This is the only thing holding the game back for me at the moment. If you look at every other turn based game there is always something that is keeping you from actually beating the computer even when you are capable of winning at the time.
And its always things like researching enough to get that Mega unit who takes a lot of dmg to take down and can do some cool moves.
Like in AOW i almost never win a scenario until i have maxed just about everything in atleast one city and can pump out end game units with cool abilities to make battles more interesting.
Magic is fun to use in battle and that is vastly improved.
But the units you can create are mundane. since BATTLE is over half the game this area needs the most work when it comes to units and abilities right now the only thing you get to work towards are a bigger group of guys who all look the same....Why cant i build huge hulking Treants with the ability to hold units in place with tendrils etc?
If not that then we need to make units stand out like how about making armor Glow and give off flames? If we have to stick with the same units then atleast make them visually appealing...Huge bloody axes and maces with lightning arcing from them.
Right now Elemental is like a plain burger...it can be eaten but there thats all there is....not much flavour to it but its still good but could be soooo much better if you add cheese and all that good stuff
Yes, this is why I think you need to be able to choose how your units look separately of their stats. And we need more choice of clothing/armour bits etc. Also special abilities to give units, they kind of have that in game already (e.g. the pioneer packs) they just need to expand it and offer more awesome stuff, preferably linked to buildings to help make cities more individual at the same time.
I think you can get some non-human units from the diplomacy tree, but I don't know how many options there are.
Agreed...I think the individual races and units are boring. I can deal with the races for now, but I'd love to see more unit customization. EWOM could really stand out in that department if there was more to pick from.
I think they have a good start but really needs expanding. I LOVE armor and stats and I'd like to see more variety and visual appeal. We should need to make a tough choice over what armor and weapons to equip units with. Pros/cons for each.
will these kinds of things be in the expation? Brad?
This is the only thing holding the game back for me at the moment. If you look at every other turn based game there is always something that is keeping you from actually beating the computer even when you are capable of winning at the time. And its always things like researching enough to get that Mega unit who takes a lot of dmg to take down and can do some cool moves. Like in AOW i almost never win a scenario until i have maxed just about everything in atleast one city and can pump out end game units with cool abilities to make battles more interesting. Magic is fun to use in battle and that is vastly improved. But the units you can create are mundane. since BATTLE is over half the game this area needs the most work when it comes to units and abilities right now the only thing you get to work towards are a bigger group of guys who all look the same....Why cant i build huge hulking Treants with the ability to hold units in place with tendrils etc? If not that then we need to make units stand out like how about making armor Glow and give off flames? If we have to stick with the same units then atleast make them visually appealing...Huge bloody axes and maces with lightning arcing from them. Right now Elemental is like a plain burger...it can be eaten but there thats all there is....not much flavour to it but its still good but could be soooo much better if you add cheese and all that good stuff --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I agree with this. I am playing AOW II:SM right now and am seriously loving it. There needs to be a lot of flavour added to this hamburger. It's definitely edible but not delicious at the moment. Oh and I definitely agree about Treants. I've always loved the green nature faction in any games I've played. I'd love to see a nature faction with Druids, Dryads, Treants, Unicorns etc. Lots of cool summons like Dire Boars, Faerie Dragons etc. like in AOW II:SM.
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I agree with this. I am playing AOW II:SM right now and am seriously loving it.
There needs to be a lot of flavour added to this hamburger. It's definitely edible but not delicious at the moment.
Oh and I definitely agree about Treants. I've always loved the green nature faction in any games I've played.
I'd love to see a nature faction with Druids, Dryads, Treants, Unicorns etc.
Lots of cool summons like Dire Boars, Faerie Dragons etc. like in AOW II:SM.
