Update #226 - Build 44314

We've got a big patch to catch you up on the latest updates and fixes. There have been a ton of performance optimizations and improvements to the game engine since our last patch. Among these improvements are some fixes to the net code which we'll be monitoring for a while. Please don't hesitate to let us know how things feel in online matches. The forums are the best place to communicate with us. We've also got another round of AI fixes with some tweaks to the lower difficulty settings. Veteran players may even be surprised by how much they've improved. Give it a try and look for the daily Quests to earn some extra rewards by playing with friends. With all these bug fixes the AI becomes more powerful in ways that are hard to foresee. It's good to hear back from players that find it too difficult. Speaking of feedback, we noticed some complaints about the XP grind for leveling up your AirMechs for better parts. We've made to changes to address this. The first is that the XP you gain at the end of a match is increased by 50% before it's applied to the AirMech you used. This change went into effect about a month ago. The other half was to decrease the amount of XP needed to reach each level. Since this part required a patch to go live, some of your AirMechs may have already increased in level! Read below to find more details about this update. As always, discuss this patch on the forums at http://airme.ch/21isp0V General Updates::airmech:

• reduced the amount of XP required for persistent AirMech levels 10-20

• new sound effects added for some AirMechs

• added a sound effect for the unit deploy arm

• units will no longer be deployed over sockets or door pads

• added a taunt animation for Saucer

• allow Saucer's Deathray to damage destructible scenery objects

• updated BlackOps Saucer's transport model

• added Luck (fun stat) to Lucky Clover

• AirMech AI will now build infantry at the nearest base to their capture target

• AirMech AI optimizations for AutoDeployV2

• AirMech AI will no longer attempt to harass an outpost which already has an enemy AirMech near it

• AirMech AI will now move in closer when missing shots in air mode

• limited AirMech AI unit building in Survival maps to better allow human players to control upkeep

• improving the AI's logic to detect paths generated under bridges

• improving the AI's ground strafing logic to reduce cases of getting stuck overlapping an enemy in tight spaces

• greatly increased the AI's chase range for base defense when there are no enemy units nearby

• improving the AI's logic for escaping when health is low

• reduced AI's ability to escape on lower difficulties

• made the AI avoid areas with turrets when dropping units near the fortress

• improved the AI's ability to use blocker units at the fort

• improved the AI's usage of Warthog's Power Shield ability

• improved the AI's unit dropping logic to better handle infantry

• infantry units will now deploy towards the fortress when there is no enemy fortress

• allow multiple bases to have an AutoDeploy path

• Alt+F4 will now close the application

• improved Jetpack Cat and Husky Pup animations

• applied the map force boxes to non-neutral units to keep them in bounds

• added missing art for new parts

• allow the mouse wheel to scroll the map load dialog in the Editor

• added page numbers to the map load dialog in the Editor

• allow the 'b' box select Editor tool to select everything

• added new Collections sets for AirMech parts