So based on the recent screenshots released in this post and a couple of the FE sneak peaks, it seems that tactical battle maps will be related to the terrain being contested. If this is the case, then this is awesome and a huge improvement. 

It would be even better if this had real effects on the battle field. For instance:

Sieges (hint, hint): know this wont be in FE, but next expansion maybe?

Rivers: Already in FE, it would be great if these provided choke points, maybe there are only designated places where you can ford the river, or allow the construction of bridges. Then said bridge can provide a chokepoint on the tactical map. Put a beefy guy on the bridge and pick off everyone else with archers.

Forests, swamps, etc: it would be great if types of terrain had effects and traits associated with them. Forestry traits that gave units increased initiative when in forests, swamp navigation that gave units increased tactical movement in swamp tiles, etc. A whole host of options.

I hope that D&D description fits better to Fallen Enchantress than it did to War of Magic. The wildlands make it sound a lot closer to that.

Just need some photoshop skills, a stardock logo, a picture of Brad's head and a mock up of a boxed copy of E:FE.

Those wildlands just look tooo mean, I'll be sending a 'welcome me to the neighborhood' gift quickly followed by another

Edit: and another, and another, and another.  So can we 'ally' with certain wildlands?

I was one of those bitterly disappointed by EWOM, but I have to say that I am now cautiously optimistic about FE.  If the tactical combat is now closer to Battle for Wesnoth or Elvin Legacy, the game could be a hit for me. 

The other day in another thread someone mentioned being able to include all adjacent "hexes" in a battle [as in AOW Shadow Magic].     This would be a great addition to FE.     I never saw any comments from Stardock on that posasibility- did I miss something?

Another issue to consider is the number of units allowed to stack in a single hex.    The original Elemental allowed more units [either 12 or 16 I think] in one hex but the total allowed now is lower [8?].    To some extent the more units allowed in a hex the more complex the battles can be.    Have there been any comments on this by Stardock?     I haven't noticed any but it would have been easy for me to have missed them.

Come on Brad you can give us more than 3 pics can't you? [e digicons]:'([/e]

In that third screenshot, are those walls consequences of player actions, or is that part of a campaign/mission scenario where those are pre-placed? 

The way you described Elemental to your buddy is the way folks normally describe Majesty. It's not quite as true for Elemental since you directly control your forces, and no party of adventurers could stand to be that micromanaged.

And I too am wondering what ever happened to Derek? Why doesn't he post? Does he just not like the forums?

Birthright? I played that, was fun.

Right now, tactical battle maps are chosen from a library of maps based on where you are.  So they aren't generated on the fly but rather pick the one that closest matches your current circumstances.

See this announcement for beta information: https://forums.elementalgame.com/415056

A summary: first beta phase will be for those who pre-ordered WoM, second phase a week later for those that bought WoM after release in 2010 (that covers all the people getting FE for free, there's no mention of making it available to others). There shall be an e-mail sent to those eligible with instructions on how to download it (they're using their own new distribution platform, a remake of the old Stardock Central).