Can someone explain the differences to me? YMAP / MLO
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Hello family!
During all these years, I have installed maps, houses, garages of all kinds. But I always realize that there are YMAPs, and MLOs (apart of course from .xml maps).
I would really like to know what is better for game performance, so I ask the following questions.
What consumes more resources in the game?
Why do some MLO maps cause surrounding textures to be lost or pixelated?Where do you get your MLOs from?
Thanks a lot!!
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@Fabito48hd
That’s a pretty complex question. I’ll give you my understanding just to get started and let others chime in.The acronym MLO or MiLO isn’t well documented. I’ve never been able to find an official Rockstar definition for it, but the consensus seems to be it stands for Moveable Interior Loader. An MLO is not a map, but rather a model. They are commonly referred to as interiors. As to your question where do we get them? The answer is right here on this site.
The reason they are called Moveable is because the coordinates defined in the MLO’s YMAP are relative rather than absolute. So theoretically you could move it anywhere in the GTA world.
A YMAP, or it could be the YTYP file, is broader than the MLO. It can contain buildings, interiors, props etc.
If we measure performance as loading times, or rendering distances, or even FPS for example, there are dozens of factors that come into play. The size of the map or MLO, the resolution/quality of the textures, the 3D models included in the Map or MLO (more polygons mean longer rendering times), etc.
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@JohnFromGWN I knew I'd see you around here friend, thank you very much for your participation.
The question of where to get it is not malicious, don't get me wrong, but I have a feeling as a newbie that I am, and due to the small number of MLO maps that there are regarding YMAPs on this site compared to the large number of other pages of payment, that the MLO models are much more complex to manufacture, but it is a feeling that can be totally wrong.
On the subject of performance, they are also my feelings because the MLOs are "lighter" for me, but I have had problems with the FPS drop when passing through an area with a YMAP, but I also repeat that it is something subjective of mine.
Of course, as you say, some are always interior, while others allow the creation of structures, maybe that's why I've had some problems...
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@Fabito48hd honestly i don't think you will take an FPS hit with an MLO. The only FPS drop ive experienced is driving through the forests of Chiliad.
I dont install any xml maps. I only have a few MLOs, tim Horton because im Canadian, malibu mansion, and the designer house.
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@Fabito48hd The difference is;
Assuming the author also know the difference and write the mod's name correctly,
- MLO contains it's own 3D models and collisions. If let's say there is a MLO house mod, the entire house structure being a single 3D object. Some seperates the interior and exterior as 2 different 3D objects, some divides some stuff, like the shell of the house, interior, exterior, props (like couches, beds..). BigShaqNOKetchup's MLO mods are great example for this and they all have a very good performance.
Because the MLO mod being a single (or a few) meidum-big 3D object, it's having a very significant higher fps compared to ymap. There is a mod for Fallout 4 that is combining all the stuff in an area into 1 big 3D object instead of having them seperately and that mod gives over 30-40 fps boost which is amazing.
- YMAP is putting lots lots of multiple small only vanilla (90% of the time) or both vanilla and add on 3D objects together piece by piece, eventually when all put together they are making a small-medium-big object like house. Now some mods have some 3D addon objects in themself, however this is not to be confused with a real MLO. Those objects are being small sized things just as a complementary and they are not having any better performance than vanilla 3D objects.
For this reason while a YMAP mod eating a lot of fps (depending on how many objects placed in it) while a MLO mod taking a very slight fps. The simple logic is "less objects=more fps". Master Yoda says "Size doesn't matter." and he is a very very wise Jedi
But even MLO has it's limits at some point. This is why massive sized addon MLO maps eating too much fps. Since the entire map being 1 massive sized object, the LOD distance can't be set properly. You have to set the highest quality LOD distance at least from the center to the farthest corner of the map so it doesn't show low quality LODs at least while you are on the map. and such a far distanced highest quality lod size of a massive sized 3D object can eat a lot of fps. This is why you should always place the maps far away from the game's own map so at least the game engine only loads the lowest quality LODs of the vanilla map for maximum performance. But despite this thingy, as long as it's not a very simple map with little amount of objects, MLO maps still offer higher fps compared to YMAP maps.
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@Aurora11 Thank you very much for your time and your explanation. Now thanks to you I have it much clearer.
I must learn to make MLOs or look for more options
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@Fabito48hd You are welcome very much
It would be amazing to see more MLO mods 
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@Aurora11 Excellent summary. Thanks!
@Fabito48hd One easy way to learn more about GTA5 files and addons is to look at the "innards" with OpenIV or Codewalker. For example, this is what a "typical MLO" looks like. As @Aurora11 wrote, some modders don't know the differences and might describe their YMAP as an MLO and vice versa. One thing for sure, just as there is with vehicles, there isn't always consistency and you can see many different structures for YMAPs in particular.
