IronKaiser

So a lot of threads on here are dedicated to changing how the game is played - and for good reason. But this thread is different. This thread is dedicated to the personality of the game, the little things that help bring the world to life and give it extra flavor. None of my suggestions really change the game, but they would hopefully enhance the immersion in the game. As a casual gamer who has played a few rounds but hasn't scoured every last nook and cranny of

I vote yes, and like many of the others, I feel it'd be worth a lot more than a single dollar. I'm not too huge on playing random online matches, since I know I'd just get crushed by the optimized strategies the majority would utilize. But I do greatly enjoy playing CIV with my brother and a few friends. I contend that adding MP would greatly increase longevity and community interest. I also concur with those who point out that MP should include a full set of features. If I can&#3

I agree with most that the racial charge is absurd. However, I do think that this is a potential opportunity, one thing Stardock could do to spice up the Kingdom sides a little bit. (Bringing it back to faction differentiation. Ha ha.) As it stands, Altar, Capitar, Gilden, Pariden, and Tarth all look like they've come from the same place. But why should they all be white? If, say, the Gilden race were brown/black, and Pariden had a somewhat asian/south american look, and etc., it would he

[quote who="Sanati" reply="126" id="3107814"] Then most factions could have their own mounts/creatures (a few could share horses if it's difficult to come up with something else), maybe even a faction without mounts but can train more powerful creatures.[/quote] Well, let's give it a shot. Each resource gives each faction one cavalry option, either a second cavalry option or a "hero" unique unit (only one unit available per resource held), and one attribute. <span styl

Very neat. I wonder how much fear Resolyn inspires in their Human and Fallen neighbors. Does Resolyn distinguish between Altarian, Krax, and Urxen life? IE, does the kind of life matter, or is all (non-death worshiping) life equally detestable? Just curious, but what are you using to come up with your ideas? Just the game and your own ingenuity, or do you have the novel and other resources on hand? And do you have any ideas for the Trog, Quendar, and Urxen tribes? I'd love to read

I just want to say that I fully support the idea of this thread, and the vision of Resolyn you've put out so far. From the worldview to the castes to the gameplay ideas, everything makes sense and brings more life (or death, ha ha) to Resolyn than before. The only thing I'd hesitate about putting into the game's lore is the whole murder ritual thing. Might be a bit too... grotesque? Dark? But hey, these are the ultimate bad guys of the world. It certainly makes sense. Keep up the

[quote quoting="post"] EDIT: I forgot, one more thing I wanted to add. I, personally, would like to have a broader range of domains - that is, instead of my kingdom generating rejuvenating life, it generates icy tundra, or a desert, or a swamp. Not for the stats, but just as a cosmetic issue. Would this be too much to ask for? [/quote] I'd say that this certainly isn't too much to ask for, and indeed should be incorporated into the main factions as well. Resoln'

So according to the latest poll, it looks like the community agrees that faction differentiation is the most important thing for team Stardock to work on. But what does faction differentiation actually look like? That's what this thread is about. Here are my ideas: 1. Getting the personality down Not so much an idea as a general principle, but it's got to be said first. Before we can suggest gameplay changes for the factions, we've got to know what the factions are

My Two Cents: This looks great! The factions are really going to feel unique this time around, and that is fantastic. I only hope that the factions will feel as unique from a lore/backstory/fictional sense as they will from a gameplay standpoint. Awesome work, Team Stardock! Keep it up!

Looking really great. I can't wait two get my hands on the beta. Two thoughts. First, I love the new backgrounds for the diplomacy menus. They look really majestic and add a lot to the fantasy feel. Plus, the new armor looks great as well. Kudos to the art team. Second, regarding the imbuing of Myrella, I think you've got the wrong word in the description. The text reads, "...You have chosen a strong vassal, Myrella, in which to depart some of your power." I think you

[quote who="Frogboy" reply="43" id="3030810"]If there is MP, there is definitely not going to be tactical battle MP. It would require total recoding. So right now we're simply deciding whether we want to include MP at all given so many people will be disappointed without it.[/quote] Well, I'll be the odd man out and say that I would support MP without tactical battle features. I sympathize with those who don't get online MP at all. I've never been able to play online C

[quote quoting="post"]My solution was to create custom quests for each sovereign to start with. You would have to earn some of your sovereigns starting bonuses and treasures. That way the player had a motivating objective for his first 100 turns that would get him in and playing. [/quote] While it might not have solved the specific dilemma that you were trying to address, I hope you kept the brilliant custom quest feature. It sounds exactly like you described it: an

