yeah... its called a beta.  I'm sure that a beta for all that customization stuff stardock wants for the game will be released before final retail release.

I sincerely doubt anyone will feel a need for a slab of extra spells on launch day, or extra anything, really. Regardless, the tools (if any) or ways to edit the game (raw .xml like in GalCiv2) will surely be available with the late betas.

Have there been an announcement about actual tools at all? It's possible that it just slipped by me - partly because I don't really keep up with the actual articles (spending most my time on these actual forums) and partly because I don't care overly much.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even GalCiv2 didn't get actual tools until Twilight of the Arnor - and even so, I felt that I had a lot more control just editing the xml. And I'm not even that much of a modder (or even a good one, at that).

there hase been this

https://forums.elementalgame.com/331361

also called 'unlimited expansion by us and the players'

it isn't anything particulary specific, but it does imply that this is much more than selecting clip together blocks seen in GalCiv.   Obviously this requires custom models, custom techs, and similar features.  They talk about how its like a game mod, but 'one step further' in company support.   if they are considering this part of the game's ambition, I would say they are telling us that it WILL be part of the main game, i.e. will be available before release.

The tools are part of the game. So they'll be in the betas.

Good point Wintersong.  UTF-8 character support would, in addition to helping our friends outside of N. America, allow for nice "fantasy-like" names, full of accents, umlauts, and other fun.