This patch is a minor update that adds a new crash reporter, resolves two crashes, has several class balance updates, and includes a number of other minor server manager and UI updates.

NOTE: If you are hosting your own dedicated server, your server will stop appearing in the server list until you shut it down, let Steam patch Formicide, and restart the server.

• A new crash reporter window will display if either the client or server manager crash. Clicking the submit button in this window sends anonymized information about the crash to us, which will help in diagnosing and fixing issues.
  
• Point rewards for capping have changed. Instead of it being (your beacons - enemy beacons) to calculate your point addition per tick, you now receive 1 point per tick if you own 2 beacons, and 2 points per tick if you own all 3.

• Fixed a client crash that occurred in some situations when playing with the game muted or the volume set to zero. One case this crash would consistently happen was when the "game starting in" countdown timer reached zero.
  
• Fixed a server crash that could occur if a projectile or object a player owned got a kill after a player left their team.

• Launching the server through the client now happens much more quickly, and no longer disables all controls in the server list while launching.
  
• Separated the server manager console output out from the main window into its own window. The window can be accessed from a new "View" menu. The main purpose of this change is to improve server performance when hosting on a single core machine.
  
• Reduced the max number of lines to display in the server manager console output from 400 to 300.

• Added a sound and visual effect when attempting to dig next to rock.

Soldier

• Shotgun damage increased to 24 from 22 per bullet.
  
• Shotgun overcharged damage increased to 36 from 30 per bullet.

Hunter

• Bloodseeker slash lifesteal reduced to 30 from 40.
  
• Bloodseeker slash only heals a maximum of 30 per slash, regardless of how many targets are hit.

Developer Comments: In certain situations, the Hunter's lifesteal allowed him to simply tank massive amounts of damage, without taking advantage of his mobility skillset. The lifesteal is still significant, but stacked enemies no longer allow him to just sit there and left click.

Sniper

• Mass Motion Sensor now also provides a 150% damage buff to the Gauss Gun's standard left click attack.
  
• Mass Motion Sensor cooldown reduced to 26.6 seconds from 30.
  
• Mass Motion Sensor duration reduced to 6 seconds from 12.
  
• Mega Cannon firing delay increased to 1.3 seconds from 0.6 seconds.

Engineer

• Removed Repair Gun.
  
• Added Repair Blast to Pulse Cannon (right click).
  
• Repair Shield duration increased to 6 seconds from 1.
  
• Repair Shield cooldown increased to 5 seconds from 0.5.
  
• Repair Shield provides a heal over time, 25 health/sec.
  
• Repair Shield provides energy over time, 10 energy/sec.
  
• Repair Shield damage reduction improved to 60% from 40%.
  
• Turret Hit Points reduced to 1800 from 2200. (A shielded turret effectively now has 2880 hit points, previously had 3080.)

Developer Comments: Engineer changes were meant to address a few points. First and foremost, there's no more need to sit there and repeatedly shield a turret to stop it from dying quickly. Instead, the Engineer is able to shield his turret and blast his enemies. To balance this, turrets have been given less HP overall, and a fairly significant reduction when unshielded. The energy regeneration also is an effective reduction, which results in lower damage output in an extended fight.

We have not forgotten about the black screen or "device mode unavailable" error that several players have reported experiencing when launching the game. A fix for this will be coming in a future patch. Apologies to those who are affected.

This patch resolves several client crashes and hangs, as well as a bug hosting the server through the client. There are several map and balance updates included as well.

NOTE: If you are hosting your own dedicated server, your server will stop appearing in the server list until you shut it down, let Steam patch Formicide, and restart the server.

We have also received reports from several players attempting to launch Formicide and reaching a black screen or seeing an "out of range" error message. A fix for this will be coming in the next patch. We wanted to get fixes for the crashes and hangs addressed here as soon as we could before tackling the display issue. Apologies to those who are affected.

• Fixed a client crash that could occur when joining a server if a Hunter or Fire Ant was mid-dash at that moment.
  
