Game update
v1.0.0 · 🎮 A Fresh Look & a Whole Lot More!
Hey everyone! We’ve been giving the arena a fresh look, adding some useful features, and fixing a few things along the way. Here’s what’s new! 😄
A refreshed arena
- A new look for the gameboard, main menu, lobby, profiles, and popups, with new backgrounds and updated fonts.
- Redesigned piece icons with clearer ranks and more recognizable special pieces.
- New sounds and effects when a General falls or an army is eliminated.
- A tidier lobby and room settings, with Ranked rooms easier to spot.
Meet Echo Scan
You can now select a piece and watch its movement history with Echo Scan, available in single-player and unranked multiplayer battles.
We’ve also made tool targets clearer and added P / T / E shortcuts for Ping, Trail, and Echo Scan.
Request a draw
Online matches now support draw requests, including 1v1 shared control.
- Every other player must accept for the match to end in a draw. A decline keeps the game going.
- Moves and the turn timer continue while players vote.
- Bots follow their ally’s vote; allied bot pairs always accept.
- Each player can send one draw request every 60 seconds.
Save your favorite formations
Have an opening you keep coming back to? You can now save up to five named formations and load them during setup.
- Guests save formations on their device; signed-in players save them to their account.
- Replace or delete saved formations whenever you like.
- Bring formations saved on your device into your account after signing in.
A better fit on mobile
- Smaller player panels and tidier controls leave more space for the board.
- New room messages briefly appear while chat is collapsed. Tap the preview to open the conversation.
- Chat stays above the keyboard, and you can see more recent messages.
- Your chat draft stays put when you close the panel or change language.
Profiles and navigation
- A refreshed profile page makes your statistics, match history, and replays easier to browse.
- Click a human player’s name or territory panel to view their details.
- A new side menu brings navigation, Discord, and Donate together.
- Settings and Fullscreen are easier to find, and the Menu button now lets you know when there’s a new update.
More reliable rooms
- Added automatic connection checks to detect dropped connections and reconnect when needed.
- Setup and finished rooms now close automatically after all human players go offline and a reconnect grace period expires.
- Fixed closed rooms lingering in the lobby or being recreated through old links. Reconnecting to a closed room now returns you to the lobby.
- Improved cleanup of closed-room data and recovery from temporary storage errors.
Fixes and improvements
- Fixed delayed Ready or Unready requests returning an active room to setup or restarting a shared-control match.
- Fixed players appearing offline after reconnecting when an older connection closes.
- Fixed players still appearing online after all their connections close during a reconnect.
- Fixed old Ready or Unready requests affecting a later match. Each setup round now requires a fresh Ready confirmation.
- Fixed spectators receiving setup pieces after New Game or closing a replay. Spectators now choose a seat before setting up.
- Fixed incorrect capture and loss totals in match results.
- Fixed incorrect sounds and General-death effects when entering or leaving Replay Practice.
- Fixed lingering General-death effects while browsing replays.
- Fixed piece-marker highlights and improved icon visibility on dark backgrounds.
- Fixed the cut-off Surrender text and made the match buttons easier to read.
- Switching languages now keeps your game and tutorial progress.
- Reduced lobby chat flickering and simplified tool highlights to reduce unnecessary animation.
Some existing guest players may need to rejoin their room after this update.
Thanks for playing and helping us find those awkward little bugs! If something looks off, please let us know by email or in our Discord community.
Have fun, and enjoy the refreshed arena! 🫶