Need for Speed Heat Black Market March 2020 Update

Two new cars are just part of the Need for Speed Heat Black Market March 2020 update, with one high performance British vehicle being given out for free, and the other as a paid option. There’s also a big list of fixes, improvements and new events.

The file size of the update download reveals the scope as it’s around 7.7-8GB for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC editions, and it’s available from today, March 3rd, 2020.

The free car is the 2018 Aston Martin DB11 Volante in Royal Indigo. After downloading the update, you’ll receive it at REP level 20.

Also new to the game is the 1993 McLaren F1. To drive it you’ll need to pay $4.99 when it becomes available at REP level 30.

That might seem expensive for a single car, but there is the Black Market Delivery aspect to it. When you launch Need for Speed Heat after the udpate, you’ll meet a character named Raziel, who will let you know about the free Aston Martin waiting for collection at Port Murphy.

One you pick it up, Raziel will give you tasks to lead to new character customisation, vanity items and a body kit for the Aston. The Black Market tasks will also include some new events, which can be played outside of the Black Market Delivery once you’ve completed them.

EA has also put together a long list of fixes and improvements in the update. Which is good news for Need for Speed Heat fans worried that development might slow down following the news the series would return to be worked on by Criterion, rather than original Heat developers Ghost Games. With that announced in February, it’s not clear whether the update is mainly from Ghost or Criterion, but apparently the teams have been working closely together to maintain continuity and support for Need for Speed players.

Here’s the full list of changes from EA for Need for Speed Heat. The list is actually worth browsing, as it’s one of the most entertainly-written change lists we’ve seen for a game. The ORD awards for changelog of the year looks to have already been decided (although never rule out My Summer Car!)

Need for Speed Heat Black Market March 2020 Update:

Quality of Life improvements

Adjustable camera shake

• We’ve added a slider to the options that adjusts the amount of camera shake while you’re driving. You can find it in the “Driving” tab in the settings.

“Game is not paused” Notification 

• When you’re accessing the game menu during online play, you will find a notification that the game is not paused while you’re playing online..

New item notification

• Until now, when you entered the garage and unlocked new car parts, you would be prompted with a feed of the new items on the right side of the screen. It was easy to miss a part if you unlocked many at once, so we changed the way you are notified about new parts. From now on, when you receive a new item in the garage, you will find a yellow notification banner labeling the category, guiding you to the new part.

Vanity Items

• You have more ways to customize your car. You can choose from a variety of themed decals, add a new underglow that is in sync with the beat of the music or customize the color of your car’s backfire.

Race visuals

• We added more variations for the intros of both day and night races. When you win a race, you might also notice there are new victory poses.
• When it comes to time trials, both your and the ghost’s car will now be shown ahead of the race.

Other

When you launch NFS Heat while you’re offline after having the March Update installed, you will notice a tile in the social menu mentioning “Rival Crews”. It is a game feature concept that we were exploring, but unfortunately won’t be releasing. Such is life in game development. There are a lot of ideas and concepts floating around. Some of them are released and some will just remain concepts – like this one. We just wanted to give you a heads up that the tile found its way into the game, but it doesn’t have any functionality – and we’re looking at a possibility of removing the tile in the future.

Bugfixes

Missions

• Resolved an issue that could lead to the game hanging when restarting “Got your back” after the mission failed and you’ve been inactive for a while.
• During “Breaking the Law”, the light effect that indicates an upcoming turn would sometimes remain visible even after taking the turn, which could lead to confusion when you were exposed to two active indicators at once. The guiding light should now be removed once you’ve passed it, as intended.

Events

• Added another checkpoint to the “Vertigo” event to prevent corner cutting through the park.
• Fixed a rare issue that could lead to the game hanging after starting the “Snake Dance” time trial.
• “Up Up and Away”: Jumping through the concrete tube should no longer reset the car mid-air.
• Lifted up a few people in the crowd during “The Resort’s Circuit” intro to stop them from clipping with the ground.
• The AI drivers will now follow the proper route during the “Sand in Eyes” off-road event.
• Similarly, they will now jump over the ramps during the “Crazy Cowboy” event.
• We tweaked some events that have checkpoints covering split roads. Sometimes the AI drivers would slow down unexpectedly when passing through these checkpoints, adjusting their speed when transitioning slightly off-road. They should stick to the road now, preventing sudden brake maneuvers and therefore incidents.
• It was possible to get stuck under a trailer during the “Brotherhood Drive” drift challenge. We did some work on them to give you more space to pass through.
• Added a challenge level to the “Steel Dragon” circuit race.
• When you fall down from the monorail track during “Trail Rail”, you will now correctly be reset on the trail.
• We’ve added some visuals to the finish line of “The Resort’s Circuit” to make it more obvious that it’s both a checkpoint and the finish line.
• The AR icon of the “Aardvark” event is now at the event location instead of a few yards away.
• When quitting the “Eagle” sprint race just after it started, the AI cars should no longer drive straight into the crane.
• The crowd is now visible throughout the outro cinematic of the “Crossfield” event.
• AI cars no longer spawn in the air when restarting “Voyager”.
• Hitting a specific tree at high speed during the “Axiom” event will no longer result in your car falling below the map.
• We removed a few barrels that could spawn a few turns into the “Scramjet” event.
• We had a chat with one floaty boi who was hovering to get the best view during the “Ultra Sharp” event intro. He’s now cheering on the ground, where everyone can see him.
• The crowd should no longer pop in and out during the intro of the “Bullet” event.
• The event intro and the countdown timer should show consistently, even when restarting the event multiple times in quick succession.
• You should no longer encounter large boxes in the middle of the road during the “Farah” event.
• Made a small change to the outro cinematic of the “Drift Duel” event to prevent the camera from shaking.
• Added spectators to the outro of the “Trouble” event.
• Jumping into the water at a low speed during the “Ultra Sharp” event should no longer get you stuck in a reset loop.
• The camera is no longer clipping through the ground during the intro of the “Jenny II” event.
• Added the missing spectator crowd to cheer you on during the challenge level version of “The Resort’s Circuit”.
• Removed the outro camera for the “Speedcheck” event, as the corridor is so narrow that the camera would clip through containers.
• During the intro cinematic of “Reaction”, people in the crowd should no longer spawn inside your car. We get that they want to be close to you, but we had to set boundaries.
• When inviting players to a High Heat event by selecting “Challenge All”, everybody will now have to have the required amount of Bank to start the event.
• After selecting “Challenge All” for an event, waiting for a few players to accept, then driving away from the event interaction point while the other players are withdrawing, driving back to the event should allow you to select “Challenge All” again.
• In the outro of the “Containers” time trial, the AI opponent’s car will no longer fall out of the sky.
• When getting off track and restarting “Mountainside Maneuvers”, you should no longer start from position two.
• Adjusted the camera during the outro of the “Heights” time trial so the player and the car are visible straight away. Previously, their view could be blocked by a parked car next to the event finish line.
• The Speedwall info for the “Crazy Cowboy” event will now show user data as intended.
• We fixed an issue that was causing visual artifacting at the bottom of the screen during night race intros.