Unfortunately the powers-that-be decided to ignore/avoid/eschew/whatever the common fantasy that we all know and share and instead created a new world and its creatures from scratch. In doing so they have ignored the fact that many typical fantasy creatures are not a recent creation of Dunsany or Tolkien or Gygax, but things that have been passed down through thousands of years in the mythologies of our various cultures, and as such they awake something in us that fires our imagination in a way that a shrill or an umberdroth never will. And of course, we must not forget the refrain provided by those who would defend this misguided decision: "Mod it in yourself".
I don't think that's fair, Stuie_. I run the ExpandedFactions mod, and I've never told anyone that a lack in the main game should be compensated by their own mod. At least, not outside the mod forum.
I, too, would have prefered a real fantasy setting instead of what's in the game right now. What we got was nowhere near enough to replace the rich background and variety a normal fantasy game provides.
Sorry - I shouldn't post such broad generalizations about forum goers, and wasn't pointing fingers at anyone in particular. I appreciate the stuff you have done as it has helped me create my own mod with my own factions (based on a pseudo-Irish history/myth kind of setting). So now I enjoy the game as much as the AI will allow me to. I just wish the game had enough out of the box that I didn't feel the need to mod it so heavily.
Agreed. I admire the fact that they went off on a different path by making their own factions and monsters but since there is no place to read up on these new creatures in a monster manual type style or get any background on them at all is a bit underwhelming for me.
I'd much prefer the traditional fantasy setting ala Age of Wonders.
I suppose Master of Magic was a blend of Fantasy and some made up stuff like Klackons but it was overwhelmingly traditional fantasy.
Since the game was supposed to be the spiritual successor of these great games I think they should have had fantasy races from the get go in my opinion.
Perhaps I'm just old and set in my ways though.
Oh and I do appreciate all the hard work modders put in improving this game as well. Hopefully there will be a traditional fantasy mod out there that will knock my socks off.
You know... being someone who used to breath fantasy for a while... I kind of appreciate that SD has tried to make a world completely thier own as opposed to just putting together all the pre-built ideas. I guess it is kind of like when I picked up the book for the Nobilis RPG or the Mage/Changling RPGs from WW... a breath of fresh air.
I suppose the problem is they didn't really have the time/money to develope the lore (aside from the Hiergamenon) of the world to the degree it could of been. Still I really love the world setting. I think that is really what got me to buy the game. How different it was.
Maybe, with permission, we can help SD develope the lore. But then, they hired someone specificaly for storyline, right? Maybe that's something they're going to fix in the expansion.
Just to point out the obvious here. Brad wrote an entire novel of back story. While this is not the same as a monster manual, it should give a fairly decent amount of story about the world brad was hoping to create.
Sure, if you got the book which wasn't included with the game. So it doesn't help.
All the monsters, formulas and stuff should be explained in-game like in Age of Mythology.
Good point. I may have to pick up the book then. I suppose I should give the "homebrew" monsters and factions a second chance.
With respect to monsters, a lot is in the game actually. For instance, most monsters have back story text that is accessible by selecting the unit and then clicking the middle medallion to bring up its info screen. From this info screen, you can see the monsters stats, its abilities, and some back story text.
With respect to the specific formulas for the various game elements, there is only one set of formulas which is not easily visible via some in-game screen, which is those pertaining to the unit. These would be spell resistance, the to-hit calculations, etc. However, I think it is actually a good thing that it is not completely spelled out. I always find that the more that is completely shown to the player the more the player is given incentive to simply min max those formulas.
with a plethora of all kinds of monsters already in place with the standard fantasy realm...what would they call a creature that was like a treant?
if they wanted to add a treant like creature into their game would they even bother since it has already been covered or would they just rename it?
How much of traditional fantasy are they willing to give the boot to.
i commend Brad for making his own fantasy realm tho, its pretty ambitious
what do you guys think of the game right now? is it just a plain burger or do you find it delicious now?
This thread contains what I consider the most important feedback for Elemental. It has unfortunately largely been ignored in the past but I hope this is taken on-board now.
i will try to keep it alive =O
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