Vivat Slovakia News

[h2]Changelog 0.7.0b27[/h2]



Citizens, please pay attention to the following important announcement!

With the arrival of autumn and the upcoming All Saints' holidays, our capital city has many special events awaiting you. A pumpkin contest, the opening of the first mega electronics store Nay, and freshly expropriated properties for sale are just the tip of the iceberg.

Loyal readers of the Vox Vivat bulletin already have an idea of the news we're eager to share. So, what's happening in Bratislava today?


Garages
After the successful expropriation of selected garage properties throughout Bratislava, the city is offering them for sale to new owners. For the special price of 10,000 SK, citizens can enjoy luxurious parking spots in various parts of all city districts.
The garages include the ability to house all of the owner's vehicles, and even full equipment for repainting and selected* cosmetic upgrades to vehicles.

Specific locations of the garages for sale can be found on the updated map of Bratislava.
*Currently in experimental phase, with colors and options expanding over time.


All Saints' Day approaching
The spooky season is near, and with it, we invite all citizens to a new contest to find pumpkins around Bratislava. Anyone who finds all 50 will receive a special vehicle, the Ferraty Vampire RSR – the legendary car from the movie The Vampire from Ferat.
The vehicle doesn’t run on gasoline, but on the blood of the driver and unsuspecting passersby, so we recommend handling it with caution! The prize will be delivered directly to the winner’s personal garage.


Celebratory Bumper Car Competition
Another great chance to win a rare vehicle is open to all citizens at the Petržalka Lunapark on Tyršovo Embankment. The Bumper Car attraction has been equipped with a points system, and the lucky winner will take home* a brand-new Gerlach 725 Monster.
*As with the pumpkin contest, the prize will be delivered directly to the winner’s personal garage.


New Giant in Electronics Sales
Near the Petržalka train station, the first mega store of the electronics retailer Nay has opened! As part of the grand opening, it also offers many new jobs, especially delivery driver positions.
A company car, premium salary, and a special Nay Walkman as a reward for successfully delivering ten orders await everyone who enjoys driving and bringing joy to people with new appliances and other technological wonders.


Vehicles
In addition to the special vehicles mentioned above, observant citizens will also notice more new cars on the streets, specifically from the brand Unserevehikel.
New vehicles:

• Unserevehikel Tornado MK3
  
• Unserevehikel Tornado MK3 Sedan
  
• Unserevehikel Tornado Tourer
  

Miscellaneous

• Complete road network overhaul across the entire city
  
• The first two Steam Achievements (more coming soon)
  
• A certain scene has been added in the mission The Prodigal Son during ladder climbing
  
• Various adjustments to building, car, and prop models
  
• Various terrain adjustments
  
• Minor tweaks to story missions
  

Thank you for your attention, and we continue to welcome all your observations, suggestions, and reservations. As always, you can learn more about the latest happenings in Bratislava in the Vox Vivat bulletin. We wish you lots of fun!

Notice the pace we've set? It's literally spooky! That's because we have All Saints' Day, or Halloween as the Americans call it – and that means the vampire-themed free update is coming to you just in time!

[h2]New Activity: NAY Express Courier[/h2]
Slovak electronics retailer NAY has arrived in our virtual Bratislava, offering Milan an opportunity to make some extra money. In Petržalka, a NAY building has sprung up where you can work as a courier delivering electronics.

Expect 10 fast-paced deliveries including voice acting, where you'll earn not only some crowns and an achievement for completion (more on that below!) but also an exclusive in-game reward.



[h2]NAY Walkman – Listen to the radio on the go[/h2]
After completing 10 deliveries across virtual Bratislava, you'll unlock a feature players have been asking for. Now you’ll be able to listen to Radio LFO or your own music via a walkman even when you're on foot. This mechanic came from suggestions on our Discord, so if you're not part of the community yet, feel free to join and share your ideas – we’re listening.



[h2]New Mechanic: Personal Garages[/h2]
Where do you store all those crowns you’ve earned? As a bachelor living in an apartment block, you have to invest in a new car. But you’ll need to take care of them properly, garaging them, so that in 10 years, you can sell them as “low-mileage imports from Austria.”

Back to the garages – it's a new game mechanic! We've scattered garages for sale throughout virtual Bratislava. You can store all your vehicles, whether bought from Ivan’s Rides or as bonus cars earned through side activities.



[h2]Garage Tuning, Phase 1 – Underglow[/h2]
Why visit Ivan's Rides for your vehicle modifications when you can do it yourself in your garage? Repainting your car any color in your newly acquired garage is a breeze – but that’s not all.

