Vivat Slovakia News

The first batch of fixes and adjustments is successfully behind us. All items in the changelog are based on reports you sent us through the in-game reporting system or directly on Discord, for which we are very thankful.

We've tried to cram as much as possible into this first update to address the issues that troubled you the most and had a significant impact on gameplay. We plan to continue this trend, regularly fixing and eliminating all the shortcomings we discovered together.



[h2]Cloud Saves and Cloud Gaming[/h2]

• Starting with this update, Vivat Slovakia supports cloud saving, so you can transfer your progress from one device to another.
  
• Cloud Gaming through services like GeForce Now is technically implemented, and Vivat Slovakia will be added to the GeForce Now library in the coming days. This will allow you to play Vivat Slovakia on any PC(even a non gaming one), smart TV or even mobile remotely as long as you have a stable internet connection. We will inform you about the availability and details of using this service ASAP.
  

[h2]Missions[/h2]

• At the end of the missions "Ovce treba strihať," "Dostihy a stávky," "Aké požičaj, také vráť" and "Povolaný syn," it was possible to get stuck under certain circumstances in terms of story progression. All these problematic instances have been successfully resolved.
  
• In the mission "Karavana ide ďalej," the objective "Change into a suit" will be automatically completed if the player already has a suit on.
  

[h2]NPCs[/h2]

• Suspicious citizens on the streets of the city were repeatedly reported, and security forces were dispatched to investigate. Weird dilettantes spinning in place, or stubbornly walking into various walls or fences, were all arrested. Unannounced gatherings were uncompromisingly dispersed. The investigation is ongoing, please promptly report any suspicious behavior to the nearest police station.
  

[h2]Map/City
[/h2]

• Road workers toiled overtime and added dozens of new pedestrian crossings to all city districts to ensure the safety of citizens and traffic.
  
• According to reports from the Weather Institute, the level of smog and air humidity in the Bratislava area is significantly increasing. As a result, instances of foggy weather are becoming more frequent.
  
• The funeral service completed its annual maintenance at the Ondrejský cemetery, restoring all names and inscriptions on individual tombstones, making them clean and legible.
  
• Public workers continue their job day and night throughout the city. Citizens can expect a reduced number of potholes, correction of irregularities in buildings, and removal of various obstacles and other terrain discrepancies.
  

[h2]Vehicles and Traffic
[/h2]

• Slovak and foreign car manufacturers responded to mass recalls and fixed an engine defect on selected vehicles that caused a decrease in performance when driving uphill.
  
• Based on further feedback regarding the quality of cars, controls over the production process have been tightened. The result is significantly more durable alloys used in the bodies of all common cars and their increased lifespan.
  
• Rare instances of malfunctioning parking brakes have also been resolved.
  
• Special exercises of police, fire, and medical units have been successfully completed. Citizens may notice a significant decrease in the presence of relevant vehicles on the roads.
  
• All vehicle repair locations are now fully operational. The Voyages Into Vastly Amusing Territories Initiative apologizes once again for the complications and damage caused to property (and in some cases, health).
  

[h2]UI/UX
[/h2]

• Missing roads in the Slavín area have been added to the city map.
  
• Added the option to display texts about historical events after missions faster. These will now remain displayed until the player confirms that they want to continue.
  
• Added a 3D icon for better visibility in all branches of Ivanové Káry.
  
• The game now correctly notifies the player if interaction with Ivanové Káry stores and the Autodrome in Lunapark is not possible during missions.
  
• The main menu now includes an option to "Restart Player," which serves to unstuck the player from various instances of their character or vehicle being stuck. It can be used during missions or outside of them and will return the player to the location of their last automatic save without losing any progress they made.
  

We've only captured the main points of our first update in the changelog, but behind the scenes, the entire city was being cleaned up and you will certainly notice many other minor issues that have been fixed, adjusted, or removed. Please keep sending reports, thank you, and have a lot of fun.

It's hard to believe that it's been over half a year since the last Vivat Wednesday update. We put our regular development updates on hold last fall as we directed all our efforts into development. A few sleepless nights later, the Early Access release date arrived.

[h3]On Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 2:00 PM, Vivat Slovakia, weighing in at over 50GB, saw the light of day in Slovakia and the Czech Republic for the first time.
[/h3]

This was truly a memorable moment for our young studio, and despite our collective lack of sleep, we stayed up into the late hours of the night, closely watching the first steps of our creation. In today's edition of Vox Vivat, the successor to the beloved development diaries Vivat Wednesday, you will find out how the opening weekend looked like and what awaits us in the coming weeks.

[h2]Vivat Slovakia Media Flood
[/h2]
Streaming services like Twitch, Kick, or YouTube were flooded with streamers playing Vivat Slovakia live for tens of thousands of viewers during the first weekend. Players either watched or played Vivat. However, we closely guarded the first side of the cassette, and no story spoilers leaked until the release time. Everyone could enjoy Vivat Slovakia A-side at the same time.

In addition to streams and YouTubers, we also enjoyed tremendous interest from media portals such as žive.sk under Aktuality, Brainee from Hospodárske noviny, Fontech from Startitup, or lifestyle Refresher. Gaming websites like Sector, Indian, Hrej, Zing, Vortex, and many others were also not far behind. We thank both the streams and web portals very much 💕 Together, we managed to make Vivat Slovakia the most streamed game in our country during the first weekend.

