Fun is
--cool variety in factions. Everyone keeps saying it but nobody at SD seems to be listening. Maybe a better backstory? Not. More lore? Not. Different kind of armor? Not. Simple answer: Different units per faction. Fantastic units per faction.
--when you take over another city you get to make their units. This is fun because there is a REAL reason to take a city--you get their cool units, not their gildar (dull) and metal (duller) and same old units (see above).
--Magic where you get to choose some of your spells at the start (beta-fail), have a systematic improvement path so you can get the spells you want (beta-fail), and where after 300 turns you're using different spells (beta-somewhat fail)! Kudos for slightly improved variety, but many times after 300 turns the Flame bolt is still one of the few useful spells cause they can't resist your 'slow spell'.
--fantastic units (summoning, building, finding, don't care). Yes, build men/trogs/whatever into units. Their advantage is they have metal weapons and armor and are plentiful and work in units. Fantastic units turn the game from armies with magic and whacking to a magical world with whacking.
--tactical battles with choices that actually mean something. Whoever decided the tacticals need to last less than 3 minutes is ignoring a fun part of the game. IF they were really fun I'd agree, but without the tunneling/flying/etc., it's just not fun. Add something guys, they're ug.
Adding fun to the game is the problem, nor more logic or details or armor or metal. As it is, it's not as fun as AOWSM, which was still a far cry from MoM.
p.s. It's a lot better than Elemental, but compared to other available games vying for our entertainment time, this still isn't sustainably fun.
Frogboy said that they will be making the factions more diverse, so I would wait and see before complaining that SD isn't listening. They are playing with gear and technology now, and later they will hopefully add traits as well.
I think once faction-specific traits are in, capturing enemy cities to learn unlock one of their traits is a great incentive. This would keep the current system of customized units from breaking.
The rest of your points are pretty good...
I agree on all your points. And i'll add heroes à la MoM. Everything in Elemental is too generic.
Content will continue to be added, which will help, as will further balancing. Tactical battles continue to improve. It's still in beta and will be for at least another 6 months. SD has time to continue to add in the fun while they work out the system of mechanics. I have a feeling Beta 2B will really help with this.
I agree with most of that :
We need spells to be more varied (especially summons), and work better with/against each other (no counter spell, no dispell, the only way to affect someone else is to cast feedback).
Dominions 3 is much better in this department.
Tactical battles are bland and not very interesting, except when they happen against a boss :
Units need to have many more passive abilities (I am not too fond of active abilities on units, maybe on special faction specific units), to make tactical battles somewhat meaningful (and unit design too).
Unit design needs much more variety. Most of the equipment and traits are boring. There are very little meaningful choice. We need passive abilities to make things spicier.
I wish we could chose to train some characterisitcs, or have several ranks for units (that would not be acquired by traits). Unit design is really too bland right now.
I am having a great time playing this game already. What I fancy is the buildup of heroes and units. I also love the danger that sometimes come out of the fog. In my last game two collossi (or whatever) started roaming around my outposts and eventually wiped them out. I love that.
I would also (as everyone else) like more flavor in the game. Some suggestions:
I would like quests CIV IV style. Build 8 groups of archers (within a timelimit) and get a special reward (an extra quality bow or something). Get 5 iron mines and get a +10% prodcution bonus in your three larges cities. ++
Also, I get tired of finding tons of standard weapons and stuff. I would like to find special stuff. A staff that gives prestige, a bow that takes 2 hitpoints of the user every time its used (but is also does a lot of damage to the target, a tome that gives the option to build a special building (a mercenary hut that will produce mercenaries that will attack all factions but you) ++++
The potential is endless
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