unique faction traits

no waiting for the turn to end

no crashes

questing/leveling champs - brutal monsters - some cool loot

Thanks for your replies, Trojasmic, sweatyboatman, and Glazunov1 !  In my opinion, these are each solid lists of Great, or at least "good enough", features in the current version of E:FE ( v0.915 ).  One reason I think these kind of features need to be high-lighted, is because where existing features are already  REALLY LIKED   (great, or good, or nearly perfect), the Developers can set these aspects aside (at least for a while) and concentrate on the other features that really need  serious work.  Of the items on your lists, two really struck a chord with me ...

First:  I think the Map Generation feature right now is genuinely Great.   (But, Glazunov1, I  do take the point, that you made in your own discussion thread, that 64 bit players could use, and deserve  the additional option of being able to generate HUGE maps.)  But, except for that caveat, I think map generation in E:FE is currently in an essentially finished state.  I am constantly amazed at how good the maps are -- how they incorporate choke points, interior lakes, a reasonable array of terrain features, and routinely surprising continental out-lines.  And these (usually) genuinely good maps are made one step better, by the fact that E:FE permits "Strategic Terrain Altering" (as hubichakakov named it, in my earlier Discussion thread) in the form of the Raise Land, and Lower Land, magic commands.  This "magic terraforming" really makes E:FE (in my opinion) the best 4X game, since Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, to use terraforming in an interesting (and potentially game-changing) kind of way.  It adds FUN, and it can materialy affect strategy.

Secondly, sweatyboatman alluded to Game Stability (minimal crashes).  I personally think that Game Stability is significantly improved by now (although the greatest change was in going from the last version of the Beta 2, to the first version of the Beta 3).  Obviously, it is not perfect; but my point here is that I would have been seriously concerned if the game's stability were only being treated as an after-thought by Stardock.  You can't leave Stability issues to the end-point -- any more than you can postpone adding Quality (or Polish) to a product only at the end.  (That should have been one of big lessons from E:WoM.)  I think Stardock is showing the right attitude in constantly addressing the Stability issues, through-out the update process.  Stability  IS  getting the right amount of emphasis and attention, IMHO.   

To add something to my last reply, thats hard... Meaby im being too much of a critic but I hoped for more

I will be grabbing something from sean, and that is I really like to see the unique units pop up, making the  game feel more fantasy like, and magic like, like having golems in your army, and spiders to help you.
Doesn't translate very good into custom factions though.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I am in love with designing my own units. It is such a cool feature.

The faction differentiation is fantastic.

The Tactical Combat aspect of the game is in very good shape, with only minor balance tweaks needed and the odd bug at this point.

Quests -I like the quests and having the option of taking money or a special item.  I wish that there is more quests.  In the game a couple of versions ago there seemed to be a lot more than there are now.  It also seems a little wierd that the chain in the quests are so close together.  I understand the logic but it plays wierd.

Champions - I like the leveling of champions and that they can cast spells.  Again, I wish there was more of this.

Special Items - Having items that need a curtain level is a cool feature.  It would be nice to see more of this also.

Shards - I like that there are more now.

Maps - The terrain has become much more interesting.  Adding areas that open up later in the game is a great touch.

magical items - This is much better now.

Caravans - I am glad they are gone.  I do wish though that the roads would be more visible. It can be very hard to see them sometimes.

Roaming monsters - I feel it is much better than WOM.  They graphically look better also.

For all those interesting Observations, running from Seanw3 through AlLanMandragoran --Thanks, Guys !!

Couple of Reaction comments:  Seanw3's list was short and succinct, but IMHO, Dead on !  Agree completely ...

Child-in-Black, Re: "the Jonas Brothers" ... I know what you mean.  It's amazing how one or two little things can add so much more  *FUN*  to a game!  I also managed to snag those guys early in my previous game, and they were really helpful.  Partly because I used them  carefully  (and kept them with my sovereign) they leveled up decently too.  They are NOT necessarily significant in the later half of the game; but they were great to get on my side in the early game!    =   FUN!

Good List, hntr101!   And I agree with everyone who commented on how Faction Differentiation has really improved the game.  Early on, I was wondering if maybe Stardock was carrying this a bit too far ( ... the Go Big, or Go Home philosophy ... ); but more recently I have decided that the Dev's have pretty much "nailed" this point too.  Faction Differentiation, even with two less factions (or because of it ?) has greatly improved the character, and replay-ability, of the game!

Malsqueek, I am on record (in a previous thread) as agreeing that I consider Tactical Combat to pretty much be in a solid, finished, form.  I know it could be tweeked some; and I confess to not being as interested in Tactical Combat as some of the folks here.  However, I think it is so much improved from the Beta 2; and appropriate now, to the overall nature of the game, that I consider it plenty  "Good Enough" !   

Oh, absolutely. The "tweaks and bugs" that I'm talking about is really more at what point we get access to which techs, and when are they going to stop allowing 47 burning blades on enemy assassin champs.

That is all just about what toys we get to bring to the sandbox. The sandbox itself is pretty well perfect.

There is things that I like but I know that might be change for the better

I LIKE :

1)that cities expand around the main square and it is a living structure with people in it ( sooo geeky lol)

2)that we can create our own units (even if I dont know what to do defence or attack units because i am a noob )

3)that the map has always something for you to discover (if they change the monotone pattern they have on the soil I think the map will look more awesome

I agree with Kongdej,  it is very far from perfect. But far ahead of what WOM was.

I don't know.  Why do you always have to ask such hard questions? 

Sincerely
~  Kongdej