[h3]I have about 15 tabs open across three displays, each with either a Vivat livestream or an article including a discussion. - Dielo Tai, Team Vivat[/h3]

While enjoying the often humorous gameplay moments, we diligently watched reactions to individual game elements and recorded all feedback from players. Our Discord, full of impatience and tension up to the release, also exploded with significant activity. We had a lot to do to keep up with it all. If you're not part of the community Discord yet, come chat with the strongest core of the Vivat community!



[h2]Praise and criticism, we take notes on everything[/h2]

If you've played through the first side of the Vivat Slovakia cassette, you know that we've implemented our own bug and suggestion reporting system for improvement directly in-game. During the opening weekend, we collected over 2,000 in-game reports. And it wasn't just praise, no. Players didn't mince words of tough, but constructive criticism either. When you report something in the pause menu via the Feedback function, you send us valuable reports that members of Team Vivat will process and assign to the responsible team member. That's what Early Access is all about. Together, we'll push the game to the quality we envision.

At the same time, we fully understand that many players want to wait until the first optimization or new game content comes out. This is supported by the rapidly growing number of wishlists on Steam. Since the Early Access release, we've gained over 4,000 of them. These are all things that drive us forward and motivate us to keep working.

The biggest praise so far goes to the game's depiction of Bratislava and its accurately captured atmosphere of the 90s. Well deserved positive reactions are also reported to the Slovak dubbing by the biggest Slovak names such as Majo Labuda, Kristína Svarinská, Ego, or Lukáš Frlajs. In regards to dubbing, we haven't said the last word yet. Get ready for the implementation of screams and other reactions to collisions with your taxi or pulling out a weapon in digital Bratislava.

On the other hand, the biggest thorn in the side for players was optimization and various bugs that couldn't be eliminated due to time constraints leading up to the day of the early access release. So technical matters. Based on this, we are truly thrilled though. If players were bothered by the setting, story, or dubbing, we wouldn't have much room to change the fundamental points of Vivat Slovakia. However, improving the technical state and fixing bugs is something we can now fully focus on and with each update, move the game closer to its final form.




[h2]First patch and the near future[/h2]

We realize that we still have a lot of work ahead of us. The highest priority at the moment is optimization and fixing reported bugs using the Feedback system in the pause menu. We're making the game for players - for you! As long as you're interested in Vivat Slovakia, we'll keep working on the game and creating the first Slovak open-world title.

We've already successfully identified several issues from reported bugs, and you can count on them being fixed presently. Places where pedestrians aimlessly walked into walls, clustered, spun in place, or exhibited other strange behavior are being fixed thanks to in-game reports. But honestly, won't you miss them at least a bit? 😅

Another amusing element of the current Early Access is the places in virtual Bratislava used for vehicle repair. These occasionally caused the vehicle to shoot up to dizzying heights. On behalf of the Voyages Into Vastly Amusing Territories program, we apologize for any complications and discomfort caused. Starting with the upcoming patch, we're ending this program with an unsatisfactory rating.

In addition to many minor fixes on the map, such as sinkholes or incorrect colliders, you can also look forward to atmospheric fog, which for unidentifiable meteorological reasons did not appear in the game during the opening weekend. That gorgeous view from UFO will be even better. Speaking of annoying things - from now on, dislexys will also have enough time to read post-mission texts explaining the stories from the 90s. Sorry for that.




Cloud save and Cloud gaming - playing on Mac or Linux, or on older Windows machines
The biggest news of the first Vox Vivat would be the arrival of Cloud saves functionality, which will guarantee not only the transfer of save files between different devices but also open doors to GeForce Now support. Several of us played Cyberpunk 2077 through GeForce Now on MacOS or laptops with older hardware. All you need for Vivat Slovakia is to have it purchased on Steam and be connected to a stable internet connection. From that moment on, the game will run on NVIDIA hardware somewhere in the cloud. Regarding support for GeForce Now, you'll hear more from us.

We've highlighted the most important things that will appear in the next patch. It's tentatively planned for this Friday. Prepare for a proper list in the changelog, but also keep in mind that it's only been a week since the Early Access release.


Optimization and bug fixing are currently our top priority, but this process is very time-consuming and technically demanding. However, we'll get there together gradually, and that's why I'd like to ask you again on behalf of the Vivat Team for positive reviews on Steam and unwavering bug reporting in the in-game Feedback system, which you can find in the game's pause menu. Welcome to Vivat Slovakia!



[h2]Wishlist Vivat Slovakia on Steam[/h2]
Still hesitating to buy Vivat Slovakia while it’s in Early Access? Add it to your wishlist for now, and you'll be among the first to learn about every patch and game improvement. That won’t cost you a thing 🤗

Cavalenky rapper from Holic in Slovakia, recorded voice lines for the role of Ceco also nicknamed Demon of Bratislava 😈

The main inspiration for this character came from the 90s when this gangster held many taxi drivers in fear at that time.

Don't forget that in the game Vivat Slovakia you play as a secret cop who drives a taxi as his cover 🚕 Comin' in hot! 💣

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

🎙️Slovak actress Kristina Svarinska records voicelines for the game Vivat Slovakia.

Suspicious journalist Laura 🌹 expertly entangles Milan's head in the game Vivat Slovakia.
Her voice is lent by the perfect Kristina Svarinska, who will accompany you in the game with more relaxed activities, such as horse racing in Petržalka, Bratislava 🐎

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

🎙️We're recording voiceovers for the game Vivat Slovakia, situated in Bratislava virtual 90s, with our partner from the Municak ammunition shop. ✌️

In the game, these two gentlemen will serve you under the counter munition, although we don't recommend provoking them too much. Who knows what kind of friends they have hidden behind the counter? 🔫

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]