This game has massive potential

I ll agree that FE has great potential and from my experience from Stardock so far it will continue to get better and better. Now FE has something that a lot of people see as disadvantage. Its been mentioned before in another post and its the fact that walks in a different path of the standar high fantasy games. It tryes to build its own world, lore and history but for some its not enough. Also the "curse" of the first Elemental game seems to follow it. People stuck on the fact that Elemental was buggy us hell but they missed the point that it was also an amazing game, one of the best 4X games i played after a long time. I share your enthusiasm cause Stardock is one of the few developer companies i truly respect for their work and relations with their customers.

I really wonder if AoW was released today would people love it or would forums would just be clogged with negative feedback. Most likely people would love it and the forums would be filled with negative feedback

I'm really keen to see where this games goes to, I do already fall in the category of players who love it. I'd like to see the wildlands theme expanded upon, already established neutral cities that are somewhat tough and can be captured or bribed into going to war vs another player and an option to roughly set where each unit lines up in battle (eg front-middle-back). Bloody wolves killing my weaker heroes who start on the front line while my tanky sovereign starts behind everyone....

Again valentine. You only make general statements. No specifics (what you like, what you dont like, what to change and how). Sry...but this is just *blabla*

I do miss my Lords of Magic in samn game type, i wouldnt mind modding this game into LoM. But it needed more loves in the game to be more comfortable to play.

Since this is the best fantasy strategy game I've played in years, I'm pretty happy.

I can think of lots of directions they can take from here. 

I saw your thread about AOW:SM. The problem with that game is that it really didn't have any AI.  I think ones appreciateion of Fallen Enchantress will come down to how important it is to have decent computer players to go up against. The only AI that remotely touches this game's is Civilization IV's (not counting the Galactic Civilizations games).

I think AOW games and MOM get a lot of love by people who just don't care whether the game is challenging or not.

Whenever anyone refers to themselves as a hardcore gamer, I immediately tune out.

What idiot review would say this game is a casual 4x game?  Was it a real review or just a player review?

I may be wrong but I think it's the only one that's been made in years.

The game seems more casual than it is on the surface, in the review it's compared to Civilization 5.

Yes because real reviews come from people who take bribes and work for companies that are reliant on industry funding, not from gamers. Gamers are too stupid to write real reviews, after all what do we know, we just play games right?

Yes, out of 100 gamer reviews, maybe 5 are useful.  Yes, I will say from the many years of reading player reviews and seeing the dipshit things gamers post on forums, that they are often too stupid to write a review worth reading.  And from your response  I think you are saying, that it was in fact a player review.  Which seems ridiculous to repeat like it's at all meaningful.  And, yea, it's not the only fantasy strategy released even this year.

What vast generalizations you have there. No 4x game is casual, that is just an oxymoron. The game's mechanics are much too deep and take a lot to learn, which automatically disqualifies it as casual. I would never trust a review that claimed any 4x game was casual because that is just against the nature of what a 4x game is. 

FE is a hell of a lot better than Civ V.  And yes, I'm looking at you, Shafer.

I have to jump in here and point something out.

I really enjoy Civ V. Gods and Kings did a lot to really make that game awesome. That said I really enjoy FE. which will stand the test of time better for me? I dont know, but considering the rich history Civ has that speaks volumes for FE.

 Also Sins of A Solar empire, the love that game has recieved gives me faith of how far they might take FE, I hope so. 

Most of us here look on Age of Wonders very fondly. But from memory a year after launch it was actually on the list of the 10 best games that no-one knew about! If AoW can grow in people's hearts the way it has then I think Fallen Enchantress and future iterations of the game will also become a long-term classic that in ten years from now people will be talking about in the same reverence.

I listened to an interview with the norwegian prime minister on the radio today. He used to play Age of Empires and Medieval: Total War. His nick was the name KGB had put on him in their secret (not so secret anymore though) files. Kinda cool. It does not belong in this thread, but I just had to mention it.