UI

• When you’re busted with a Bank balance of over 10,000 but less than the fine you have to pay, the correct amount is now deducted from your balance.
• The Rainbow nitrous tile in the customization UI in the garage is now showing rainbow colours instead of a plain white symbol.
• High Heat events now show the event name in the event panel.
• Players joining an Xbox party should no longer be muted by default.
• Fixed a rare issue where the open world UI would be displayed during the outro of the time trial  “Containers”.
• The “Blackbird” event didn’t have a course preview on the map, so we added one.
• Improved the visibility for the star icons next to activities on the map during daytime.
• You should no longer see any empty message banners after completing activities.
• When you’re accepting an invite for a Night event and then get involved in a cop chase, you’ll be notified that you won’t join the event. Furthermore when it’s you and one other player wanting to race, the event will be canceled, and an “Event canceled” notice will be displayed. If there’s more than 2 players and only you are getting involved in a cop chase, the event will start without you.
• Fixed an issue that prevented you from using Russian or Arabic characters in the crew tag field when creating a crew.
• When you scroll up in the player search screen, you should no longer scroll straight to the top, but scroll up gradually.
• Inviting a player to a party in the game should show an invitation prompt on their end reliably.
• The “Friends” tab in the snapshot gallery will now be empty when you don’t have any friends.
• After escaping a cop chase in front of a safe house or garage, the prompt “End chase to enter” should correctly be replaced by “Enter Garage”.
• Fixed an issue that would display incorrect rewards for some time trials in the info panel. This was only visual, you would still receive the proper amount of Bank after the event.
• When you’re sending a party invite while Origin is in offline mode, you should no longer be prompted with “Invite Success”, despite the invite not being sent.
• In the “Trouble” time trial event, when racing “GhostSpecial01”, the ghost car won’t get a head start anymore.
• When swapping the X and O buttons via the PlayStation settings, nitrous activation should no longer occur when closing the map.
• There was contradicting information in the UI about the reward for getting all collectibles in the Cloudbank district. The menu now correctly says “Red  & Orange Wave Underglow”.
• When you’re in an event start area during night and not involved in a cop chase, you shouldn’t see cop icons on your screen anymore.
• Replaced the picture for the higher challenge levels of the off-road races with the correct one.

