To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to elemental until I read that inteview. For one I thought it was going to be a single player only game like GalCiv2. For another, I didnt realize it was going to be so customizable and moddable. My third qualm with the game was that I didnt like the stylistic graphics in a psuedo cartoon rendering.
BUT the part about dynasties and multiple generations and stuff like that really peaked my interest. Genetics systems, max zoom out/in, and customization tools along with a mention of multiplayer (as long as I can play with a friend or 3, I am happy... wish galciv2 had it) has made this a game that I will likely preorder. Further, Brad's AI expertise at work along with allowing others to mod it makes this very intriguing. Definitely looking forward to this now!