• Fixed a client crash that could occur when transitioning from the loading screen into the game while another player was leaving.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused Steam to think that Formicide was still open as long as a server was running that had been launched with the "Host Server" button in the client. This then prevented Formicide from launching again until the server was closed.
  
• Added a likely fix for an issue that can sporadically cause the client to freeze for several seconds, or up to 30 seconds or more. The bug is tricky to diagnose and does not occur in development builds. If you experience this issue in this patch, please let us know in our Steam discussion forums and we will continue to investigate.

Ice Caverns

• Increased ceiling in middle area, and added a couple platforms as well.

Frostbite

• Adjusted platforms near the center to make moving around a bit easier.
  
• Added new platforms above the central beacon point.

Crystal Caves

• Opened up the ceiling above all beacon point areas.
  
• Closed off sightline gap in between the middle and side beacons.

The Lava Dome

• Added a few signs to direct players to the central beacon point.

Biomite

• Decreased Minimite damage to 10 from 11.
  
• Decreased Minimite "stalling" effect by about 40%.

Cannoneer

• Decreased Mortar damage to 75 from 100.
  
• Decreased Mortar AOE damage radius to 250px from 300px.

Engineer

• Decreased Pulse Cannon hit force to 10 from 14.
  
• Decreased Pulse Cannon damage to 60 from 75.
  
• Increased Pulse Turret cooldown to 15 seconds from 13 seconds.
  
• Decreased Pulse Missile (from Overcharge ultimate) hit force to 3 from 6.

Hunter

• Increased Caltrop hitbox vertically to more reliably hit enemies that walk over them.
  
• Decreased Caltrop duration to 20 seconds from 26 (entity lifespan, not slow effect).

Developer notes: We wanted to stick to having some relatively small balance changes due to how little time has passed. The Engineer and Biomite may still face some nerfs since we know they can be difficult to deal with, but we want to see how the meta develops and how people learn to deal with defensive play. Plus, we still feel like there's more potential to unlock in other classes!

This patch is a minor hotfix primarily to resolve several server and client crashes and performance issues.

NOTE: If you are hosting your own dedicated server, your server will stop appearing in the server list until you shut it down, let Steam patch Formicide, and restart the server.

• Fixed a server crash that could occur while initializing data for a player that had recently joined the server.
  
• Fixed a server crash that could occur immediately after a player had been killed.
  
• Fixed a server crash that could occur when remotely connecting via RDP to a computer hosting a server.
  
• Fixed a rare client crash related to files being temporarily inaccessible while loading.
  
• Fixed the lava rock explosions on The Lava Dome from applying force to unintended projectiles.
  
• Fixed coloring on steel gate effects for red team on match start.

• Limited the max number of lines displayed in the server manager console output to 400. This previously was growing unbounded and was likely contributing to sporadic server unresponsiveness.
  
• Limited the max number of players displayed in the server manager players list to the 100 most recently connected players. This previously was growing unbounded and was likely contributing to sporadic server unresponsiveness.
  
• Updated the server list to initially leave the "Not Full" and "No Password" filters unchecked.
  
• Updated the loading screen tip about jump height and double jumping to reflect that only the Hunter can double jump.

Biomite

• Decreased Minimite damage to 11 from 12.

Soldier

• Max HP Increased to 200 from 175.

Sniper

• Max HP Increased to 160 from 150.
  
• Proxy Mine web duration reduced to 3.3 seconds from 5 seconds.
  
• Fixed issue with fully charged Stinger (right click) bouncing off of targets rather then piercing through them. These shots are still stopped by targets with over 250 HP.

Hunter

• Max HP Increased to 160 from 150.

Engineer

• Max HP Increased to 160 from 150.
  
• Turret Shield Wall HP per bubble reduced to 300 from 500.
  
• Turret Large Laser damage reduced to 18 from 20.

Cannoneer

• Mortar projectile explosion damage reduced to 100 max from 150 max
  
• Mortar duration reduced to 12 seconds from 14 seconds (one less projectile fired)

Developer Comments: With all the hectic battles going on, we wanted to boost the HP of several classes just a bit. It's possible there will be more HP buffs in the future to extend fights a bit longer, but we want to see how these and a few other small adjustments change things. We also noticed the Engineer giving people a lot of trouble, especially new players. Shield wall in particular has been frustrating to play against, so we nerfed it a bit.