To get that Underground 2 vibe, you’ll be able to add neon underglow to any of your vehicles. Right now, we’re offering just a teaser color for the neon lights, but it’s clear where we’re headed in terms of visual tuning in future phases.



[h2]Unserevehikel Tornado – 3 New Variants[/h2]
The popular Unserevehikel brand has received a new import with three fresh versions. You’ll see the Tornado cruising the game’s streets in its hatchback version, a family-friendly tourer, or an unassuming sedan.

You’ll also notice upgrades to the front and rear lights, which we’ve applied to some older cars as well. To be honest, on some cars, the headlights used to look a bit like stickers! On a brighter note – Vivat Slovakia has added over 100 drivable vehicles since early access. That’s a huge milestone!



[h2]Smola Agro – The Black Ambulance[/h2]
For All Saints’ Day, we’re bringing back an eerie Eastern European legend from the 80s. The Black Ambulance roams the city streets, abducting children for their organs. In the past, kids knew it was time to go home when the streetlights turned on.

When the lights flickered, it was time to run.
Emerging from the shadows of the flickering streetlights, a dark Smola Agro with a black finish and vintage ambulance design haunts those who play outside too long. This unique vehicle will now roam the streets of digital Bratislava in Vivat Slovakia.



[h2]Gerlach 725 Monster[/h2]
We all know by now that one of the game’s main characters is voiced by the slovak rapper EGO. But did you know about his bandmate Rytmus’s videos? In one of the latest episodes of his show, a monster truck was featured that cannot go unnoticed.

Ivan fired up the welder and fitted the body of the luxurious Slovak car Gerlach 725 onto giant wheels. You can win this beast at the Petržalka Bumper Car attraction and pick it up from your newly added garages. Like all your cars, this Gerlach also functions as a taxi. Whether customers will dare to get in, though, is another question.



[h2]Achievements Are Coming[/h2]
Every gamer knows that satisfying feeling when earning an achievement. Vivat Sloboda only had one, but Vivat Slovakia will have two... for now. We’ve got the achievement system ready and are gradually adding Steam trophies to the game to make sure everything works smoothly when the final version is released.

• Handle with Care – Complete the NAY Express delivery and get the walkman
  
• Smashing Pumpkins – Smash all 50 pumpkins and get the vampire car
  

You can unlock these two achievements with this patch, but we’re already preparing a massive batch of trophies for the next update.



[h2]Polishing, Optimizing, and Perfecting – Yes, Still[/h2]
Aside from adding new content, optimizing, and working on the other side of the tape (which will be action-packed!), we’re of course fixing all the bugs reported through the in-game menu or by our dedicated testers. We quietly add these minor gameplay improvements, outside of the Vox Vivat updates.

For example, to liven up the city, we’ve added Schweisser Team welders on various construction sites and scaffolding. We’ll take another look at the already improved bumper car attraction and the latest mini-story in the The Prodigal Son Returns mission, which spices up the ladder climbing portion.

We live by the motto "It’s the little things" and hope that when we finally remove the Early Access sticker from Vivat Slovakia, you’ll experience a more polished game – especially if you’ve been with us from the start.



Another great example is the road network in the game, which has been bugging us since early access. Roads had lots of geometric errors, causing a significant load on your PC. Dominik tackled the road network over the past few months and managed to reduce it by over 1,000,000 triangles. The road file is now just 55 MB.

This drastically reduces the load on your hardware by more than half.
In addition, Damián is continuously looking at the most resource-heavy buildings and remodeling them with new expertise. Currently, he’s focused on remastering the parliament building, which will not only look better and be less taxing on your computer, but will also open up the parliamentary garden area.



[h2]English Voice Acting in Vivat Slovakia is Approaching[/h2]
A major milestone in localization for foreign players is within reach. In collaboration with the Prague-based studio BEEP, we’ve managed to record voices of native speakers for the first side of the Vivat Slovakia tape.

The game already has English subtitles, but as content grows and the game’s quality improves, professional English voice acting will open doors for us on the bloodthirsty (even outside of Halloween) international market. We have even wilder localization plans, hoping to tackle subtitles in other languages too. So, if you’re fluent in any foreign language, feel free to reach out.


[h2]Ferraty Vampire RSR[/h2]
For All Saints’ Day, 50 pumpkins have appeared around the city. Don’t forget, you’ll find the first one in the tutorial (mission zero), where your border guard colleagues shine a light on it. It’s the first collectible item in Vivat Slovakia, and for finding all of them, you’ll not only get an achievement but also a bloody reward.

