Wonderfull news! I'm happy i gave him my 49$ for safekeeping while i wait for a complete game. Had i kept them i probably would have wasted the sum somewhere..

It really does look like an unfinished game. You can see it especially with the UI, not so much with bugs and balance (that was kind of expected from this kind of game).

But I choose to stay optimistic about it. I see it as a raw gem. Once it's pollished, I´m confident it will really shine.

And it´s not like there´s much to choose from, either. No one makes this kind of games that I love so much anymore.

I'm certain even Stardock wishes they had a few more months with the game. But the reality isn't quite as simple. Release dates are locked far in advance, and Stardock is not nearly large enough to have much pull with retailers (unlike, say, Blizzard), nor the money to put the game off indefinitely. 

It is understandable for people to be disappointed with some parts of the game. Everyone sort of has different likes and dislikes and something that one person hates, another one loves. And it's definitely hard to discount some stability/performance issues that still exist.

But at the same time, what makes Stardock different from a lot of other developers/publishers is that they don't just take your money and laugh at the problems you've having with the game. For about the past week or so (including weekend), they've been coming in and working close to 16 hour days to get the needed fixes and changes out, and they're still continuing to do so. Certainly everyone would've been happier (including SD) if the game was near spotless, but they do deserve credit and some common decency (not referring to this thread, but there have been others much less kind) for the effort they're putting into fixing issues as fast as possible.

It's natural to be frustrated when you feel you didn't get enough bang for your buck, but I wish a lot of people in general were a bit more understanding and offered more constructive criticism instead of outright flaming. After all, they're still trying to make sure everyone is satisfied with the game, and the last several patches have brought pretty dramatic improvements, and more are to come.

In the end, people who really feel cheated out of their money and are unwilling to give SD a chance to improve the game do always have the option to ask for refunds, which SD tends to give out fairly readily and not make it a "nails on chalkboard" kind of process. Otherwise, for those who are dissatisfied but want to give SD a chance, instead of just saying "<insert feature> sucks!", it's a lot more helpful to say what you want it to be, instead.

Are you playing the same game I am? It is true that there are issues but difficult MOBS? If you dont research the adventuring tech tree much the mobs will not be that difficult. Especially for the first 100 turns I have mobs with 3 or 5 hp at most. Later on in the game they do get more powerful but nothing that isnt easily handled. Some of your other complaints are just you not knowing how to play, for example you have very little gold? Well gold is determined by trade, trade bonuses, gold mines so if you aren't expanding well and getting gold mines and such you wont have a lot of gold. Also there are research paths that increase resources in the world, so you can get some more gold mines and such.

I personally find the game enjoyable in its current state. The pre-1.05 patch was a bit buggy, but most my issues have been fixed. Would I have done some things differently if I had my druthers on things? Sure. But I didn't make the game, and Im having fun playing it myself.

It definately wasnt released 'unfinished'.

My main issue with the actual gameplay at this point is that the AI is far too easy. The monsters that end up covering the map are another issue, but its minor as it just means I hit autoresolve alot when walking from place to place. Just park some strong guys at chokepoints and barricade in yer starting 2-3 towns and you'll be fine.

My main issue with the DESIGN, however, is the lack of interesting options in hero development. The sovereign design is fun, but after you initially design him, thats...pretty much it. Sure you get to allocate a stat point every level but thats not very interesting. The items also I feel need to be further differentiated. I want a reason to go for something that the big huge hammer thing every game. Now, this could just be bad luck and I havent found all the real cool items but hey.

But your post is flat out wrong. Sorry.

Edit: Gotta be careful typing playing and myself in the same sentence, especially if I throw a with in there.

 Really...as much as there are RPG elements to this game (pun intended), it's first and foremost a strategy 4x game. And if you don't like Diablo 3, try out Solitaire! Wait, what?