To players running into problems with the turrets - note that taking out an Engineer prevents it from being repaired or re-shielded, and usually makes them easy prey. Additionally, Cannoneers and Snipers can take them down from a distance with a single well-placed shots (Right click for Sniper, Drill for Cannoneer).

Formicide has hit 1.0!

• Added a tutorial window explaining the game objective that's shown when joining a server or a new match starts.
  
• Updated the respawn timer. Players are now spawned every 3 seconds, by default 7-9 seconds after they die. If their team controls no beacons, the time is reduced by 3 seconds. If their team has more players than the other team, the time is increased by 3 seconds. The new system reduces the min time by 5 seconds and the max time by 8 seconds from the old system.
  
• Added "Top Kills" and "Beacon Champ" awards via overhead banners at the end of matches.
  
• Added gravestones that spawn upon death, includes stars to signify kill streaks before dying.
  
• Added special skull gravestones for those who purchased Formicide before going free.
  
• All players are now invulnerable after a match ends rather than just the winning team.
  
• Players joining a server with a game already in progress now have a spawn time of 10-12 seconds for their first spawn. The loading screen counts towards this spawn time.
  
• Players are now invulnerable while they're within range of their team's home base.
  
• The ultimate a player's chosen for a given class is now saved to the player's Steam account, which is used to automatically select default ultimates when each new match starts.
  
• Lowered the time until lowering the home base gates after a match starting from 48 to 36 seconds, including time spent on the loading screen.
  
• Removed Rocket Turret powerup from the Mystery Boxes.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused ultimate abilities to reset their cooldowns only when changing classes, rather than when changing either classes or ultimate abilities.
  
• Fixed a rare bug that could cause more than one player to activate a mystery box powerup at once.

Biomite

• Decreased Minimite lifespan/ range by 18%.
  
• Updated the Biomasser to reliably create biomass at the target location.
  
• Biomasser will no longer fire at a location that already has biomass or a biomass target, improving ammo efficiency.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Biomass cooldown not displaying correctly.
  
• Updated the Biomass UI bar to not turn red while reloading a weapon.

Cannoneer

• Added secondary ultimate ability Mortar: Spawns a large mortar below your location that fires powerful shells every 1.5 seconds and expires after a short duration. Can be destroyed by the enemy, has 500 hit points. Hold down fire to view its arc.
  
• Grenade Launcher cooldown increased to 0.4 seconds from 0.3 seconds.
  
• Grenade Launcher reload time increased to 2.5 seconds from 2.25 seconds.
  
• Improved entity collision interaction on grenades.

Engineer

• Removed Pulse Missiles.
  
• Fixed a few issues with entity collision and Shield Wall.
  
• Fixed a bug with Shield Wall leaving ghost projectiles.
  
• Reduced Turret HP to 250 from 275.
  
• Fixed a bug with the turret that could cause it to sound as if it had been fired when just activating its placement marker.

Fire Ant

• Added secondary ultimate ability Firewall: After a short delay, spawns a wall of fire at a target location that damages players and blocks all projectiles. Unkillable, but expires after a short duration.
  
• Reduced max damage on Hellraiser explosion to 100 to 150 per explosion.
  
• Fixed a bug that could Flame Dash to occasionally pass through enemies without damaging them.

Hunter

• Increased cooldown of Bloodseeker slash to 0.5 seconds from 0.3 seconds.
  
• Increased damage of Bloodseker slash to 80 from 60.
  
• Fixed a few issues with Caltrop collisions.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause the Blood Dash to occasionally pass through enemies without damaging them.

Shock Trooper

• Added secondary ultimate ability Shock Portal: Spawns a portal exit at your location and a teleporter at the home base. Allies can activate the teleporter to instantly travel to the portal. Can be destroyed by the enemy, has 500 hit points.
  
• Fixed a bug with Shock Trooper death effects not displaying at the correct location.