Cars / Garage

• A set of stock rims for the Audi R8 V10 Performance ‘19 was a bit too small for the tires. We reworked them so there won’t be a gap between the rims and the tires anymore.
• The tail lights and rear window will no longer pop as you’re hitting higher speed with the Audi R8 V10 Performance ‘19.
• Slightly toned down the visual effects of the exhaust flames for the Audi R8 V10 Performance ‘19.
• Decals will now be applied to the Speedhunters spoiler for the Audi S5 Sportback ‘17.
• The Aston Martin DB11 will now show visual damage that reflects the status of the car’s health bar.
• When equipping the convertible roof option on the BMW i8 Roadster ‘18, the windows will now be down.
• The calipers no longer change when navigating through the brake disc menu of the BMW i8 Roadster ‘18.
• When you’re driving around in a damaged BMW i8 Roadster K.S Edition, the spoiler will now be properly attached to the chassis and not floating when you’re jumping.
• The wheels should no longer be flickering when you’re in a race loading screen with a BMW i8 Roadster ‘18 and holding down the acceleration button.
• When customizing body parts of the BMW M3 ‘10, decals should now be constantly visible and no longer disappear when swapping a to certain rear fender, rear splitter or rear canards.
• Moved the interaction point of the rear wheels of the BMW M4 Convertible ‘17 slightly so they’re in the correct spot when customizing the car.
• Also adjusted the rear wheel interaction point for the BMW M4 GTS ‘16 Performance.
• Fixed the visuals of some aftermarket wheel textures for the BMW M5 ‘18.
• There was a small spot where decals applied to the rear window of the BMW M3 ‘10 would become distorted – fixed!
• Reviewed the spoilers of the BMW M3 Evolution II E30 ‘88, so you should be able to apply decals to them properly now.
• Realigned the NOS and backfire effects for the BMW M3 Evolution II E30 ‘88 when the DTM rear bumper is equipped.
• When you’re equipping the convertible roof option to the BMW Z4 M40i ‘19, the windows will now be down.
• Decals will no longer bleed into windows when applied to the side of the BMW Z4 M40i ‘19 and having the Speedhunters or The Alchemist roof equipped.
• With the Speedhunters side skirt equipped to the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 ‘14, decals will now only show on the side of the car and not on the side skirts.
• When you apply a color to the rims of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 ‘17 or Land Rover Defender 110 ‘15, the color of the rim of the backup wheel will no longer be affected.
• Decals can now be applied to “The Alchemist” spoiler of the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport ‘17.
• You can now equip a roof on the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 ‘19.
• When selecting the Carbon diffuser and Carbon splitter to the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ‘14, they no longer flicker when changing the camera angle in the garage.
• Adjusted the spoilers for the Ferrari 488 GTB ‘15 so they behave as expected when driving around and jumping with a heavily damaged 488.
• Carbon body customization for the Ferrari 488 GTB ‘15 should now be displayed with the correct texture at all times.
• The underglow for the Ferrari F40 ‘87 now matches the shape of the car and is not overextended anymore.
• When swapping the hood from custom to stock on the Ferrari LaFerrari ‘13, the doors will retain their physical appearance.
• The interaction points for the left and right window of the Ferrari LaFerrari ‘13 are now properly aligned.
• Polished the looks of the Ferrari Testarossa Coupe ‘84 engine hood.
• Fixed an issue that affected the Speedhunters and Alchemist grille customization for the Ford F150 Raptor ‘17, so decals should apply properly across the parts now.
• Decals now show correctly on the Alchemist spoiler for the Ford Focus RS ‘16.
• Added an interaction point for the sound system to the Ford Focus RS ‘16.
• Fixed an issue with the stock bumper and the sides of the Ford Focus RS ‘16, decals are now applied correctly.
• The last “Americana” spoiler is no longer clipping with the splitters of the Ford Mustang ‘65.
• You can now properly put decals on spoilers of the Ford Mustang Foxbody ‘90.
• When equipping the Speedhunters rear wide fender on the Ford GT ‘17, you will no longer be able to see through the vent.
• Decals can now be applied to the stock spoiler of the Honda Civic Type-R ‘00.
• Realigned the NOS virtual effects for the Honda NSX Type-R ‘92 when you equip the Carbon diffuser and Speedhunters exhaust.
• Moved the interaction point of the rear window of the Jaguar F-Type R Convertible ‘19 to the rear window.
• When the Jaguar F-Type R Convertible ‘19 is damaged on the side, the wing mirrors should no longer be twitching.
• Fixed an issue with the Speedhunters rear fenders on the Jaguar F-Type R Convertible ‘19 that would make them partially transparent when looked at from a specific angle.
• Pressing the up arrow while having the front fenders of the Jaguar F-Type R Convertible ‘19 selected no longer moves the camera outside of the garage.
• The window frame will no longer disappear when you drive around in a heavily damaged Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster ‘17.
• The steering wheel should no longer clip through the window when steering right in the Land Rover Defender 110 ‘15.
• Realigned the second set of rims with the third set of fenders for the Land Rover Defender 110 ‘15.
• The rear axle will no longer clip through aftermarket rims for the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR ‘15.
• When entering and exiting the garage with the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR ‘15, you will now be able to switch back to the bonnet cam showing the bonnet.
• Decals can now be applied to both side skirts of the Lotus Exige S ‘06 properly.
• If you equip the Chidori wing mirrors on the Lotus Exige S ‘06 and damage the car, the mirrors shouldn’t be shaking anymore.
• Added an interaction point for the rear window of the Mazda MX-5 ‘96, so you can apply wraps.
• When customizing the Mazda MX-5 ‘96 and trying to move from the left rear canard interaction point to the rear fender, you should no longer jump straight to the left rear wheel.
• All diffusers are now displayed correctly when you’re in the customization menu of the Mazda MX-5 ‘96.
• Resolved an issue that would show two different levels of detail of the Mazda RX-7 Spirit R ‘02 Coupe when the camera moved far away and then back, in photo mode or at very high speeds.
• The spoilers of the McLaren 570S ‘15 will now behave as intended when jumping with a highly damaged car.
• Fixed an issue with the Speedhunters wing mirrors for the Mercedes AMG A45 ‘16 that would cause the decal to be misplaced on the right mirror.
• Also on the Mercedes AMG A45 ‘16, decals can now be placed across all of the “The Alchemist” front bumper.
• Added the BBS rear rims for the Mercedes AMG C63.
• When you equip the first Mansory front fenders option and either the Mansory or Mercedes-Benz rear fenders, the side skirts will now show correctly when driving the Mercedes AMG G 63 ‘17 and moving the camera.
• Decals applied to the spoiler of the Mercedes AMG GT R ‘17 will now also affect its base.
• When customizing the Mercedes AMG GTS Roadster ‘19, the roof interaction point should now be completely visible as the camera should snap to a better spot than before.
• The Mercury and Speedhunters side skirts are now showing different models as intended when customizing the Mercury Cougar ‘67.
• When the Speedhunters rear fenders are equipped to the Mercury Cougar ‘67, black-metallic texture applied to them is now shown at all times.
• When applying the second diffuser option to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX ‘07 while having the “Vortex” bumper equipped, the diffuser will no longer adapt the paint job of the car.
• Decals can now be applied to the stock spoiler of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ‘08.
• The wing mirrors of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ‘08 are no longer floating when you’re driving around while the car is heavily damaged.
• We aligned the headlight flare with the Rocket Bunny headlight modification for the Nissan 180SX ‘96.
• You can now apply decals to the Nissan spoiler and the Bensopra rear bumper for the Nissan GT-R Premium ‘17.
• When applying decals to the Nissan GT-R Premium ‘17 front bumper and front fender, the decal can now be applied to the entirety of the respective parts. Before, there was a small segment that would always show the paint and no decals.
• Reworked the backfire VFX for the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec ‘93 so it will only show in the intended area.
• Fixed an issue where one of the bumpers of the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec ‘99 was transparent in one spot when looked at from a specific angle.
• Decals will now properly apply to splitters and spoilers for the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R ‘71.
• Fixed an issue that would cause the Speedhunters exhaust to adapt the decal applied to the top section of the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R ‘71.
• Removed the side skirt and trunk lid interaction points for the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R ‘71 as there is only one option available for both parts.
• Touched up the looks of the rear window for the Nissan GT-R Nismo and Nissan 370Z Nismo so they are displayed consistently, regardless of camera distance when accelerating and braking.
• Set the correct location for the right and left window interaction points when customizing the Pagani Huayra BC ‘17.
• When applying decals to the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS ‘18, the decal applied to the right window should no longer blend into the left window.
• Similarly, decals applied to the left window of the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS ‘18 will no longer appear in the corner of the back right window.
• Fixed an issue that would prevent decals to be applied to Splitters for the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR ‘73. 
• Added the missing sound system interaction point to the customization menu for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS ‘18.
• Made it easier to navigate to the license plate interaction point of the Porsche GT2 RS ‘18.
• When you equip the first aftermarket option for the tail lights on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS ‘19 and exit the garage during night, the lights will now have the correct tint instead of shining bright like a diamond.
• Decals on the left side of the Porsche 918 Spyder ‘15 should no longer be stretched when applied near the rear fender.
• Decals applied on the left window of the Porsche Cayman GT4 ‘15 will no longer bleed into a small area of the back right window.
• Added the missing sound system interaction point to the Subaru BRZ Premium ‘14 customization menu.
• When equipping the Tex rear fender on the left side of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI ‘06, it will no longer be carbon by default.
• Also for the Subaru Impreza WRX STI ‘06, the carbon fiber material applied to some parts will no longer flicker when looked at from specific angles.
• You can now adjust the tint of the windows for the Subaru WRX STI ‘10, and the stock version isn’t completely opaque either.
• Also added the missing sound system interaction point for the Subaru WRX STI ‘10.
• Fixed an issue that would cause decals being partially displaced on the side of the Volkswagen Beetle ‘63 when using the “The Alchemist” front fender.
• After putting another roof on the Volvo Amazon ‘70, you can now revert back to the stock roof option.
• Fixed an issue that would prompt you with a “Sell Failed” message instead of selling your car.
• When driving a time trial against the ghost of a Polestar, the taillights were pretty solid as you would expect from a normal car. Now it blends into the ghostly appearance of a time trial opponent.
• Fixed an issue that would lead to tires clipping into the ground in the showcase screen when equipping air suspension.