The 1981 Czechoslovak horror movie Vampire from Ferat is still a bizarre and terrifying work, telling the tale of a car that runs on the driver’s blood. Ferraty Vampire RSR has several unique abilities. Not only does it leave behind a trail of Milan’s blood, but it also devours the veins of pedestrians. Better not look under the hood!



f you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking with us, enjoy the upcoming update and see you in the next Vox Vivat!

• Fixed an error causing some players to get stuck in a black screen after launching the game.
  

Players still experiencing a black screen after launch, please contact us at [email protected] along with your player.log file.

Thank you and have fun!

[h2]Changelog 0.6.0b42[/h2]

Citizens, please pay attention to the following important announcement.

The summer heat is subsiding, but despite the dropping temperatures, our officials' heads are still steaming — all in the name of improving our capital city. Returning vacationers can look forward to many fun activities, as well as an overall enhancement in the quality of life, especially in the areas of transportation and recreation.

Those of you who diligently follow our regular newsletter Vox Vivat are surely eagerly anticipating the updates listed below, so allow us to present them in more detail.


Fishing Season Open
Fishing enthusiasts are in for a treat. In collaboration with local authorities, we are offering every citizen free fishing gear to help control the overpopulation of certain species in Bratislava's rivers and lakes. For each fish caught, we are offering a financial reward, and for anyone who catches at least five fish, we have a special express delivery of fishing attire straight to your home.

Citizens can start fishing at designated spots at the Chorvát Canal in Petržalka and gradually move on to Štrkovec and Kuchajda lakes, and even the Danube river. Happy fishing!


Taxi Taxi
The Bratislava Tourist Office has registered an increased demand for taxi services throughout the city. Citizens who want to make some extra money should keep their eyes peeled. A raised hand and waving from fellow citizens by the side of the road is not just a friendly gesture but also a chance to boost your household income.


Vehicles and Traffic
The long-awaited vehicles ordered from Germany have finally arrived, and our rescue and fire departments are now able to enjoy brand-new service vehicles. In addition, drivers have also reported spotting a new model, the Poissy TD in combi version, and the rare custom-built Smola Bohemia by Medailex on the roads.

New vehicles:

• Unserevehikel Vanmaster + variants
  
• Medailex Sportster
  
• Poissy TD Combi
  

Rail and Water Transportation
Several key connections in Bratislava's railway network were temporarily closed over the summer due to essential trackwork. After completing all repairs, we are pleased to announce the reopening of train services between Hlavná Stanica, ŽST Nové Mesto, and ŽST Petržalka stations. For the modest ticket price, citizens can now travel across the city, even with their personal vehicles, without any additional charges.

Following the summer floods, the Water Management Company has lifted the restriction on navigation on the Danube. In addition to the return of tugboats, this has also allowed the city to reopen the beloved Propeler ferry. Thanks to an efficient shift rotation system, the ferry operates 24/7 between Tyršovo and Rázusovo embankments, completely free of charge. Citizens are advised to exercise caution when boarding and disembarking, as we've had reports of attempts to cut in line, push ahead, and jump the railing, all of which inevitably lead to sudden falls into the water.


IMPORTANT WARNING!
For the citizens and visitors of the capital city, we are issuing a warning based on reports received by local police units. According to our information, a dangerous type of grenade launcher has appeared on the black market. Investigators have determined that it is an under-barrel grenade launcher marked VG 70 — a prototype from the Czechoslovak era, with only a few units produced in the late 1960s.

How this historical, yet still very dangerous weapon ended up in circulation is currently unknown. We kindly ask all citizens for any information that could aid in the investigation and urge you to prioritize your safety and well-being.


Miscellaneous

• The main character, as well as all story characters, have undergone cosmetic skin adjustments: less sweat and shine.
  
• Story characters now react to certain situations while driving in a car (experimental).
  
• Improved police NPC spawning system.
  
• English mission names added to the English localization.
  
• Terrain and horizon distance adjustments.
  
• Various terrain improvements.
  
• Various adjustments to building, vehicle, and prop models.
  
• Minor adjustments in story missions.
  

Thank you for your attention and support, dear citizens. Our city is constantly undergoing gradual cleanup and enhancement, but there’s always room for improvement, so we continue to welcome all your insights, suggestions, and criticisms.

You can learn more about the latest happenings in Bratislava in the Vox Vivat newsletter as always. We wish you lots of fun!

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!