Every great game lets you fish - Vox Vivat #3 - Dev diary

We dutifully report after our summer jobs that Vivat Slovakia is getting another major free
update. Once again, we’ve listened to you, our player, and focused on side activities- of
course, among other things!

[h2]This patch on the Lužifčák podcast[/h2]
The comedic duo Kubo Lužina and Gabo Žifčák are taking the internet by storm with their
highly successful podcast, Lužifčák. Our producer, Roman Lipka, made it onto the guest list
for episode 268. If you haven't tuned in yet, you're in for quite the marathon – their
episodes run around two hours each!



Of course, you can simply watch our episode with Roman, where this relatively funny trio
talked about collaborators of Vivat Slovakia, new activities, and even adding the two hosts
to the game. With your green four-wheeler 'Smola', you can 'friendly' show them where the
fun ends.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]We attended Gamescom 2024[/h2]
This summer was pivotal for us, as it also marked our first visit to an international gaming
expo. Thanks to Creative Europe MEDIA, attending Gamescom, the largest gaming
conference in Cologne, Germany, greatly broadened our horizons and connected us with
several new contacts. For instance, since we're not yet available in the gaming library of
GeForce Now cloud, we made our way to Nvidia's booth in the business section (or rather,
their Tent City!) and respectfully requested to be included so that you could play Vivat
Slovakia on more platforms. We’ll see if it persuaded them!




[h2]Side Activity: Taxi Driving[/h2]
Among his various jobs in the 90s, the main character Milan also works as a taxi driver.
Previously included in the story missions in Vivat, this profession now allows you to earn
extra cash by picking up random NPCs who wave to you on the streets of virtual Bratislava.
The final phase of this activity will include mini-stories from our supporters at StartLab.
We’ll start focusing on this after the summer. So, if you haven’t yet submitted a script for
the voiceover of your taxi mini-story to odmeny.vivatslovakia.sk, now is the time.



We took this screenshot using the new Photo Mode, which you can find in the game’s
menu!


[h2]Side Activity: Fishing[/h2]
As Milan reveals to the suspicious journalist Laura - he gets along better with fish. If you're
an avid angler, you can find fish icons on the map indicating where you can cast your line
and reel in some catches. You’ll start with small streams and work your way up to grand
river fishing. To assist you, there's a new fishing outfit that extends the time you have to
catch freshwater creatures.




[h2]Poissy TD Combi - The Familiar Car’s Combi Version[/h2]
You might already be familiar with Ceco's legendary red Poissy from the story on the first
side of the Vivat Slovakia game cassette. In reality, this car also had a Combi version, which
is now cruising the potholed roads of digital Bratislava.




[h2]Unserevehikel Vanmaster - A New Van with Variants[/h2]
Until now, Vivat Slovakia featured only one modern van, the Princ Taken, used by the secret
service for surveillance. The popular brand of vehicles- Unserevehikel has now made its way
into our digital Bratislava, therefore we expanded the selection of ambulance cars and
company vehicles. A unique feature is the NAY Expres delivery van, which we have exciting
plans for further down the line.




[h2]Tugboat Magnusian on the Danube[/h2]
On our Discord, our modeler Damián asked the community for recommendations on a boat that should
sail the Danube. Our loyal member, the photographer of old Bratislava (Prešporok), who
regularly provides us with historical photos, suggested a tugboat, and that's what we went
with. While we don’t have a drawbridge like in other gangster games, making the jump onto
it might be a bit challenging. If anyone manages it, let us know—ideally on the
aforementioned Discord.




[h2]Medailex Sportster - Custom Smola Special[/h2]
In the 90s, vehicle modifications were also popular in Slovakia. The most notable company
for custom Smola Bohemia cars was Medailex, which transformed the Bohemia into a
sporty, wind-blowing Sportster. According to Ivan from Ivan's Cars, over 160 of these
modified cars were created by the year 1996.




[h2]The borders of our World are No Longer in Sight - Distant Terrain[/h2]
The view from Bratislava Castle or the UFO lookout is stunning. We’ve successfully rendered
the entire city, taking your computer’s capabilities into account, so you can experience
Bratislava as if it were in the palm of your hand. Although, something was missing. The
distant terrain beyond the map revealed an emptiness, but that’s no longer the case.
Now, the Bratislava Slavoil refinery has finally covered the area around the city with fog,
enveloping the landscape and making the city look even better.




[h2]New Voiceovers for Pedestrians and Story Characters[/h2]
We’re receiving endless praise for our Slovak voice acting, and rightfully so—actors like Ego,
Kristína Svarinská, Milan Žitný, and Čavalenky have done an outstanding job. The countless
hours spent at Slučka, Beep, and FZR studios produced far more lines than were able to
include at launch. We’re now adding these previously unused voice lines to Vivat Slovakia.

Pedestrians will now shout for help, and your story characters will complain about your
reckless driving. Silent faces will come to life, and these new irate remarks might just make
you want to scratch your polished DBW car.


[h2]Grenade Launcher, Yes, You Read That Right[/h2]
With our major upgrade to the wanted level system—meaning when the police are after
you—we needed to come up with a countermeasure. In the late 60s, a prototype was
developed for the Czechoslovak Army. The grenade launcher with the name VG 70 (grenade
thrower) has made its way into Vivat Slovakia, and it can certainly wreak some serious
havoc.

For a hefty sum of Slovak crowns, you can find the grenade launcher at Muničák.
Additionally, we’ve tweaked the explosion effects, making them look significantly better.
Taking this weapon of mass destruction for a spin down Obchodná street is quite the experience.



[h2]Propeler - Boat and Train Transport[/h2]
Propeler was a legendary boat that operated in the 90s, crossing the Danube from one bank
to the other. Our captains, Ivan and Dominik, have worked hard to recreate this Danube
gem from vintage photos into digital form. It’s a visually striking element that brings the
previously static Danube to life, and if you’re daring, you can wait for it on one of the
riverbanks.

Besides river transport, we’ve introduced a new feature: map teleportation via trains. Train
icons have been added to the map at all three train stations. This means you can now use
Fast Travel between Petržalka, Hlavná Stanica, and Nové Mesto and for a small fee, transport Milan alongside his car.




[h2]Optimization, Small Fixes, and the Much-Anticipated Side B[/h2]
Since the early access release of Vivat Slovakia, we’ve been continuously working on
perfecting the game. The aforementioned expansions are paving the way for the final
version of Vivat, including the B side of the cassette. All updates are being provided for
free, whether they include fun mini-games, new vehicles, or features that enhance the
overall game feel. Alongside these updates, we're also fixing bugs and significantly
improving performance. Looking back over the months, Vivat Slovakia is already a much
more refined game.

Therefore, we kindly ask you for your ongoing support so we can continue to fully dedicate ourselves on improving our game, even if you plan to play it only with its full release.


[h2]Side B will get darker[/h2]
In addition to enhancing the game, we’re planning new language localizations, collectible items hidden throughout the map, more accessible interiors, and of course, fun achievements for the near future. The complete version of Vivat Slovakia will also feature twice as many story missions, meaning at least twice as much gameplay—and it’s going to be a lot more action-packed!




We aim to have all this ready by the end of the year, but free updates will continue to be release throughout the year. We’re already looking forward to the next Vox Vivat!