Visual

• A rare issue could lead to the game world not rendering correctly after reaching Heat level 5. You should no longer see the road disappearing under you, and you should also see the garage correctly after transitioning through the loading screen.
• One combination of hair and hat was looking warped in the game, so we fixed the hat.
• Adjusted the belt of a mask so it doesn’t clip through a beanie.
• When applying a specific haircut to your character, it should now correctly display even when you’re in a car. Before, there would be a small patch of hair missing.
• During a specific outro sequence after a race event, the player character should no longer clip through the car while sitting next to it.
• After completing the first day race event, Lucas’ subtitles are now in sync with the voiceover.
• The reflection of your car in the transition screen when entering the garage during daytime should now be displayed consistently.
• Character models should no longer clip through clothes during night race intros.
• When you were playing chapter 3 while having the game set to Korean, you could notice a chunk of subtitles displayed at once instead of being split into multiple pieces – we fixed that.
• Resolved a rare issue that would allow you to see a party member in day time, despite them driving at night time.
• Fixed an issue where the camera could clip through the wall when you were driving through one of the entrances to Palm City Raceway.
• Fixed an issue that could cause some rims to flicker in the customization menu until a different coat of paint was applied.

Audio

• Audio changes made in the Accessibility settings will now take effect without having to access the audio settings tab.
• VOIP should now work more reliably when forming a party.
• When scrolling through the character head slot customization menu, the correct sounds should now play for all items.

World

This is a very extensive list of changes to the world. There are a lot of minor tweaks for LOD issues, or instances where you could go to the middle of nowhere and drive through a rock because it was missing a collision volume. Then there’s buildings that were missing an entrance and other fun things. 

We divided this into sections, as there’s a bunch of changes related to three different categories. 

Collisions: We have tweaked some collisions. When we talk about collisions, we’re usually talking about your car hitting any other object in the environment, sometimes even another car. Or being able to drive your car into objects or below terrain, as the textures are not matching the collision models.

Reset points: This second category includes instances when your car would reset, when the game would think that you’re out of bounds. Most of these occurrences were in very specific places far off the busy streets, and not places you would frequent during races or challenges.

Visual: The last category covers changes that are mainly or purely visual. Slightly misaligned textures, floating vegetation, houses that are just slightly too high or low compared to the ground.

Collisions

• You can now drive between the pillars and the front of a building next to a billboard in Downtown Palm City.
• Fixed a collision issue in Southern Rockville, where you could drive into the wilderness and disappear underground. It was a good hide & seek spot.
• Added collision to a concrete wall surrounding a parking lot in Mendoza Keys. That should prevent some water-related incidents.
• Another rock was reworked to have proper collision in Grenada Wetlands.
• You should no longer get stuck between two trees in Blackwood Heights.
• Polished a spot next to the Palm City Raceway to prevent you from becoming stuck on a ramp near the flamingo collectible.
• Added collision to a small tree in East Sandpiper Forest. Now that physics will affect it: Please don’t hurt it.
• Reworked physics for beach huts so their destruction feels more natural.
• A bunch of barrels at the end of a bridge in Mendoza Keys are now smashable.
• We touched up the collision volume of a rock in the Northeastern area of Frontera Hills.
• There’s a loading ramp near the border between Edgewood Valley and Sandino Ranches which you could get stuck under, which should no longer happen now.
• Removed an invisible collision near a cliff in western Blackwood Heights.
• A bunch of bushes in Grenada Wetlands will now be properly flattened when you drive through them.
• Added missing collision to some stairs in Downtown Palm City, so you can no longer drive into them.
• There was a cement block next to a railroad track in Frontera Hills that was missing a collision. To make your life easier, we lowered it a bit more into the ground, as it was the top of a pillar.
• Reworked a few ramps in Mendoza Keys and the Palm City Raceway to prevent damaging the car when driving over them.
• When you were looking for a billboard in Sandino Ranches, you would likely end up on the roof of a building. Now your car will properly collide with the pipe on the roof when you hit it.
• The tent next to the “Late for Work!” speed trap in Frontera Hills is now destructible.
• We fixed a missing collision box for a rock in the wilderness of Southern Cloudbank.
• Also Cloudbank, different spot: Adjusted the collision model of a rock.
• When you’re trying to explore the very edge of the map on the north side of Rockville, you could get stuck in an invisible object. That should no longer happen – but we’re still curious what you were looking for in that area.
• The bridge fence next to the “Seaside Speeding Ticket” in the Westside district should be less of a hard stop – if you don’t run into it full frontal.
• Removed a small spot on a sidewalk some cars could collide with during the “Larry” event.
• Added collision to a tree in Fairview Fields – which doesn’t mean you should drive into it!
• You should no longer be able to get stuck under a loading ramp in eastern Edgewood Valley.
• Corrected the collision model of a rock in Rockville, the collision volume was a bit larger than the actual rock.
• Reworked a small tree in Port Murphy that was previously indestructible.
• Reduced the collision of a barrier on the side of a road in Cloudbank.
• We don’t know how you find these specific scenarios, but here goes: When you park two cars in a narrow space between two containers near the Palm City Raceway garage, in a way that they slightly overlap due to the lack of space, and then have someone hit one of the cars with enough force, that car could be yoinked below the map at an incredibly high speed, and the game could hang when trying to respawn the car. This should be resolved.
• If you were skillful enough, you could reproduce a similar issue we fixed: Driving backwards in between two cars, and hitting them in quick succession could make your car disappear. Nice party trick, but you had to restart the game as you couldn’t move.
• Added a few boulders to an area in Rockville so it’s locked off, as intended.
• Reduced the collision model of a storefront in Sandino Ranches, so you can smoothly drive under the marquee.
• Reduced collision on the edge of a ramp during the “Up Up and Away” event to match the visual boundaries.
• Improved the collision model of a rock in the coastal area of Mendoza Keys to prevent you getting stuck there.
• The tree next to the “I’m not a jump!” speed trap in Downtown Palm City is now breakable.
• There’s a huge advertising board showcasing the stores in the mall in Edgewood Valley. You could drive past it, but would take damage at high speeds, despite not hitting it, we adjusted the size of the collision volume to match the texture volume.
• For whatever reason you might have tried that, but it was possible to get stuck in the fence around the Palm City Raceway. The fence has been reworked in parts and should not tangle around your axles anymore.
• Adjusted collision to match the storefront of a cook house in Fort Callahan.
• Going off the road that’s part of the “Proton” event should be less of a bumpy ride than before, as the terrain now behaves as even as it looks.
• You should no longer be able to become stuck under the pipes at the rocket launch pad in Cape Castille, even with low rides.
• You can now freely navigate on and off the path next to a building in Cape Castille.
• In Mendoza Keys, you can find “The Teal Fin Inn”, a famous spot in Palm City. We reinforced their promotional sign so you can no longer drive through it.
• A junk pile in Blackwood Heights can now be driven over from all sides.
• You shouldn’t be able to drive into a rock on the west side of Port Murphy anymore. 
• Reworked a rock in Mendoza Keys so you can’t drive into it anymore.
• Added a collision volume to a few small pillars in central Downtown Palm City.
• You should no longer get stuck between a cargo train and a tanker rail car in Frontera Hills.

