Too tired to give proper feedback, but I love your ideas (in any case at least as ideas), I especially like the idea of hero capturing if that would remove some of all this "wounds" nonsense ... (Its not that I don't like wounds, I just don't want my heroes to have them! )

As for "wider selection of items".. I think they said they would add more of everything at some point, somewhere, so don't fear too much! (Though I am not too sure).

5: Why do everyone want castles and siege stuff, I agree that defending a city should change the tactical map, but I do not think castles and forts have to be there, I would rather see a barricaded field for combat, with one or two archer towers, so sieges doesnt go overly complicated.

3: what do you mean about children? I see no children in this game   and marriage? were playing The Sims all of a sudden?

anyways, gl with your ideas

Edit: Obviously I like smiley's when I am tired

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

So... they removed the ability to have children and marry them off in FE? I don't have the Beta and I am completely in the dark about what they have changed but if they removed the dynasty system I am not sure if I will continue to play.

I Really hope they bring it back. Next to designing units it was my favorite aspect of the game.

Word on the street is that dynasties are disabled by a simple XML true/false flag, and that the code is still there, just unused. I would be stunned if nobody modded dynasties back in. Also, I seem to recall somebody trying this and finding that marriage was still possible, but children, for some reason, weren't. 

 To bad to see the dynasty system gone... it was a nice addition to game giving it a different kind of strategy (forging alliances with children marriege and staff was nice, a common medieval habit after all). Ulkrosian i liked your ideas and if i may add something too i would like to see heroes joining a unit of troops thus buffing the unit more, for example a warrior hero could give damage bonus or defence bonus or a special ability to the troopes and a caster hero buff casting units (at least i think there is casting units...thought i saw some on a video...)

What kind of criticism did it receive? The only criticism I could imagine would be a complaint about it being an unpolished game mechanic. 

Dynasties and boats are the two features I would like to see returning in the first expansion...

There were several problems with the dynasty system - basically you are right Ulkrosian, it was an unpolished game mechanic which did not meld with the rest of the game.  The children/grandchildren heroes were not balanced and Stardock never implemented the inheritance feature which they advertised.

Personally I think the problem was/is a lack of overall game design.  It's like the evaluations are made on a 'this is a nifty feature let's add it'  (or 'let's remove this feature to free up some memory') without any regard for the overall game balance or consideration of needed development time.  Add to that a propensity to promise the world and largely not deliver and you have elemental as (far as) we know it.

If I am to see dynasties, I hope it is flavoured in some expansion,  Not too keen on the idea though I did skip EWoM.

Tried something similar in "Medieval 2: Total War" and I didn't really like it, it seems like a pointless system to have marriages, children and uncles in a game which the focus is something else entirely, I am not playing The Sims, so I have no need to produce more children, marriages and micromanaging the relations between my heroes.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Arh well, thats the nice part behind "marriages" etc. is the diplomatic part (I always like In total war when you could marry out family members to create a lasting peace between two factions)

But we still have to be carefull not adding too many different utilities, and features to a game, cause it gets crowded at some point.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I still do not see why people say "this is not Sims," after all video games become more about simulation as time goes by. Yes, games are about strategy, puzzles and what not, but taking away from a game's depth will leave it poorer. I play turn based games because they have great depth. So for me personally I found it very entertaining to build my family tree, but I also role play more than most. I understand what you are saying, but I do not agree. Also I am new to Total War and thanks for that information I believe that will be the next installment I purchase in that series.

Exactly, sieges are completely different than open field combat so they strategy should be different somehow. This also makes me think of a carpenter type unit able to build military structures in the field. However, I believe I am getting ahead of myself. I am not a programmer so I can not say how difficult this would be to accomplish not to mention the balance issues. 

There were implications of sexual impropriety; incest, for example.  It was seen as being incompatible with the proper culture of our society.