| 1 SEP 2011 at 10:02am |
markornikovJourneyman
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Posts : 1301
Joined: 28 OCT 2011
Location: BE, Antwerp
Status : Offline | The setting is absolutely gorgeous indeed 8-)
But what I disliked was the lack of NPC's that make the world feel real and alive. All the NPC's that roam the streets don't actually do something, like NPC's do in Bethesda RPG's.
Furthermore there isn't much special about the gameplay, it's a standard third person shooter.
The initial uniqueness and beauty wears quickly,and soon you will realise that the developers released the game half finished
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 2:20pm |
FnordSchattenjger
Posts : 2751
Joined: 15 SEP 2008
Location: SE, Stockholm
Status : Offline | Mafia is a linear game that wants you to believe that it is a sandbox game, that much is certain. So most NPCs are simply window dressing, they don't fulfill any other role than to make the world look more alive.
Furthermore there isn't much special about the gameplay, it's a standard third person shooter.
The initial uniqueness and beauty wears quickly,and soon you will realise that the developers released the game half finished
That is sadly true. Still, it has a strong story and good voice acting, even if you can see where they cut content, which manages to make it a game well worth playing. Mafia 1 is the better game, for the simple reason that they actually finished it properly.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 2:47pm |
nicolasIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 23
Joined: 13 JAN 2010
Status : Online | Well it's true that mafia 2 is not as open as it makes you think...Well actually it is a very linear game and most of the stuff in the game is just for window dressing...
But you know something ? If you follow the story ,you are for an amazing trip back in time.The game is chock full of little details that most younger people probably won't even notice,but for older people or for people that have watched a ton of movies they are going to be pleasantly surprised a lot of times.It looks gorgeous if you have a gaming machine and it has a great story with interesting characters,something rarely seen nowdays...And because of this....of those interesting characters ,that is the reason the game ultimately feels so linear ...You really would like to save some of the character(or kill some others) and you sadly do not have the option to do so...
In any case mafia 2 is a game tha everybody that calls himself or herself a gamer should play.
PS-Have you played the original Mafia ? For me the time era of 1930's is the most magical and interesting era of the modern history.Yes there was the Great Depression and in Europe Germany were begining to start Word War 2 but at the same time ,it was a time of great discoveries,adventure and style.Zeppelins roamed the sky and you could go from New York to Europe with a lot of style,magic and great comfort.Cruise liners roamed the atlantic and it would take 60 years later for cruise ships to start transatlantic cruises again...People dressed in nice suits,cars were works of art,even the lamest of them,skyscrapers were builded ,swing music was heared everywhere ,radio shows were broadcasted daily and announcers yeld with an amazing passion .Last but not least adventurer's were conquering the known word,from the north pole and antartica,to tsansatlantic flying etc..
In any case just be sure to use the official patch that fixes a lot of problems and adds a difficulty selection menu for car races.
Also there is an unnoficial patch that improved textures and many models
And lastly there is a new dx9 renderer and a hdr plyggin made by the enbseries creator Borris....
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 2:55pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | Yes i am aware of the limitations of Mafia II, but i really am amazed at how well they did in working on the world, and frankly as a game researcher with a particular interest in the actual game world and the aesthetics of it, this is something I am especially interested in. In time other problems can be fixed or made better in other titles. I just like to see how far the art of 3D worlds can be improved.
Yes i have Mafia I and am studying it closely too, i love it as well, and yes that era also was very interesting.
Also there is an unnoficial patch that improved textures and many models
And lastly there is a new dx9 renderer and a hdr plyggin made by the enb series creator Borris....
can you give me links or references for any of this? I think i did indeed use the official patch, but dd not know about the dx9 renderer or the unofficial patch...or were you refering to the CoLD mod? I did find one fellow who created some new textures but he told me he had not released it ..it was for a european version of the countryside and he had not published it anywhere, just pictures. If there is a texture improving mod i would very much like to see it. and the HDR plug in..that sounds very interesting. let me know any details if you can please.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 4:20pm |
StilerJourneyman
Posts : 1458
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, TN
Status : Offline | The first Mafia was JUST as linear as MAfia II and people praised it/love it.
Mafia II just had the bad luck of:
1. Coming out in the day and age where GTA GTA GTA is the main open world game people know of and expect from all other open world games.
2. Being rushed, the publisher rushed the hell out of the game, and it shows a LOT. There were storylines cut, area's not finished (IE the countryside, just like in the first one this one was going to have one, it's still int he game but not accessible unless you hack it). They were also planing some side-missions, which weren't in Mafia I, but it also got axed.
The GTA games have ruined any sense of people wanting a linear, story-focused type of game set in an open world imo. If you don't give them a bunch of side=things and useless crap , they get pissed.
However to me, I don't much care for all that, because it bogs downt he storyline and gets you sidetracked, you get worn out and many people I kno have never even FINISHED a GTA game, whereas almost anyon eI know that played Mafia I and II? They finished it.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 6:11pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | The mod that allows you to visit the countryside is called Free Ride by Costa, and he found that the files for this were already in the game but at some point 2K Games removed the access. It is good to see the community stepping up as they had to do for KoTOR 1 and II, and other games with modding to restore games to their full potential...Silent Hunter V is another fine sim that had to be rescued.
