We have released an optin of 1.3 for players to test with.

To play the optin go into the properties of the game on your Steam client and select the Opt-in branch. There is no password required and you can switch back to the public build afterwards if you would like.

New Features

• We have added map ping to the game. So you can ping a location on the map that only your teammates can see.
• You can now see if there are any available multiplayer games from the main menu.
• Units a much more responsive to commands.
• Units will now prioritize getting to their location over joining a distant formation
• Improved T3 movement and physics that prevents them from clumping up and/or fighting each other for ideal firing position.  
• Selecting a node will display boosts
• Explosion/impacts now appear closer to the unit's surface.
• Armies now spend less time getting into formation and more time fighting 

New Maps

• Maurn - Charge across the central bridge toward the enemy base or gun for the victory points around the flanks in this small two-player map

• Urich - This wide-open desert with long routes to the enemy base encourages massive clashes between skilled opponents on a medium, two-player map.

• Tortuga - The central valley holds all the victory points and most of the riches, but short paths along the edge lead to enemy bases in this small four-player map.

• Pulaski - Small but rich pockets of resources dot the winding canyons of this medium, four-player map.

• Monaco - Two bridges: a short route to the north, and a resource-rich but longer path to the south. Which way to victory in this tiny two-player arena?

Fixes

• Fixed an issue that was keeping the panel labels from showing up on the orbital display.
• Dreadnoughts won't clip through each other anymore.
• Quantum Health Upgrade now applies to queued units.
• Fixed a rare host migration issue (ie: failure when the person hosting the game leaves and another player needs to become the new host).
• Large units will no longer incorrectly switch to lower resolutions textures when viewed from specific camera angle
• Fixed crash if sitting in main menu on Steam build, but not connected to Steam
• Fixed a Memory leak in async GPU code.
• Fixed a problem where match results were being sent after the lobby was gone causing a crash
• Fixing a bug where a host could get themselves into an MP game by themselves by changing the lone user or AI they are playing against to an open, closed, or observer slot at the end of the game start countdown.
• The game will no longer crash on startup if the audio device is missing or disabled.  
• Updated the audio mix to prevent battle sounds from overwhelming the music.  

Balance

• Call Avatar Quanta increased from 45 to 90
• Call Avatar Quanta increase per use reduced from 15% to 10%

Multiplayer Warning

Please keep in mind that you can't play multiplayer against players with a different ashes version, so if you are using the optin you can only play against other players in the optin.