so im guessing a RPG D&D campaign is very possible now

It was one of those pics that has the size scaled down. Like you see the Pic but it says "reduced 25%" or some such because it won't all fit on the page. It was there...I Swear!!! Refresh...poof, gone.

I don't think they're hiding it on purpose or something. It probably just had some detail or another they aren't ready to share yet. Maybe some-one came and said "um...hey Boss, we can't post that pic yet" and Frogboy said "Oh, yeah, that's right"...and it got edited out. Maybe it's a forums glitch, who knows? No biggie. Now I'm just curious as to where it went more then anything else.

I even just ran a few scans to make sure some random pop-up didn't get in or something.

Or....maybe my mind has finally CRACKED!!!!!

It really seems like the sky is the limit with Elemental. It also sounds like the internal build is vastly farther along. Will beta 2 be pretty close to your internal build or is it still going to be pretty stripped down as far as content goes?

Can't wait for Beta 2... From the sounds of things Elemental will be the last game I need for the next 5 years.

I love games that have the kinda legs this thing will have between the community and modability, It WILL be able to be almost anything you want it to be.

The editor reminds me of G.I. Joe and Barbie in that:

Barbie = The Sims

G.I. Joe = Elemental: War of Magic

 - Othello

Agreed. Releasing "big", "new content heavy" [new editors, tiles, spells, whatever] expansions is the way to go!

Yeah, I don't like the "micro expansions" (like Dragon Age), if you release stuff that the players need to pay for, it should be something big.

This entire concept of expanding the game well after release reminds me of Total Annihilation.  Cavedog had a heartbeat on the player base and delivered content that was unheard of at the time.  Elemental really looks like it could follow this path.  What a sweet thing to look forward too.

Do you anticipate there being any speed issues with this? Civ4 left the AI in C++, and I gather this was largely for speed reasons. Are you moving it out to Python purely to make it easier for modders to access it, and do you intend to open up some of the C++ innards in the way that Civ4 does? How do you intend to overcome the potential speed issues of going from C++ to Python, if that even will be an issue for you?

Lots of questions, I know, but what you're showing is fantastic, so it's got me really interested. 

Great to hear that Elemental will be Big Expansions only. Beta 2 can't come soon enough... Really liking the tools in the picture... (WANTS VIDEOS!)

Sadly, we won't be getting the editors until a later Beta. I honestly wish they'd change that so I could start more serious work on the Dragonlance Mod while I'm stil....able.

I Completely Understand why they aren't though. These are the very Same Tools they are using to make the game content. If it got leaked too early before release another, bigger company, could get ahold of those Tools through this Beta Program and then Rip-Them-Off (Steal them) and hurry along production to make a similar game.

All they would have to do is change just the "bare minimum legally" to say, "Hey, this isn't Not the same game they're making. It's just similar and made on the same Engine or with the same Tools". That equals a Big Loss for Stardock and None of Us want that.

I "could" envision a way they could secure these files per-account through Impulse so that if it Ever Did get out they'd know exactly from which user the code/engine was "Pirated" from. They'd hide a ID Number or Tag or Something hidden in the file structure where Only they would know where and what it was, and thus know who to blame for their stuff getting out early. That's complicated and takes time, man-power, and money. I understand completely why we have to wait for the editors. But damn....I Wish we had them Now.

will there be additional content alongside expansions? a la Egosoft's community bonus packs? so this would be where the creme de la creme of the community mods and additions would be made into official packs? this wouldn't be paid for, because they're community made, but bundling the very best ones into official packs where stardock would iron out any issues would be an excellant way of promoting the modding community, and would certainly inspire more people to contribute.

as a second thought, are expansions likely to be the traditional sense where new campaigns and loads of new creatures and things get added, or where they're generally smaller but provide more subtle but potentially game changing content?

i read somewhere that it will be possible to make a completely diffrent game just from the editor, if i am not mistaken, you gave the example of how you plan on making an RTS mod. beside the fact that this is very impressive, how will you handle indie developing groups wanting to use the editor as a developing platform? will you go the blizzard way of letting people sell their mods and take percentage? will there be some way of purchasing commercial rights?

