There is a new RC at https://releases.wildfiregames.com/rc/ Two languages where added and some issues are fixed. Among them an issue in the new Germans' sandbox map. While there are hopefully no new ones introduced.

Yeah, that would be a super useful feature. Heroes being able to perform special attacks or inspiring battle roars would definitely add to the gameplay, make them more important (rather than just a really long lived budding unit), and set 0 A.D. farther apart from AoE. I can even see several different hero-oriented modes, like some sort of fleeing scenario (general flees from his destroyed city, being constantly ambushed by enemy soldiers).

It's good to see that people are noticing. Changing the image that people have of the past is important.

I had the same crash using that cheat too. Deleting the simulation file in the autosave folder fixed it for me—game loaded fine after that without needing to delete the mod.

It had them. Introduced in Alpha 9, but subsequently removed.  Ironically, adding hard counters to 0 A.D. will make it more like Age of Empires...which is something you seem to argue against