The San Diego Harbor Update, also the Metal Update, is an update in Asphalt 8: Airborne. It was released in September 2014. This update added a new track, San Diego Harbor, as well as Metal graphics effects initially available only on iOS 8+ versions of the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display.
Announcement[]
The following text was published on the Apple Store:
Discover the BIGGEST update for Asphalt 8: Airborne since it launched!
- Push the pedal to the Metal!
- Play on an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or on iOS 8-updated versions of iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display to enjoy AMAZING visual enhancements and enter a new gaming dimension!
- Discover the high-speed heat of San Diego Harbor.
- Take off from an aircraft carrier and dodge helicopters while taking in the sights!
- 5 new cars to master
- The Koenigsegg One:1, Mazda Furai, Maserati MC12, Savage Rivale GTR and Peugeot Onyx. Look for each one coming out over the days and weeks to come!
- Multiplayer Events
- You asked for it, and here is it. Race head-to-head for the ultimate rewards!
- Exclusive Metal Season
- Experience the exhilaration of racing against 3 TIMES as many opponents as any other Asphalt game! A season ONLY accessible on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or on iOS 8-updated versions of iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display
For iOS, an additional v1.6.2 Halloween-based update was launched on October 28, 2014:
Brace yourselves: Halloween is coming, and in Asphalt 8, the monsters of speed are ready!
- Terrify other players by infecting them in the Infected Mode of our Halloween Special Multiplayer Event!
- Crazy about Time-Limited Events? We've got 2 different events every day of the week where you can win awesome prizes!
- Test the Koenigsegg One:1 FOR FREE... The fastest car in the game is here to stay!
- Twitch broadcasting functionality has been restored. Show off your Asphalt 8 skills on your Twitch channel!
New Cars[]
- Class B
- Class A
- Class S
Game Changes[]
- New location added: San Diego Harbor.
- New Career Mode events in San Diego Harbor and Dubai added to Seasons 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
- Dubai tracks added to Quick Solo Race.
- San Diego Harbor tracks would not be playable in Quick Solo Race for five updates (excluding the More Than 300 Decals Sub-update) until the Research & Development Update in September 2015.
- AI rank glitches from the Dubai Update fixed.
- New Event type: Multiplayer Events. These involve up to 8 or 12 players playing the event as many times as possible to try to win prizes.
- Ramp designs on all tracks have been reverted back to their respective original designs instead of using the design used for The Great Wall.
- Metal Technology implemented onto the game. It is supported on high-end iOS devices (e.g. iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPad Air, etc.) running iOS 8 or higher and was later made available on high-end Windows devices/PCs and compatible Android devices in the Car Mastery Update and Summer's Over Update, respectively.
- Metal Technology introduces new Metal Effects, extra special graphic effects that include Perfect Nitro flame trails, water/snow on lens, blue air trails, rain/snow, etc.
- Also introduced along Metal Technology is Exclusive Metal Events. These races take full advantage of the Metal Technology by implementing 24-car races among various tracks (except Tokyo and Westminster Bridge).
- The price of the Asphalt Premium Pack consisting of the Jaguar C-X75 and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupé Final Edition has been reduced by 33⅓ to US$19.99.
- Another new generic tire compound is introduced in this update, with the markings of "XX-F/Y 2334" and "XXVV4558ZZ".
Metal Effects Examples[]
NOTE: These screenshots were taken in later updates, but the graphics are still the same as in late 2014.
Trivia[]
- This is the last update to introduce Premium cars, as the Winter Update introduced a new hard currency.
- The icon for this update features the Koenigsegg One:1.
- This is the first update whose icon features a new car introduced in the update itself as opposed to the update before it.
- The One:1 featured on this icon has a red color that is otherwise not selectable in the actual game.
