Interview | 2K Czech’s Alex Cox on Mafia II

Mafia was released in 2002 to much critical acclaim, but nevertheless was overshadowed by the then already huge Gran Theft Auto 3. Years later, and ironically now under the wing of the same publisher of its once rival, Mafia II is near release, looking amazing and coming to a platform near you.

The game will give players the chance to live out the role of a member of a major crime family in its heyday as made popular by films such as The Godfather. Alex Cox kindly took time out to answer some questions about Mafia II.

What were the lessons of the first Mafia game that proved helpful while working on Mafia 2? What did the studio want to improve on the most?

Alex Cox: For Mafia II, we wanted to take the core design of the first Mafia and update it. We significantly enhanced all gameplay systems and mechanics while keeping the same spirit. We learned that the narrative-driven mob movie formula that was applied in the first game could be very successful, and that it was very much our specialty in the ‘open world’ games bracket.

I would say that our most important improvement is the quality of the console versions for the first Mafia was primarily a PC led development. The whole game engine has been rebuilt so that Mafia 2 would be a high quality game across the board.

What were the challenges of creating Empire Bay? When working and creating a larger city, what kind of gameplay opportunities did it afford that the previous game could not?

AC: Aside from the upgrades in terms of size and visual quality, the underlying difference between Empire Bay and Lost Heaven has been the introduction of a wide variety of detailed interior environments. The Bars, shops, restaurants, apartments, garages and mission environments have all seamlessly been integrated into the environment with no loading times. The technology behind this project was specifically built to achieve this result. When you stand inside a hugely detailed interior location and stare out of the window to the street beyond, you will understand how cool this feature is. We didn’t want the player to be constantly reminded that they were playing a game by having frequent loading times, so we ensured that our technology would allow the player to remain immersed in the game world and the fiction.

When dealing with the mafia as the main focus of the narrative, how did the studio make their mafia tale different and unique? Or is an asset for a narrative to evoke certain amounts of mafia culture?

AC: Daniel Vavra, the writer of Mafia II, created this game story as homage to Hollywood mafia movies. The goal is to make the players feel like they are truly the lead character in one of these mafia epics. I think this proposition is very compelling, and it’s what made the original Mafia so unique.

What you’ll find in Mafia II is a mix of mob film influences and original content. It’s certainly important for us to touch base with the fans of mafia fiction. The game delivers upon the genre expectations that fans have but without sinking into certain clichés. We have a unique storyline with its own twists, turns, and memorable characters.

How important was it to create a world that was believable as an American period piece? Beyond weapons, vehicles and clothing of the time, what other ways did the studio evoke the period?

AC: The period atmosphere was immensely important to us. We set the game in two very distinctive decades and if we had failed to accurately deliver on the period atmospheres then it would have had a serious effect on the game’s quality. The player is supposed to believe that he is in a realistic game world and in order to achieve this we made sure that this concept was consistently supported throughout the gameplay experience and not simply within the cutscenes. This was achieved by our very mature and believable story. Moreover, it is the period atmosphere that contributed to this realistic feeling.

The point of this being an ‘American’ period piece is especially relevant the world we are creating and the gang life that we are portraying are both specifically American. The American Mafia is a distinctive organization that we are all familiar with from the mob movies and the TV shows that we’ve seen. The American Mafia during this specific time period which is portrayed in Mafia II was going through a big transition; from the old-school traditional mob of the Prohibition era to a modern post war syndicate.

The visual features that you mention have been carried out extremely well. It’s not just that they look period-authentic, but it’s also because the cars FEEL like you are driving a real 1950s’ car and the types of weapons available to the player FEEL like the guns a real 1950s mobster would have. Then of course there’s the audio; we have around 150 licensed tracks from the time period with a lot of famous 40s and 50s pop and rock and roll. In addition, we also have hours of radio adverts, DJs and news reports. Again, these are all produced to capture the cultural flavor of the 40s and 50s.

How is the main character Vito Scaletta different from every other character the studio has made? How do you keep him different from similar characters in mafia culture in general – Michael Corleone especially?

