For the next FAQ, I'd like to respond to questions from the forums.
Do you guys have any questions?
Can you tell us a bit more about the factions?
How is alignment (good and evil ...) handled in the game?
What types of magic are there?
Are there also priests (with divine powers) in the game?
Darkodinplus' Top 7
7. What did you mean by "real-time" and continuous turn?
6. Will players be able to have different kinds of mounts for soldiers or even the Channeler?
5. How advanced will the regular tech tree get?
4. Can spells with multiple effects be created?
3. How much depth is there going to be for Channeler customization?
2. Are any "unvictory" conditions planned?
1. Will players be able to create Super Soldiers / Super Weapons?
Edit: Damn, I almost forgot my number 0.
0. Will there be Channeler duels?
Are spells set in stone when gotten, or can they be modified by research,at cast time or in someother way?(ex researching something that gives you more damage with a specific element or being albe to increase the casting cost for damage/larger area of effect)
Not exactly game related, but chance of a lore book?(Would be nice to have a detailed book including a few short stories with the CE)
Will we be able to save combat replays?(like my old idea here)
I think many people have asked "will there be spell casting units" in general.
another big one that comes to mind. With the popularity (or infamy) of bears and other mount choices on this forum, I suspect several people (including myself) would like to see that addressed at some point. Any word on the subject at all?
the same goes for heroes. And what makes heroes different from the channeler in that aspect? (I've noticed we've only seen male models. "where are the women at?" one might say if he ended sentances with a preposition. )
one question regarding netbooks; will you support 1024x600 resolutions.
Are there going to be summoned units?
There were asked in the last "FAQ" (wanted to get them in, just in the event the original creator did not)
other questions that come to mind
What, if anything, will make "dungeons" different from normal combat? (we've heard enough about dungeons to conclude they are important, but we know nothing else. Are they seperate maps? are they moria like dungeon crawls in the tactics engine?)
Can we expect to see tactical combat on the cloth map betas? (we've yet to see any screens, so it seems like a reasonable question)
Any mention of implementing a feature that is similar to the alternate world "myrror" in MoM or underground maps of HoMM and AoW?
What is the significance of the "good" vs. "evil" mechanic. Is it mostly basic cosmetics (story and quests), or do things like the spell book and tech tree change as well? (good life magic vs. evil life magic is one example that comes to mind quickly)
Whats the current update/desision with the economy models (camp 1-4)?
What are the requirements in terms of the beta. (Demigod was multiplayer only, but this is a more single player game. It was mentioned the "bots" idea was scrapped, but does the "beta = online only" still stand? )
If you're releasing at Penny Arcade Expo, how exactly is that going to work out in terms of us? are people at PAX going to get to play before the servers to download the beta is turned on?
1) Is the process of Channeler creation distinct from nation-creation and if so, how involved will either of them be?
2) Will nations have 'super aspects' to them such as "Isolationist", "Super Breeder", etc in GalCiv2 and if so, will there be more options other than those already assigned to pre-existing Kingdoms and Empires?
3) A variety of mounts. Please?
4) How will the elements be organized & categorized? We've come to understand that, for example, Life will encompass both classic "Life"-magic just as much as classic "Death"-magic. Both are, after all, the manipulation of the same element. But how will this be handled in relation to the other elements? Will they have any similar diversity within the confines of their element?
5) How will the "picking" of elements occur? Will a channeler choose his elemental alignments on creation or will all channelers be allowed to research all fields equally?
1. How powerful can you make individual units? Can a lone unit (or a small group of units) possibly threaten a channeler if you are willing to make the investments?
2. Can you make/customize spells to suit your needs in a game? If so, whats the limit?
3. How powerful can adventures become? Will the channeler ever have to fear them?
4. Can you create creatures with the use of magic? Undead like zombies? Strange creatures like an animated pile of seaweed? Can you make golems and other constructs?
I want to know about Channeler creation/augmentation.
One Question:
How will Creature/Unit creation work for 3D graphics?
Buildings and towns, sure I can see how that works - objects are square/symmetric. But creatures are more organic. Will I be able to simply exchange limbs, or will there be easy ways to let our imaginations run riot and create that mother-of-all dragons that we just might daydream about on the way home from work...?
Sorry Make that Two Questions:
Is there any chance of seeing Naval elements creeping in, either in the initial game or Expansions? Not just for water-borne ships, but so we could have cool flying/zeppelin style ships, to and from our flying cities....
Thanks Frogboy!
I do not know if you have seen any of the surveys that I have done on the forums using SurveyMonkey.com. The last survey I did was what questions they would like answered in a FAQ. Here were the results from that if it would be helpful...
Here are the most popular questions and their average rating (higher is better). 24 ppl took the survey.
1. Was any decision reached regarding the economic model? 12.84, 19 responses
2. Will it be possible to train spellcaster units? 12.44, 16 responses
3. How detailed will channeler creation be? 10.94, 18 responses
4. How will dungeons work? 10.71, 21 responses
5. How will the magic schools be organized? 10.19, 16 responses
6. Will there be alternate planes ala MoM's Myrror and Arcanus? 10.10, 20 responses
7. Will there be mega events like GC2? 9.56, 18 responses
8. Will there be mounts other than horses, such as bears, felines, etc? 9.33, 18 responses
9. Will channelers be able to change the type of land they use? 9.13, 15 responses
10.Will there be ways to improve research ability? 8.86, 14 responses
The survey contained 16 questions, and these were the top ten that people indicated they would like to hear more about. The questions themselves were submitted by forum members for inclusion in the survey. I hope that helps!
