There has been quite a bit of talk about different things that are still being figured out, some of which will have a huge impact on the game. We have been talking about factions, races, lore, customization, and a wealth of other issues. Sometimes these have been presented in a manner that leads people to think they are somehow exclusive, when they shouldn't be. There is nothing that says we can't have a game that has deep gameplay, deep lore, and deep customization. That is what has already been presented to us. Stardock isn't going to rip out all of the existing lore and make everything generic to accommodate total open customization. It is simple a matter of priorities.
So, in light of that, here are my priorities for Elemental, going forward through the Beta. I offer this as a space for everyone to offer their priority list up without the constraints of the race / faction / customization discussion. This applies to what you think should be the development priorities based on the current Beta, the current discussions, and what Stardock has stated is in store for the future.
Priority 1: Gameplay - Ultimately, this is what matters the most. I would argue that the vast majority of players care about Gameplay over all other issues (although this thread could prove me wrong!). Great games are great games, regardless of graphics, backstories, customization, or any other issues. That is why some people can go back and play games that are 10 or 20 years old, or play games that have barebone graphics and lore. If the game is fun to play and deep enough to invite repeated play, people will enjoy it and come back to it for years to come. Everything else just elevates the game from great to amazing. If games were cake, then the gameplay is the cake itself that forms the foundation for everything else. You can eat the icing all you like, but without the actual cake, it is just icing.
Stardock needs to expand and refine the core gameplay for Elemental to be truly great. The current Beta is, despite their best efforts, fun (at least for some of us). It has the basics of solid gameplay. These basics need some expansion and refinement to add real depth that will make people want to play the game again and again. We all have wish lists for what we would like in the gameplay, and there are some great ideas out there. I personally would like to see (among other things) expanded empire and city management, a fully detailed racial system, an expansion of the 'living world' concept, and an expanded unit / combat system that will allow us to design units that not only look cool but play differently based on our designs.
Priority 2: Lore - The game needs an interesting, detailed gameworld. People can create mods for their favorite gameworlds later, but the game needs a solid foundation to start with. Many people will ignore the backstories and lore and just focus on the gameplay or on mods for their own favorite worlds. That is fine, but there are also people who will be turned off by a generic world, and there are people who will never install a single mod. In order to create a solid game that will bring in the maximum number of players, thus ensuring commercial success, the game needs to stand on its own merits, and the gameworld will be a huge part of that. If someone doesn't carry about the backstory, the lack of a developed gameworld won't be an issue. For the thousands of gamers who do care, the lack will be felt very strongly.
Priority 3: Customization and Modding - I love playing and creating mods. I want Elemental to be the start of a huge, awesome community that makes all kinds of great mods and even total conversions that take the game in new directions. I want the base game, at a minimum, to allow the level of customization seen in Gal Civ and other 4x games, such as creating a custom faction that works under the same general rules as the base factions. I would love for the base game to have the Spore Creature Creator as part of the Faction and Race customization, and to have our designs have impacts on gameplay. That would be great, but isn't critical for the base game. However, I don't play or create mods for games that aren't solid games to begin with, and I doubt anyone else will either. If the core of Elemental, which is the gameplay, isn't solid, no one will stick with this game. Who wants to spend time creating content for a game that isn't fun to play?
If Priority 1 and 2 have been met, include as much of Priority 3 in the base game as possible. If not, then follow the base game up with a big expansion that will allow players large degrees of freedom to customize races, factions, units, etc.
These are my thoughts. I'm interested for feedback and your own priorities.