• Two rocks near the edge of the map in Rockville now have a proper collision model.
• Added missing collision to some metal wires behind the gas station in Fairview Fields.
• You can no longer drive through a part of a bridge in Grenada Wetlands.
• AI cars should no longer experience a collision when traversing an intersection in Cape Castille.
• The spawn location of a parked AI traffic car was slightly below ground level. This would result in the engine trying to resolve that conflict by catapulting it into the air. It made for a fun sight, but we still decided to move the spawn location up slightly.
• You shouldn’t be able to get stuck under a bridge in Sandpiper Forest anymore
• More collision fixes: We ground a wall in Port Murphy next to an oil tank so you can drive alongside it a bit smoother.
• We adjusted the weight of some forklifts, so they will slow you down as you would expect them to, when hitting them at high speeds.
• We ground the inside of a tunnel in Fort Callahan, so you should experience a less bumpy ride when driving into the wall. Except for when you smash into it full frontal.
• A building in Frontera Hills has a step in front of its entrance. You were able to drive through this step before, now you can properly drive over it.
• You should no longer get stuck on top of a ramp inside the Palm City Raceway, despite your tires touching the ground.
• Touched up a wall in Fort Callahan so you shouldn’t bounce off it when just touching it slightly.
• We revisited an area in Frontera Hills and made a few changes so you shouldn’t be able to become stuck between a tree and a rock anymore.
• Removed an invisible collision from a street in Port Murphy, south-east from the safe house.
• We added collision to a hedge in Mendoza Keys. When you drive through it, it will be properly deformed now.
• You should no longer be able to get stuck on a dock in Port Murphy.
• There was a nice little area in Port Murphy around the docks where you could hide from the cops because they got stuck on a solid barrier. You should no longer be able to get to the area where they can’t follow – but there’s still enough jumps and containers around.
• Ironed out some edges when landing after a jump during the “Up Up and Away” event.
• Although it looked like a car would fit, you just couldn’t drive in between the back of a building and a fence. The area is now visually blocked, as it is supposed to be inaccessible.
• We added collision to a rock at the edge of a mountain in Frontera Hills, so you can’t just drive through it anymore.
• When driving through Cloudbank and wrecking a bunch of solar panels (rude – it’s a good energy source!), the bottom part of the solar panel pillar will now also be destroyed.
• Removed an invisible blocker from a concrete wall in Fairview Fields.
• Added proper collision physics to the metal railing near a billboard in Western Grenada Wetlands.
• Your car should no longer clip through the edge of the steel bridge in Rockville.

Reset points

• Driving into a spot between a pile of wood, a metal pillar and a wall in Port Murphy no longer resets your car.
• Removed a reset point between a shed, a wooden building and a trailer in Sandpiper Forest.
• Fixed an issue where you could access an out of bounds area in Mendoza Keys.
• We removed a reset that would trigger when driving between a trailer and a wooden residential building in Sandino Ranches.
• Similarly, in Edgewood Valley, this should no longer occur when driving through a part of a barn or a hay shelter near it. Or a barn in Frontera Hills.
• Removed a reset point in Port Murphy, between a metal fence and an electric pole.
• Crashing and flipping your car in the concrete tube during the “Up Up and Away” time trial won’t reset you below the concrete tube anymore.
• During the “BayClock” time trial event, your car should no longer be reset during the last jump.
• Cleaned up a few spots around BayView Park that are now properly part of the road network.
• Touched up an area in Port Murphy near the docks, removed two small pillars so you no longer get stuck or reset in an area that shouldn’t have been out of bounds.
• Driving off the road between two barriers next to a bridge in Westside will no longer reset your car.
• Removed a reset trigger from in between two trailers in Frontera Hills.
• Added a reset trigger to an area that should be inaccessible, but can be reached by jumping far off a ramp in Port Murphy.
• We doubled down on an issue we fixed in January: Landing on top of an otherwise inaccessible building and wrecking the car in the process – the transition of resetting the player car should now be even more reliable.
• When using the ramp to jump across the water and collect a billboard in Bayview park at a very high speed, you should no longer be reset mid-air.
• Cleaned up a reset area close to the Cloudbank safehouse.
• Fixed an area near the bridge in Eden Shores that counted as “out of bounds”, where you could get stuck in a reset loop despite just stopping there to take in the scenery.
• Removed a reset trigger in between a house and a mobile home in Frontera Hills.
• Driving up stairs in Port Murphy to collect a decal will no longer reset your car.
• Patched up a few small holes in the road network in Eden Shores.
• Same thing was fixed on a part of the golf course in the Westside district.
• Removed a reset point next to a cargo vessel in Port Murphy.
• Your car will no longer reset when driving between a parked van and a ramp in Edgewood Valley.
• Cleaned up an out of bounds location in Fort Callahan when driving in between a residential building and a bridge.
• Adjusted the collision model of the concrete structure leading up to the rocket launch pad in Cape Castille.
• Driving on the high end of the base of the building just north of the “Downhill is Better” event will no longer reset you.
• Added a reset volume in a spot where you could previously drive into the riverbed in Western Fort Callahan.
• Fixed a reset issue between a set of stairs and a building in Sandino ranches.

