Global Agenda Patch 1.1 is currently available on the public test server to give Hi-Rez Studios the chance to search for bugs before the update goes live early next week. This patch includes a friends list, two new Conquest Zones, the ability to repair upgrades, additional player choice when queuing, and more.

Hi-Rez is hosting a structured play test today, Feb. 24, from 6-9 p.m. EST, so be sure to log onto the PTS at that time if you'd like to PvP with members of the Global Agenda development team. You can read the patch notes after the jump.

New Features

New items and features in this patch include:

• Friends List: A Friends and Ignore list has been added (More…)
• Mission Screen: When joining the Mercenary PvP queue, players have checkboxes to select the Map Types to queue for (Control, Breach, Demolition, Payload, Scramble).
• Mission Screen: When joining a PvE queue, players have the ability to "Only join a balanced team." If this option is chosen, it may take longer to get a match, but you will be ensured of having one player from each class on your team.
• Upgrades: Upgrades can now be repaired using Repair Kits that can be crafted using blueprints purchased in the Prototyping Center in Dome City.
• All upgrades now have 35 durability to coincide with the addition of repair kits. This is to ensure that all upgrades have the same relative upkeep cost based on the initial cost of the item.  (More…)
• Crafting: Additional rare and epic blueprint options have been added.
• Crafting: There are now specific uncommon blueprints, so it is no longer necessary to craft random.  Existing random blueprints have been converted to match the new scheme. To accommodate this:
• • All existing uncommon blueprints were removed from the game and your credits have been refunded.
  • There are now separate armor and weapon blueprint vendors in the crafting area. Each vendor sells 42 blueprints that craft a specific item (rather than the random chance at a stat as prior).
  • All upgrades and blueprints have been renamed to make them esier to identify. (Example: No longer do you have to wade through hundreds of Alpha Analysers to find one with a ranged damaged bonus. Now you can search on Ranged Analyser and see all of them with that particular stat).
• Crafting: Item names are now more representative of the enhancements they provide.
• Conquest: Two new Conquest Zones have been added — Tradewind has times convenient for Oceanic players, and Anvil has a start time convenient to many European players.  (More…)
• Conquest: New tabs have been added to the CONQUEST MAP screen for "Combat Log" and "Alliance". These allow you to get a fuller picture of the recent activity and current state of a given Zone.
• Conquest: Improved support for the Zone Win Condition has been added.
• Conquest: Equipment brought into an AvA match that is not destroyed by the opposing team is no longer destroyed by the system if your team loses (this would happen a % of the time previously, by design).
• Conquest: If you lose an AvA match, your dropship is now always destroyed.
• Conquest: When a strike-force leader withdraws from a hex, a chat message is now sent to notify the entire strike force.
• Conquest: Multiple maps rotated for each type and level of facility (before there was one map for each facility level). Any given hex with a given facility type will always play the same map.
• VOIP: Players with multiple speaker/microphone devices on their PC, may now choose which devices to use for in-game voice. Visit the SOUND tab on the SETTINGS menu.
• VOIP: Options have been added to disable Instance Voice, Team Voice or all Voice. Visit the SOUND tab on the SETTINGS menu.
• VOIP: A variety of changes intended to improve stability and performance have been implemented.
• Settings: An option to enable mouse smoothing has been enabled. Visit the GENERAL tab on the SETTINGS menu.
• Settings: An option has been added under Video Settings for a "borderless" window. This is most useful for fast alt-tabbing while running at your monitor’s native resolution.
• Abuse Reports: Use chat command /report to report players for suspected cheating, griefing or harrassment. Use form "/report ". (More…)
• Auction House: Several improvements to searching, filtering and sorting.
• Agency Management: Your Agency’s Message of the Day is displayed in chat when you login to the game, or when an Agency member with permissions modifies it.
• Agency Management: An option exists under SETTINGS | CHAT to be notified in chat each time an Agency member logs logs into or out of the game.
• Agency Management: Level now shows on the Agency screen (for online characters only).
• Agency Directory: The Agency Directory now offers the option to filter by Conquest HQ Zone.
• PVP: No more than 4 players of the same class will be match-made into a mission on the same side.
• PVP: Overtime is now limited to a maximum of 3 minutes. If the attackers do not capture the objective during this time, the Defenders win.
• PVP: The game-type (Breach, Control, etc) is now visible on the loading screen for each PvP map.
• Equip Screen: Improved tooltips for level/skill/seasonal requirements.
• Human Resources: Dye Vendor #3 has gone off strike and is now back at work.
• Miscellaneous: Various map cleanups and improvements.
• Miscellaneous: Various audio/sound effects improvements.
• Miscellaneous: Various animation cleanups and improvements.
• Miscellaneous: Visual elements on combo boxes modified.
• Miscellaneous: Paging support has been improved/added on several screens throughout the game.
• Miscellaneous: F3 now launches the Friends list instead of Network Stats. Use "/stat net" in chat or F8 to show network stats.
• Miscellaneous: The radar is now disabled in Dome City.
• Miscellaneous: You can now rotate your character in the equip screen and vendor preview screen by left-clicking and dragging the mouse (same as character select screen).

Bug Fixes

• Some crash conditions have been fixed.
• Agency Recruiting screen not updating under some conditions
• Search and filtering on the Agency Directory improved.
• Several fixes to Auction House search
• Several fixes to Strikeforce Inventory management.
• The Agency field now populates on the PvE Matchmaking box (previously blank).
• Condition in which mouse was not properly locked during map load when in windowed mode has been fixed.
• Various spelling failures corrected.
• Death animations have been added to the Think Tank boss.
• The proper key binding now shows on the ESC menu for AGENCY.
• A condition that would cause some clients to lose text chat sporadically has been fixed.
• Agency tax rate no longer displays in chat with lots of digits after the decimal point.
• Fixed bug in which sniper projectile was not visible at long distances.
• Damage messages now show correctly when damaged by an AvA deployable.

Device Changes

• The Drone Duration and Super Drones skills under the Robotics tree now function as intended.
• Neutralize Wave: The base recharge time on all Neutralize Wave ranks is now 60 seconds (times had been inconsistent across ranks).
• Damage on the AvA Mini-nuke has been increased to ensure it fully wipes out AvA Turrets within its range.
• AvA Turret deploy time increased from 5 to 20.
• AvA Turret collision improved
• Armored Beacon I Class 1 Ore Requirement reduced from 25 to 20
• Production Cost reduced to 350 on all Tech II Buildings, and Missile Complex, making them take less time to manufacture.
• Research time on Tech II Mine and Tech II Factory Blueprints reduced to 330.
• Resource requirement for Tech II Foundation blueprint reduced to 3000 Class 1 Ore, 300 Class 2 Ore.
• Ununpentum requirement for Tech II Mine, Factory and Lab Blueprint reduced to 90.
• Android Squad: Reduced Class 1 Ore requirement. Reduced production time. Reduced research cost.