Sniper

• Added secondary ultimate Mass Motion Sensor: Marks all enemies with off-screen markers, highlighting them when you are aiming at them with line of sight. Allies can see these markers as well.
  
• Increased cooldown on Gauss Gun minislug to 0.5 seconds from 0.3 seconds.
  
• Lowered damage on level 1 gauss charged to 100 from 250.
  
• Added death effects to the Mega Cannon.
  
• Fixed small display issues with fully charged gauss slug.
  
• Improved the performance of the Mega Cannon.

Soldier

• Added secondary ultimate Overcharge: Charges up your Rocket Launcher and Shotgun for a brief duration, heavily increasing their damage and removing their ammo cost.
  
• Modified rocket launcher trajectory to be influenced by a fraction of the Soldier's momentum.
  
• Fixed a bug with rockets that could cause them to appear to move choppily.

• Added torches and lanterns to all maps that show team ownership of the nearby beacon.
  
• Updated beacon effects to have less saturated colors, blending them into the background more.
  
• Various background layer visual updates to all maps.

The Lava Dome

• Opened up 1st/ 3rd beacon location areas a bit.
  
• Added extra padding to center wall near spawn, preventing Shock Troopers from being able to Jaunt through to the enemy team's home base.

Undertow

• Reworked center point to have a dirt hill leading up to it rather than solid rock.

Valle Luna

• Fixed a bug that could cause two Mystery Boxes to be spawned at once.
  
• Fixed a bug where destructible pots were spawning in the wrong locations.

Frostbite

• Reworked 1st/ 3rd beacon areas to have walls of dirt.
  
• Added jump pads near 1st/ 3rd beacons.
  
• Adjusted slopes near the 2nd beacon to be easier to scale up.
  
• Moved health powerpads near the 2nd beacon to be inside dirt walls.

Lost Temple

• Added dirt ceiling above 2nd beacon point.
  
• Added small ledges to make jumping up into 2nd beacon easier.
  
• Reworked "temple" area below 2nd beacon to have more obvious ledges, and be more open.

• Added a settings button below each player's name on the player list window (by default opened with Tab). The settings button opens a menu for that player with the options friend/ unfriend, and mute/ unmute. Muted players are saved to the player's Steam account; muting/ unmuting a player on one computer will stay muted/ unmuted when playing on the same account on a different computer.
  
• Players with admin access on the server additionally have the options kick and ban in the new player settings menu. Kick and ban are options that were already available in the server manager itself; they're now available in-game as well.
  
• A team persistence mode has been added to the advanced section of the Settings tab of the server manager. There are two available options: persist, which keeps players assigned to the same team when a new match starts, or reset, which removes all players from their current team when a new match starts. Reset is now the default setting. Like all other server settings, this setting can be changed while the server is running, and takes effect immediately.
  
• Added a slash command /listmaps that can be entered in chat, which lists the maps in the current server rotation and notes the current map.
  
• Added a slash command /changemap <x> that can be entered in chat by players with admin access. If <x> is a number, changes the map to the map at the given position in the rotation. Otherwise, changes the map to the first map in the rotation with the given name. Switching maps is an option that was already available in the server manager itself; it's now available in-game as well.
  
• Added a slash command /help that can be entered in chat, which lists details about the other slash commands.
  
• If any slash command is entered that is an invalid command, a message is displayed saying to enter /help for command info.
  
• A player is now automatically added as an admin of their own server when the client is launched.
  
• A system message is now displayed if admin access is either granted to or revoked from the local player while connected to the server.

• Updated the "restart required" message for display options to be a new popup when leaving the display options menu after settings have changed.
  
• Updated the display options to be more likely to choose a preferable default screen resolution when starting the game for the first time.
  
• Added a popup the first time after leaving a server back to the server list menu with a message noting that display settings can be changed if encountering performance issues.
  
• Updated the "switch ultimates" UI in the class selector to draw more attention to it.
  
• Added a message and effects on the local player when stuck in dirt listing the hotkey to press (default of S) to dig out of it.
  
• Updated art for multikills and kill streaks.
  
• Updated right click ready sound.
  
• Added an icon next to messages in the chat window for messages from a Formicide developer.
  
