Merry Christmas all! We've got an optional beta build for testing the freeplay leafcutters & reworked freeplay setup ready for those that would like to help us test. We also have a very festive special level for you to try! WARNING: This is a beta build and the new movement code still needs to be perfected. Formicarium levels have been disabled until we have dealt with specific issues in these levels. If you wish to play these levels, disable the beta in steam which will opt you back out. It is available to all Steam Windows players. The beta code is christmasants. The main features for you to test in this beta build are:

• Leafcutter ants are now a playable colony in freeplay
• Under "Other Modes" there is a new menu - Extra Levels - and the first two of these, Aggrandise and Extremis, are there to be tested
• A special Christmas level - click the gift on the main menu!

Guess who's back? WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND BACKING UP YOUR SAVE GAME FILES before attempting to play freeplay. Please see this thread on the forums for information about where your saved games are stored so you can back them up.

How to Access the Beta

To access the beta, follow the below steps: 1) Find Empires of the Undergrowth in your Steam library, right-click on it and choose "Properties" 2) Choose the "Betas" tab 3) In the box titled "Enter beta access code to unlock private betas", enter christmasants 4) After the "Access code correct" information appears, make sure you've chosen "openbeta" from the "Select the beta you would like to opt into" drop-down menu 5) Press close - the game will now update to the beta branch. By doing so, you are acknowledging that this is a beta and things are not in their finished state. We are quite happy for you to post and share videos / screenshots of everything in this beta - in fact we're looking forward to seeing if anyone can beat the new Christmas level, which is just as devilishly difficult as the legendary Halloween one! In fact, you might recognise the protagonist... To access the new Christmas level, simply click on the gift that appears on the main menu after opting into the beta.
Oh boy! I wonder what it could be? Our aim is to expand the scope of the beta after the Christmas break, bringing the formicarium levels back in with the re-worked code and add a few extra bits and bobs, such as the challenge modes for 3.1 and 3.2. Once this is all sorted we'll activate support for achievements and release the update for everyone.