Visual 

• Fixed a rare issue where traffic cars would just sit idle, although nothing was blocking the road ahead.
• Removed an occluder that was present in a rural area in Fairview Fields.
• There was an intersection in Fort Callahan where drivers wouldn’t apply common sense when crossing it, but rather leave the road. We refreshed their knowledge of road rules, and they’re behaving a bit more predictably now.
• Planted a tree in Southern Cloudbank.
• We revisited a dirt road near the main garage in the Palm City Raceway district, and the corresponding visual and sound effects should now be present throughout the dirt and puddles.
• For mysterious reasons, there was a spawn point for AI traffic vehicles inside a cargo container in Cape Castille. We moved it a bit so vehicles now spawn in an area next to the container and are free to drive around.
• Moved a floating white arrow street paint onto the concrete road in east Sandino Ranches.
• Added some weight to a forklift in Cape Castille, as it was hovering a few inches above ground.
• Added stairs to two houses in Fort Callahan.
• We dumped some rubble on a roadside in Bayview Park to close a gap between the road and a building.
• Aligned the water texture with the ground in Southern Grenada Wetlands.
• There’s two large towers in Port Murphy. When you drive at night, you will now see the lights that illuminate it consistently, whereas before it would look dark from afar and the lights would pop in once you got closer.
• Corrected the visible color difference between two LOD states of the rocket launch pad in Cape Castille when looked at from afar.
• Gently placed a flamingo in Port Murphy on the ground as it was hovering a bit.
• Repainted the lines in a parking lot in Sandino Ranches, they should now be shining in a fresh coat of paint.
• Bolted a trash can in Eden Shores to the ground. Slightly hovering would highly reduce the need to empty it frequently, but putting it on the ground is the environment friendly way!
• Switched off the lights on the arena in Downtown Palm City during daytime to save energy. They’ll still shine at night.
• Repainted some road markings in Downtown Palm City – now AI drivers don’t have to break traffic rules anymore.
• There is a large road in Sandpiper Forest which has road signs on both sides. No matter which direction you come from, both signs say “North”, despite pointing in exactly opposite directions – we ordered a different sign and swapped one out.
• Removed some gravel in Rockville to match the visuals of the ground with the collision.
• Realigned two trash piles and bins in Port murphy with ground level.
• Dried up a puddle next to a river in Fort Callahan.
• While looking for a floating flamingo collectible, we stumbled upon two trees that were floating around all alone, so we planted them next to a few other trees to bond with.
• Poured some gravel on the side of a bridge in Rockville.
• In Frontera Hills, there was a flag waving over a small construction site building. When it was windy, it could get stuck in a position that looked odd once the wind stopped. We reworked the material and the flag will now act more natural.
• Corrected the lighting model of an aggregate conveyor in Rockville. Especially during night time, it would become apparent that the base of the conveyor was overexposed, and reflections would create an exaggerated light effect.
• Fixed an issue where a water texture would clip through the beach on Port Murphy, making for a very interesting puddle.
• Seems to be windy in the Cloudbank district, so we had to reattach two trees, two bushes and two street lights.
• Reinforced two gravel roads by adding more supporting materials to the surface – this is a visual change only.
• Planted two palm trees in Bayview Park.
• Moved the AR collectible icon for a piece of street art in Mendoza Keys, as it would clip with a roof when looked at from a specific angle.
• There is a nice farm in Sandino Ranches that should be reachable from a road passing next to it. There was even a dirt road leading up to it, but it was blocked from the main road by a fence. So we opened up the gates.
• Fixed the driving path of AI vehicles in Downtown Palm City. Sometimes they would just turn straight across a strip of grass and bushes, and sometimes even wreck a tree.
• Moved a floating bush in Fort Callahan so it can grow its roots in proper ground.
• Adjusted the lighting of a part of the road in Fairview fields. It should now properly adjust to the different lighting settings at different times of day and night.
• Improved the visual effects of palm trees, boats, bushes and cables on low and medium post-processing settings.
• Smoothened out some visual discrepancies between levels of detail around Downtown Palm City. You would usually notice these issues as “popping in”.
• Improved the transition between levels of detail for fence and stairs inside the Palm City Raceway.
• Reworked a stone fence in Bayview Park to align with the ground smoothly.
• Repainted a highway sign in Sandino Ranches which was pointing North, but labeled “East”.
• When you’re doing a burnout in water, the visual effects should now reflect that.
• We removed parts of a bridge texture that were extending beyond the actual size of the bridge.
• On top of a hill in Frontera Hills, there were a few floating rocks. It looked a bit like Luke forgot to put them down after his force training, so we did that for him.
• Lowered a house in Frontera Hills, now the entrance is aligned with ground level.
• Reworked some floating vegetation in Sandpiper Forest – no more tumbleweed.
• One small bush near the Moonshine Drift Trial event is no longer a floaty boi.
• Fixed a lighting issue that affected parts of a stone wall in the Westside district.
• In the same area, we added a few wooden tiles that had gone missing from a fence.
• The camera will not flicker anymore when driving under a crane in Cape Castille.
• Replaced the background of a piece of street art with a transparent one, so it’s popping even more.
• Removed a road paint in the Palm City Raceway district that was painted on the wrong lane.
• Attached a floating concrete monorail support part to the rest of the monorail construction in Downtown Palm City.
• Poured some rubble on a roadside in Fort Callahan, which improves the visual transition from the paved road to the grass.
• Added a missing water texture in a location close to the beach in Mendoza Keys.
• Smoothened out the transition between a road in Sandino Ranches and the neighbouring terrain to blend in nicely.
• Moved a tree and added its collision model in Mendoza Keys.
• Planted a few floating trees in Cape Castille into fertile soil.
• Spotted another floating tree in the Westside district and lowered it by a few inches.
• Remodeled a bunch of staircases in Eden Shores so they actually reach the ground.
• When going around a specific corner in Downtown Palm City, you’ll no longer experience a few buildings popping in all of a sudden.
• Adjusted a patch of grass and sand in Cape Castille, so they would blend in more nicely.
• Added a missing piece of fence to close a gap near a road in Sandpiper Forest.
• Improved the looks of a tunnel entrance in Edgewood Valley when looked at from afar.
• We repainted some road markings that were contradicting and could have led to accidents if they had been followed. I totally forgot to note the district that was in. But as it’s fixed now, we might never find out.
• Removed a tree from a building in Eden Shores.
• Collected two manhole covers that had gone missing and put them in their intended place in Downtown Palm City.
• Moved a bush and a tree from a car park, as they were venturing into a zone of danger.
• Built a base for two trees in Eden Shores that were growing out of a cobble stone paving, and moved a third one elsewhere.
• We closed a small gap in the wooden fence on a pier in Bay View Park. That did look a bit unsafe.
• In Port Murphy, there are 8 bushes in a planter next to each other. One of them had big ambitions and wanted to grow higher and taller than the others. It did however abandon the laws of physics, so we reminded it of this new thing called “gravitation”.
• Two dirt roads next to a barn in Sandino Ranches ended a bit abruptly – visually – so we smoothened that out.
• Fixed an issue where the camera could clip through a building when driving close to it in Cape Castille.
• We painted some invisible rocks in Sandpiper Forest.
• Added power poles to a power line crossing the highway in Sandpiper Forest.
• Reattached a store sign to the wall in Downtown Palm City.
• Realigned timber stacks with plot outside a warehouse in Port Murphy.
• Dug up the stairs leading up to a ticket hut in Port Murphy to put it back on ground level.
• Properly planted floating trees just West and South from the Palm City Raceway garage.
• Readjusted floating road paint near the Palm City Raceway.
• We found another parked car that could spawn in the air or slightly under the map – it should be at ground level now.
• Fixed a lighting issue on the bridge just west of the Bayview Park safe house.
• Improved the looks of an area close to the border of the map in Rockville.
• Driving in the area next to the pier in southern Downtown Palm City should now correctly maintain the level of detail instead of triggering an occluder.
• The radar tower in Cloudbank looks a bit slicker now if you look at it from a distance.
• We reworked the saturation and reflection of the ocean along the coast to look more natural.
• Moved a fence pole out of a concrete wall. Should still stand pretty solid.
• Reworked an area in Fairview Fields to have trees blend in better with the ground.
• The sidewalk in a part of Port Murphy consists of two different layers. In one spot, we closed the gap between the two.
• Found the last missing piece of a wooden fence and put it back in place in Fairview Fields.
• Improved the visual transition of levels of detail for a jumping ramp during the “Heart of Gold” event.
• We improved the rendering distance for some sidewalk props around Palm City.
• There was a junction on a two lane road in Cloudbank that had a whopping seven traffic lights – we removed a few.
• Moved a bus stop in Port Murphy a bit further down the road in a more convenient and accessible location.
• Stitched up some holes in a rock texture in Frontera Hills.
• There was a tree growing through a fence in Fairview Fields. You guessed it: We moved it. At this point, I wonder where all the trees came from in the first place.
• Some things are just too smooth. There is a decal in the Palm City Raceway district that now looks a bit rougher, so it’s fitting the scenery better.
• Fixed a floating tree in the Southern part of Sandpiper Forest.
