realvr
patreon
Version 1.5.1: first person Mafioso!
🕑 Added 2021-09-26 17:48:28 +0000 UTCYou asked for it, I wanted it, the game needed it... here it is: on-foot first person camera for Mafia: Definitive Edition :-)
This release has so much new stuff that the post will be about a mile long, so to lighten things up I also embedded a fun video above. It's not yet for the first person version, but it's so hilarious that I just had to post it. Ian's a barrel of laughs!
- First person: it was really hard to implement, or to use a more accurate word, it was really hard to fake. The game doesn't have an actual point-of-view camera, or if it does, it's so well hidden that I wasn't able to find it. All it's got is a follow camera that always looks at some point near the character. So, what I had to do was tweak dozens of parameters, relative offsets, bindings and whatnot in order to make that camera behave more or less like a proper FP camera would. The result is by no means perfect, but in my opinion it's good enough to be enjoyable, so I decided to release it.
What works well is that, unlike the 2D 1st person mod that you can find on the web, camera movement and rotation are not stuttering but perfectly continuous. Also very important for VR, there are no sudden 360° camera spins during combat.
What doesn't work so well is that my heuristics for hiding the player or not (depending on where you're looking, the character's speed, the current gameplay state, etc.) aren't always accurate, so it might happen that you see flashes of the inside of Tommy's head, or on the contrary that Tommy is invisible when you should be able to see him, like for instance during execution animations.
Despite everything that can go wrong, though, one of you guys wrote a few days ago that first person "really takes you back and teleports you to another place and another time"... and I agree wholeheartedly. I have started a second playthrough of the game with the first person camera, and I catch myself noticing lots of small details that I had missed during the previous run. In third person, I follow/lead Tommy through his adventures. In first person, I spend my time looking at the paintings hanging on the walls of Salieri's bar or gazing up at the sky-high vault of the church.
- Shooting: I'm quite happy about this. I finally found a way to make Tommy's weapon arm point in the direction where you're aiming. It used to be a nuisance in 3rd person not to have the weapon follow your gaze automatically, but it would have been a game-breaker in 1st because the weapon would actually get in front of you and prevent you from seeing your target :-)
- Installation: due to the numerous behaviors that I had to change, and the fact that many of the game parameters cannot be altered in real time, the first person camera must be chosen when you run RealConfig.bat. It cannot be toggled on and off during gameplay. However, the installer can be run as many times as you want (after quitting the game of course). It's no longer necessary to restore the installation files from the zip every time. Also very important: to prevent the game from taking control of the camera when you walk around, GAME> ON-FOOT FOLLOW CAMERA should be set to OFF.
- Steam version: people who bought the game from Steam noticed an issue where the mod overlay could not be activated or interacted with using the gamepad. The overlay only worked with the keyboard. Thanks to the help of Cercata, a Patron now and a dear friend since the times of my first NOLF2 mod, I found out that Steam hijacks all controllers and takes over all APIs that are used by games to communicate with input devices, and that behavior cannot ever be disabled by the user. It seems a little extreme, if you ask me. Anyway, this release of the mod employs countermeasures that should work around this "all your input are belong to us" attitude. Steam Input still needs to be disabled for the game. I'm looking forward to your feedback! Also for Steam users: I had already fixed a game bug that would cause the FOV in cutscenes to be slightly off, leading to some subtle amount of pupil swim, but the fix didn't work for the Steam version: now it should.
- Various improvements: I got rid of the obnoxious black bar that would be drawn right in front of your car when selecting it from Carcyclopedia or the garage.
Thanks to feedback from several Patrons, I found and fixed a couple of missions where the double-trigger gesture would erroneously activate the mod overlay during gameplay. Now the correct behavior (which is for the double-trigger combo to work only when the game is paused) should apply throughout the game.
The previous release had an issue where the cinematic black bar(s) would flash for one frame at every camera change during cutscenes, and fade-ins/fade-outs would sometimes draw a box in front of you instead of correctly darkening the whole scene. Both problems should be fixed now.
The installer (RealConfig.bat) now has a little more intelligence in diagnosing possible system problems that could prevent the mod from installing correctly, and it should be able to find the game settings folders in a more reliable way even for very peculiar Windows configurations.