• Fixed multiple UI bugs that could cause ability bars to glow and play their ready sound at times when the ability hadn't actually become ready yet.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause ultimate abilities to erroneously become ready earlier or later than they should.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused text to be written to the chat box in some cases when the chat box wasn't active (thanks CreatiCrew!).
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the "game starting in" messages and sound effects to play too many times, not at all, or at the wrong time.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused several types of UI elements to draw behind terrain outlines.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused hit point bar "low hit point" glowing outlines to draw behind the arrow indicators that show up on the edges of the screen pointing at things off-screen.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the player respawn timer to briefly display in cases when it shouldn't be shown.
  
• Fixed a bug with player spawn effects not diplaying correctly.
  
• Fixed several issues with entity visual layering.

• Fixed a rare bug that could cause effects for collected mystery box powerups to display for the wrong team, or to not display at all.
  
• Fixed an uncommon bug that could sporadically cause a player to get disconnected from a server when pressing escape.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause the client running on some hardware configurations to choose a display mode that had a lower screen refresh rate than was available.
  
• Fixed a rare crash that could occur when transitioning from the loading screen into the game.
  
• Fixed a rare server crash that could occur when starting a new match after a player had tried and failed to connect to the server.
  
• Fixed several very rare crashes in the client and in the server manager that could occur if the player had the client and server both running and one was writing to the config file while the other was trying to read from it.
  
• Fixed a server manager crash that would occur if hosting a server on a remote computer and using remote desktop to connect to the computer.
  
• Fixed a rare server manager crash related to updating port availability in the advanced section of the settings tab.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the "Host Server" button in the server list menu to not work correctly if a server was already hosted by another user on the computer.
  
• Reduced the chance that a big backlog of noises will play at once when transitioning from the loading screen into the game after joining a server.

• Players are now shown a team selection window to choose which team to play on after joining a server by default. A team can only be joined if it doesn't currently have more players than the other team. See the Server Manager Updates section for more details.
  
• Added a new hotkey to change teams. Like changing classes, this can be used either while dead, or while standing in the home base at full life. Can also be used while the class selection window is open. Default binding is T.
  
• Added a "Host Server" button to the server list menu. Clicking it launches the Formicide dedicated server in another window. The server won't start until the Launch button is pressed in the bottom left corner of the new window. The ports listed in the Advanced section of the new window's Settings tab need to be forwarded for players to be able to connect. Hovering over this button pops up a window that gives information about using the dedicated server.
  
• Added a system message that is displayed when a player joins or leaves a team.
  
• Added a "press <key> to change teams" message to the class selection window, the player list window, and below the "press <key> to change classes" message. The message is displayed when available as an option and the number of players per team are currently imbalanced.
  
• The player list window can now be opened while the class selection window is open.
  
• Clicking outside the chat text box will now automatically close it. An unsent message in the chat box when automatically closed will remain in the chat box when reopened.
  
• Updated the chat UI to use a hotkey (default of Tab) to toggle between chatting with the team or with everyone.
  
• Added a note below the chat box while the chat window is open that using the new hotkey will toggle between chat recipients. Only displays after a team has been chosen. When a team hasn't been chosen, team is not an available chat recipients option.
  
• Added a message in the chat area when first joining a server or starting a new game which says that Enter will open the chat window. This message stops appearing after the chat window has been opened in three games.
  
• Chat messages sent to all players are now preceded with (All), the same way that messages sent to team members are preceded with (Team).
  
• All references to hotkeys in messages, such as hotkeys in loading screen tips, are now colored the same as the hotkey labels on the ability bars.
  
• Reduced the font size of the "press <key> to change classes" message.

Fire Ant

• Hit Points increased to 300 from 250.
  
• Max Walk Speed decreased to 6.33 from 7.
  
• Flamethrower max walk speed reduction increased to 60% from 20%. (Fire Ant is now slower when using the Flamethrower.)
  
• Fire Ax maximum ammo reduced to 2 from 3.
  
• Updated icons for Hellraiser (Ultimate).

