During pre-production of HITMAN 2, I designed a few enhancements for the HUD along with a larger assignment that dealt with the return of the fan-favourite suitcase mechanic which had been absent in the previous HITMAN.
With the re-introduction of the suitcase, a new and more advanced inventory system was requested. The new system would address the intricacies of item sizes and disguises. Some disguises came with fanny packs, toolbelts, backpacks, holsters, extra pockets etc. in which Agent 47 could keep additional items. Items would now come in three different sizes and the inventory system also needed to take item type appropriateness into consideration (e.g. carrying sharp tools into a building would no longer arouse suspicion if carried in a toolbelt).
The design went through several iterations but was wisely scrapped when IO Interactive was dropped by Square-Enix and had to finish HITMAN 2 with a significantly smaller team.
Menu flow
A UI flowchart showing all major screens and modals in the game. I made this to give everyone an overview, make it easier to identify issues and discuss use cases and user journeys. PDF version here.
Illegal item indicator + item drop indicator
Expanded inventory feature
Please note that these mockups all use stock placeholder items which were never meant to be used in the game.
Iteration 1
Mockup based on an early idea from one of the developers.
Iteration 2
This iteration makes the three different item sizes and ditto pocket/container sizes much more visual, as well as making it easier to discern between hands and pockets. I also designed a complete flow for swapping, rearranging and dropping items (which would take up too much space to show here).
Iteration 3
Ths iteration reduces the required screen real estate, adds item descriptions and rarity indicators. It also adds use cases for two-handed items.
