“Troubled” is probably the most polite way to describe the launch ofGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.Comparisons toCyberpunk 2077might be somewhat hyperbolic, though it’s understandable that some players would draw that parallel.
Fortunately, modders are hard at work addressing some of the issues plaguingGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. This includes a recent mod that reintroduces fog toGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
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This might not seem like a big deal to those who haven’t playedGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, butSan Andreas’ draw distance fogis more important than it sounds. Older games often used such weather effects to hide their limited draw distance. However, it also served a secondary function in the earlyGTAtitles. While their maps were and still are huge, relatively speaking, they can look quite small when seen from higher altitudes. Concealing parts of the city behind banks haze or fog makes the map appear much larger than was possible to model in the game engine.
Unfortunately, that fog isn’t present in theDefinitive Edition. As a result, climbing a mountain or into a plane inSan Andreaslooks more like examining a model train set than soaring over a vast metropolis. The lack of fog also does nothing to conceal the sharp boundary between the ocean and skybox. The good news is thatmodders are coming to theGTA Trilogy’srescue, restoring both the mist and the illusion of scale.
Reddit user and YouTuber TJGM uploaded a video that showcases the fog mod in action. WhileSan Andreas’map still looks tiny from the sky, the mod eliminates much of the “model on a table” look the game has otherwise. The fog achieves this by blurring the horizon, reducing the level of detail on distant objects, and muting the overly bright, almost plastic-like colors of the landscape below.
The effect is even more noticeable from lower altitudes, as players can no longer see the entire unbroken landscape from the top of a mountain or skyscraper. Even from ground level, the hazy distance feels more realistic than in the vanillaDefinitive Edition. Notably, the mod does not alter the game’s render distance, merely shrouding more distant objects in a cloudy haze. Players can also choose how thick they want the in-game fog to be.
Installing the mod is a relatively simple process, only requiring the player to swap out a single folder inGTA:The Trilogy’sfile directory. However, this may change as both it and the game receive new updates. Meanwhile, fans better hope thatTake-Two Interactive doesn’t decide to crack down on yet anotherGrand Theft Automod.
