For me the biggest fear is that it is going to feel like GalCiv but with different graphics. Don't get me wrong, I love Gal Civ, I just don't want two copies.
My biggest hope is that it feels like I am playing an upgraded version of Master of Magic, I hope this game is truly the "spiritual successor" of MoM!
My biggest hope is that it will do for the turn-based fantasy genre what Civilization 4 did for the turn-based global strategy genre. Revitalize it. Civ 4 was great on its own (also due the great expansion packs) but most of that came from the modability. That keeps people interested and the game fresh.My biggest fear is that is will have a bad launch and crumble before even Stardock can rush in with patches and fix things. Elemental needs a good sized community and therefore needs great reviews right away. Still if anyone can pull it off its Stardock!Also with the upcoming beta I guess we've all a responsibility in that matter!
I remember an interview with one of the cast of Lord of the Rings where he said "our biggest fear was that sometimes depite all the right ingredients being there, a film just doesn't quite click. But when we first saw what Peter had emerged from the cutting room with, we knew it had"
If this was being completely internally developed, I might have had that very fear. But given the massive betaing EWOM is going to have, I simply can't see that happening.
Stardock are a bit like Blizzard in that they only release a game when they know its great. Unlike Blizzard, they let us help with that so it gets released in a reasonable time
My fear is that the game ends up broken like Dominions, or just too much stuff to balance.
Second biggest fear- no horns on the Fallen.
Biggest fear: managing a large empire becomes burdensome because of so many features and options.Biggest hope: that the venerable beta testers will help Stardock get everything into tip-top shape before release. Also epic 64-bit maps.
My biggest fear: I wake up and realize that Stardock making this game was just a dream! Jk. Seriously though my biggest fear is that AI diplomacy will be broken. But, I have faith
My biggest hope is this game will be most epic game I've ever played. I love how everything can be customized....unlimited player expansions ftw!
My biggest hope is that the player community can crystalize what it wants and that Stardock can deliver.
My biggest fear is that we will not be capable of making bear paladins, and otherwise cross the line twice with awesome.
My biggest hope is that the E:WaR will actually be able to completely replace MoM for me. (like how HoMM 3 replaced HoMM2.. I really have no reason to play HoMM2 again, because the 3rd does everything better) I'm on the same boat as the thread starter here.
My biggest fear is that this game won't have the multiple worlds like in master of magic. I know that is not a very big deal, and I aggree. I just can't find anything else I'm really fearful about.
If bears arn't in, then somebody will add them.
Its stardock, so there is no way the AI diplomacy will be any less than grand (are you seeing how they want to do the 1st beta? They want to create AI that functions close enough to players that perhaps we won't notice except for the lack of responce)
There COULD be too many features, but its like MoM or Civ 4, so unless they somehow messup the basic concept it would take an AAAAWWWWWEEEEFUUULLLL lot of features to become a burden enough that it is unplayable (like, has anybody looked at how much is in civ 4 + expansions?) so I personally can't get worried about that.
Feel like Gal Civ? Nah, the base economy model is too different. Planets really have very little to do with their surroundings in Gal Civ (you can feed off astroids, but that is about it). E:WaR is going to have to be directly related to where towns are placed if its going to be anything like Civ 4 or Master of Magic (as directly stated by frogboy)
Perhaps the 2nd biggest fear is that the "reimagining of 4X economics" might make the game weird, but from the sound of it that shouldn't be a problem. Or that maybe if new combat mechanics are bugger-aweful. But I can just turn them to auto-battle and accept that to be the method of play. I can't really imagine it getting to that point anyway, since I plan to be supporting all the way through beta or anything else they give us, so I'm not gong to let stardock get away with having unplayable combat mechanics.
If therer isn't a world system at least reminecent of MoM's or cave war's, I really won't have an excuse or reason that they should include it (it could be a lot of work for what might only be a subtle change of gameplay), nor do I think many people would so disapointed that it would hurt sales since in part it is mostly nogistalia. Getting multiple maps to be handled by the engine and AI if it wasn't planned ahead would be a very big task, I llikely would not be able to mod something that big in on my own. So I'd just have to live with it. That is why it is my fear, because it hasn't been confirmed one way or another, it isn't something I think we could influence stardock to change if they choose to not include it, I won't be able to replace it with a 'next best thing' in my head somewhere since either it is in or it isn't, and it probebly won't appear in another game until somebody else steps up to fantasy TBS game batting plate (which would be foolish right after a game as awesome as this one comes out) so who knows when I will see it if E:wam doesn't have it.
My biggest hope is that I'll be able to look at Elemental, post-release, and feel that it trumps Fall from Heaven 2 - which feels very distant right now. I want them to take a big chunk of influence from Fall from Heaven 2, take the Holy Grail, and just run it past the finish line with it, up into the hills, and burn a choice-free elven forest with it.
My biggest fear is twofold. First, it's the fear that we won't be getting a variety of mounts, including bears. Second, it's the risk of being completely bogged down by TOO MUCH. Too much anything, everything. Too many sliders, too many little things that feel near-inconsequential but still needs to be done to stay optimal. Especially if said sliders require clicking through menues to get to.
I'd offer a decent starting point, I can try to recreate my old Imperial FAT-AT (Fat All-Terrain Armored Transport). It had a walk animation, and the model and animation frame keys were all done in Blender (free). I'd posted about it first in the Favorite Ship topic. Just need to truncate the trunk... errr. Ion Cannon. And lop off the tail...errr Sensor Array, and it would start to look more like a bear.
My biggest hope: The unit movement and unit ordering concept is more like Stars! than like Civilization. (Something was mentioned about that, but I'm not sure about it... so I have to hope...)
My biggest fear: The game will not run on my notebook.
