We wanted to let you all know that Patch 3 for Rise of Nations, which will make several updates to multiplayer connectivity in addition to balance tweaks, new features, and bug fixes, is currently in final testing at Microsoft. This is the last major hurdle in the production of the patch, and a green light from Microsoft's testers will mean that it is ready to be released. We still can't give a firm release date for the patch at this point, but right now we are several steps closer to that day.

With the release of Patch 3, we will also be going live with our multiplayer ratings website. It will contain a listing of the top rated players, as well as other multiplayer related information such as the most popular map types.