AC: Vito’s character is not inspired so much by classic mob movie characters but rather by is more rebellious, working man’s hero in the mould of Marlon Brando or James Dean. This listless, almost nihilistic, type of character which began appearing in films during the 1950s developed a lot of empathy with the young war vets who came back to the US after serving overseas with very few prospects. Vito is an angry young man with a chip on his shoulder and he has something to prove to the world and if the world doesn’t like it then it can just go hang…

Every sandbox game gives the player a degree of autonomy in how they behave themselves in the world and in the fiction. How does Mafia 2 handle this freedom?  How much do the police play in the open world? Do you find people play the game as a relatively decent person? If so, what do you suppose is about the game that makes that happen?

AC: Encouraging realistic behavior in the open world has been at the core of our design for the city. It’s important to understand that in Mafia II we want you to behave like a realistic mobster, not a deranged lunatic. Open world sandbox gameplay is not at the centre of our game experience. The city of Empire Bay exists as a context for the story to take place in. Mobsters in the movies don’t run around the streets causing chaos, so it would destroy the player’s immersion in the fiction if we encouraged this behavior. So in this sense, we have curtailed the player’s freedom to commit serious crimes without consequences from the police.

The police system is one way that we encourage the player to behave himself. The police pick up on minor crimes such as speeding and they will arrest you for walking around with a weapon drawn in the street. If you persistently commit serious crimes then the police will get your description and the only way to lose the heat off of you is to change your appearance or to pay a bribe. The cops feel like an ever-present force in the game, so the player is supposed to care about the consequences of his actions.

What kind of context sensitive interactions are in the game? How can they affect the player? Are they more ambient in the world or are they a part the core narrative?

AC: The game is full of context-sensitive interactions whether it is smashing a gangster’s head into a wall during melee combat, engaging in a conversation, flicking a light switch on or off or even taking a sandwich from the fridge. We wanted the game world to be filled with these little details so the player feels grounded in a realistic environment.

What are the creative advantages of creating a world and narrative based in the late 1940′s/early 1950′s? How were the technological limitations of the period handled in respects to gameplay?

AC: Games allow us to explore interesting places, including the past. The time periods we visit in Mafia II are very distinctive which allows us to create new visual and gameplay experiences. The iconic artwork, adverts and style of the 1950s have been great fun for our art team to work with. Driving classic cars from the period is a cool and unique experience. No mobile phones or computers mean that we can compose our story and mission logic in very unique ways. The player in our story will live in the same world as characters from classic hard-boiled crime fiction.

The period settings also act as mirrors for the storyline. The 1940s, wintry war setting reinforces our main character’s (Vito) status at the start of the game; injured from combat and out from the war, living on a government stipend, crippled by his family’s debt, it’s a seemingly very bleak outlook.

However, the 1950s depicts a sunny summertime, where post-war confidence, consumerism and rock and roll reflect a better time in Vito’s life. He becomes a member of the mafia, gains money, women, and respect.

What kind of missions should the player expect to come across? How has the studio dealt with finding a balance in the variety of mission types?

AC: Taking inspiration from mainstream mafia fiction we have tried to include missions that sum up the themes and subject matters that gamers would expect. At the beginning of the story, Vito is doing petty crimes on the outskirts of the mafia world such as stealing cars, selling black market goods, committing burglaries and the like. As the story progresses and Vito gets made, the jobs he is tasked with escalate in severity where we then begin dealing with gang warfare, hits, assassinations and revenge attacks.

In terms of finding a balance in gameplay types, we created a game flow chart early in the project that showed us the different types of gameplay that occurred through the story. The game follows a linear story, which enables us to predict the player’s experience at any stage; i.e., how he is feeling, what he has done recently, what he will want to do next. We then tweaked the game design to ensure that the chart showed variety and a good ebb and flow of action along with excellent storytelling. Then of course, once the game becomes ‘real’, we use the results of focus testing with real gamers to fix any outstanding problems with the gameflow.

The studio used to be called Illusion Softworks before it was 2K Czech. How has the relationship with 2K Games shaped Mafia 2?

AC: 2K Games’ goal has been to support the studio in realizing its vision and the relationship has been very positive. As a publisher 2K is highly focused on the quality of its titles, which has allowed us to ensure that Mafia II truly shines. The studio has also benefitted from the pool of knowledge that can be shared across the 2K group.

Are there any plans for DLC after the game ships?

AC: We do have some plans. We have two additional gameplay packs currently in production –“The Betrayal of Jimmy” and “Jimmy’s Vendetta” which both feature fun arcade style gameplay, plus we’ll have some ‘cars and clothes’ packs for gamers if they are interested in having a few extra toys to play with.