Biggest hope: deep, deep micromanagement functionality paired with truly groundbreaking AI assistance for players who prefer to delegate (I want trainable assistants who can learn 'rules' from the patterns of my play style)
Biggest fear: that multiplayer considerations will take too much dev time and/or weaken the singleplayer sandbox mode (well, maybe I'm more afraid of this 'continuous turn' stuff, but I haven't seen it yet)
Good point on Stars!, GreatVolk. That was one of my most played ever and was wonderful multiplayer.
Greatest fear: Unavoidable end game story line. For example, if there are 'world ending' spells which can eventually be researched then the game is forced to end when someone does the research and casts them. I would like the game to at least have the option of being a never ending story.
Greatest Hope: Endless variety and replayability and good multiplayer possibilities.
Greatest fear: The campaign and writing. The campaign in GalCivII was very lackluster and to me quite boring (though it got a bit better with the expansions). The writing in the game wasn't that good (though it had quite some funny jokes in the tech describtions and diplomatic messages) and it just wasn't very atmospheric. (And I still can't stand the grammar errors in the game texts...)
Greates hope: Revival of the isometric turn based games, be they RPGs or strategy games. Or more game related, a very good diplomatic system, since they GalCivII system wasn't allready very bad and Brad promised a complete overhaul I expect a very fun and robust system for diplomacy.
No, probebly not right away anyway. The point is I COULD if I really wanted. I could do something about it if stardock neglected our plees for bear mounts. Cavalry are like a standard in fantasy games (you have your horses, elephants, camels, and maybe wolves and boars) so they need to have options for them, and bears are simply the next step up from anything else. I don't see why they wouldn't include them as one of the original mount options, but it will possible to add them if they don't.
About the too many sliders and other options, I think an easy way to fix that is just let us save 'option sets' so we have a list of spellbook options and such, with a disclaimer suggesting new players away from the advanced options on their 1st game.
Once we see how they actually are doing it I'm sure
A game called "Stars!"? I'll have to investigate that.
I so agree on the never ending story concept! I have thought even before now how cool it would be to have a Gigantic map and NEVER end it just have it become it's little ongoing alternate universe that "winning" was not really the goal so much as just have an ongoing organic world with other AI players....THANKS for posting this, I hope StartDock takes this into account - not everything should HAVE to drive toward victory conditions. Or at least the option to continue on after victroy conditions have been met!
Biggest hope: That the combatmechanics are good so it's enjoyable to fight.
Biggest fear: That the combat will be too simple.
Greatest Hope: That Stardock will continue making great turn-based games that lead to continued growth in their company while larger companies just keep churning out the same graphics-based drool that insults the intelligence of their presumed not very sophisticated audience. Market forces continue to see large non-innovative companies like EA and Activision lose market share and smart efficient players like Stardock and 1C continue to see growth.
Greatest Fear: That Stardock will continue making great turn-based games and non-innovative companies like EA and Activision will see that as a sign that "Turn-based games are hot" instead of thinking that "innovative quality games are hot". EA and Activision then buy up all the old great Turn-based game franchises (like MoM and MOO) and proceed to butcher them so that they can aim them at their (presumed not very sophisticated) mass market. If you thought MOO3 was bad, wait till EA makes MOO4 for XBox.
I can relate, I was all over the MOO3 site while it was being developed I was such a fanboi it was disgusting, and the product was SUCH a kick in the crotch to all the MOO/MOO2 fans.
Hope: Epic unending maps... 64 bit ftw!
Fears: maps become unplayable every patch like in sins The only other fear is Frogboy sells his soul to the devil/EA. Which Is about as likely as a Class 3 zombie epidemic in Antarctica.
I also hope for good combat mechanics... I purchased Mount and Blade from Steam the other weekend (was on sale for $7.50) and the combat is really quite fun! It is the only game I have played where I go out of my way to get into combat rather than do all I can to avoid it. The rest of the game is quite bland now that I think of it, so I guess the excellent combat system is what really keeps me playing hour after hour...
somebody has been reading the zombie survival guide.
Biggest Hope: An easy yet powerful map editor and random map generator
Biggest Fear: Not enough free-time in my life to play games when Elemental:WoM is released due to work and/or unexpected bad event.
My biggest hope: That this game can live up to my 15 year long wait's expectations. I'm extremely excited about this title.
My biggest fear: MoM 2 = MoO 3 Seriously though, my biggest fear is that Elemental won't be enough like Master of Magic. Master of Magic, albiet limited by the tech of the day, was one of the greatest games written....in my opinion. Lords of Magic by Sierra was a nice game, but ended up having too many technical problems to measure up...not that Master of Magic didn't have tech issues too. So, biggest fear...Elemental won't fullfill my need for a Master of Magic 2.
Biggest fear: to die before I can play it (seriously!).
Biggest hope: the only game I'll play continuously for years, with some breaks here and there to distract myself with other worthy titles, without getting tired of it.
my biggest fears would be poor AI and micromanagement hell. I agree that MOM was fun, but my experience was that the AI was weak which caused me to quit playing.
My biggest hope is that they are thinking out of the box and can make a game with thousands of interesting decisions rather than thousands of mouse clicks. MOO3 sucked, I agree so lets not go down that road... I just want to think more about grand strategy and/or tactical battles, than controlling tons of cities and armies.
Hopes
Excellent customisation, allowing a really wide variety of buildings and units to be created.
Good AI
Lots of different spells
Widely varying content
Worthy successor to MoM and AoWSM
Fears
Customisation is constrained e.g. limited number of building materials. Any building you want so long as it is wood and stone.
Poor AI
Few spells
Budgetary constraints mean lack of content
So-so successor to MoM with good innovative technology but only a fraction of the plethora of units, spells of gameplay options in MoM or AoWSM
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