I realize FE is still in development, but at this point you guys probably have the major features set in stone. Here are some things I feel is missing from FE, and thus really should go into the sequel. Or you could read it as a list of things missing to take the game from "good" to "great" at release.1) Sieges. The cooler this is the better the game will be. Mid- and late-game are all about capturing cities (at least it is right now beta3) so it needs a properly epic format for it. A fight in front of a city just isn't it. My ideal siege format is Shogun 2 (cities starve while sieged, takes many strategic turns, can get reinforced meanwhile), but it'd be with much smaller maps for FE. If possible, and again this is a major feature, I would like the option to design my own castles partially, by placing arrow turrets, monster pits and traps on the map for my own castles (walls would always be the same for each type of castle). Spells and essence also play a huge part here. Castles are destructible, and there is accuracy reduction when line of sight is poor.2) Caves, dungeons, other planes of existence. This would need to be a concept within the lore of the game obviously, but I know we have things like demon portals and other worlds (where the Titans came from). Basically, like other games have, you can leave the strategic map and travel into another strategic map - be it underground, into hell, a floating isle and so on. Secondary minor strategic maps filled with awesome. See Warlock: master of the arcane. Also this feels like the natural expansion for Wildlands.3) Naval warfare. Personally, I hate it in computer games, but I can't imagine a top-of-the-line fantasy 4X game without it. It's a big chunk missing.4) Crafting. This one is "extra seasoning". It is not needed to make a great game, but if done right it will make it even greater. Fairly straightforward, throw mana, crystal, metal and every other resource you can think of into a melting pot, see what comes out. Preferably you put in a "base" item like a plate helmet and the effects stack onto that. That creates the basic scaling system for crafting - you can make leather and such if you researched it, or a special plate helmet if you researched or found one normal. Crafted items should be randomized with a ton (100+) of fun special abilities, including being "cursed" with negative effects. Magical items could maybe be broken down into resources as well, if you research X. Special champions might increase your luck a little when crafting. Throwing an shard into the melting pot would be cool too.5) Independent city states. It is in my opinion a feature that Civ5 perfected. In E:wom there were minor factions but got removed until you could spend time developing them. Diplomacy comes into play, but also they are a great "in" for having special units or features, and thus greatly increases randomization(=replay) of games. Being allied to one minor faction means you can train special mounts. Allied to another = humanoid monsters won't attack you. One minor faction just sells potions. Another builds golems. They are conquerable, but can put up a good fight and you lose a bit of the bonus if they get conquered. They make demands every now and then - kill a monster, attack that sonofabitch, bring us food and so on.6) Lots of new tactical stuff. I know this is vague, but look at Might and Magic Heroes 6, it is pure candy in tactical battles. The basic unit for the Haven faction has a trait which makes the unit redirect 50% of all damage suffered by adjacent friendlies to itself. That trait alone is better (more interesting) than 90% of the traits in FE. That's just an example, but to me, the organic way forward for making units while keeping them designable is mutually exclusive traits. The traits would go into three categories: special actions (sunder armor, scare horses), defensive properties (fire resistance, regenerate in battle), utility (low wages, xp in cities)
This is why I think a transport only system would work well. It would simply increase the variability and expanse of the areas available for you to explore without over complicating things. As it stands the lack of maritime resources, quests, and travel is a obvious fault. Not being able to fish or have islands is a big bummer. A simple system that allows players to travel over water would fix that.
The game currently does not have an Epic feel and with no naval/aerial in the game (And I bet they will never be in the game) the game really feels small. A transportation system would just make the game feel even less epic. Sorry but so far this game does not have that 4X feel yet and I'm starting to think in may never have it but we still have time to make the game Epic. However seeing some of the comments on these forums makes me fear that some want the game to remain simple and easy.
Oh ya and bridges. This game really needs bridges. It's so weird that they aren't already in.
I like the fact that rivers is always a nuisance, and isnt just a thing that is ignored after x tech have been researched.
Sincerely~ Kongdej
I was just watching some AoW online and I saw a bridge and I said to myself, "wow, if only you could build bridges in FE"
This would be cool.
What if there were potential fording spots that were treated like natural resources? You could send pioneers to set up an outpost to build a bridge or ferry at that spot that only you and your allies could use. The downside would be, monsters can destroy them and enemies can capture them, and they cost upkeep.
While I realize that neither Brad nor Derek has responded or probably will, my 2 cents: The OP nailed a lot well, but I would leave it at 1, 4 (modified a bit from his ideas) and 6.
- I don't need other planes of existence if the Elemental franchise makes good on its promise to have a really funky dungeon system in place.
- I don't think every game needs naval battles. Unless they are really wonderful in and of themselves, I'd rather "just" have tactical battles be made good, rather than slightly better than mediocre tactical battles and fairly shabby naval ones.
- If independent city states were in the game and good and fun, fine, but I wouldn't want any resources going there that could be spent on making the AI better. Or making +1 brassiers of bustiness.
I heartily agree that sieges need to be in, and spelled correctly. Tactical battles can surely become much more lovely, let's get morale back everyone and have routing troops like in Dominions. OK well I bet no one will go for that, but let's get Morale anyhow. And crafting: Yes. How can there be a RPG-TBS hybrid without a lot more and a lot more funkier items? Especially if everything is already in place for it (there are items, there are item slots, and there is magic). All we need to make +1 brassiers of bustiness. Just without randomness, at least without a price. NWN would be an ok place to look to start: certain spell effects + item = magic item + costs, you could add (chances for) curses or blessings as well.
