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Hot Lava News

Update #19 - Tiny Tiny



Detailed Patch Notes
  • Tiny Toy trial added to Playground
  • Three new outfits added to the reward container “Barbarian”,”Rockabilly”, and “Elf”
  • New Tiny Toy pickups added throughout worlds, pick them up to become tiny
  • Fixed cached jumping bonus from incorrectly triggering from a stand still
  • New brightness option that prevents the game from looking washed out when used
  • Added emotes sounds
  • Update surf slope detection, surf velocity when looking up slopes is now more natural allowing for a complete deceleration of your speed before sliding back down the slope
  • Update surf flick detection, surf flicks better detect when flicking away from a surf surface
  • Most rock pillars are now marked as convex to reduce issues where players lose speed on them
  • Optimized texture streaming
  • Fixed some blurry UI elements
  • Updated in-game Course Selection UI text layer sounds
  • Fixed bug where any object could trigger the Basketball Hoop confetti effect. Now triggers with basketballs only
  • Removed Bell sound from Checkpoint Trail Arrival effect. Too confusing to read what its purpose was
  • Added new Save Checkpoint sound
  • Fixed bug where players could get a big boost of speed when disconnecting from a handhold immediately after grabbing it
  • Players should no longer respawn at trials they pass without activating them when exploring the overworld
  • Prevent bad text when translation mods contain excessive poedit headers
  • Reduce glitchiness when picking up pogo
  • Fixed bushes in lava of Playground
  • Collectible cards are now easier to see in game
  • Optimized lighting in Tutorial for improved framerate
  • Optimized lighting in Mastery for improved framerate
  • Disabled some sounds on online players causing performance issues
Hot Fix #1
  • Fixed multi-part replays (e.g. Mastery and Pogo)
  • Fixed missing item strings
  • Fixed reward decal art
  • Apply tiny toy soundscape to overworld tinytoy
  • Don’t drop pogo/tinytoy when paused
  • Fix wacky arms in buddy mode animation
  • Fixed occasionally missing local player audio
Modkit Update 303963

New modkit build 303963 is live:
  • Split modkit into two packages to make importing new updates faster
  • modkit_readme.pdf updated with instructions for new import process
  • Add MustLastSecondJump/NoLastSecondJumps skill tags
  • Switch to Lava/Reality buttons put players into separate online “worlds” so players in lava world don’t see players in reality world
  • Open workshop legal agreement URL in browser if user needs to accept it
  • Prevent flood of errors after failing to connect to steam
  • Fix “Upload” button is sometimes missing in “modify mod” screen
  • Fix “Add ItemKeys” generating Grabbables that couldn’t be picked up (wrong layer)
  • Fix “Trigger Volume Fixer” applying wrong layer to volumes


This Phase of Beta Ending Today

Tomorrow we are ending the current phase of beta and with that we will be closing sales for the game until the next phase is ready. We have received tons of invaluable feedback from the community that has had an immeasurable impact on the game. Our path forward is now clear and we need to take some time to make the changes required to make sure we deliver the best experience possible.

Development of Hot Lava will continue to operate as it has been and no significant changes to the development of the game have been made.
  • Those that have already purchased will continue to own Hot Lava and be able to play throughout development, as well as the final game when it releases
  • We will still provide periodic updates, allowing you to test the latest features and content
  • Updates will have a general focus on overall structural and systematic changes, and will be less focused on player retention and marketing
  • Sales will resume when we are ready to expand to a larger audience
  • We still absolutely welcome your continued feedback and suggestions

I want to once again thank everyone for all the love and support you have shown over the open beta phase, and I can’t wait to show you what we are working on next!

-Mark

Update #18 - Holiday Special



Detailed Patch Notes
  • Reset leaderboard and retired all times across all levels
  • Added 60 presents across wholesale and school that lead to a special holiday award
  • “A Sue Nami Christmas” book added to Collections
  • Temporary holiday item: “Holiday Hat”
  • New items: Cat Paw, Viking Shield, Robin Hood, Robin Hood Hat, Compass, Paper Crane, Throwing Axe, Watch
  • You can now sell duplicate stickers and followers
  • Revised surf logic:
    • Unified exit angle to allow for proper flicks
    • No longer punishes horizontal velocity when leaving a surf
    • Unified jump and flick exits from surf objects
    • Crouch or downward exits avoid jump logic
    • Energy preserving surfing
    • Minimum surf speed of 2m/s
    • Fixed audio on surf exists
  • Added seasonal set dressing to Menu
  • Holiday changes to School
  • Re-tuned blown out lighting in courtyard of School
  • Improved texture streaming, increased visual quality across different options
  • Fixed issue with camera popping on some landing
  • Slightly tweaked Grace Jump audio feedback
  • Fix pause menu course list scrolling to work with gamepad
  • Reduce amount of texture memory for UI
  • Fix course timer getting stuck at 99:99.99.99
  • Fixed object interactivity issue when dying while holding an object
  • Replays no longer explode when a cooldown death occurs
  • Pogos no longer show timer in lobby
  • Fix bug allowing throwing in third person
  • Make quit option on mod maps match action: “Quit To Menu”
  • Make bottom buttons adapt to long translated strings in main menu and course complete leaderboard
  • Disabled grab in taunts
  • Fixed gamma popping bug
  • Checkpoint effect disabled on restart
  • Improved mouse sampling precision
  • Blocked some lame shortcuts in Playground
  • Tweaked trash can to locker jump in Middle School Mischief
  • Tweaked rock to locker jump in Senior Trip
  • Tweaked school pursuit locker placement
  • Added force field to block players from entering cafeteria in Pogo #1
  • Fixed floor tagging in Mastery Gym to sound like a Hardwood Gym floor
  • Fixed wind tunnel exit logic causing sound and physics changes to stay active
  • Collision fixes in mastery gym honors course
  • Tune wholesale all course challenge time to be harder
  • General performance improvements


