Large new build -- two in one, if you're not part of the playtest: https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=HotM:After_NextFest#0.561_Build_Mode_Revamp [h2]Build Mode[/h2] The general visual style of build mode in prior versions was modeled on citybuilder conventions, which had some problems in terms of readability, and also was not going to expand very well. I've reworked the UI of that entirely to instead be more like a tycoon/sim/factory-builder game, which has more in common with this title. Rather than trying to explain it at length, here are two screenshots of the new UI in action: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42941949/a4ec03957c6649f42fb81fdee11ac9947f18129d.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42941949/6859dc9535a80d6c222edda9eba1e875ecdda7cd.jpg[/img] [list] [*] The first one shows the new Recommended tab, which gives you a subset of just the things that are likely to be the most useful. [*] The second one shows the new All tab, which lets you quickly search via text, or just browse by name. In this particular example, I did a search. [*] This revamp also folds the territory control flags into the build menu properly, which you can see in the first image. [/list] [h2]Resource Trends[/h2] This release went out to the playtest folks yesterday, but now arrives for demo folks as well. In general, the resource trends are now far more informative as well, and if you're wondering where some resource is going, now you can directly see that without any special extra reports, etc. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42941949/384de551d28cbf0af3a8a1375cdeeed0c9c4c436.jpg[/img] There are a variety of improvements, but the brief explanation is that if you're wondering where some resource is going, you no longer have to wonder. As you can see above. [h2]Other Notes[/h2] [list] [*] My wife Kara continues to plow through the text of the game, excising my wordiness and enhancing clarity. So far it's been about a 10% reduction in word count, which is great for anyone who gets fatigued by lots of text. [*] As far as my post-nextfest clarity and flow work goes, I'm pretty much down to the UI tour on the first turn, and then some last minor items. This is very exciting, as I'm greatly looking forward to getting back into content development. Hopefully I can finish the last of the non-content stuff tomorrow, bu we'll see how it goes. [/list] [h2]Testing Group Reminder[/h2] If you'd like to sign up to be a tester beyond the demo period, feel free to sign up here: https://forms.gle/nNwEnzRyVPMS7bYg6 Make sure that you list your discord username and are a part of Arcen's discord, since that's where coordination is through. Thank you again for all the support and feedback! Cheers, Chris