I do suspect this game will have a long tail, though 4X GOTY is a tough call between FE and Warlock (two very different games- and ironically it was Brad's QTT posts that made me change my mind on Warlock- as I was distrusting of Paradox games after a few clunkers and not enjoying CKII at all)

The thing about Warlock is that it has a very short lifespan. It's fun, but has no staying power for most players. FE just started out and IMO should win GOTY just based on release. If you count the decades ahead, it is really no contest.

I find Warlock has heaps of re-playability and really can't split between it and FE as my favourite game of 2012. This has been the best year for fantasy strategy games with the launch of these two games and a raft of other very good games such as Conquest of Ellysium.

I think FE is a great game and I've been playing it since the War of Magic's failure. I during the beta I keep coming back to play after every patch. I think there will be years of playing this game and its addons. I want to thank Stardock and all the players who over the years stuck with the game and provided feedback.

MoM and AoW will always be famous and refered from time to time cause they was among the first fantasy, turn-based games. Ok we all enjoyed them and will always have them in our hearts but its been 15 and maybe more years ago. Time to move on and give other games a chance to shine and write their own history.

Off topic. Warlock mostly reminded me of the old Panzer General series than 4X game so i dont think it should compared to FE. Just a personal opinion.

Which just happen to be the 5 you agree with. The point he was making wasn't lost on me, nor was the comparison to Civ 5, and I've been playing 4x games all my life.

Of course, gamers are stupid and gamers can't do good reviews, you're right how could a gamer write a review about a videogame that's worth reading? It's incomprehensible, I should have known gamers were too stupid to write reviews before I even made a post. Thank you for opening my eyes to the fact that gamers are too stupid to review games.

You nailed it, paid reviewers who are beholden to industry funding and take bribes are far more reliable. Player reviews are worthless because you say so. How could a gamer actually have something valid to say about a game.

There are still some reviewers you can trust. And there are some gamers you can trust. The problem is that the vast majority of both are not reliable. Let's Play and demos are the best way to know. If there is a gamer you particularly respect or a journalist, great. But that list is down to 6 for me in total. 

Because 'massive potential' is such a hugely descriptive phrase.  My opinion, stop reading reviews by silly people who've barely played ten hours of the game, when you yourself probably have them beat by a factor of four at least.  What does your own gut tell you?  Is it a good game or isn't it?

Oh yeah and um, am I on the list?

The anthropology of gaming culture is a lot like the anthropology of band-fan culture. each brand (game or band) will generally want to appeal to as many as possible but demographics reveals that there is a method to why some people play fallen enchantress and others play halo. This is related to archetypal categories. Using these categories game companies can try to appeal to an audience who will respond to the product rather than just throwing random darts. Try going around promoting your favorite local band - you will learn that it can be hard work. You could try the same spin on everyone - or you can try to deduce what your audience likes (is the person your approaching wearing a distinctive clothing style or band shirt?) and translate it.

Fallen Enchantress indeed does have the appeal to reach players of 4x games and RPG games; however unlike many others, FE did not dumb down to third grade - Fallen Enchantress could not avoid the trap of broad appeal - a lot of people despise broad appeal because it feels like the "good stuff" has been plucked out and replaced with glitter. I personally feel this way all the time. However i do not feel that Fallen Enchantress is guilty of "going twilight with stoker" on broad appeal. Instead, i feel the broad appeal lies in the creation of factions and sovereigns. Please someone tell Sid to just provide the traits and UB/UU and i will make my own nation within the framework of the game and if i get comfortable, open a few files and try to change things to my liking.

I do not still play civ 4, but i still play fall from heaven mods now and then - and this game to me could use a little FFH in it, but i digress *cough*Acheron!*cough*

I knew it - the norwegian prime minister plans to overthrow democracy and become emperor. Only gamers would not see that is what is happening, but I have not been gaming for hours, so you can all trust me (and Valentin82 who have had our eyes opened).

To me 4x games should require several playthroughs before you really know the game, if not it is too shallow. I would not expect a reviewer to reveal more than the surface of larger games - and if they go deeper I would suspect they are really gamers "posing" as reviewers, just like the understimulated gamer (pm Stoltenerg) that "pose" as prime-minister of Norway. 

BTW: 2013 is election year in Norway, I hope mr Stoltenberg will then get plenty of time for gaming.