• Bolted a traffic sign post in Downtown Palm City to the ground.
• Attached a fence to the ground in Fairview Fields.
• Tweaked the lighting properties of a wire barrier in Port Murphy to adjust to every lighting condition during day and night.
• Released the Helium from a few trash cans in Port Murphy, so they’re no longer floating.
• There’s always that one guy. At the start of “Red Rock Tornado”, he could sometimes be spotted above the crowd, floating 10 feet in the air, thinking he’s something better just because he has the high ground. He’ll be watching from ground level now, like everybody else.
• Rotated a building in Fort Callahan by 90 degrees to fit the surroundings better.
• We improved the visual transition between water and a river shore in Fort Callahan.
• Repositioned a dock crane in Port Murphy, as its wheels were sinking into the ground.
• Improved the process of loading custom wraps on other players’ cars when driving around the world, which should reduce their loading time.
• Lifted up an oil barrel that was clipping through the plot in Port Murphy.
• There is a wonderful piece of street art you can collect in Port Murphy that depicts a woman with a sword. While you could find one version on the wall, it would unlock two variations of the decal in the wrap editor. We added the second decal on the wall to give it the exposure it deserves.
• Added a road surface to a bridge in Westside.
• I like 90’s R&B, Gin Tonic, and slow drives on the beach. And if you go down the beach in Eden Shores all the way to the Southeast, the ocean now blends nicely with the beach.
• Removed a very edgy sandbank in Cape Castille, so the water should look all blue and smooth again.
• Removed a piece of rock that was sticking through a tunnel entrance in Cloudbank.
• Poured a few buckets of water into the ocean in Cape Castille – looking smoother now.
• There is a road in Port Murphy, its lanes are divided by a small line of grass and weeds. The colors were a bit off and didn’t adapt to the neighboring elements properly. We sent a gardener and it should look more naturally composed now.
• A few trash cans, bags, and scrap metal parts were floating slightly above ground, we lowered these a bit.
• Improved the resolution of a graffito in Downtown Palm City. Yes, that’s the singular of graffiti.
• Fixed a floating fence next to an intersection in Downtown Palm City.
• We did some landscaping around a river head in Fort Callahan which should smoothen some edges.
• Properly planted a tree on a beach in Fairview Fields.
• Rearranged the dividers at a gas station in Rockville.
• Updated the route network routing for AI drivers in Frontera Hills, which should make them a bit more self-aware and keep them on the road.
• Stopped the path from the Bay View Park golf course leading up to the road from floating.
• We got a new tarp to cover wooden plank stacks in Port Murphy, as the old one would clip through the wood, which defeats the purpose of a cover.
• Dug a hole on the eastern edge of Rockville to properly plant a Jeffrey pine (pinus jeffreyi), so it doesn’t have to float anymore.
• There was some clear water from a river blending into muddy water in a swamp area in Mendoza Keys – should be proper murky now.
• There is a magical place in Cape Castille. Not only does it sell coconuts, but it also serves burgers, beers & fries to members at a 50% discount. Sounds too good to be true. While this made us hungry and we’ll now go have some fast food, we did fix an alignment issue with the building, so the doors are now on ground level. Maybe that’ll help the place get more customers.
• Bolted a water tower to the ground properly in southern Rockville.
• Readjusted a building and an electricity box in Port Murphy. One was too high, the other one too low – now they met in the middle.
• Dug in a large tree on a hilltop that was trying to get an even better view by floating. Still has a pretty nice view of a lake from there.
• We adjusted the level of detail for different drawing distances of a power line pole in Palm City Raceway for smoother visual transitions.
• There’s a huge red waterfront building in Eden Shores, which should now look smoother when looked at from further distances.
• Raised the ground to match the height of the sidewalk in a spot in western Port Murphy.
• Reworked a residential building in Mendoza Keys to align the doors with the ground.
• Sent a gardener to Eden shores to properly plant some previously floating bushes.
• We added some planters to trees in Bayview Park next to the ocean boulevard, as they were growing out of concrete.
• Realigned a metal fence next to a building a few dozen yards North of the Bay View Park safe house.
• The cornfield in Fairview Fields now looks more natural when it’s windy or cars drive past.
• Properly attached the supporting stilts to the pier decking in Bayview Park.
• Moved a lamp that was clipping through a curb in Bayview Park.
• Adjusted the visual transition between a patch of sand and a patch of grass in Port Murphy.
• Moved a power pole and street light out of a parking lot exit in Port Murphy.
• There was a tree growing through a building in Sandpiper Forest. While this sounds  spectacular from an architectural point of view, we went ahead and moved the tree. You see a pattern here, it’s an ever changing world where we move plants around.
• Smoothened the look of the Dupont Plaza building in Sandpiper Forest when looked at from afar.
• Next to a bridge in Frontera Hills, we fixed a tree that was clipping through a pillar by just a few pixels.
• Moved three trees to a grassy area from the pavement in Bayview Park.
• Pushed down an electrical box in Blackwood Heights so its wires can properly run underground.
• Realigned an apartment building in Westside with ground level, so you can see an entrance.
• We sent a gardener to cut the grass on a parking lot sidewalk in Southern Sandpiper Forest.
• Reduced the pop-in of a hotel canopy in North-Eastern Bayview Park.
• Ironed out a visual clipping issue with a tree in Northern Grenada Wetlands.
• Moved a bush out of a shed in Frontera Hills.
• Smoothened out the visual transition between two levels of detail when approaching a few bushed in Downtown Palm City.
• Made a few trees happy in Blackwood Heights by covering their roots in fertile soil. Go trees!
• That soil has to come from somewhere, so we dug up a part of a barrier in Grenada Wetlands that was partially buried.
• Similarly, we dug up a corner road sign in Cape Castille for better visibility.
• We paved the railway tunnel entrance in Fairview Fields so it covers the ground properly.
• Grounded a floating trailer in Mendoza Keys.
• Lowered a layer of water in Palm City Raceway so it isn’t magically floating anymore.
• Improved the draw distance of a bunch of rocks and bushes near the quarry in Rockville.
• Improved the cop driving logic in a certain area during day time. They should no longer make unnecessary journeys off the road and also behave less aggressively towards AI cars.
• Filled up a small pothole in Frontera Hills.
• Ironed out the pop-in of an AC unit pipe located on top of a building in Cape Castille.
• We shoveled some soil onto a root of a large tree in Blackwood heights so it can grow even bigger and keep chasing its dreams.
• Properly brought a fence down slightly on one end in Bay View Park.
• Same goes for a ramp in Port Murphy.
• Aligned a large building in Western Port Murphy so it’s at ground level now.
• We closed a small gap in between two concrete barriers next to a road in Grenada Wetlands.
• There was a stop sign in Grenada Wetlands that was missing a shadow, so we added one.
• Lifted up a sign that says “Road closed ahead” in Grenada Wetlands. We hope it won’t sink again, as it’s placed on muddy ground.
• Improved the texture quality of the windows of an apartment house in Mendoza Keys.
• Also refurbished some Windows of a house in Frontera Hills.
• Polished an underpass in Cloudbank so driving alongside the walls should be much smoother.
• Removed a bunch of trees from a road in Blackwood Heights to a happier home.
• Added proper shadow to a blue building in Downtown Palm City.
• Reworked a dumpster that was floating on one end and was missing a shadow in Bay View Park.
• Smoothened out the visual transition between two textures near a decal in northern Rockville.
• Lowered a building in Cape Castille a few inches so that the door is aligned with ground level.
• We increased the resolution of the texture that is applied to a few windows in the Westside district.
• Put some tiles on an otherwise very plain, boring wall near Palm City Raceway.
• Reworked some balcony textures in Eden Shoes.
• Fixed a hole in the map next to a tunnel in Fort Callahan.
• There’s a spot in a parking lot in Cape Castille where cars could sink a bit into the ground. The concrete is now as solid as you’d expect it to be.
• Filled a few potholes on a bridge in Fort Callahan. You couldn’t see them, but they could have a potential impact on your driving.
• Boat. I should buy a boat. Speaking of which: There’s a boat that was clipping through a pier in Mendoza keys. Fixed that.
• Driving around the Westside dome area should feel and look smoother now.
• Put a floating drain cover back on the street in Downtown Palm City.
• A tyre and a trash pile in Sandino Ranches are no longer floating.
• Made some touch-ups to the road network logic in central Grenada Wetlands to improve AI traffic.
• There was a tree in Mendoza Keys that was slightly clipping through a stone cube, so we moved it a few inches.
• Lowered four red rusty metal poles to improve stability and statics of an old garage in Sandino Ranches.
• We told the gardener to cut a few batches of grass clipping through a wooden walkway leading up to a pier – he was probably too busy before, as there is a jet ski right next to it. Ain’t even mad.
• You may have seen a boat washed up on the beach in Eden Shores. We stopped it from moving, as you would expect it from a boat on land.
• We dug a hole in Grenada Wetlands so we could put a floating telegraph pole in it.
• Aligned a trailer in Sandino Ranches with the ground.
• Added some bushes around a couple of trees that were looking a bit sad and lonely next to the road in Cloudbank.
• Moved a tree that was floating over a rock – it’s in a better place now, with more nutrients.
• Moved two bushes in Downtown Palm City from concrete to a more suitable location.
• Blended in a rough edge of a diverging country road to look smoother.
• Fixed an issue that would cause cars to drive in oncoming traffic before switching to their designated lane in a spot in Bayview Park.
• Improved level of detail for some bushes in Rockville.
• No more floating cars next to the Palm City Raceway and Frontera Hills.