Hot Fix #1
  • Fixed issue where those who collected presents were unable to play the game
  • Presents now have more friction and are sticky like doggo when they land
  • POI crash issue fixed
  • Fixed z fighting with courtyard and hallway in school
  • Fixed hole in floor in Soc class
  • Fixed update timer
  • Fixed missing kill trigger on new barbed wire
  • Fixed incorrect ticket counts in wholesale
  • Fixed issue where surf behaved differently for one jump when going through a teleporter (in Mastery)


Hot Fix #2
  • Fixed present collection strings to be more descriptive
  • Fixed issue where some users did not redeem the presents for the award
  • Fixed potential crash issue in Tiny Toy
  • Fixed voice chat issue
  • Increased friction of presents
  • Fixed some instances of asphalt chunks killing velocity at high speeds
  • Remaining cases will be fixed in next major patch

Community Spotlight - Construction



Hot Lava has two new exciting "construction" themed maps available on the workshop!

Construction Area

By: RUMMEE

RUMME returns with another awesome map- complete with overworld and multiple challenging courses. Put on a hard hate and head to the Construction Area!



https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1567270968
Construction Site

By: Nacho Penguin



More on the zany-side of things, Construction Site features some fresh takes on gameplay and hazard. Put on some steel toed boots and head to the Construction Site!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1562052055

Update #17 - Full Course Marathon



Detailed Patch Notes
  • Added Full Course Marathon to School and Wholesale
  • Added ‘Laser Knight’ item set
  • Added intractable Pogo Sticks to various Overworld areas
  • Fixed rocks crashing through doors in School Overworld
  • Players can no longer boost while crouch jumping
  • Reduced jump height when crouch jumping
  • Optimized rendering to use LDR path with same visual quality
  • Re-enabled texture streaming with improved settings
  • Updated surface detection when surfing, surfing should be more consistent near edges. Players should no longer wrap around edges when leaving an object
  • Flicking your camera vertically off surf objects should more reliably send you vertical again
  • Prompt non-english users to find language mods after they click Play
  • School: Added force fields to prevent skips in courses Senior Trip and Tiny Toy
  • Fixed animation pop when leaving surf
  • Fixed bug where the game would think you were falling when on certain steep angles causing the player to slip unexpectedly
  • Added barbed wire to tops of chain link fence sections of basketball court in playground
  • Fixed camera popping when crouch jumping
  • Massively reduced shader variants, faster loading and reduced memory usage
  • Revised Trial art to make Trial icons easier to see
  • Courses in the pause menu are now in a scrolling list to prevent them from going off screen in mod levels
  • Show "new" on collections when you have something inside
  • Add translatable “big text mode” for comics
  • Make Lava Facts translatable
  • Make Collections screen translatable
  • Fixed player death reasons to be translatable again
  • Improve gamepad support in menus
  • Fixed missing audio when trading in sticker sheets
  • Fixed low res stickersheets in potato
  • Fixed missing confirm dialog in main menu’s options
  • Fire VFX optimization pass
  • Explain what SSAA is when you turn it on to avoid unexpectedly bad performance
  • Adjusted magnetism when leaving a surf object to prevent players from re-connecting to surf at extremely shallow angles
  • Fixed multiple issues in playground structures that the player can get stuck in a crouch
  • Optimized small bushes in School and Playground
  • Fixed missing kill trigger in a section of the lava
  • Better collision on small asphalt chunks in playground
  • Blocked off boosting exploit in playground near second checkpoint
  • Upgraded assets and new set dressing in ‘Coming Soon’ areas of Playground
  • Show what you unlocked when you collect all the cards in a level
    Fix NameOverride to be optional again on mod maps (no modkit change required)
  • Performance improvement (reduce garbage from timer)
  • Lighting performance optimization in Wholesale and School
  • Added audio to Pinny and Rusty
  • Revised follower behavior logic
  • Minor enhancement to player movement audio
  • Fixed several pink “missing shader” issues with legacy mod maps
  • This list was really long so I stopped adding things




Upcoming Score Reset

We are planning on retiring times across all courses and trials (tentatively on Friday). The player controller and maps have changed drastically since Hot Lava's inception and old times are no longer comparable. This will let everyone compete on a more fair and even playing field.


Hot Fix #1
  • Fixed school portal not activating in courtyard


Hot Fix #2
  • Fixed some mod maps looking “blown out”
  • Fixed Gamma slider not working
  • Surf changes to make 'flicking' more consistent and satisfying
  • Fix to correctly remove crouch boosts
  • Pinny text fixed
  • Pinny no longer spams a message every single time you die
  • Fixed hole in terrain of Playground by the back of the level
  • Improved performance when restarting a course
  • Fix broken gamepad/keyboard navigation in pause menu course list
  • Fixed issue with finish line checkpoints highlighting incorrectly
  • General performance improvements
  • Fixed bug with watching “all courses” replays
  • Progress bar is now green instead of yellow in pursuit and all course modes