New beta testing branch, this time featuring new Temporary Rat Recruits for co-op, Unlockable Hats, a new Trait, and a Phoenix + Fireproof Trait merge! Coming up pretty soon are the Mac and Linux build for testing branch, some final changes for this update, and then getting the update out for all platforms. Still tracking some bugs down, more than normal due to all the new systems in this update. Could use a lot of help testing the Temporary Rat Recruits! Also, I still have some time to mess with any Perk or Trait balancing, as long as it's minor tweaks. If you have any feedback on that, or the new hats, reply here or send me a tweet: : Rocketcat Games Twitter I got really sick for a little over a week, so this coming update will be smaller than I originally planned. Still, I want to get a few more things in. Expect one more big Testing Branch update, then I really want to get this update out for Steam and all the other platforms. After that, I want to get back to doing an update every 2 months for awhile. More thoughts on this once this update is out for real. INSTRUCTIONS IMPORTANT NOTE: The testing branch and the retail version use different save files! Testing Branch saves also get cleared out on occasion. HOW TO INSTALL: Right click Death Road to Canada on Steam. Go to Properties. Go to Betas. Select Testbranch, no password necessary. 9/5 NEW CHANGES

• In co-op multiplayer, players can control Rat Recruits if there are no normal recruits to pick. These are very weak, but still get to influence the world with their claws and hissing. The goal is to have less waiting around if you run out of people in a multiplayer game. More work on this system is coming!
• Lots of behind the scenes work to help this new system not break everything.
• NEW UNLOCKABLE HATS (insert flashing text here), accessed via a Ugnomey location that can be bought for Zombotown
• Phoenix gets fireproofing now, and loses it on death
• Fireproof in Zombotown changed to Dingus Savant, but still uses the old slot for Fireproof so that saves don't break
• Dingus Savant gives 1 extra max point to shooting, mechanical, AND medical, but has a -1 max health and -2 max morale penalty. It's intended for someone that wants a super "win every skill check" support character, but without Civilized's "win every personality check" benefit, less severe downsides to Civilized/Berserk, but also lacking the early game power. Let me know what you think! It's pretty nerfed from the original implementation of it
• THE JERK STORE is back and better than ever.
• Jerk Store / Challenge Hut added to UGnomey, costs 30 ZP
• Fixed a UGnomey typo: "Toilets will also now have a higher loot chancez!"
• Roaming Capybara moved more Northeast, hopefully not too far
• Challenge Statue Added, with the first Challenge: Beat 10 different game modes
• Hat Unlocks are now functional, with a check in globals.df and gtats saving for the Challenge Statue
• Samedi gets a resurrect saying now, and her death saying is changed slightly
• Samedi gets something that is exactly like Phoenix, except for the new Fireproofing
• .unfireproof word added, used currently so that Phoenix loses fireproofing on the first death
• Phoenix trademark weapon is now the Hot Poker. I'm vaguely interested in buffing Trademark Weapon, so this is a first step there
• Bow and Arrows + Specialist starts with the full 60 arrows now, and loses the extra phantom bow in slot B