Welcome back to the city Mafia I is indeed a remarkable game and sim and world...and there is much to enjoy and to explore...and some great mods that enhance it a lot. You can certainly advance past that point in the game with a save game if you like, ...and then come back to it, with no shame.   It is a very hard mission that one and i bypassed it happily after I realized like the car race that it is not easy to win ..so why beat myself against the wall over it. There is a lot more to see and do.   <img src="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile.png" alt="" data-emoticon="" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" width="20" height="20">

Well this is an intriguing question have to give it some thought but thanks for a good topic.

The LOD called by the game engine appears to vary, some times there is a high quality model that is at work and with some missions like the one i am studying now, on top of the skyscraper to blow up the rival gang, the city below is distinctly low poly. It would be interesting to try to experiment with that but the engine is different from Mafia I so i dont know what is possible. As far as i have heard there isn't any way to change the draw distance but i welcome being corrected on that, It sure made a difference for Mafia I  <img src="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile.png" alt="" data-emoticon="" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" width="20" height="20">

That is very interesting, i am way away from getting to studying the files for Mafia II, but it will be very interesting to hear about this.

I thin they did a remarkable job on Mafia II, there are so many factors to consider and they achieved a great deal successfully. It will be very interesting to hear about the development history, Mafia I remains an excellent game too, inspite of its age. I will look forward to more info very much.

It is a wonderful game unique in many ways and remarkable in a lot more. I am so glad they made it and made it so well. 9 out of 10, only limitations are some of the historically inaccurate things but they may be able to be corrected, i am working on that now....and maybe adding some visual elements like a better horizon, that will come later  <img src="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile.png" alt="" data-emoticon="" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" width="20" height="20">

I have been studying Mafia I for a while now, and am just starting to work on some mods, corrected historic textures and may work on some of the models in game... but


 




Can anyone tell me what program will help to open the models? they are in 4D format and I was not sure what to use to open them. Do we need to convert them to a certain format?


 




I also noted that the texture are bmp and there are also DX1 files with similar names are those transparencies for the main textures? thanks for any info on this, i hope to try to possibly correct the streetcars and increase their historic accuracy...and some other things. thanks a lot.

I had hoped to see this re texture package by Suu but it looks like it is missing from the download link...does anyone have a new link for it or a replacemnt or mirror? the tree textures look nice, i am so tired of the weird orange yellow trees, they throw off the entire natural environment and some of the chrome green grass and bright yellow cliffs need to be re done as well.

Two textures i am eager to work on that i have not been able to find yet...the hedge texture...all those hedges in the Oakwood area need some love....the tops are too bright and they are too green still, and the tennis court texture also in Oakwood, i have not been able to find it yet and it desperately needs work. I am working on the landscape textures, esp the cliffs and trees, and things are getting better but still takes time to balance things out as the game engine takes any slight inclination in a texture and really expands it due to scaling....so if there is a tint bias, it will show up really strongly in the game. Some of the wrap around textures like that for the streetcars is bad because we can't add real detail, i am going to see if that can be changed with a new nap but i am doubtful. thanks for help on these two textures if you know what they are...i will keep digging too.....


 




i have managed to do some work on the gas stations as i have made detailed 1930s and 40s gas station mods for other sims. will have to see about getting better detail into them but they too use wrap around texturing so it is hard to make a change in just one ..as so far i found just texture for one gas pump and that means they all change. Fun research.

Can we open the file without a tool or do we need something to unlock the files? I am interested in study8ing the textures and possibly the models. I see Rick's Tools is a SDK but was not sure if we needed it for unlocking any files...


 




At the outset i am really just interested in texture study and some basic modding, not ready for any  scripting etc. thanks for info on this, perhaps there is a tutorial here on basics? thanks and thanks for the great resources.

I found the train station in Mafia II and noted that there are some interesting variations on engines and cars, the steam engine i see in action in the Chapter 2 winter period i wondered if we can see that parked anywhere?  I saw one short train go over a bridge in the mission where we have to fight thru a large factory, but havent seen any other trains in motion since then. I saw a promo pic of the main character in a convertible with a train in the background in an authentic Penn Central livery but all the trains i see in the game are wearing generic non realistic paint, i assume because of trademark restrictions. Any info on the steam engine and any other way to see moving trains? can we get into the train station we see in the opening video? that was cool. thanks for info on this. If i can work with the textures i can try to restore the correct livery on the trains that are there, but need to know how texture modding works in II. thanks