The latest changes to the optional beta have been released. This one includes an extensive overhaul of the freeplay setup menu as well as some extra features in freeplay, like randomised caverns below ground. This will currently only affect you if you're participating in the optional beta. If youre not participating in the beta and would like to, please see the details in this link. Note that the beta is only available to Windows Steam owners.

Headline Features

• Freeplay setup menu overhaul
  • This new menu allows faster setups of freeplay games with more focus given to other colonies and victory conditions
  • All options are still available and have been grouped into tabs
  • Games can be set up quickly through the game type dropdown which applies presets to options
• Randomised underground caverns in freeplay
  • When enabled, underground caverns are generated randomly on game start which hold basic resources and enemies. Resources and dangers can be altered in the game setup
• Domination and Hunter victory conditions in freeplay are now team based and are a race to beat the other colonies

Changes

• Work has been done on making marker behaviour more predictable (so if you move a marker to your queen or remove it all together it should now have similar effects)
  • We are aware of some bugs with the marker changes such as the ants getting stuck at markers that have been removed. We are working to resolve these as fast as possible
• Dropdown boxes in freeplay setup now display tooltips for each individual option when hovered if required
• Freeplay now has an option to disable colonies entering one another (this turns on by default if playing Domination or Hunter game modes)
• Reduced mortar arc height
• Can now select which ubers you wish to spawn in freeplay
• Easy AI colonies will no longer be more likely to attack the weakest player
• AI colonies should be more likely the gather nearby food than far away
• Freeplay will not allow the game to launch with Conquest as the victory condition if there are no enemy colonies
• Tug of War extra level now allows fighting within the tunnel exit so colonies can no longer sneak past one another

Fixes

• Fixed an issue preventing allied colonies defending one another
• Fixed an issue where allied colonies would defend one another even after queen death
• Fixed an issue where allied colonies would see their own presence in an allied nest as an enemy presence
• Fixed an issue where the wrong music would play when playing more after 2_1
• Possible fix for rapid fire wood ants strange behaviour when shooting and getting stuck

Performance

• Optimisations for creature movement
• Changes to how certain checks are done on the behaviour tree to improve performance
• Performance improvements on funnel web landmark
• Improved honeydew resource performance
• When an egg hatches, the open egg and particle effect will only occur if the player is viewing that tile grid at the time (as does the hatch sound)