You mentioned the Flash of Steel podcast. They have a Q&A session coming up in a couple of weeks. Might be a good idea for us to ask a few questions of the guys. In their last Q&A months ago I asked their impressions of random maps vs pre-made maps specifically with Elemental in mind because I was pissed off with Elven Legacy not having a random map generator.

I'd be surprised if Flash of Steel didn't really ramp up their coverage after release. Elemental seems like the sort of game these guys love.

Also, I think the game will have a solid modding community in the long term. I know what you are saying if the initial critical mass isn't large enough to boost it along, but many of the Age of Wonders modders are active here in the beta and they have stuck with that game for years upon years. If they can reproduce the quality of the mods they created for Age of Wonders then it should be enjoyable times ahead for us in Elemental.

Just a guess, but I'd wager Brad does care a bit about how "big" Elemental gets.  I think he likes the money for some reason. 

Regarding the little attention, I have seen ads in print magazines, coverage has started showing up on sites like joystiq, and Brad appears to be doing quite a few interviews (Island dog or one of the other SD folks keeps posting links to the various ones).  So, I think people are going to know about elemental.  I just hope this genre has a lot of fans so we do get a larger player base, that expansion plans or dlc are announced 2 months or so after release, and I couldn't agree more in wanting a large player base so we can attract a good amount of modders.  It would be helpful if Brad was willing to share some estimates about total purchases etc here and there to get a bigger picture of how the game is doing, etc. 

Hey Brad - hope you guys have plans for a demo to help draw in additional folks and put more money in your pocket. 

The release date mentioned at G4 is December 31st.

The main reason for the previous post is I want to mod Three Kingdoms.

The best thing to do is to make a Civ 5 mod for Elemental, and pretend Civ5 is just a mod of the game.

There's this slight hexagon issue, but apart from that, it should be feasible.

I would agree the game isn't getting as much attention as some big names such as Civ 5 and Starcraft 2, but it's getting enough. I think the obscurity is going to help Elemental in the long run. Tbh, I was worried early on, when people were expecting this to be the successor to Master of Magic, bc it was creating a scenario as storm mentioned above. A scenario where the game gets released and people start shouting "what the hell?" bc it isn't enough like MoM for them. 

Especially with the modding tools that will be available with this game, it's going to be huge... Eventually. The game on release day won't stand a chance against the mods that will be available in 6 months. With independent artists, designers, and players creating new skins, races, units, improvements, etc. this game is going to get better and better, without stardock's help. 

If anything, Stardock is just releasing a mediocre game in order for us to make it a classic. And I don't say that to sound rude, but I'll be the first to admit that this game doesn't come close to what I think it could have been. The idea is awesome, an rpg/strategy game mix, but I would have made a million different decisions in its development.

But see, what's amazing is that we all have a chance to make the game whatever we want it to be. The modding tools are all there, and even for us less than skilled designers we have tutorials being made by Frogboy himself to help us along. This is what makes Stardock so great, it isnt the advertising, the big name, the corporate bullshit. It's that at the heart, I think every person there is a gamer. Like we are. They understand that can't make a game that fits everyones needs. So they poured money into making it moddable.

This game is going to be a classic, but not for the game that goes to the shelves on day one. This games popularity will be based on the mod that makes it everything you thought it should be from the beginning. That DnD fans can go tell their friends they can play campaigns online now. That Lord of the Rings fanatics can play with the races on random maps. That those who want a Master of Magic remake can have that. And Elemental will be the starting point for all those. That's what will make it a classic.

Add to that the increasing likelihood that Civ will annoy a good chunk of their fanbase (the usual suspects: DRM, DLC, mainstreaming of the game)- Elemental has a good shot of getting some of the Civ fanbase also.

I was going to be day 1 on Civ- now I'm determined to wait until the bargain bin, if then.

You do read the journal entries right? Didnt they say they just sent out builds to alot of places for prewiews etc and that they were doing interviews and stuff last week?

My guess is that we will start to see alot more Elemental stuff over the next couple weeks building up to release. Saying Stardock don't care is a very disrespectful to the team, they are no doubt working their asses off on the actual product and PR.

There is so many things wrong about comparing Elemental to Fallout 3, oblivon, Civ 5 etc, that i am not going to bother address this.

If the game engine is good and the modding accessable and open for lots of ideas then word of mouth will ensure a nice active modding community, bearing in mind that this game is designed for modding i think there is nothing to worry about.

Brad needs to throw around some of that big advertising money and "Rent" GameSpots front page for a big ass "Elemental: War of Magic" add like it seems every other major release does these days. Notice when you go to GameSpot you see a different game in the background of their page almost every other day. It would be Awesome to see Elemental back there

Already pre-ordered. Just waiting on release. Hooyah!

the question deserves its own thread, how does aging work for children and spouses, as sov's are immortal..

A nice little blurb on Fidgit from the Sci Fi channel. Disscusses the insane requirements of CIV 5 and offers up Elemental as a better alternative

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/08/civilization_v_hates_your_old.php