Mafia Feature

Remember Hidden & Dangerous? The team responsible for that excellent game is Czech based Illusion Softworks and they are currently busy working on their follow-up title, the highly anticipated Mafia. Lead designer Daniel Vávra, attempting an impression of Marlon Brando, told Derek dela Fuente all about it. <br /> <br /> “Mafia could be classed as two games in one, racing and action, but linked by the background story.” In the film The Usual Suspects, the main suspect told police in flashback sequences what had happened in return for immunity: that same scenario is played out in Mafia. Meeting the police in a local bar, your, at present, nameless character divulges what he has been up to over the last ten years, who was responsible for particular crimes, his involvement, etc. Why? Because the Mafia are trying to get him and his family ‘concrete overcoats’ and he wants protection. Reminiscing, you will act out the scenes described. “It isn’t a story of a criminal climbing up the ladder of dubious success in an attempt to become ‘Crime King’, it’s a tale of the life of someone who joined and worked for the Mafia.” Having read many books, America of the 30’s being a particular passion, most of what Vávra learnt has become the foundation of the game. To create the perfect illusion of the 1930’s, the team constructed a model of an imaginary town and has brought it to life by including anything and everything they could think of to bring it to life. Using hundreds of period photographs, they have created a town of over 100 square kilometres with hundreds of unique buildings matching those seen in America during the time of prohibition. “We wanted to create a game that will allow the player to experience the lifestyle of a mobster during the time of the prohibition and all that was a part of it. The player will be able to live through everything connected to the 30’s, including wild car chases, shootouts, bootlegging, and racketeering. What we believe makes Mafia different from other similar titles is that ours not only tries to recreate the atmosphere of the times, but it mustn’t be classed as an action game. We have concentrated on the graphics, physics and mechanics of the game to make it the best in the genre. A professional scriptwriter has written the story whilst a film director has been drafted in to ensure the animation is like a film.” And who are we to argue? <br /> <br /> The whole game is mission based, with each one being driven by the underlying story, although it certainly won’t be linear. One thing Illusion Softworks were determined to do from the outset was to have no two missions alike: you won’t be asked to transport something somewhere and then, later, have to undertake a similar task, albeit harder and more dangerous. Variety is the spice of life, so they say. The plan is to have 20 main missions connected by 20 possible sub-missions, although these may not be obligatory. “Each of the missions is totally different. Some are similar to Driver, where there are inner city driving sequences and chases, others involve racing on a circuit as your boss has a racing team and, because one of the racing drivers has been injured, you have been called in to help. There are even missions that look like they could be taken out of Hidden & Dangerous where you are given instructions to assassinate someone - a politician in this instance - with a sniper rifle.” Another mission will be set in the countryside where you have to take care of alcohol shipped in from Canada. You will drive a truck but bribed cops could make things tough. You must escape and save your injured friend. On the way back you will be shooting instead of driving. When the missions end you can go on some sub-quests, like going into town to fight. This will improve your character’s statistics such as power or speed by fighting with other people. You can sign up for car racing and by winning races; you can either get better parts for your car, or money. You can even win tips from a mechanic that will teach you how to steal cars. Simple tactics and strategy do play a part in the missions, though, and the assassination of a politician is an example. Taking place on a boat during a birthday party, a friend of yours hides the gun in a toilet (you get searched by guards going onboard so you can’t carry it with you). Tactics enter the equation because if you time the shooting right, the watching crowd unsuccessfully chases you, but if you time it wrong, you’re in a lot of trouble. You also have to select your advantage point. <br /> <br /> The marriage of racing to action seems a strange one, so an explanation is needed. Originally beginning life as an action game, Mafia quickly placed equal emphasis on the racing aspect for two reasons: Vávra is a fan of the sport and he wasn’t too impressed with actual racing games, firmly believing he could make a better job of the genre. “I have been disappointed when people claim a game is realistic when it isn’t. The only racing game I think lived up to its claim was Ferrari F355 because it had real life physics. Grand Prix Legends was also nice. We are very proud of the in game physics. Our cars are absolutely real; there is no flying 50 meters in the air. A crash is a real crash. All the cars you drive will sustain damage and the physics will change as will the way they drive. If you hit someone they will be injured and you might be, too. If this happens you will soon have the police after you and a chase sequence could unfold. Also, the police will remember your misdemeanours right though the game. You can also get out of the car and use public transport.” Use of the elevated railway cannot be avoided in a couple of missions, especially when asked to go to a certain part of the city: you don’t know where it is so you have to let the train take the strain! <br /> <br /> Illusion Softworks has spent 18 months developing the vehicle physics to the extent that if someone of a large size (and all characters have their own weight) gets into a car, it will affect the stability and handling of the vehicle. That’s one of the reasons Mafia has taken so long to develop: with 60 cars to drive, each with their own characteristics, it isn’t a task performed overnight. Another time intensive reason was the fact the game engine was changed, and motion capture was tried but proved unsuccessful. “Animations caused big problems.” (The game engine is, in fact, now used for all Illusion Softworks games.) <br /> <br /> The game of Mafia takes place over a ten-year period, 1928 to 1938, and is historically accurate with one deliberate exception. Whilst all the vehicles are modelled on those of the time, and they come into the game at the appropriate time juncture, they aren’t licensed because no manufacturer will allow their cars to be damaged. (You’ll still know what models they are supposed to be, however.) The weapons follow the same time lines as the cars and consist of: a variety of small handguns, rifles, tommy guns; knuckle dusters, baseball bats Molotov cocktails, grenades and sniper rifles. This last weapon is that exception: although not around in the 1930’s, its presence is explained as being a stolen secret prototype. Your character will be able carry a selection of five small weapons or one big one, although rifles can only be carried under an overcoat so make sure your not wearing a suit (ammunition is collected from the bodies of your victims). <br /> <br /> Split into typical American districts of Chinatown, financial, skid row, etc., Mafia mission types will find you undertaking armed robbery, the aforementioned political assassination, bootlegging, stealing, shoot-outs, placing car bombs, and more. What is still under consideration is what form the multiplayer mode will take. It could be the racing elements or a combination of racing and shooting: an idea is to place three players in a car, each shooting from a window in a ‘drive-by’. With 130 square kilometres (30 square kilometres of countryside included), there is plenty of scope at the teams’ disposal. <br /> <br /> Due for completion in the summer, the PC version of Mafia will have a Q4 release. The PC version? Illusion Softworks are also working on a PlayStation 2 version of the game, although nothing is being shown a present.