Yeah I know.  It's just that I only have a couple of men and a dog, and the dog isn't all that well behaved.  So if toad face turns up, I'm dead.

You might be seeing things. Or I'm not seeing things because I notice not discernible change in Tandis' appearance with the addition or removal of items. Like I mentioned I don't mind that the armor doesn't change, I'm good with that, but I would like to see weapon changes and shield changes. Even if the weapon only changes with class of weapon. i.e. change for 1 handed vs. 2 handed weapons, with shield or without shield. But like I say, it is a pipe dream.

I finally equipped a better sword and a shield to tandis, and it seemed to show. Let me go check again, I'll take a screenshot if it is there...

Doesn't show the shield I guess, but I'm pretty sure that sword graphic is different isn't it:

http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/52113889451136352/332558FD90E5AA35BD6BEE5DAC1DF1794FFB7192/

Yeah, you are right. The sword changes, but the shield doesn't show up. I didn't notice any changes since I didn't change the weapons, but it appears the weapons change.

Frog, how much of this can we expect (as far as item customization changing looks)?

Not much.  Swords, maybe shields. But not clothing.  It allows us to have a LOT more items since we don't have to create 3D models of them.

Before I get flamed to cinders: The game sounds cool, I'm interested and I trust Stardock. I heard about it, so I'm good. Nothing needs to be changed to satisfy me personally.

But - I am confused.

There is zero reference to Elemental on the steam page. And as an inquisitive sort, that makes me wonder, why? At first I thought it was some sort of complete rip off of elemental by a different developer(for about 5 secs that is).

Fallen Enchantress and Legendary Heroes have earned a respectful spot among the pillars of this genre. Why not shout from the mountain tops that this is the next Elemental game? That would have peaked my interest immediately.

Are you deliberately downplaying the relationship between this and that? Is it because you want the headline to be the asymmetrical aspect of the game design as opposed to the idea of a continuation? Or am I over valuing the "street cred" of FE:LH?

Omission of the Elemental tie provides fodder to those that would seek to portray it as a underhanded re-skin.

Why avoid your brand? It is a good one.

SC main page on Steam says that there are only 3 (three!) reviews. How this is possible? What are you guys waiting for? 

The non-marketing answer is: We're still figuring this all out really.  We don't want Fallen Enchantress players to think we're moving on to some new game.  We still have plans for Legendary Heroes.

The best way to do that is to put out content for LH while you're doing this if that's possible.  I know you had more DLC planned.

There is something inherently idiotic about a reskin portrayal.  The art style is similar and some of the art assets are probably reused or slightly modified from LH, but the game mechanics are different.  That seems closer to the opposite of a reskin than being one.

Which brand is the good one?  There are at least two here, Stardock and Elemental.  From a marketing perspective I assume that Stardock is a strong brand while Elemental might not be.  Trying to create a franchise out of Elemental was ambitious (a grievous fault), but it doesn't oblige Stardock to slap that title on every fantasy setting game they make.

To me, Stardock and Elemental are strong brands. I wouldn't have been offended if Sorcerer King was a different Universe, but I'm certainly not offended that it isn't. WoM was a miss-step over all, but I think it was still fun to play - a different perspective on a genre that has been missing an original spark since MoM. Then when you consider the steps they took to repair their reputation and the release of FE, I don't think franchising Elemental is a terrible idea at all. I will say it was confusing to the consumer with how the release of these titles was handled (WoM, FE, LH), but deviating from the model established will only add more confusion.

I would suggest Stardock own it - slap that Elemental label on there big and bold because you've earned it. Anyone lost due to the past, or claiming it is a re-skin probably is unfamiliar with how you operate and probably is not who you want to market to anyway. As for LH... As long as you are heavy on the impression that these games are very different, I don't think this will hurt you. The idea that you're moving on to something new is unavoidable, might as well let that freak flag fly and knock it out of the park. The only alternative is to say "never mind" and save this game for 2017.

Could you give Bailey a collar and a patch over one eye please?

Please add shields to the way characters look. I think it's something that won't negatively effect the way units look (i.e. integrity wise), but would do a lot for the immersion and ownership of the various heroes. It's strange to think that the shield doesn't change the look now.

I concur with adding shields. It cannot have much of an impact on available resources by adding those. I imagine one additional cost would be to add/change animations within tactical combat to include 1h/shield fighting (thinking Tandis here).

I'm taking a break from the Steam forums. They actually make me not want to make games.

Why do you think the Steam forums are so toxic?

Frogboy, Don't you think this a little unfair?  I have taken a look at the steam forums, and apart from a couple of trolls, the majority are fans are excited by the game, and its future prospects.

Fan's are encouraged and made to feel at ease when they see dev's participating in debates, suggestions and answering their questions.  The absence of dev's only brings suspicion and the feeling of abandonment.  

After all steam is your outlet, this is your bread and butter, and should be given the best customer support available.

It is a virtue to take the criticism along with the praise in equal parts.

Just saying..............

I have not posted in here for a long time, but have been lurking around checking in on various games progress. 

I would say that when I first saw the game on STEAM Early Access, I thought someone too had ripped off Elemental. It was only when I saw Icefrog posting in the forums, that I realized it was from Stardock. It probably should be a little more clearly documented.

Anyway, I have added it to my wishlist and will keep a track on it. Personally, after Demigod and then Elemental I am a little wary of investing early. I like Icefrog and Stardock, but still feel that despite holding to promises about free upgrades for early supporters of Elemental, there were still core mechanics broken even in FE:LH (the first game I played I still found AI players doing nothing after 30 turns into the game, because they spawned with no decent city spots around them). Those kind of bugs just make me turn the game off and play something else.

This is a legitimate question, because they are toxic on every level, despite the game or the developer. It gets even worse when there is even a shred of controversy in the developer's past. Why are gamers so angry? I've more than once states that the worse thing about the hobby is the culture surrounding it. So much anger and entitlement. Don't try to talk about either, because people light you up if you try to address it.

It is really very sad.

Aren't you tarring everyone with the same steamroller?  

In most cases it's down to a few trolls that shout very loud.  The steam forums have a wider clientele than say, this forum, so your the troll average is bound to seem a little overwhelming in comparison.  There are a great majority of steam customers who are solid in their views, likes and dislike, and only wish to air.

Of course if a developer is trying to put one on over on them, they WILL get angry, wouldn't you?

I think the problem is way too many start off angry and go downhill from there.

The question of why there are so toxic is legitimate. I think there is just a lot of anger out there.. Worse, the trolls are now empowered. Get one of them angry, and they can write a negative review.

As for my participation, all I can say is that when I get done reading them I don't want to work on the game. i'm very familiar with many techniques of trying to consciously change my mind on such things such as at least I have my health or don't let a few people get to you. But at the end of the day, my reaction to reading the posts there is my reaction.

I always was curious on how you tolerated this in the first place. I started paying attention to the forums when FE was created. Before I purchased games and ignored the culture. After seeing it I have always been curious on how to tolerate such nonsense. It is not easy to defend against all that nonsense in general. What happen to if you have nothing to say, then don't say anything at all. Criticism can be said in a nice way if it is legitimate criticism.

Keep up the good work on the game. I look forward to the progress on this game.