That being said, I'd add
- Much Better Magic: I'd like to see something more subtle, sublime and surreptitious. I've posted on this numerous times since 2009 so I won't repeat myself here, but less Fireballs and more cunning, stealthy, subliminal charming, more subtle influence being taken, and more overall strategy with interaction (e.g. spells which raise the traits of other units, and hence scale well from early game to late game).
- Stealth. Pure and simple: stealth. Just have to Make It Work.
- Much Better Research, including Cross-Path technology. Falling on not-quite-deaf-ears since 2009.
- Optional Victory Points on Strategic Map (selectable in Game Setup). I've posted on this numerous times as well, let's just leave it at "holy sites" that can be captured and held; could be tied into life / death magic if need be. Otherwise: tiles which are exceptionally well-protected by neutrals, provide the tile owner with a built-in penalty (yes, the opposite of a bonus, so keeping these long term has drawbacks), be these the chance of being attacked from another plane or a global curse being cast or mana drain or money drain or require human sacrifice in terms of prestige or whatever, and if you have X of these in your ZoC, you win by Holy (or Unholy) victory. Another way to Make Strategic Terrain Matter more.
Beta 3 has a lot of cross-path technology unlocks, doesn't it? Do you want more? Less? Structured differently?
Going by the replies in this thread, it seems most (but not all) are interested in sieges and crafting in particular.
That sounds cool however my main concern with the lack of bridges right now is how they don't spawn on roads. Apparently all those traders and soldiers swim across the river repeatedly. No one thinks to just build a bridge. Can you say immersion breaking.
Of course they are , or there is a ferryman (well would love for ferrymen, and wood choppers to have a graphical expression randomly throughout the map).
My first post I got a little concerned about bridges as they ended out in some CIV games, where every piece of river, each 100 meters had a bridgeg...
Bridges wouldn't serve much of a point right now since a normal river tile just takes 2 movement to cross. In my Rivermod (part of Stormworld) the new rivers can't be crossed normally. For those rivers, having bridges to go across is one of the few ways to get to the other side. Of course that means that most rivers have a bridge somewhere, especially if they are actively blocking an important part of the map stamp.
that. is. AMAZING.
Stop... making me... want to try it.... ARRH!
I must admit, it looks very cool, and seems to be a cool idea for Elemental.
I am hoping for better AI is my number 1 wish. I would like to see the computer use different types of magic in different situations(not over using one spell). I would also like to see more magic used on the strategic map. Casting tornadoes that last x turns randomly moving on the map, storms that wash out roads or puts out fires, cracks in the earth, cast embers on the roads,turn land into jungle,forest fire to clear trees for a path, and walls of stones to name a few. Having counter spells for some of these also. I also would like to see crafting and quest editor.
I like this game a lot already. I am just throwing stuff out there.
What I mean with more and surreptitious cross-path technologies I have outlined ad nauseum elsewhere (linked above). In general, however, I would have liked to have a system by which the majority of breakthroughs yield multiple interconnecting triggers, such as:
- gives a small global bonus (e.g. +x% to trade income, +x% chance to dodge for all melee units in army, +x% chance to recruit heros in forest tiles, etc.) AND
- unlocks a specific item / building / ability / or spell (e.g. can create longbows, can build bath houses, can earn or train the "shield wall" ability, can cast Viable Position if magic requirements XZY are met, etc.) AND
- has at least one synergetic component (with some sort of bow tech, if "advanced adventuring" is also researched, all archers get +2 vs. animals, and if "lore of the ancients" is also researched, all archers get +1 initiative in swamps, etc.; or with some form of life magic if "advanced diplomacy" is also researched, one can learn to cast a "charm humanoid" spell, and if "advanced animal lore" is also researched, one can learn to cast "charm living entity" spell, etc.) AND SOMETIMES
- sometimes an additional prerequisite might be required for certain additional bonuses to become applicable in-game, e.g. having X numbers of Y shards, owning X numbers of Z buildings, etc. affects the bonus of the breakthrough given
I'd much like to see dynamic effects in game have a larger impact on events this way, and it would also increase variability a bit.
Quoting onomastikon, reply 58- Optional Victory Points on Strategic Map (selectable in Game Setup). I've posted on this numerous times as well, let's just leave it at "holy sites" that can be captured and held; could be tied into life / death magic if need be. Otherwise: tiles which are exceptionally well-protected by neutrals, provide the tile owner with a built-in penalty (yes, the opposite of a bonus, so keeping these long term has drawbacks), be these the chance of being attacked from another plane or a global curse being cast or mana drain or money drain or require human sacrifice in terms of prestige or whatever, and if you have X of these in your ZoC, you win by Holy (or Unholy) victory. Another way to Make Strategic Terrain Matter more.
Thanks. I have been posting things like this since 2009, but it has sadly not quite caught the attention of the masses.
One last thing I'd wish for:
10. An option toggle in Game Setup which lets you change the default Hero Death from reincarnation in capital with wounds to PermaDeth. I really, really, really dislike the way champions are functionally immortal, I'm fine with all of you loving that, I'd just love the option to turn it off.
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