- TAA shimmering: I'm sorry but that's not fixable for this game. The engine implements TAA in such a way that object matrices for the current and previous frames are all mixed up in the same buffers and are found at offsets that vary for each material used in the scene. What that boils down to is, it would take forever to reverse engineer every TAA-related aspect of the engine, and the fix would have a huge performance cost. It's just not worth it.
The best work around, since TAA cannot be disabled for Mafia: DE, is to increase the resolution as much as your card can afford, because shimmering becomes less and less visible with higher resolutions.
- GPU Throttling: after several interesting exchanges with some of you guys, especially Terry Damm, I decided to expose a new control in the Red Dead Redemption 2 tab. It's called "GPU Throttling" and it takes the form of a slider going from -1 to 100. -1 means disabled; 0 to 100 is the relative amount of throttling to apply, with 49 being the default that was used in all previous releases. What is it for, you ask?
In my mod, I apply a certain amount of throttling to the GPU in order to leave some resources available for VR, otherwise RDR2 tends to be very greedy and suck up all processing power, which in turn causes hiccups in the VR compositor timing. The GPU throttling amount has always been predetermined, and it worked well for most users. However, given recent measurements, I decided that from this release I would expose a user-adjustable control to fine-tune it.
If you're in luck, there might be some almost magical results: on my PC with the (O)ptimized preset I get 77.9 fps from the benchmark without the mod attached, and 84.8 fps with the mod fine-tuned to the perfect amount of GPU throttling and VR stopped! So the mod can actually make the game run faster :-D
Which sounds absurd at first, but in fact only means that RDR2 was not optimized to run on the latest generation of GPUs and/or the latest versions of NVIDIA/Vulkan drivers. Recent cards have an incredibly complex way of throttling performance internally to stay within the power budget, so changing a few timings here and there can easily lead to an unexpected boost in fps.
YMMV of course. The rule of thumb is: lower values of the slider will give you higher game frame rates but might lead to some stuttering, in VR and/or in your capture window if you're streaming gameplay video; higher values of the slider will get rid of the stuttering at the cost of a reduced average frame rate.
- If this is your first time installing the mod: please refer to my post for the previous release for detailed installation instructions. Particularly important: select your favorite square resolution in-game and set CONTROLS> AIM ASSIST to OFF. But please do read the whole post, it's full of information that you'll want to know sooner or later :-D
You're the best, guys! Thanks for following me down the rabbit hole, keep rocking and enjoy!!!
Comments
Giovanni M
Hello Luke, I know that you are very busy with CP2077, but Mafia:DE is a great game too. When I use first person mode I have a problem: when you are in a combat zone you lose the control of your direction, the game make you turn around and...killing enemies is impossible!
is there support for wmr devices, I have not been able to run on hp reverb?
Hi Luke, by the way I think you're an absolute legend! It's the steam version the mouse is a cheap wireless mouse because I broke mine and haven't replaced it yet. I do have a steam controller I'm going to try but having a few issues atm.
For some reason my mouse left and right buttons don't work during the game. They work in the menus but in the game I can select a weapon with the mouse wheel but can't strike fire or aim.
Giovanni M
Hey Ross, thank you very much for this mod. I never played the old Mafia game. The new one is fantastic in Vr!
petrus munteanu
is there a way to quick recenter the position? I've tried shaking my head and looking back (while driving), but they don't seem to work. I use an Oculus Quest 2 with AirLink
petrus munteanu
is there a way to first person drive, as well? that would be awesome!... or is it compatible with the first person driving mod?
petrus munteanu
the mod is great, and should get a lot more reputation than it has. Playing Mafia in first person is nothing short of amazing! I only wish Mafia 2 would get first person, too
Nicky Butler
Impressed with this mod. Bit jarring at first but once u get used to it it does immerse u even more than 3rd. I moved the camera forward a bit using the sliders so dont get the clipping. I think this could be tweaked in the future ws well and maybe have a no head version or something. The 180 fps doesnt work well for me with this game but i imagine it will for mde2 as its not as demanding. Im holding out on downloading mde2 in case a first person mod is made for it :). But with this 180 fps option its realy good news if luke decides to convert more older games. Look forward to it
LukeRoss
Please use the "Reply to comment" button, otherwise you're creating a new thread with each message. Which version of the mod are you using? The latest version is 2.0.0
If I can use it normally, I will sincerely apologize to you, but now the vr mod is not available at all, and it is still in 2d mode.
