I need to soak in all the suggestions you've made, but I think an idea that would substantially make up for you feel is a shortfall within the game as I both agree with, and feel a bit myself, is Sid Meiers Civilization's Civics game mechanic of picking and choosing government policies you discover along the technology tree. Although Civilization 5 implemented a much more flexible and dynamic replacement being "Social Changes":

Social policies

In a change to the culture system, in Civilization V players have the ability to "purchase" social policies at the expense of earned culture.^[25] These social policies are made up of ten separate trees (some trees are mutually exclusive), and filling out five of the ten trees is a requirement to win a cultural victory. These policies replace the "Civics" government system of Civilization IV; the main difference is that the player had to switch out of old civics to adopt a new one, while social policies are cumulative bonuses. According to Jon Shafer, "With the policies system, we wanted to keep the feel of mixing and matching to construct one's government that was part of Civ IV, but we also wanted to instill a sense of forward momentum. Rather than having to switch out of one policy to adopt another, you build upon the policies already unlocked. The thought process we want to promote is 'What cool new effect do I want?' rather than the feeling of needing to perform detailed analysis to determine if switching is a good idea."

From Wikipedia, can't remember my game experiences of the system that much, except it was interesting and I didn't dislike it.

Honestly, I felt Galactic Civilizations in both 1 and especially 2, was missing such an idea to make your faction feel like it is "progressing" as you advance yourself economically and technologically.

Besides that, I feel every other technology you complete researching should prompt an event that forces you to choose several choices, with the rewards and consequences laid out. These choices should usually coincide with the list of benefits already present in the technology tree.

I really like your last bullet-point, that would greatly improve the atmosphere and immersion of the game. Eliminating a large swathe of the game world's creatures should make the game re-spawn them in waves of units and emerging lairs in nearby locations usually impacting neighboring players. As a way of population-shift and decline, to represent mass migration in the face of extinction, stuff like that.

Anything else I can think of, since there is permanently as of Fallen Enchantress three technology branches in Elemental, there should be both an incremental bonus for focusing upon one tech branch consistently, and neglecting another branch by the factor of researching in it the least. It would make both players and hopefully the A.I. make more intensive decisions upon what they want to pursue in consideration of visible factors.

I agree with the OP on most accounts. The game is 800,000% better than WoM ever was (meaning "interesting at all"), and is at least twice as interesting as Beta 2 in its current state. I agree that the city mechanic, while FAR better because of the array of buildings we have to actually use without crushing our economy, is still really difficult to care about. My queues are still empty most of the time (wasted production BAD), and my build decisions look something like "Enough Troops?" -> "Buildings that are helpful for my strategy" -> "Buildings that provide any bonus at all, but don't have a maintenace". That is 100% of the time, regardless of faction, regardless of play style.

Sure, there are a few times when I want to build two buildings at the same time, but I still don't feel as though one over the other is a very significant choice because ultimately, my city will be sitting there in 30 turns not doing anything anyway. This is compounded by the number of times you have a city stagnate at just below 3rd level at which it becomes an essentially meaningless Gold and Research mine with a queue full of greyed out buildings.

The other thing that still feels REALLY pointless to me is the magic system in general. Early game Flame Dart, Haste, and Heal can make all the difference in consolidating your kingdom. However, once your kingdom can produce and support even a small handful of units, magic really becomes an entirely optional overlay. On top of that, (yes, it's yet another "we need more spells" gripe from Malsqueek) You click "Fire Mage L2" and get EXACTLY the same 3 spells every single time you play the game Sure, there's some interplay between the types of magic that unlock some hybrid spells (supposedly. I don;t know where in game you get to see those things), but that doesn't change the fact that all it does is create yet more things to click on in your spellbook that really don't ever feel useful. While I want to see this game have a really good and robust magic system, it currently feels like it is draped over top of a pretty solid strategic and tactical game, with very little reason to ever interact with it.

This quote stood out to me. I really liked the Civ 5 civic trees. They were exclusive, they were pretty significant choices, and they dramatically impacted the way that you played the game (not all, but most). Now, we really don't have much room for that exact system here. With what the devs have been doing for faction differentiation (far more in depth than the faction diff. in Civ 5) I feel like it would largely clutter the game adding a civics tree in FE. However, I do see a way to implement a similar model to enrich the magic system, make the player feel as though they are truly engaged with the magic system, and provide CHOICES to the player.