In addition to these, I think any news regarding how "on schedule" things are for a Feb 2010 release would be awesome. Details on the magic system have been points of huge interest on every survey that it has been mentioned. What all will be included in this first alpha I would love to know regardless of whether I am in the alpha or not. Also, do you foresee beta-tester created content being included in the retail game at release?
Thanks! We are all very excited to hear any tidbits, and the meatier the better, as I am sure you found from the response to the "economic model" thread.
- Does the game emphasize building or battle?
- What types of multiplayer gameplay will be available (hotseat/PBEM/LAN/Implulse hosted/cooperative/ladder/....)
- How disruptive/powerful will endgame spells become
- What happens when the Channeler dies
I think these questions produced some of the larger threads,
How much will we see at PAX?
In no particular order:
How does tactical combat actually work? There has been a lot of confusion over that, and "continuous turn-based" around here.
What happens if a channeler is defeated in combat?
If I ask really really nicely, can I get one of those "We want you for the Drengin Empire" posters that was visible in one of the Demigod videos?
1. What ecconomic model did you finally plump for?
2. How is city managment and expansion handeled in this model?
3. How is Elemental progressing?
Stimated ETA for:
Will there be microexpansions or full fledge expansions?
Will you be integrating IRC into the game?
Will I be able to mod the game to use Hex instead of Squares?
Gameplay Questions:Do Mountains have strategic advantages? Hills? Rivers? etcIs there any form of espianoge to bring down an empire?If you kill a rival ruler, does his Kingdom fall under your command immediately or do you have to take it piece by piece?
Strategic map = turn based and/or simultaneous turn?
Combat = turn based, or simultaneous or real time?
It makes victory. From the last FAQ:
You win by achieving the spell of making (or one of the other victory conditions). It seems analogous to the Spell of Mastery in MoM.
Onto questions I'd like answered! I'm going to repeat many that have already been stated here just in case you answer some questions based on popularity
In no real order:
Will we be able to train spell-caster units without using essence?What economic model have you settled on (even if only tentatively)?Will channelers be able to gain essence throughout the game?Could you clarify what you mean by simultaneous turn-based combat?How versatile will spells be? At casting, can we strengthen/weaken aspects of spells by using more/less mana/essence?Will spell creation be a part of the game or will it only be done separately using modding tools?Will there be multiple mount types - and more specifically will there be bears?How are the magic schools organized - are they all divided like life/death and will this be alignment-dependant?Will channelers be restricted to picking magic school mastery levels at the beginning of the game or will it happen throughout the game?
1) You aren't going to use that kill the channeler kill the entire race feature are you?
2) What are the victory conditions going to be otherwise without using kill the channeler kill the race?
3) Will player custom made ai races be better than the crap ones in GC2?
4) Clarification on turn based combat vs real time rts clickfest needs to be clarified.
5) Why the emphasis on character individual essence instead of mana nodes and other magical resources?
6) How many AI levels have you decided upon?
7) What advantages are the AI's going to get above normal difficulty?
8) How many ai players will be allowed per game? I would like 15
9) How much like MOM are you going to make this game?
10) Are you really going to make a NEW fantasy strategy wargame or just another repeat of the ones past with some new glitz and glamor?
11) Please note my suggestion of a map quest or roleplaying goal instead of conquer the entire map. I'd really like to see multiple winning conditions we've never seen before where even the weakest player can win if he/she discovers or casts the ultimate whatchamacallit. Really tired of the same ole same ole he who gets there firstest with the mostest wins all the time.
By "you" I mean the whole team, not just you Brad
The Age of Wonders series is somewhat of a modern version of Master of Magic that doesn't seem to be as good as MoM according to people who have played both games. AoW:SM is really good in MP though.
Playerskill is a measure of the players ability to affect the outcome of something. Great examples of games which highly rewards playerskill would be Quake Live or Company of Heroes as it is the players skill that determines if he wins or loses.
Characterskill however puts the fate of the battle in the hands of algorithms and dicerolls a la Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic where having a higher Dexterity means having a higher chance to avoid getting hit and a higher chance to hit with ranged weapons. Games which heavily favor characterskill would be (except KoTOR) Civ and GalCiv II.
Grr.... you guys ask my all my questions... and then some!
Hopefully next week alpha testers are announced...
I just have to respond to this. Elemental is not a wargame. Jesus Christ in a handbasket how many times do we have to tell you that?
Both of these have been answered.
for #10 look up one post.
for #11 We've been told that there will be a variety of victory conditions ; My favorite idea is the quest victory, I'm certain with all the Lord of the Rings talk from Brad about this game that the inspiration is the quest of the ring that brought down Sauron- Two Hobbits won against the most powerful military and a super=powered badguy...
Will we be able to save a specific set of starting conditions and random seed to email to friends or share via the Elemental-Metaverse or just replay because it happened to be a really fun game?
To explain more clearly, could I set up a game for myself and friends to play through in SP, individually, but each of us have the exact same starting conditions, landmasses, enemy AI, etc? Without Ye Olde Kludge of saving the game as soon as it's loaded and sharing the savegame around.
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