Hello Elemental Dev Team and Players,

I normally don't post very often on forums, but I felt the need to voice my opinion on this particular topic for these types of games. I love turn-based strategy. I have loved it since the day I first learned how to play Chess. These style of games are simply more advanced versions of the same game. What made Chess so enjoyable though was playing with a friend and trying to match wits with them. I understand the current reasoning behind a lot of these style of games not having multiplayer on release or at all, but I would like to point out that this genre is suffering because of the current marketing ideals. Yes, multiplayer in these games isn't a main selling point for the masses, but there is a market out there for at least lan or hotseat multiplay.

Personally, I have not seen a turn-based strategy game that was enjoyable and multiplayer since the days of Master of Orion 2. It saddens me that the market has not had another decent multiplayer turn-based strategy game since 1994. The simplistic style of 4X with ship design was amazingly fun and easy to learn. It had flaws, but overall I felt it was the most pleasurable turn-based gaming experience I have ever had. I still play MOO2 today whenever I have my friends over to LAN. Sure, the game may take us the whole weekend, or several weeks depending on work schedules, but we all feel that it is worth the time invested for the experience.

I only mention MOO2 because Elemental has a lot of the elements I enjoyed about MOO2 available in a different setting with some of its own flavor thrown in. I have very high hopes that Elemental will take the mantle from MOO2 in turn-based multiplay experience. It is certainly long past due.

Know that I am not a marketing guru nor that I do not really have a firm grasp on the business world for the gaming industry. I know that a game needs to be profitable for a company to succeed. However, I do not prefer to see the focus of multiplayer be on people connecting to play on servers with other random people. Rather, I think that multiplayer should be focused around hotseat and/or LAN play. Because of the lengthy play and the propensity of people to cheat when playing against strangers, I have never attempted to play a game such as this online.  Often a game will not be finished in one sitting, allowing for the full spectrum of strutting, posturing, whining, complaining, and meta-gaming as jibes are exchanged between game sessions. Often the post game conversation is just as enjoyable as the game itself.  It is hard to imagine having the same depth of enjoyment with a battle.net style experience.  The games take too long, and the turn based strategy fan base is too small and fractured for a dependable positive online multiplayer experience to be practical.

I enjoy a Nintendo game, Star Tropics, which is widely lauded among my peers. The game's critics complain about it's rigid, grid based, controls.  When Nintendo made the sequel they tried to address those complaints, by making the controls more fluid.  In this attempting to please everyone, they broke their own system, and the sequel flopped.  What could have been a profitable game series, instead faded into oblivion.

I plead with you to reconsider the focus of multiplayer in your game. Turn-based strategy is its own niche. One that has been waiting a long time for a new, sharply balanced, suspenseful multiplayer experience. I want to be able to control who I play against.  I don't want to worry for one second about cheaters.  Please put forth a multiplayer system that allows me to directly connect, via IP address, to whichever of my friends is hosting the game.  Leave the battle.net style mutliplayer to the real-time crowd.