DISCLAIMER This update will reset your progress! But don't panic, the save files are now placed in a different location, so you can go back to the "beta14" branch and get back where you were (in Steam, right click on the game, properties, betas). Please note that this branch will remain on the Beta 14 build, won't be updated and will ultimately be removed to switch everyone on the latest build.

New Campaign

But Why?

I've been incrementally updating the campaign since it's been in the game. The thing is, it never really allowed me to fully achieve what I had in mind in the first place. The idea is to build the best possible squad throughout the campaign, within its generated constraints. As Early Access progressed, the game became more focused on collecting as many credits as possible to unlock the entire arsenal and max out your characters. Plus, once you've completed the campaign with one faction, there's no real incentive to try again and experiment with different approaches. That's why I completely reworked it in this update.

But How?

The credits system has been completely removed. Weapons, grenades and shields are now obtained by completing specific campaign missions. They became a little more faction specific again, but I kept a few that spanned multiple factions. The same goes for recruiting, as you now start with a team of 2 members, keeping the maximum team size at 8.
Using a weapon with any member of your team will gradually unlock more attachments that are now free to equip. It will also improve their handling of the weapon type. Skill upgrading now uses skill points earned by deploying the character in campaign missions.
The fatigue mechanic was also removed, as it was too strong a constraint that forced the player to choose their team composition to mitigate it instead of adapting to the mission at hand. Persistent damage still exists, so you'll still need to manage your injured characters. But they now automatically recover 20% of their health between missions. The Medic skill can now increase this percentage for the whole team!
All progress is now reset when restarting a campaign chapter. This includes the equipment gained, the XP earned and the recruited members. It will also fully heal the incapacitated characters or recruit new ones to replace them if you play in permadeath mode.
Once you've completed the campaign, your squad has reached its final form. Deploy them in the many other game modes and see if they can compete with the other teams on the leaderboard! Or create a whole new squad and try a different approach to the campaign?

New Gameplay Options

You will now be able to compete on leaderboards regardless of which difficulty or option(s) you use. However, the rankings are broken down by configuration. This means that you will only face squads that play under the same conditions.

Guns, Lots of Guns

This option gives you access to the Armory where you can freely pick any weapon, grenade or shield of the game, from all factions. It also unlocks all the weapon attachments from the start.
Obviously, this makes the equipment unlocks during the campaign unless. If you don't want to go that far and try out a specific loadout before unlocking it in a regular playthrough, you can also access it in any practice mission.

Full Squad

Start with a full set of 8 characters. However, you will not be able to recruit new ones during the campaign.

Full changelog

This update also comes with a lot of improvements and fixes detailed in the following posts: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3877099642465492122 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3877099642468647788 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3877099642483395801 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/7106181296634862937 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3895114845293318621 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3862464213224370244 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1269020/view/3862464213226614583