Dragging Way of the Mafia into 2026
Where this started
Way of the Mafia: Definitive Edition started as a personal project that I’ve actually been working on quietly for a while.
I found an old copy of the original mafia script on a USB drive. It was the sort of PHP code I originally learned from years ago, complete with PHP 5-era code, old MySQL functions and a frames-based layout.
At first, I only intended to get it running again.
That didn't last very long.
The rebuild
Once I had the original script working, I started modernising it properly. What began as a compatibility project gradually turned into a much larger rebuild.
So far that has included:
Why make it public?
For quite a while I was happy just working on this for myself. It was partly nostalgia and partly a chance to revisit the kind of code that originally got me interested in PHP.
But as the project grew, I decided it might actually be interesting to show what I'm doing rather than keeping it hidden away on my computer.
This site will now also act as a development log where I'll post updates, screenshots, changes, restored systems and anything interesting I uncover while working through the old code.
The goal
I don't want to completely reinvent Way of the Mafia.
The aim is to keep the feel of an old-school mafia browser game while rebuilding the parts underneath that simply don't belong on the modern web anymore.
There will be new ideas and changes along the way, but I still want it to feel like the sort of game somebody who played browser-based mafia games years ago would recognise immediately.
Same game at heart. A very different engine underneath.
Way of the Mafia: Definitive Edition started as a personal project that I’ve actually been working on quietly for a while.
I found an old copy of the original mafia script on a USB drive. It was the sort of PHP code I originally learned from years ago, complete with PHP 5-era code, old MySQL functions and a frames-based layout.
At first, I only intended to get it running again.
That didn't last very long.
The rebuild
Once I had the original script working, I started modernising it properly. What began as a compatibility project gradually turned into a much larger rebuild.
So far that has included:
- Updating the original PHP code for PHP 8
- Replacing obsolete database code
- Modernising MySQL queries and using prepared statements
- Removing the old frames-based layout
- Rebuilding the interface for desktop and mobile
- Updating old systems while trying to preserve the original gameplay
- Giving the game a completely new visual identity
Why make it public?
For quite a while I was happy just working on this for myself. It was partly nostalgia and partly a chance to revisit the kind of code that originally got me interested in PHP.
But as the project grew, I decided it might actually be interesting to show what I'm doing rather than keeping it hidden away on my computer.
This site will now also act as a development log where I'll post updates, screenshots, changes, restored systems and anything interesting I uncover while working through the old code.
The goal
I don't want to completely reinvent Way of the Mafia.
The aim is to keep the feel of an old-school mafia browser game while rebuilding the parts underneath that simply don't belong on the modern web anymore.
There will be new ideas and changes along the way, but I still want it to feel like the sort of game somebody who played browser-based mafia games years ago would recognise immediately.
Same game at heart. A very different engine underneath.