I agree with most of the posters here. The wild lands sound like an incredibly cool concept. If the execution is as cool as the idea, we're gonna have a classic on our hands. As an aside, there's one part of Frogboy's post I don't exactly get. The wild lands "are chunks of the world that are still trying to hold on to the pre-cataclysm days." But lore-wise, wouldn't the pre-cataclysm days be days filled with civilization and the dominance of humanity, IE the opposi

Sounds great. I'm really liking that list of promises (especially the free part. ). I really hope you can nail the "soul" part, as that'll make or break the game, in my book. And on the topic of faction differentiation, I just want to say thanks for not pulling out the tired elf and dwarf schtick. It takes far more creativity, and reaps far more benefits, when you can create truly unique, imagina

I would assume you'd want monster's difficulty level to be based on the world difficulty. Beginner/Easy level, they're pretty passive and you can just pick them off. Normal level, monsters will co-ordinate to defend their lands and launch small, obnoxious forays into your territory to destroy outposts. Hard/Flee-For-Your-Life Difficulty, the ravenous beasts will throw everything they have to take you out of the game. But maybe I'm misunderstanding the nature of the question. I

[quote who="DsRaider" reply="7" id="3011654"]Hmm, I have been thinking about a pilfering trait that allows a stationed diplomat to steal another players resources, it would have a chance to fail and would be boosted by dexterity. I like it because stealing a global resource would be a lot less obvious then effecting one city. However I can't think of positive side or a neutral name for it. Maybe just make it hidden from other players, if they can indeed see your heroes traits.[/quote]

Hear, hear! I concur with this idea! Heroes need to have functions beyond warfare, and diplomacy/espionage/asymmetric warfare is precisely the kind of thing they could do! It could be especially useful if FE limits the information we can see about an enemy city, thus requiring spies to gain critical information. Now, of course, the one thing that jumps to mind is that there needs to be a way to counter the diplomats/spies bonuses. My ideas: Propagandist: If stationed in same city as a

Thanks for the compliment, Szeretni. I appreciate it. Here are a couple other ideas that could be neat. 4: Party quests As it stands, quests can simply be completed with one's whole army. Need to escort the nobleman's son? Just send your sovereign and two or three peasant battalions, and you're set. What would be really neat, though, would be quests that require you to set up a party. Say you unlock a quest to hunt down a treacherous wizard, hiding in the ancient c

Fallen Enchantress has made great strides on improving the role and portrayal of heroes. For example, each hero now has their own list of traits, and heroes are now recruited through quests, which are presumably customized according to their characters and backstories. But there's still more that can be done! This thread is for people who want to suggest 1: A hero creator A very simple idea, really. In WoM, we have the Sovereign creator, and heroes can be created with it a

Gallows aside, I think this is the first confirmation we've had of pedestrians' return to the tiles. Given that WoM removed them, I'm pleasantly surprised they're returning for FE. The little guys brought my created tiles to life. Keep up the good work, Stardock

Now this is a lovely post right here, Frogboy. First things first, I love the background for the new menu options. The Statue Lords, noble and menacing, are far more evocative of a fantastic world than the plain rolling hills of WoM. I know it's a little thing, but those little things take work, and they add up. [quote]#2 Cleaner city management and no more “random” naming for anything with names based on the lore of each of the unique factions.[/quote] Yes! Th

These screenshots look really nice, and the UI is definitely an improvement! It's very vivid, and I really like the new spherical theme. Keep up the great work, Derek and Team Stardock! Now, I can only hope that factions and units are given the same differentiation and love that the terrain has. It's looking like a fun, exciting game! [quote who="Mortenart" reply="51" id="2988735"]Erm.. where are the horses...?[/quote] In the resource bar in the upper-ri

I just want to add my voice to those thanking Stardock for giving "multiplayer love" to FE. A huge part of the draw of WOM was the idea of being able to play this game with my brother, and I'm still really wanting to do that with FE. If the game is loads of fun, reminiscent of RPGs, and truly multiplayer-capable, it could be an all-time favorite. Anyway, thanks for what you're doing! Keep up the great work.

Absolutely, the Diplomacy screen would be a huge opportunity to enliven the factions of the world. Things as simple as the background, flavor text, and music could be redone to dramatically change the feel of the world. What about their cities? A Capitar city should look very different from a Tarth city, and a Kraxis different from an Umber. The same principle goes into unit design, though right now, a viable army requires a rather uniform design. And AI strategies! I want Tarthians

I hope you're right, DSRaider. Faction differentiation is really needed badly in Elemental. Personally, while the stat differences are important, the biggest thing in my opinion is the lore. What is the difference between the Trogs and the Wraiths? They both are just grayish looking humans to me. The distinction, if there is one, is moot. What's the difference between Altar and Capitar? One likes red, and the other likes purple? There are some hints in their faction descriptions, but