Performance

• Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash after starting an event.
• Improved general stability.
• Fixed a rare issue that could lead to an infinite loading screen when fast traveling from the garage to the dealership.
• Fixed several other instances where the game could crash.
• Resolved a rare issue that could lead to a crash when opening the map during night time.

Other

• When idling in the menu for a while after another player accepts your party invite, the game should no longer become unresponsive.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent inputs from being detected on the title screen.
• There were a few instances where cops were really slow to start a chase, they should now be a bit more motivated.
• Fixed an issue that would prevent you from continuing past the splash screen when using an Elite V2 controller.
• Accepting an invite to an event will no longer change the camera settings.

It’s an absolutely huge list of updates that will definitely make the game more enjoyable. Most are fairly small tweaks, although it’s worth noting that the ‘Rival Crews’ feature won’t be released despite a title apparing in the in-game social menu.

And fixes include the game now rendering properly after reaching Heat level 5, plus bugs causing the game to hang, or Xbox players being muted when they join. So all of those will help avoid causes of frustration. The change list also includes the wonderful description of how a car ‘could be yoinked below the map at incredibly high speed’, or how you could make your car disappear by reversing between two cars.

You can buy physical editions for Need for Speed Heat from Game or Amazon. Digital copies can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store (There’s a free trial with EA Access), the PlayStation Store, or via EA’s Origin store. And you can see all the latest Need for Speed Heats news, content and more, here.