Model magic somewhat after the research tree, where the casters gain levels and choose perks to unlock higher echelons of magic, and then give them points to spend CHOOSING spells from the trees they have access to. Want to be a largely civics-oriented empire, and win via alliances? Spend your spell points buying city enchants. Want to be an out-in-the-field tactical warlord sovereign? Forget mana for cities; Focus on buying new ways to light people on fire! Let us see from turn 1 what sort of spells we have to CHOOSE from in an interface, and let us PLAN on how we want to develop. Let us be excited for our next champion level so we can get more points to spend on spells... Or not.

Those suggestions sound like great focuses for an expansion.  I suspect it's too late to add to the game now, but it is something I've suggested before in various forms.

That would be very cool, and could really help with differentiation.

And in general, I like all the points you've made.  If the tech tree can be differentiated to a greater extent, the rest of the game may follow.

I was just thinking today about how techs were done in MOO2 - how you can only select one application of a particular science, and then you moved on.  You'd have to trade to obtain other applications.  FE would benefit from a similar mechanic.

I actually thought at first that the tech knowledge trading would be this...maybe it will be eventually.

This is interesting.  I feel like research is mostly an afterthought.  I always end up dominating with small parties of heroes.  I've finished three or four games intent on playing different strategies, but I always end up just setting my research to a far off target that improves my empires economy and then I go about laying waste to everything using small groups of heroes.  

I would say that hero classes still need a fair amount of tweaking as well.  Why bother choosing path of the mage when my maul wielding brute can summon fire elementals albeit do so slightly more expensively?

Only a path of the mage character should have access to levels 3, 4 and 5.  Certain other classes could earn a "use scrolls" ability to give them access to a few high level spells.

As Malsqueek states above:  the same three fire spells at level 2 = {yawn}.  Perhaps different classes are more likely to get different spells? 

A governor is more likely to get alchemy and city enhancements/protections.  Higher-level Alchemy could also result in a regular mine transforming to a mithril or other magical metal later in the game.

A defender gets a Sanctuary spell they can cast on seriously wounded troops to protect them until they can be healed at the end of battle.  An earth magic defender could get a raise clay golem spell or earthen wall spell.  An air magic defender would get stinking cloud and windshield.

A warrior gets a "spell" that lets him switch from a ranged to a melee weapon on the tactical screen. 

Assassins could gain poison lethality bonuses as they level. 

Path specific quests could pop up across the map as you research the quest lines.  These would confer class specific rewards. 

Stardock is on the right path, the new sov traits are fun (Beastlord + Hoarder Spider =

  Now if my bear cub minions could grow up....

It feels like when I study Elemental's entire design, its issues are minor but many to me.

There's nothing significantly flawed or broken, its that some features and parts of the game aren't fleshed out enough, should be, and in general too simplistic.

We can easily remedy Elemental's magic system by copying Heroes of Might & Magic's format of the majority of spells progressing from level one, to level 5 corresponding to that casters elemental skill level. Thus, Haste cast by a Champion with level one Air Magic will simply affect only one target moderately. By level 3, Haste will become an area-effect spell and subsequently, by level 5, "Haste V" will automatically be cast upon all units in your army.

"Flaming Dart II", available to level-two Fire Magic, will simply fire two darts at the same single target, thus if one misses, the other has its own chance of succeeding. "Flaming Dart III" will produce three darts, "Flaming Dart IV" will still produce three individual darts but they'll damage enemy units if they are in the way of their target. "Flaming Dart V" will lastly add minor Dodge and Accuracy penalties to the victim since it now burns to an incredible degree.

This quote stood out to me. I really liked the Civ 5 civic trees. They were exclusive, they were pretty significant choices, and they dramatically impacted the way that you played the game (not all, but most). Now, we really don't have much room for that exact system here. With what the devs have been doing for faction differentiation (far more in depth than the faction diff. in Civ 5) I feel like it would largely clutter the game adding a civics tree in FE. However, I do see a way to implement a similar model to enrich the magic system, make the player feel as though they are truly engaged with the magic system, and provide CHOICES to the player.

I love the faction differentiation, and its far more possible to do so in Elemental because it is a fantasy-based, fictional setting. Yet I don't think this makes up for what Civilization provided in this aspect.

All you need is an extra menu where you simply gloss and choose from over a dozen abilities you reach as you advance along the technology tree. I feel such a venture would better flesh out your Kingdom and Empire, and make it the morality atmosphere of the game more than Black & White. As an Empire that is against Slavery and Sacrifice might find much backlash from internal and external forces, they'll mold themselves to afford great Influence and Growth.