LukeRoss
What do you mean not available? Of course the mod is available
Now I have purchased a genuine game and found that the vr mod is not available at all. The author's behavior has been deceptive, which is embarrassing.
B A R O N
You don't even support Luke as a Patron, so you have no say in the matter. If you want freebies stick to torrents.
You are a very good vr mod producer. I think you should give your sponsor the right to choose the genuine or pirated version. It is enough if you have suggestions. This is the real free choice.
Thank you for your reply. I support your point. Try to think about it. If you have 100 dollars, you can still eat relief meals every day. I believe that one hundred dollars can be used to do something worthwhile and meaningful. I believe everyone I always do this. I support the original version, but I think that since there are free games, I can save money and do more meaningful things with this money.
LukeRoss
The theory that video games are too expensive is not very convincing, especially in PC VR circles where just to play anything you have to lay down at least $2,000-3,000 in hardware. To me it sounds a bit like people with a sports car complaining that they cannot afford to pay for gas. But in any case no, I'm not supporting illegal copies. Beside the obvious fact that people who pirate the game would just as easily pirate the mod (causing direct damage to my Patrons who are pledging their hard-earned money each month), what I'm trying to do with this Patreon is encourage the development of VR as an industry, not discourage it because it's a no-profit land for developers and publishers.
Hello author, I hope you can add the mafia pirated vr mod. I’m from China. Our players like your vr mod very much, but the genuine game is expensive, and pirated editions make more people have freedom and happiness. It’s not used in other countries. Worried about copyright issues, I hope you can add the pirated mafia vr mod. I use your vr mod to add it to the pirated mafia. It’s not available at all. I hope you can improve it. You will be a loving author.
LukeRoss
Hey, you're right, good catch! I'll update the posts, thanks for bringing this to my attention. The correct setting is OFF.
LVNDSCAPE
Hi, there is no Game Menu Setting i can select Manual at GAME > ON-FOOT FOLLOW CAMERA . You wrote it should be set to MANUAL. In my Steam Version Mafia Trilogy it can only be set ON or OFF. Beside that thx so much, it looks brilliant.
Dyroo91
I will
LukeRoss
Great Dyroo91, post a link to your video when you do!
LukeRoss
Thank you <3
LukeRoss
Thank you for the review, WIG!!!
Stuart
I have this issue also. I did a fresh install of RDR2 and installed REAL 1.5.1 and it doesnt trigger steamvr.
sharilah
Mafia works as described. Red Dead 2 won't appear in steamVR on my valve Index under a fresh install. v1.50 still works fine. Tried toggling disabling in-game overlay settings and desktop theatre on and off within steamVR and didn't make any difference.
WIG
Just played 6 hours solid from starting a new game and oh wow first person makes such a positive improvement. It is a bit harder (playing on hardest and died quite a few times) but so much fun. Thank you!!! Really hope you can add FP to the other 2 in the trilogy. The shooting is really well done
Dyroo91
thank you for putting the view in the first person, I will be able to present it to my French community on YouTube
stas killer
Бро спасибо за моды. Ты лучший создатель вр..
LukeRoss
Do you have the Steam version of the game? If you do, could you please try disabling the Steam overlay and tell us whether that works for you with 1.5.1?
CTD during save game load on RDR2, but a fresh reinstall of 1.4.4 works fine. Can't access overlay from main menu but I can't remember if you should be able to. Here's the log - does have some odd failures at the end, but I have no idea what they mean: https://pastebin.com/f9R5HKfa
LukeRoss
If you get a log it means that the mod is indeed attaching :-) Are you sure it's not an old log?
LukeRoss
Don't edit the settings manually, Mafia doesn't allow that. You can change the settings directly in the game menus. First thing you might want to try with a 1060 is lower the resolution a bit.
I've tried this update on RDR2 but seems like the mod is not attaching anymore... don't see anything weird on the logs tho :(
Ben Jungbluth
Anyone got this to run on a 1060? I'm stuck at 35fps. If I try to edit values in profile_videosettings.pf, the game says it's "corrupted" and gives me standart 1280 settings. GPU throttle doesnt do anything at all, it seems. I'm at my wits end.
