Update: … and that’s what I get for talking about hotfixes. New version is up – there was a bug having to do with built-in weapons – using “strip” from the refit screen or loading a variant would permanently remove them. This is now fixed, please re-download the new version if you got it already (links below updated, new build is RC5).

Original post below.

This release is essentially a hotfix for 0.53a, though a couple of new features have also snuck in. Not exactly a “hotfix” because there’s nothing urgent, but nonetheless, lots of things merited short-term improvement. Ah, terminology – the bane of every developer.

What’s new:

• Lots of AI improvements (in particular, phase cloak use, and overall AI aggressiveness)
• Built-in weapons on the Onslaught (“Thermal Pulse Cannon”), new system (“Terminator Drone”) for the Tempest
• Balance changes and bugfixes
• Various modability improvements
• Fixed issue where the game wouldn’t run on OS X 10.8 with certain Gatekeeper settings (thanks to everyone that helped get this resolved!)

The full patch notes are here.

Download the new version using the buttons below – you’ll need to reinstall the game, but shouldn’t have to enter the activation code again.