Let it blossom, let it flow.

edit: darn it, would have looked better on same page as previous post

Funny, most places it's the other way around.  Business people rushing the developers to hurry up and finish so they can get it out the door.  It's interesting that it's the opposite here.

Sounds like you folks need to hire some more business people.  

Edit:  I never answered the question.  Release it whenever makes the most sense.  I'm playing it now and having fun with it.  /shrug

Here's an update that allows you guys to see what marketing is talking about:

• April: Age of Wonders expansion is coming out (would like to NOT have Sorcerer King come out at the same time)
• May: Galactic Civilizations III final release
• June: Servo early access begins, Steam summer sale 
• July: Ashes of the Singularity early access begins

As a SK EA fellow with multiple personalities, I first voted for the delay before I voted against it. I then had to act as arbiter between me and me, whereupon I judged using a single gildar, heads yes and tails no. Unfortunately, all three of us missed catching the gildar; it was lost down a storm drain. In conclusion, all three of us agree the lost gildar was an omen from Curgen so we abstain. We hope this was helpful.

It would be helpful...except there is no gildar in SK...just logistics.  Doesn't that thrall you?

Take as long as it takes to get it right. I'm already hooked, but 1.0 should be in a really good state.

So Scott said that the delay wouldn't mean any more content on the stream today. I get that polish is super importan, but there's no way in hell that it would take four months to polish this game. I can't imagine polishing taking more than a month or two, tops. What would go in to the other months?

i am all about delaying it if that makes the most sense, but it feels like this could be an opportunity to do some of what's been discussed here on these forums, like the added lieutenants, the Sorcerer King having different "classes" for added replayability. Am I just not seeing the need for that much polish because I'm blind, or am I not alone here?

I would be the first one to say it needs a delay, too, but I just don't see the need here other than for timing. