FROM: Project Lead
TO: Alpha Users
INFO: Alpha Lite program started and Development branch updating.
PRECEDENCE: Flash
SITUATION
Last week was busy with a more hidden release: Arma 3 Alpha Lite. There should already be plenty of codes available for it via people who purchased the Alpha earlier, via social channels and via many organized giveaways. The team is now working on two major parallel paths of development: Alpha maintenance and internal work on content such as the full game's campaign and the Altis environment. It's quite a different approach to how we are used to working, so we're still ironing out the kinks.
INTELLIGENCE
If you purchased any of the Alpha editions, your Alpha Lite codes should be available as gifts in your Steam Inventory.
Cross-joining multiplayer between default and Development branch was disabled on request of 124th Seagull Aviation Squadron.
The Feedback Tracker now has a most-voted issue overview.
Supporter Edition medals are being awarded on the forums.
Not sure you want to use default or Development branch? Have a look at this brief summary.
OPERATIONS
Quality Assurance have begun evaluating a new default branch update (could be released later this week).
Our programmers are experimenting with improved shadows in the Development branch (smoother, minor optimizations).
We are trying to maintain a manually compiled Development branch changelog, while we set up automation for this process.
LOGISTICS
Head over to the forums to read up on switching between default and Development branches for the Alpha (not available for Lite).
When you see us doing or releasing something you feel does not have priority (because it's not optimization or anti-cheat): keep in mind different tasks have different experts working on them. Campaign designers do not work on anti-cheat and vehicle artists do not optimize the engine code. Both tasks are also massive undertakings that will not be done quickly.