Check who are the winners of an exclusive t-shirt right here :

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12682246#post12682246

Dear all,

As annouced last week, the VIP Beta Test of R.U.S.E. will stop today. Many many thanks to everyone who played the game during these 3 weeks. I have read your requests to postpone the end of the test, I was contacted by some of you, and it breaks my heart to deprive you of your toy just before christmas.

But we will stop the beta test today for the following reasons:

* We have gathered tons of feedback in the BRT and forums.
* We have work to do! If we want to take your feedback into account, it requires some time. Each improvement or change requires stages of design, production, debug, and qualification before it can be delivered to you. We made this early VIP beta test so we would have the time to improved the game based on your impressions.
* The holiday season is coming, and we cannot leave the beta unattended
* And most importantly, this is not really the end, as new surprises are coming in early 2010. I will explain these surprises as soon as it comes official.

Thank you for your understanding and many thanks again for your efforts on the beta test. The game will be better because of your feedback!

Cheers,
Mathieu Girard
Senior Producer
Ubisoft Entertainment

A new balancing pathc will be available today at 7pm GMT.

If you want to see the details of the changes made, you can check them on the forum <a href="http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1073092" target="_forums">

Let us know what you think of the change!

We wanted to let you play a bit of Free For All, so we unlocked this map, for you to play in 1v1v1. ;)

For more info about this map's Level Design, check out the map card below

Stay tuned!

<img src="http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/496/diplomatieuk.png">

A new update will be available next week, allowing VIP Beta testers to play two new factions. Players who were missing France and Italy will now be able to put their hands on them. Beware of French legionnaires everyone!


Let us remind to players choosing Italy to well protect their OBICE 210MM. While those are extremely powerful, they're also expensive so your enemies will score a lot when destroying them. ;)

<img src="http://siteduperco.free.fr/ubi/ruse/FR.png">

<img src="http://siteduperco.free.fr/ubi/ruse/IT.png">

Oh… almost forgot to mention that we will probably unlock a new game mode too. Stay tuned for more!

You may have noticed that an update was available yesterday to download. This is a corrective patch aiming at fixing the following:

- Better handling of multiple deconnections
- Message added to inform players that we are waiting for another player to start the game
- Improvement of the ranked matchmaking (typically issues for players in higher leagues who hardly find a game)
- Voice chat (Press ALT to speak)
- New tuning of units


If you want to know more about the tuning made around units, here is a list of changes brought by the update:

• Permission for armed recon in forest to open ambushed fire
• Shortened fire range for experimental/advanced tanks (AP / HE)
• Increased power for AP shells & fighter aircrafts
• Increased power for artillery’s AP shells from 75 to 105 mm
• Reduced power for artillery’s large caliber (> 155 mm)
• Reduced power for DCA (third 1)
• Trajectories adjustment for planes dives
• Reduced anti-infantry power for US’s M16
• Large increase for fighters and fighter-bombers aircrafts’ capacity
• Adjustments in ruses’ timers
• Adjustments in ruses order
• Reduced power for UK paras (easier to counter with standard infantry)
• Reduced cost for para research for all factions
• Reduced cost for infantry upgrade
• Adjustments for Italy, Germany, France & USSR’s parachutists power
• Reduced cost for antitank buildings
• Global adjustment in price for buildings for 39-42 period
• Added research for Callioppe
• Improvement of French Somua S35 canon, reduced cost and speed
• Improvement of French SAU40 canon
• Reduced cost for French shielded recon
• USSR ZSU37 goes from experimental buildings to artillery buildings
• Deletion of research for German Puma
• Recon vehicles will use roads when necessary
• Reduced cost for Jackson
• Reduced cost for Pak40
• Reduced cost for Marder
• Reduced cost for Lafly
• Reduced cost for SU85
• Reduced cost for Semovente
• Reduced cost for French AT47mm canon
• Reduced cost for USSR 37mm AA
• Reduced cost for Katyusha
• Increased cost for tank DCA Skink
• Adjustment in time research for Sexton
• Increased speed for French FCMF1
• Reduced cost for researching French EBR
• Reduced cost for upgrading Chaffee
• Increased cost for Italian tank M11
• Reduced cost for upgrading Carro M15
• Increased strength (resistance) of secondary HQ

