Actually not too sure where the best place for this is. Here or the Beta forum or under Frogboys nose!? Feel free to delete one Stardock.

Ok now that we're onto v.806, I'd like to add a few comments on Elemental gameplay.. There will be issues that will inevitably be changed or polished, and whilst bearing in mind it's still beta, I'll raise them here regardless. Some of these points also cross over into each other and some will be raised on points i am unaware of, however this is meant to be after all, constructive criticism.

1. Intuitiveness: The intuitiveness of the game needs work. I know this is a strategy game. I know it has battles and cities. I start with my character whom has a create kingdom button alongside his profile. A city is created. Buildings can be built and soldiers also once the command post has been built. Then i am left to click what i know unless i poke around and explore through buttons. Clicking on various buttons may well give me something, but the intuitiveness isn't present to do so in the first place. I'm a spellcaster and I know i can attack people in combat but i have no idea how i am casting. I can research spells but i cant intuitively understand the relation to magic, spells and spellpoints etc. from my character, let alone other npcs. The right hand bar with events is well and good but when i get 20 come up in one turn it is a hassle and monotonous routine to have to either hover and read each one, and or close them each turn. I don't know how to adventure or what heroes mean. Adventuring to me means moving my character onto a goody hut. Are NPC characters just another troop type i can use to fight with that may or may not confer certain bonuses to my kingdom and carry items?
   
   
   • Solution: Tool tips. Popups. Event reminders. Graphical representations. A single window at the start of the turn listing buildings built in which town would suffice to cut down clutter and with which to be disposed of with one click. Automatic cycling through units/cities which not haven't been actioned that turn would also give greater intuitiveness to the player. A reason to click or want to click certain buttons is missing. A 'Elementalopedia' is needed or a way to view tech info after researching them.
     
     
2. Immersion: The game lacks the immersive qualities of a good game. I feel no reason to play the game from the start. I'm not driven to build cities or crush my enemies. Nor am i driven to go on quests, to marry or enter alliances etc. The attempts to create an immersive atmosphere by means of goody huts, questing locations/dialogue etc. are all well and good, but are too common and repetitive to warrant anymore than clickable buttons..
   
   
   • Solution: Once again, a greater intuitive interface and communication system to the player will help this. Better and more varied dialogue but in shorter punchier grabs. The opening screen after world creation starts to tell me something but i just click because it seems to much to read for no gain. The same with quests. Maybe there should be invisible locations that you can puzzle out by reading the dialogue rather than an automatic map beacon all the time. Caravan people traveling along the roads are a nice touch but maybe more can be made of it. Little towns/huts popping up along the roads which may confer gold bonus, can be pillaged? Random signs in the wilderness pointing out locations (cities or hidden ones)(shamelessly taken from Warlords). Inns can heal units if rested there for gold. Your own characters should have somewhat of a mind of there own as far as questing etc. goes. (shamelessly taken from Majesty) Random events which cause attacks/sieges to occur to a city (shamelessly taken from Castles) That game actually had an interesting gameplay path somewhat driven by player story/event decisions.
     
     
3. AI: Now although Frogger has already stated the AI is and isn't a problem right at this moment, it's still an issue at the moment. It's nowhere where it needs to be in all terms of NPC interaction etc. These things will be worked on warranted, BUT games like this one fall down in areas as i have mentioned above simply by the removal of need. The AI is insufficient enough to wage war in any manner at the moment. So many options to do with building cities/buildings/soldiers, casting spells and engaging diplomacy  are driven by war and the need to be on the offensive/defensive and are crippled without a sufficient need to use them. These become a matter of button clicking now rather than strategic decisions based on the hostile nature of relationships and motivation.
   
   
   • Solution: The game AI needs to switch on 'Raging Barbarians' quick smart if the beta players are to be able to efficiently and effectively gauge the games system and components properly at this stage of the beta.
     
     
4. Pace: Whilst the pace of the game is undoubtedly tied somewhat to the above, it is also somewhat lacking in terms of ability to do many basic options early on without advancing some aspect. I'm a spellcaster but i know limited spells by which to cast with. My warriors are limited to start with and i have to build a building first to do so.
   
   
   • Solution: Raging Barbarians is a start but also the ability to stay one city and be able to crank out magic/soldiers etc.. effectively early on. There maybe should be a minor and major version of spells (shamelessly taken from Warhammer 8th Ed). Contested ground should be a viable option. Pillaging special tiles/shards and competing over possession when unlinked to a city so there is more to do early game. You guard a special tile for X amount of time and receive a unit/item/spell etc.. (capture the flag).
     
     
     
5. Cities/Special tiles: Cities are too linked to the surrounding special tiles and as such form snaking formations. Special tiles are too removed from the map graphically. Cities become too alike and numerous. It becomes simply a matter of button clicking untill you city becomes really big filled with building tiles and you've built everything you can. I don't even look at gold and food production except for housing because its not a concern for me. I just click, rince and repeat each turn and on each city. The buildings themselves seem to meld too well into the general graphical style to warrant distinction.
   
   
   • Solution: Special tiles should be grouped with like terrain and more seamlessly integrated into the map. Cities should be somewhat contained in how much they grow and how fast. I really like the idea of giving cities specialisations upon growing and I think this area should be explored some more. More diversity by specialisation. Maybe you can only build certain buildings after choosing a certain specialisations. Specialisation and building bonuses need to be more intuitively attributed graphically also. Greater distance between cities with an emphasis on villages along roads could help diversify the map. Less buildings or greater building tile allocations (like tetris 3 tile buildings in a line or L etc.) and more seemless integration of building titles into the city structure should be used to help diversify cities.
     
     
6. Spells/Research: Pretty much to sum up what i have said above about each. I could just click my merry way through both of them, and despite acquiring new buildings which i would see, not know what the hell i am doing, what bonuses or spells i am acquiring and what they do or where i may check there impact on later.
   
   
   • Solution: There needs to be more intuitive and critically informative access and implementation of both.

These are a few of the things that i can see at the moment off the top of my head which, outside graphical and stability bug fixes, need attention imho.

Cheers,

Darkhour