So, to use another game as an example of bad U.I. was Stardock's Sins of a solar Empire. When you got to the larger 100 planet games it became difficult to deal with your planets effectively and a lot fell to negligence. This works the same in Elemental. I propose a City "browser", a window that pops up whenever you want to work with cities. This would eliminate cities from the side-view bar and leave it open to only champions and armies, better suited to a less detailed view.

So I propose the browser should look like this: (Maybe if this idea is like I might sketch it)

The window that pops up should be about 40-25% smaller than the entire screen, allowing the player to see the mini map and champions pane. Or it covers the screen and incorporate the mini-map but not the champions pane. It will consist of parts. A left-hand box, a right-hand pane, a main window, and tabs overhead (like firefox tabs).

The left-hand box will contain either all cities or 25-50 cities on one "page". (If pages are used the box will have an arror to turn the page on the lower corner.) Each city symbol will be streamlined as well. Each symbol, instead of having a picture, will have the level-number of the city as the main picture and the name overhead. The number will be red if there's a housing shortage. On the left of the number will be small symbols for training, a nondescript symbol that doesn't show what the unit is. On the right of the picture symbols for each type of resource will be shown for what the city is producing. The player can choose to look at the specific resource by using the functions in the right hand pane. The cities are not in a list but grouped like this: 5x5 or 6x6, the point is they're in a box. However, using the function pane, the player should be able to sort cities by worth in terms of gildar, level, or number of units/buildings.

The right hand pane will be a function pane. It contains the commands for changing to specific resources other functions in other tabs.

When you click on a city a more detailed view is pulled up in the main window. When you double-click the city a tab is opened and an overhead view is used (not the 3/4 view). Using the function pane you can then place buildings or train units in an easy to use over head view (the kind that can be used in the options menu). The tabs are persistent so you can keep your favorite cities tabbed up while the least important ones stay in the left hand pane.

Tabs can have a range of uses. Tabs can contain spreadsheets for resources, jetski workshop, or caravan tab to better plan trade routes by showing which cities do not have one. Even incorporating a streamlined "unit design" tabs would be great.

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Outside of the browser, I think changes should be made to the entire maps view. Right now, with everything 3/4 view its hard for me to see my entire empire at once. The minmap is simply not helpful at all as it has no information whatsoever on it and it's orientation seems to be off by 90 degrees. I say that once you zoom out far enough yo ustil lget that 3/4 view on the cloth map. But then when you zoom out one more level you get an overhead view and you are able to see the entire cloth map at once, even if it has to be minimized. This would look like Supreme Commander's world map. Sometimes you forget a city because it's out in the sticks somewhere and this could help players keep an eye on everything at once.

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My last proposal is for gameplay changes. Water shouldn't be so prohibitive. Transports are super slow compared to my 7.0 move Sovereign but they necessary for exploration. But then, if you forget to put champs on the boat the boat isn't worth much since it cant do quests or pick up items on land. I say we need some sort of personal water transport. Even if it was exclusive to channelers as a spell, the need for seahorses, dolphins, seadragons, or jetskis is great. Put monsters in teh water if you like, I don't care. I just feel water is a completely prohibitive force and simply frustrating.