Notes - The Fire Ant's playstyle felt a little too random and hectic. While he still dishes out tons of damage, he's now more dependent on using his dash to get him in a good position before lighting up the place. His large health pool allows him to play more a tank role as well, further imporiving his area denial abilities. His second ultimate ability is also in the works, but wasn't quite ready for this patch

Soldier

• Hit Points decreased to 175 from 250.
  
• Max Walk Speed increased to 7.25 from 6.66.
  
• Health Bot heal changed to "300 over 10 seconds" from "216 over 6 seconds".
  
• Shotgun reload time decreased to 1 second from 2.5 seconds.
  
• Shotgun max ammo reduced to 6 from 8.
  
• Shotgun fire rate increased to 1.25 seconds from 1 second.
  
• Shotgun sound/ animation updated to eject shell at the right time.
  
• RPG reload time decreased to 2.25 seconds from 2.5 seconds.
  
• RPG fire rate increased to 1.25 seconds from 1 second.

Notes - The Soldier is now more mobile, and fits more into a combat/ support role. This seemed to fit his playstyle better, especially when rocket jumping is taken into play. Changes to his Shotgun and RPG further encourage players to play a little recklessly, while still providing ample damage when harnessed correctly.

Biomite

• Max walk speed increased to 5.8 from 5.
  
• Biomasser Biomass duration increased to 17 seconds from 10 seconds.
  
• Biomasser ammo regen speed reduced to "1 every 3.33 seconds" from "1 energy 2 seconds".

Notes - The Biomite felt painfully slow, so we gave him a little speed boost. The changes to his Biomasser are intended to provide more tactical decisions to be made for his unique mechanic.

Engineer

• Pulse Turret Missile damage reduced to 350 from 580.
  
• Pulse Turret Missile force power increased to 25 from 22 (the explosion pushes players back more).
  
• Removed hit confirmation sound effects from self-damage on turret missiles.
  
• Shield Wall (Ultimate) can now be cancelled with a right click while being placed.
  
• Fixed several bugs with Repair Gun, Pulse Cannon and Shield Wall that could cause the guns not to fire.

Hunter

• Meld now bypasses crawler, rocket turret, and engineer pulse tracking detection, except when attacking/firing. This also prevents "homing" capabilities of enemy projectiles.

• Players now stay on the same team when a new match starts.
  
• Stone torches on Lava Dome now light up based on beacon ownership.
  
• Banner lanterns added to Ice Caverns that light up based on beacon ownership.
  
• Fixed a bug with beacon direction arrows (arrows that point to the next beacon destination) displaying behind terrain on some maps.

• A team assignment mode has been added to the advanced section of the Settings tab. There are two available options: automatic, which automatically assigns a player to a team, or player choice, which asks a player which team they want to join. Player choice is now the default setting. Like all other server settings, this setting can be changed while the server is running, and takes effect immediately.

• Improved networked player responsiveness.

• Fixed an uncommon bug that would cause players to not appropriately snap onto the ground when landing from the air.
  
• Fixed a bug in the player list window that could cause allied player health bars to not display in some cases.
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented tabbing through the buttons on the play menu from cycling correctly.

That's right. Very soon, Formicide will be completely free.

Does this mean new classes or maps need to be purchased?

No. It will be completely free. There's nothing to purchase. The game is just free.

Why are we doing this?

We feel that this is the best thing to do for the game. We originally set out to make a game that people could enjoy playing with their friends. Over the years of its development, we've come to decide that removing all barriers to entry for everyone is a critical part of achieving that dream.

When are we doing this?

Very soon.

What about players who already bought the game?

Fear not! We are deeply appreciative of everyone who has supported us by buying Formicide. To honor these players, we will be creating a special in-game cosmetic status to make them stand out. We're still working out the details for this, but it will be added during our early access phase, before full release.

Does this affect the full release of the game?

No. Formicide will still be completed and brought out of early access into full release. Development is continuing as planned. Leading to...

What are the immediate plans for Formicide after it goes free?

We have a large patch ready to go that will be released very shortly after we go free. It's already uploaded to Steam, so releasing it is the flip of a switch.