Whatever the limitations Mafia II remains an amazing creation and I am very grateful for the vision and the art that went into it, there is a lot of beautiful work to make such a fine and sophisticated world. The Grand Theft Games are a awful example to compare to for that horrible series of trash games glorifies crime and theft and speeding and I think are some of the worst games yet created because of that. Mafia series is no angel in terms of content and I am not happy about that, but sadly it seems we have to have violence in many of the best graphically crafted games..and I will ignore that as much as possible.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 8:41pm |
FnordSchattenjger
Posts : 2751
Joined: 15 SEP 2008
Location: SE, Stockholm
Status : Offline | However to me, I don't much care for all that, because it bogs downt he storyline and gets you sidetracked, you get worn out and many people I kno have never even FINISHED a GTA game, whereas almost anyon eI know that played Mafia I and II? They finished it.
Everyone I know gave up in Mafia 1 due to the unreasonably hard rally level.
The Grand Theft Games are a awful example to compare to for that horrible series of trash games glorifies crime and theft and speeding and I think are some of the worst games yet created because of that
According to my sister (who plays GTA), the later GTA games can, at least in part, be viewed as a form of social commentary. GTA 1-3 are just glorified crime simulators though (at least they are not as bad as Postal...).
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 9:43pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | I dont mean to be overly critical but the Grand Theft series really got under my skin years ago...and the repeated contiuiation of the series is not a good recomendation for either american culture or the taste of american developers.... sadly for there are some remarkable aspects of those games i agree.....
re Mafia I, i have not got that far, i studying it as i go along and that sort of study takes a lot of time...it is a huge world and remarkable as well. that Engine that they developed for those games is one of the most sophisticated yet for making large dynamic worlds. I just wish the draw distance for Mafia I were a bit farther for the big buildings pop up and you cant really appreciate the sky line from a distance the way you can in Mafia II
As for people who say that Mafia II has a dead world with no interaction, when i first arrived ...my character had a detailed conversation with the Newspaper stand guy, bought and ate a hot dog from the hot dog dealer, talked to a couple of bums, and met a girl in a diner who recognized me and had a detailed chat with her....and walking down the alley to his moms appartment heard a detailed argument with a couple of guys who wanted a buddy to come out to go drinking and his wife would not let him, watched someone throw dishes at someone else up in another place ..and met a stray cat on the landing......as well as chatted with the cleaning lady at Joe's place....so there is quite a lot going on actually.
and if you spend time on the street you hear NPCs meeting and talking to each other with unique conversations...you just have to spend time and go slowly and listen hard.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 9:44pm |
nicolasIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 23
Joined: 13 JAN 2010
Status : Online | Hi Criss ,the hdr pluggin is found here :
http://enbdev.com/download_en.htm
You basically download the version that is used also for gta sa and the dx8 converton.You extract all files on the game folder and in the game you press shift+f12 if i remember correctly.
By the way apply the official patch as it gives you a option to lower difficulty in a race that is almost impossible to win without the patch.
Also check here :
http://mafia.hodnoceniher.cz/mafia1_en/mody.html
Here there is the graphics mod,trees mod and road mod.They all update some of the textures.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 9:59pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | wow that is a great bunch of mods ..thanks so much.
I see they do have a infinite draw distance mod for Mafia I, hooray!!!
which of the GTA mod version do you use? there are about 15 of them...
thanks again.
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| 1 SEP 2011 at 10:52pm |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1652
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | I only played the demo of Mafia II but I really enjoyed it. Visually it is stunning, and you have to get out of the big-world mindset and focus on your tasks at hand and the people you are supposed to deal with, while taking in the atmosphere along the way.
Now I have a taste for getting back into it...with all the great games coming up!
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| 2 SEP 2011 at 1:25am |
StilerJourneyman
Posts : 1458
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, TN
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By CrisGer (1 SEP 2011 9:42pm)
I dont mean to be overly critical but the Grand Theft series really got under my skin years ago...and the repeated contiuiation of the series is not a good recomendation for either american culture or the taste of american developers.... sadly for there are some remarkable aspects of those games i agree.....
re Mafia I, i have not got that far, i studying it as i go along and that sort of study takes a lot of time...it is a huge world and remarkable as well. that Engine that they developed for those games is one of the most sophisticated yet for making large dynamic worlds. I just wish the draw distance for Mafia I were a bit farther for the big buildings pop up and you cant really appreciate the sky line from a distance the way you can in Mafia II
As for people who say that Mafia II has a dead world with no interaction, when i first arrived ...my character had a detailed conversation with the Newspaper stand guy, bought and ate a hot dog from the hot dog dealer, talked to a couple of bums, and met a girl in a diner who recognized me and had a detailed chat with her....and walking down the alley to his moms appartment heard a detailed argument with a couple of guys who wanted a buddy to come out to go drinking and his wife would not let him, watched someone throw dishes at someone else up in another place ..and met a stray cat on the landing......as well as chatted with the cleaning lady at Joe's place....so there is quite a lot going on actually.
and if you spend time on the street you hear NPCs meeting and talking to each other with unique conversations...you just have to spend time and go slowly and listen hard.
Rockstar North (Main GTA developer) is based out of Scotland.
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| 2 SEP 2011 at 2:31am |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2538
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | I know that but the game was and is clearly aimed at the American market so I am considering them a US focused company.
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| 2 SEP 2011 at 6:56pm |
Child Of DunwichPrivate Detective
Posts : 480
Joined: 25 MAY 2011
Status : Offline | Just that the music may have been a little bit futuristic.
Nature's first green is gold,&&Her hardest hue to hold.&&Her early leaf's a flower;&&But only so an hour.&&Then leaf subsides to leaf.&&So Eden sank to grief,&&So dawn goes down to day.&&Nothing gold can stay.
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