This is why I think a transport only system would work well. It would simply increase the variability and expanse of the areas available for you to explore without over complicating things. As it stands the lack of maritime resources, quests, and travel is a obvious fault. Not being able to fish or have islands is a big bummer. A simple system that allows players to travel over water would fix that.

Oh ya and bridges. This game really needs bridges. It's so weird that they aren't already in.

I was just watching some AoW online and I saw a bridge and I said to myself, "wow, if only you could build bridges in FE"

This would be cool.

While I realize that neither Brad nor Derek has responded or probably will, my 2 cents: The OP nailed a lot well, but I would leave it at 1, 4 (modified a bit from his ideas) and 6.

- I don't need other planes of existence if the Elemental franchise makes good on its promise to have a really funky dungeon system in place.

- I don't think every game needs naval battles. Unless they are really wonderful in and of themselves, I'd rather "just" have tactical battles be made good, rather than slightly better than mediocre tactical battles and fairly shabby naval ones.

- If independent city states were in the game and good and fun, fine, but I wouldn't want any resources going there that could be spent on making the AI better. Or making +1 brassiers of bustiness.

I heartily agree that sieges need to be in, and spelled correctly. Tactical battles can surely become much more lovely, let's get morale back everyone and have routing troops like in Dominions. OK well I bet no one will go for that, but let's get Morale anyhow. And crafting: Yes. How can there be a RPG-TBS hybrid without a lot more and a lot more funkier items? Especially if everything is already in place for it (there are items, there are item slots, and there is magic). All we need to make +1 brassiers of bustiness. Just without randomness, at least without a price. NWN would be an ok place to look to start: certain spell effects + item = magic item + costs, you could add (chances for) curses or blessings as well.

That being said, I'd add

- Much Better Magic: I'd like to see something more subtle, sublime and surreptitious. I've posted on this numerous times since 2009 so I won't repeat myself here, but less Fireballs and more cunning, stealthy, subliminal charming, more subtle influence being taken, and more overall strategy with interaction (e.g. spells which raise the traits of other units, and hence scale well from early game to late game).

- Stealth. Pure and simple: stealth. Just have to Make It Work.

- Much Better Research, including Cross-Path technology. Falling on not-quite-deaf-ears since 2009.

 - Optional Victory Points on Strategic Map (selectable in Game Setup). I've posted on this numerous times as well, let's just leave it at "holy sites" that can be captured and held; could be tied into life / death magic if need be. Otherwise: tiles which are exceptionally well-protected by neutrals, provide the tile owner with a built-in penalty (yes, the opposite of a bonus, so keeping these long term has drawbacks), be these the chance of being attacked from another plane or a global curse being cast or mana drain or money drain or require human sacrifice in terms of prestige or whatever, and if you have X of these in your ZoC, you win by Holy (or Unholy) victory. Another way to Make Strategic Terrain Matter more.

That sounds cool however my main concern with the lack of bridges right now is how they don't spawn on roads. Apparently all those traders and soldiers swim across the river repeatedly. No one thinks to just build a bridge. Can you say immersion breaking.

Bridges wouldn't serve much of a point right now since a normal river tile just takes 2 movement to cross. In my Rivermod (part of Stormworld) the new rivers can't be crossed normally. For those rivers, having bridges to go across is one of the few ways to get to the other side. Of course that means that most rivers have a bridge somewhere, especially if they are actively blocking an important part of the map stamp.

Stop... making me... want to try it.... ARRH!

I must admit, it looks very cool, and seems to be a cool idea for Elemental.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

What I mean with more and surreptitious cross-path technologies I have outlined ad nauseum elsewhere (linked above). In general, however, I would have liked to have a system by which the majority of breakthroughs yield multiple interconnecting triggers, such as:

- gives a small global bonus (e.g. +x% to trade income, +x% chance to dodge for all melee units in army, +x% chance to recruit heros in forest tiles, etc.) AND

- unlocks a specific item / building / ability / or spell (e.g. can create longbows, can build bath houses, can earn or train the "shield wall" ability, can cast Viable Position if magic requirements XZY are met, etc.) AND

- has at least one synergetic component (with some sort of bow tech, if "advanced adventuring" is also researched, all archers get +2 vs. animals, and if "lore of the ancients" is also researched, all archers get +1 initiative in swamps, etc.; or with some form of life magic if "advanced diplomacy" is also researched, one can learn to cast a "charm humanoid" spell, and if "advanced animal lore" is also researched, one can learn to cast "charm living entity" spell, etc.) AND SOMETIMES

- sometimes an additional prerequisite might be required for certain additional bonuses to become applicable in-game, e.g. having X numbers of Y shards, owning X numbers of Z buildings, etc. affects the bonus of the breakthrough given

I'd much like to see dynamic effects in game have a larger impact on events this way, and it would also increase variability a bit.

Thanks. I have been posting things like this since 2009, but it has sadly not quite caught the attention of the masses.

One last thing I'd wish for:

10. An option toggle in Game Setup which lets you change the default Hero Death from reincarnation in capital with wounds to PermaDeth. I really, really, really dislike the way champions are functionally immortal, I'm fine with all of you loving that, I'd just love the option to turn it off.