What about a multiplayer mode that was simply tactical matches???

Supposing I were to get into the alpha (riiiight), my first multiplayer game in Elemental would be the second multiplayer (not counting hotseat and/or lan with rl friends) game ever for me.

Thank you very much for the update.

This is a pretty significant change in direction from the original plan, when MP wouldn't show up until beta 2.

Gotta say, I think its a great change. Even if MP isn't the focus, having it in there earlier will give a lot more time to get different modes tested.

Is the tactical combat engine actually going to be in the alpha? I actually assumed that it'd end up being pretty much auto resolves in the alpha.

Also, I wouldn't mind MP early I'm not a huge multiplayer person, but it's fun to play these kinds of games with fellow testers. Sins Beta was fun for that

so is the alpha going to be limited to "duel" or are other game modes going to be available as well.   Will it be multiplayer only as originally planned?

Also, I notice what appears to be a lack of UI in the above shot.   Will only limited UI features be available in the alpha?

Absolutely sounds like a good idea. Love the sound of an early simple mp mode.

WRT to the map, I think it's essentially going to be like galciv 2 zoomed out till you get icons, and I think that's what frogboy's using that picture to show.

I agree, it seems odd to have a single player focused game with MP in the early alphas - it seems like DemiGod must have bit y'all hard enough that you are determined not to have a repeat.

Well, part of why having early MP is good is because it saves them a lot of time on AI work. In the Sins beta, so many things were changing that Ironclad just decided not to bother with the AI until they had all the mechanics solid so they wouldn't have to keep re-writing it.

I imagine part of the reason is the same here - if you provide Multiplayer, people can play with each other and the same gameplay issues/mechanics will get ironed out, and they can get away with crappy AI until that happens. Saves them lots of time to work on other things!

If the game mechanics allow, please try for a "Simultanious Turns" option, like in Age of Wonders and Civ4.

This new development is all well and good, just stay clear of the MP-centrism that has plagued the game community for several years now.

Also, you can see from MP things the AI should watch for/use.

The MP component is what could end up broadening the base for this game.

One thing I'll be able to do if I get in- test what happens when lag goes to 500-600ms at 4am at work.

At work, the internet connection does that.

NO plz

dont commit the same mistake as demigod

multiplayer like the word tells is about MULTI playerS playing

it does need only 1 thing: many players fighting

make it 2vs2 or 3 v3 or whatever the online doesnt need anything else

This is only one mode, which is only really feasable with one other human.  It is nothing like demigod - its not even the same genre of game, so don't bother comparing.

There is also likely to be tactical battles which may be 2v2 or 3v3

I have to say that ever since I started playing multiplayer strategy games online single player has just lost it's appeal for me. There are few exception and this may become one of them. (Namely epic fantasy games like Age of Wonders 2 and Morrowind, God I love that game) In any case, multiplayer makes me happy because when a game is truly a strategy game then playing against the AI I feel like I'm playing a puzzle game. The AI is predictable, how do I crack it? It doesn't change strategies or suprise me like a human player will (even a bad human player). Against the AI I feel more like I'm playing a colorful game of Sudoku... Lol

Question. If there are tactical battles in the Alpha, how will they work? Will there will be tactical battles with full graphics in this mode, or will they be abstracted to the cloth map as well?