Interesting. Are you proposing a tree (or set of trees) that are uniform regardless of which faction you play, and as you make choices which impact your in-game benefits, it gives you benefits and negatives to diplomacy based upon your choices compared to other factions?

Fallen Enchantress still has the same issues that the original Elemental: War of magic had 2 years ago. All of which were reported way back then.

- Game states are not saved correctly. Loading saved games can have silly results. Besides crashing after about 5 loads (I presume it's the same memory leak I reported 2 years ago.) My last game had Magnar with 12 traits at level 7 (Probably more because he had at least 2 levels of fire magic), two of which were path of assassin and warrior. He also had 27 pairs of leather greaves on him.

- ZoC's do not update till 1 turn after they are in effect. You can actually start building on that resource 1 tile outside of your ZoC the turn that you finish that monument even though it takes 1 more turn to actually get the message that it is in your ZoC.

Stuff like that was reported back in 2010. It's been 2 years. You would have thought bugs that old would have been fixed by now...

Pretty much yes, lol.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_keIYjxHN7s/TYa8TjHA32I/AAAAAAAABIw/DC1smJM_qSI/Civ4ScreenShot0063.JPG

It should affect the wider game too though. I can't think of anything at the moment of writing this, the technology tree shouldn't be the sole factor for setting your faction's policies of such. Multiple factors should become involved such as passage of time, X amount of battles and experience gained, certain conditions which not necessarily restrict you from getting every "Civic" choice, can upgrade them for greater bonuses and penalties perhaps.

If you choose a Civic which involves heavy-handed militarism, but engage in very little warfare in that current game, whatever. But if you do so, 20-30 battles involving regular units and Champions should unlock that Civic choices greater potential into exaggerating the initial negatives and positives of it.

• "Make the tech tree somewhat dependant on moral decisions. For example, the tree changes depending on if you follow a slavery or freedom path. Does your civilization embrace, control or prosecute magic use? Do you follow a scientific or magic use path? Are you tolerant of other races or hunt them down and kill them?
• Change the tech tree based on research decisions made before it. For example, if you research a particular branch of the tree, the other branch changes in respect to that decision. Perhaps the research cost increases, or is removed and lost forever."

I see your point, but limiting the combinations of choices could be a bad idea. Less choices easily could become too restrictive and less fun. That said, if the tech tree becomes moddable so that you could make those changes I would like to play your ideas out.

As far as stopping and taking stock in the game ... I think Kael does an overview of where the project is pretty regularly.  

I seem to have problems from reloading a save while already in a game. If I exit the game, then load a save. It seems to work better.

Choosing spells you want to have access to seems to be the ticket. It should really be in the "tech tree" but that doesnt seem to be keyed to your heroes...

Though in a sense you already do that since you select spell paths such as Fire archmage.

Another idea i suppose would be to retain the fire-water-earth-air-life-death but change it such that you don't get everything in the path.

Say there are 12 Fire I spells, 12 Fire II,  12 Fire III, 12 Fire IV and 12 Fire V spells

Even if you start off with Fire apprentice, you don't get all 12, but maybe you get to pick only 4 of them.  

Fire apprentice -4 Fire I

Fire disciple - 6 Fire I, 4 Fire II

Fire mage - 8 Fire I, 6 Fire II, 4 Fire III

Fire master - 10 Fire I, 8 Fire II, 6 Fire III, 4 Fire IV

Fire archmage - 12 Fire II, 10 Fire III, 8 Fire III, 6 Fire IV, 4 Fire V

Spell progression is still not research based like MOM but XP levelling based. But at least (1) is keyed to champions (2) There is some forced choice.

If you want to make it more complicated, it can be random. 

e.g Your champion is now A Fire mage, he has learnt Feedback, Mantle of Fire and Wall of Fire. Or maybe some trait would allow you to select instead of random...

I suppose having more magic related paths which give different bonuses and spells after path of mage will help.

Path of Summoner - obvious, stronger summons, more summon options

Path of Invoker - strenthens direct damage spells, more of such spells

Path of metamage - spells that counter/interrupt/dispel/anti-magic

Path of artifier - creates artifacts

Path of enchanter - bluffs postive and negative, making them harder to resist etc

Path of Necromancy - prequisites are death mage...

But really these should be choices by the soverign at the start and in a way compete with the whole element system already in place.

When you raise a level, you can sometimes choose as a bonus to gain an additional spell instead. 

In COE3 it is not possible to load from within the game.  Although this is probably to make save-reloading more annoying, it may be a good idea in FE to prevent being able to go back to the main menu once you've started or loaded a game.  Options and preferences should still be available in-game.