watch Out:
Basically, you just have the harbour - push and throw people in to make them disappear for good.

Death on the Mississippi:
You have two choices in how you dispose of people. The most common way is to just push people overboard and into the gator-infested waters of the Mississippi. The second, much more entertaining way is to bundle people into the furnace in the engine room.

Till Death Do Us Part:
More fun with gators. The glades that surround Pappy's mansion are literally swarming with gators. A corpse dumped in the water doesn't stay where it is for too long.

A Dance with the Devil:
We've had gators and now we have sharks. You may not have noticed this, but Vaana's pyro stage is actually set above a shark tank. You'll need to go down onto the dance floor to see some sharks, though.

Q: Why is it that when I kill my targets with accidents, on the end of mission screen, it says they were murdered?

A: There is no 'committed suicide' or 'tragic accident' headline. It seems a little odd that the manual points out you can, "Use the veil of suicide to push people from high places," because you simply can't do that.

Q: How do I make more money?

A: There are five simple rules to follow when making money:

1: Always retrieve your suit and any custom weapons that you take with you. You won't make any money, but you will save yourself a $5,000 penalty per item left behind (a maximum of a $20,000 penalty).

2: Achieving a Silent Assassin rating will earn you a $150,000. Each time you re-attain this rank , you will receive the difference between Professional and Silent Assassin ranks ($50,000).

3: Minimising casualties will keep your clean-up bonus at zero - it's a $5,000 penalty for every Civilian or Policeman killed.

4: Be a speed demon, the faster you can complete a mission, the greater the bonus you will earn.

5: Don't spend unnecessarily - avoid Intel and bribes altogether. If you need to lower your notoriety, do it the hard way and replay the level and be better this time.
When purchasing weapons and equipment, try to avoid incremental upgrades (e.g. Flak Vests or Scopes) as you will be better off saving up for the final (and the best) piece of equipment. It's no great exaggeration to say that this alone can save you a few million over the course of a game.
The manual says that there are safes to rob and pillage for some extra cash, but would you be surprised and amazed to hear that it's a load of old goat?

Q: Why can't I achieve a Silent Assassin rating?

A: You didn't follow the rules, did you?

1: Leave no witnesses (Civilians/Police can be killed using accidents without affecting your rating). Also, make sure to avoid CCTV cameras. If that can't be done, make sure you retrieve the Videotape.

2: Always hide or dispose of bodies. If a body is discovered, it won't always stop you getting a Silent Assassin rank (like bodies from accidents, but if it blows your cover, it WILL prevent a Silent Assassin rating.

3: Avoid excessive violence. If you're going to use a firearm to eliminate a target, use head-shots, as they're the 'least violent' method.

4: Avoid using methods that create a lot of noise. Explosions are cool but they can raise your noise rating - even a little means no Silent Assassin rank. By the same standard, avoid using firearms that aren't fitted with a Silencer (it is possible to get away with using them, but it's rare).

5: Don't leave your suit or any custom weapons behind (Expert and Pro only).

Q: How do I change what the papers say at the end of each mission?

A:

How You Finish People
Depending on how you finish your targets or any other character, you will alter the story accordingly. Killing someone with an accident or with a melee weapon (with the exception of main targets) will always result in a "mysterious death" or "further examination," etc. This is also used when you have killed a great number of people but the method hasn't attained priority (i.e. you killed more using another method, that means it has attained priority and warrants a full description).

If you kill a majority of targets with silent kills, the Police will "insufficient evidence to profile" you - depending on what kind of silent kill you perform, it'll be listed accordingly. When using guns, the story is dictated purely by how many shots have been fired and how many hit (head-shots are duly noted), what type of gun was used, and whether it was silenced or not.

Depending on how good you are, the paper will make its own assessments about your ability ("an experienced shooter with limited skill," etc). Killing large amounts of people with 100% accuracy and a silenced weapon will result in comparisons being made with the legendary 47 himself.

Who and How Many You Kill or Injure
Depending on who and how many you kill, they'll be listed under "caused X number of additional deaths" (it's usually directly linked to your rating, but not always). It'll then list who you killed exactly, e.g. 3 innocent bystanders, 2 hired members of security, etc. If you shoot or stab someone without killing them, they will be listed under "surgeons are trying to save the life of."

The interesting bit is that it sometimes throws in a little extra info, like whether or not the target knew them or that they specifically worked for them. Main targets that are technically not supposed to exist will not be mentioned, or will simply be put down as "unknown" (like the Albino assassins, Mark Jr. and Mark III).

Who or What You Leave Behind
If you left any witnesses behind, it'll mention that "X number of witnesses that fled the scene are being questioned." Leaving witnesses alive will also add a 'supposed likeness' of you to the front page (I say "supposed," but I've had everything from Napoleon to Sawyer from Lost). Leaving behind your suit and weapons will be noted as "evidence" (means nothing, really).

Where You Go and What You're Wearing:
Taking a costume and then trying to enter a restricted area or having your cover blown will result in you being referred to as a "chameleon," due to your frequent changes of clothes (duh). Also, what you're wearing seems to directly affect the description given by witnesses (47 was wearing the Santa suit when a Barry Burton look-alike appeared in the paper). Some outfits are better at obscuring your features than others, each one will affect the description given in a different way.