NEW FEATURES

• You can now view replays of your previous online games on the new "Archived Games" tab of the game menu. Note that you can play single-player games in online mode if you would like them to be archived.
• The Joinable Games tab will now always show at least 1 game to join (if there are no existing games, a new one will be created)
• Bots in new online matches will receive randomly-assigned names

• If you have no ongoing games, the games menu will default to showing Joinable Games instead of My Games
• Games list has some additional color-coding to help make important information pop
• Fixed some display bugs when loading a game that has already ended
• The pause menu no longer allows you to resign from games that have already ended

A fourth level of AI player has been added to the game, at a difficulty level lower than the previous lowest level.

It is now possible to do almost everything in the game using a gamepad (basically everything except text entry, such as in multiplayer chat or account management).

If you play Gem Rush using a Steam-linked account, Steam can now tell you when it's your turn in an online game without you needing to open the game to check. You can also launch the game directly into a specific session from the notification screen. Steam will ask you if you want to receive notifications the next time you log into Gem Rush through Steam. To see your current notifications or adjust notification settings, you can navigate in your browser to (your Steam profile URL)/gamenotifications If it is currently your turn in any games, a link will also show up under Steam's green mail icon.

Several new features in today's build! Replays: You can now look backwards in any game and re-watch prior events to see what happened. When loading a match, the game will automatically replay everything that's happened since the end of your most recent turn (this can be disabled in game options). Lobby Codes: Each new game lobby is automatically assigned a short code. If you give this code to your friends, they can use it to join the lobby even while it's private, allowing you to host multi-player games without ever opening them up to strangers. Offline Autosave: Your current offline game is saved automatically while you play and can be resumed later, even after closing and relaunching the application. Automatic Gem Tallies: When viewing the discard and burn piles, the game will automatically tally how many of each kind of gem are present, making it easier to see what's still in play. The build also includes several minor bug fixes.

There's a big update today, with several new features. Foremost are new configuration options you can choose while starting a game. You can now opt to disable skills, force all players to have the same skill, or allow each player to choose their skill. Additionally, in rush mode, you can change the number of points required to win the game.

We've also cleared up a few misconceptions the bots had about how certain room tiles worked, and have taught the Adept Bot a few new tricks, making it even more formidable. In addition, the options screen also has two new controls: one that controls how quickly the bots make their moves, and one that will enlarge many parts of the user interface to make things easier to read or click. There are also a few obscure bug fixes and other subtle changes.

We've all had days where we just can't put together the mining team we want. Now, for those days, you can augment your ranks with our new steam-powered surrogate diggers!
These bots can be used in both rush and crisis modes, in either offline or online game. They've have been competing fiercely in our test arena, and they are looking ready to dig in.

Today's update for Gem Rush includes 52 achievements for you to unlock.
There's also an assortment of bug fixes and a new "minimal" UI for choosing cards to keep when using a room, allowing you to see more of the map at the same time. You can toggle this new UI by clicking the minimize/maximize button on the left side of the card select window.

We are happy to announce that the official release date for Gem Rush on Steam will be August 6th. You can now check out the official Steam product page for additional details. In advance of this important milestone, we want to thank our Kickstarter backers and our friends at Steam for making this game possible. We're sure you'll also be happy that the electronic version of the game is actually early, and will be ready ahead of the board game (which is also coming along really well and moving now into full production). Questions and comments welcomed.