Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I only played Elemental: War of Magic around a week after it was released so I’m not going to comment on how patches have or haven’t improved the game, but the release of Fallen Enchantress, the standalone sequel/apology is certainly something that interests me. A great deal actually. Along with Warlock: Master of the Arcane, there are now two delightful fantastical beauties vying for my strategic attentions, their turn-based ruminations inspiring powerful ponderlust. If you bought War of Magic in 2010 you can download the beta of Fallen Enchantress now and will receive the final release for free. Waited ’til 2011 to buy War of Magic? You may still be eligible for a discount. Check here and if you’ve forgotten your login details, the email address you registered with should retrieve what’s needed.
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It’s been a little quiet on planet Stardock since the Elemental launch catastrophe and the divisive sale of Impulse to Gamestop, but they’ve quietly been staying true to their pledge to redeem their ambitious fantasy 4X game. Sequel Fallen Enchantress is now at alpha stage, and looking pretty delicious too mine hungry eye. Stardock boss Brad Wardell has just snuck out a video, with commentary, showing what they’re up to in this follow-up/reboot. The interface is much improved, the AI’s been overhauled, hopefully it’s a whole lot less buggy and… well, this entirely looks like my sort of thing. Meantime, I’m sniffing at Paradox’s Warlock, which does some vaguely similar stuff (but in a much more Civ-like way), so 2012 looks like a year for being spoiled for fantasy strategy choice.
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In what is hopefully the final word on the sorry release saga of Elemental, Stardock bossguy Brad Wardell has issued another remarkably frank public mea culpa, following the weekend’s awful news that several Stardock staffers were to lose their jobs and a future project may be axed as a result of poor reviews and lower-than-hoped revenues for the roleplaying strategy game. While it’s by now scarcely any secret that the man’s publicly holding himself accountable for the release of a rickety game, the sum total of information and apparent self-flagellation offered has been extraordinary.
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In my time so far with Stardock’s Elemental I’ve come to hate one thing above all overs. As in, its name. Which seems strange, because it’s a name with a certain grandeur to it. It also pretty-much close to Google-proofs it when I’m scouring the Internet, trying to find out whether it’s possible to do obscure and arcane things like – say – upgrade your units. I’m left without a clue, and pressing on anyway. And doing really well, but there’s the nagging sense that I’m missing something and could be doing better. That said, the AI seems to be in the same boat, so perhaps it all evens out.
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We’re itchy for access to Elemental, Stardock’s massive 4X fantasy strategy with delicious and nutritious RPG bits. Why? Read this. Pre-ordering types can get access right now, thanks to the second beta of the game, which is detailed over on the mail site. Also this beta guide goes into some of the detail that wasn’t quite clear from Wardell’s epic twelve-minute ramble from earlier in the month, and it’s just making more desirous of the game. Release for all is August 24, a date which Stardock describe as “firm”. And we like firm.

Stardock’s forthcoming strategy game, Elemental, is looking rather interesting. It kicks off with the player mooching about, alone in the world, and ends up with you directing a colossal dynastic 4X empire-building game with user-generated content and a hefty multiplayer offering. Last week we talked to Stardock CEO Brad Wardell to get a bit more information about the user-generated content, multiplayer sessions lasting six months, and the world-building collaboration with publisher, Random House.
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