Here's something I've been curious about, as you've said before the inspiration for Silent But Deadly was Hotline Miami. However when I look at this game it seems to pace itself slower than Hotline Miami, What do you think that pace change offers you in terms of game development and in game play?
That's a tricky thing, because the game itself could probably stand to be a faster pace than what it currently is, but before determining that, I really need to work on the AI and get a better idea of how the end result really plays. However, compared to HM, I assume it would still be slower, simply because they're sort of different types of games.
Stealth in itself tends to be slow, but more than that, I think a slower pace allows for more tactical play in general. For example, one big difference between the games is that you can't punch enemies directly head-on. Instead, you need to be behind them, or else you will definitely lose. This really sets the pace while unarmed, because you're now extremely vulnerable, and instead of being able to rush into a room to punch an enemy out, you must wait for the right time, and use the environment to your advantage.
The gun-based side of things is a different story, though, and that is where I think pacing can be improved upon the most. I would say it's mainly slower here because bullets do a varying degree of damage, as opposed to HM, where one bullet, regardless of the gun, typically meant a kill. Because enemies may take more shots to kill, things like enemy grouping needs to be considered, so as not to overwhelm the player, since they're more likely to run out of bullets throughout their gunfights. However, this also allows aiming to have a big impact, so that you can save bullets by landing headshots, dealing double damage and killing them faster.
Ultimately, the entire system needs to be balanced out better, so I think there's definitely room for improvement.