It's time to let the Katyushas speak! Tonight the VIP beta will be updated with <A HREF="http://steamcommunity.com/games/RUSE/announcements/detail/55331781074851069">two new factions unlocked</A> plus a new HUUUGE 2v2 map , especially designed to encourage coop.

To get some highlights about this map, check out the card below with information from our level designer.

<a href="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8043/frontiereuk.png" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/8043/frontiereuk.png"> </a>
Wish you some GGs !

The VIP Beta will be updated with new content very soon. Among the content added, you will now be able to play with USSR and UK factions. FTW!

Get a sneak peak at what is coming by reading our new factions cards below.


<img src="http://static2.cdn.ubi.com/gamesites/ruse/images/RUSE_ALL_Beta_Faction_UK.png">


<img src="http://static2.cdn.ubi.com/gamesites/ruse/images/RUSE_ALL_Beta_Faction_USSR.png">

The Community Q&A #3 has just been posted. Check it out to know more about the game!

<STRONG>Will there be dedicated servers? </STRONG>
<H? ALIGN=CENTER>Hell yes! We value top-notch matchmaking, and that implies dedicated servers, so yes indeed. </H?>

<STRONG>How many maps will there be for MP? </STRONG>
<H? ALIGN=CENTER>This is yet to be confirmed but there should be between 16 to 20 maps available in multiplayer. Yeah, you heard me! :) </H?>


<STRONG>Will we be able to play an offline skirmish for those who don't have XBOX Live or PSN? </STRONG>
<H? ALIGN=CENTER>That would be a ‘Yes’. You will be able to play skirmish in solo while offline. But multiplayer skirmish will require to be connected online. </H?>

<STRONG>Will we have various weather conditions possible on any map? </STRONG>
<H? ALIGN=CENTER>Various weather conditions have been something we thought about at the beginning. We were particularly interested in the fact that changing weather may affect –positively or negatively – your strategy. But the truth is that, while this could have added another layer of realism, we were not convinced with the results and it finally turned out to be frustrating to let a random element influence the flow of the battle, overcoming or ruining your strategy.
As a result we did not allow the climatic conditions to change during the battle. What we did is preset the weather on the maps to get the best of them. You will then have to adapt yourself to snow, sandstorm, torrential rain, etc. while playing the game, depending on the map you choose.</H?>

<STRONG>Will there be camouflage that you can purchase/ give to your units? </STRONG>
<H? ALIGN=CENTER>That would be a ‘Yes’. Let me explain: in R.U.S.E. you are granted a special deception skill, a ruse card, every minute. There are a total of 10 different skills to use. You can decide to use them as soon as you receive them, use them later or even stock them in order to make combos. The Deception skills are not linked to money but to the battle plan you want to employ. One of the deception skills is called “camouflage net” and allows you to hide your buildings for 4 minutes. Another one is “Radio Silence”, making your units invisible from enemy intel during 4 minutes.</H?>

The VIP beta is starting in a few days so we suggest you give a look at these factions cards to get ready for the battle. Each faction has very specific characteristics that you might be aware of in order to use them at their best.

The VIP beta will start with the following factions available, and others will become available throughout the beta test. Stay tuned on the official website and forums to get more intel about the factions and the maps waiting for you!

<img src="http://static2.cdn.ubi.com/gamesites/ruse/wp/news_pics/RUSE_ALL_Beta_Faction_US.png">

<img src="http://static2.cdn.ubi.com/gamesites/ruse/wp/news_pics/RUSE_ALL_Beta_Faction_GER.png">