A new patch available for Altitude, reports Steam News, saying the update will be applied the next time owners of the multiplayer aerial combat game login to Valve's online service. The new version includes the new "Ace" system along with a large number of other changes, which are detailed in the following patch notes.

Added "Ace" System:

• Upon reaching level 60, players can click a button under Hangar Deck -> Stats to become an Ace.
• When you become an Ace you will start over at level 1 with unlocks and challenges reset.
• There are no gameplay advantages to becoming an Ace.
• You will receive a new badge and the first 5 Ace ranks will each unlock an extra slot on the plane selection screen.
• The max Ace rank is 10.
• Aces can only gain XP in multiplayer games: single player skirmishes and bot kills don't generate XP
• Ace XP gain is slower on high player count servers to discourage XP farming: with 10 or fewer players aces gain experience at 140% the pre-patch rate; at 14 players experience accumulates at the normal rate; beyond 14 players experience accumulates slower in proportion to the excess player count (e.g. 20 players -> 14/20 = 70% normal XP gain)

Ball Mode Improvements:

• Added "Ball Camera" spectate option: press C to toggle between Free/Chase/Ball spectate modes
• Added goal assist tracking
• Added "time of possesssion" to end of round award screen
• Added visual trail effect to ball
• Increased Biplane's ball shot speed (16.5 -> 17.2)
• Increased Miranda's ball shot speed (16.8 -> 17)
• Decreased Loopy's speed while carrying the ball (79% -> 78%)

New Maps:

• Added ball_planepark and tbd_planepark (thanks Mandrad)
• Added tbd_nuclear (thanks Hartz)
• Added tbd_focus (thanks Esoteric)
• Updated ball_cave, ball_core, ball_football, ball_grotto, ball_labyrinth, ball_lostcity, ball_mayhem2, ball_planepark, ball_snow (thanks Maimer)

New Console Commands:

• dnd (do not disturb mode), type "/dnd true" into the chat window to activate, "/dnd false" to deactivate: suppresses in-game whisper messages and notifications
• listBans
• removeBan (IP or VaporID)
• addBan (IP or VaporID) (duration) (time-unit) (reason) -- for banning players that aren't currently on the server
• serverWhisper (nickname) (message) -- allows the server to send a message to a single player
• serverMessage
• assignTeam (team -1 is spectator, 0 is left team, 1 is right team)

Award Screen:

• Added "You..." stat box beneath MVP boxes for comparison
• Updated categories to display additional information

Server List:

• Server rows now refresh upon selection
• Added filter option "Level Appropriate" -- excludes servers that don't allow players in your level range

Helper Text:

• Explodet: "Press F to launch a rocket, then press F again to detonate it."
• Biplane: "Press F and D simultaneously to fire both weapons at once."
• Miranda: "Miranda's forward warp (hold UP) damages enemies in its path."

Miscellaneous:

• Added "Map Editor" and "Server Launcher" links to the main menu
• Adjusted packet loss tracking for max ping kick detection
• Streamlined facebook app, added unlink option, fixed known issues
• New display option "Show Notifications" under Options -> Gameplay: toggles visibility of notification boxes in bottom right (e.g. " logged in")
• New child safety option "Suppress names" under Options -> Account: replaces custom player names with "Player 1", "Player 2", etc