Solomon Ginsberg
Would anyone be interested in receiving my old prescription inserts for a valve index free of charge (except postage costs)? The prescription is european Right eye: sph minus 1.50, cyl minus 1.00 and axs 65 deg. Left eye: sph minus 2.25, cyl +\- 0.00 and axs 0 deg. The inserts are from VR optician.
The Merote
I was just about to say shake your head to re-centre, GREAT feature
LukeRoss
Unfortunately there are only a couple of headless models for Tommy in the game, so removing the head will make you lose your outfit which would be replaced with a generic one. The only mod that I know of which does that is the 1st person mod, which unfortunately also makes the camera all clunky
I also have had that problem on red dead although although I end up seeing the body and not the head. I think it has something to do with the position of your headset when you first start the game. I find myself sitting extremely close to my desk at times to avoid seeing my headless body lol. However if I start the headset a bit away from my desk I don’t have that problem. You should give that a try!
The Merote
It really good but bear in mind its not a first person game so its not perfect but it should get better over time, I'm looking for a way to remove the player head, there is occasional clipping issues but not game breaking but annoying. If you want my advice, its still better than most VR games coming out and you have Red Dead Redemption 2 as well + Mafia 2 and 3 at some point. Well worth the asking price. You are dealing with the best VR Modder out there and getting games running fully in VR that are way better than most VR releases. Just have your VR legs ready, this isn't for beginners. GTAV Real VR is free if you haven't tried that yet you will be back here very soon.
I’d love to see any footage of this new update in first person! I’ve been debating buying but I just can’t do it without knowing it would work well in first person.
The Merote
Has anyone tried any mods for MDE yet, I've downloaded a few MDE Scripthook, MDE_Public_Transport_Mod, MDE_Water_Edge_Disabler, MDE_Scripthook_Revamped & Free Ride Deluxe V2.6. I'll report back and see if any work. I'm looking for a mod that might remove Players head for first person, The REAL mod is still great though and I prefer to play it in first person but without the head it would be pretty close to GTAV in awesomeness.
LukeRoss
That's insane :-D I guess it needs specific support for each game to be able to tell where the hits are coming from?
Cercata
I guess very dificult, but easy for Luke XD The problem with Star Citizen is that is very far from being fishished, so in case he makes a MOD, they would break it very often
Cercata
I just Ordered a TactSuit x40, in case you need a tester ;)
LukeRoss
Nope, sorry but GTA V was on a different framework. I might port it to the new framework one day, to take advantage of the new features, but it's not a priority
VR Pizza Kitchen
That’s fantastic ! So wait does this also work as an update to the gta v real mod?
LukeRoss
There is only one mod supporting both RDR2 and M:DE (and hopefully more games in the future). Sure, the update is for RDR2 too
LukeRoss
Who ever told you to do that?
Cazanu
bro night city and the insane amount of small details would be a VR heaven,i would prolly sit hours in Vs apartment but i dont think that game can be moded that hard idk tho.
VR Pizza Kitchen
Hey so is this still an update to the rdr2 mod as well? Or is this a different 1.5? Thanks for your cool work !
God's love sent Jesus to save us, not judge us.
Thanks for this very terrific and appreciated update.
Cameron Rule
Thanks for the amazing work as always! Are you considering a VR mod for Cyperbunk? Feel like this game was made for it. Surprised nobody has bothered yet!
Stuart
I gather in my circ that the content (folders) of MDE1 go to D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Mafia Definitive Edition overwriting those (4 files within the directories) when prompted. Then plonk the RealVR64.dll, realconfig Bat and the openvr.dll into that dir and run the Bat? *Edit (same error for RDR2 when overwriting prior 1.5.0*)
Stuart
I am looking forward to this. I tried installing over the prior version but it would not update so I did a fresh install but I am getting "ERROR: Mod installation files not found. When unzipping the mod archive, please make sure to overwrite existing files and to use folder names (preserve the zip folder structure). "
WIG
Thank you!!!!
Andre Warringa
Great work!!
Tobik Bobik
I wonder how difficult to implement VR in games on CryEngine? Especially Hunt: Showdown or even Star Citizen :D Just wonder...
Cercata
Awesome, as allways !!!!!!
Peter A
Thanks you made my weekend. You are the reason I have hundreds of hours in VR
