Greetings!
We have a release date of November 10.
Here's what we've been working on for both Escalation and Ashes of the Singularity (the base game)
1. We've been optimizing the unit AI. The goal here is that even though your armies may contain thousands of units, we don't expect you, the player to have to manage more than a handful of armies. The unit AI is designed to handle carrying out your broader orders.
2. The new Escalation campaigns are being tested right now. Escalation will include a modified campaign from Ashes of the Singularity. We're having to make some changes so that there are no tutorial like missions.
3. We're doing a lot of visual tweaking to the new Strategic Zoom mode. When you zoom out the camera, the game transition to a strategic view of the planet ala Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire.
If you have any questions, let us know.