I was thinking just this myself. I find that I miss alot of the old Table Top and Board Games. Warhammer 40k, Battle Tech, Axis and Allies. Twighlight Imperium, stuff like that. And it sounds like with a little programming knowledge, some creative juice (So one doesn't tread on IP's), and your editors you could design alot of those games or games very similar to them.

Granted some of those would require more art assests than a fantasy setting provides, but a little modification and presto.

I'm fortunate enough to still play board games on a regular basis!

I guess it might be a worry that if so many indie developers are putting out content for Elemental, that Elemental will have difficulty getting expansion packs sold.

One thing I will say is that the modding community at NWN really embraced the new expansions. For people still playing the game there was a 99% adoption rate, which is insane for any game. I know some people feel that allowing users to create a la Sims is "anti-DLC" but I don't think it is. I think a healthy indie community and a healthy company developing side by side really synergize.

Ah I wish i still could, but as we all know. you grow up, you get a family, your freinds get families, they die, they move away, life changes, and eventually it's just you.

*heavy sigh*

I understand what you are saying, being an old fart myself. If it makes you feel better, I am an older fart, at least in spirit. That said, it doesn't mean we are dead. There is always one more "rally around the flag". If this is important enough for me to come forward and give my free time that is certainly much less than when I was 20, then I have done my due diligence. While what I said at 20 may have been important, what I say now at 40 is nuanced. Ergo perspectives at 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 are all important as they add depth to the game.

That or old guard like me like to think they are more important than they are.

I'm curious about how potential expansions will influence multiplayer. More importantly... what are those white people below the dragon? They look like ghosts.

Lol, I getcha. Since graduating I've dropped out of contact with *all* of my old friends. I've been to my local gaming shops to look for people to play with, and... well... I can see why dorks like me get a bad rap. Finding well-adjusted people to play games with is strangely challenging...

God I hate to sit here and agree with you on this because we both know when we were younger, we were those dorks lol. But hopefully you grow up and grow out of it. Only thing worse than a young dork is an old dork hehe.

Yeap, well said. As is what XeronX said. So true, too.

That too...lol.

And thru playing some MMORGs like Shadowbane one can meet other old timers, especially by joining with a good guild, many of which play multiple games and have a game server and/or a vent server.

In some ways it's easier to get together to game over the net because there's no need to haul computers around (especially in the CRT monitor days...).  And voice is almost as good as being there.

The entire point of advancing Beta a step (3 becomes 2, 4 becomes 3, 5 becomes 4) is because of the huge amounts of extra work they have to do to strip our version from their version. So for the most part, we will now be getting the internal build. Mostly, and this is as far as I've understood Brad correctly. If I haven't, I'm sure he'll be able to correct me.

So we now get most of the shiny stuff. We won't have:

Game editors of any sort (Tile, Particle, World builders)

Annnd. . .something else. I forget. Uh. . .*Digs about*

Right, right! Tactical battles. We don't get those yet either. Or naval warfare. . . Or the Elepedia (It's actually called the Hiergamenon, which I love, but feel weird cackling to an empty room).

But we get the rest of it. (3D engine, trade routes, Multiplayer, shops, sieges, "visual battles" [IE I think we get to watch, not touch. Not sure though])

The trick is to marry someone who is a bigger gamer than you are.

To be fair most of the people I still play with are also gaming couples. The "boardgame scene" is pretty exciting this last decade, a lot of really interesting stuff coming out and really challenging perceptions.

From the pics and description it appears to be a lot like the Neverwinter editor.  Which, for me at the time not HAVING time to do much editing was a blast just to play around with.  AND I have to say NWN(1) I think was my favorite all around RPG.  One of the few games where if I was away for a week or month(s) I could come back and not get lost.  I think somehow the design of the editor seemed to fix the game.  Just complex enough.  Not to flashy but potentially powerful if you have the time.

I got that same feeling from the GalCiv editor, yeah just designing a ship but what you could do was only limited by the time you spent on it.  Some people....wow...

I can't wait to have a gow in making my own world. A rpg functioning within a dynamic world, in a state of flux because there will still be a strategic metagame going on by the AI in the background. You know, how in RPGs you enter a kingdom, a city, it has a king but that king doesn't rule, in any real sense because the city is static, it doesn't grow, the kingdom doesn't go to war (unless scripted) so yeah, will be a fun challenge but Elemental seems to show itself off as a perfect platform to try it.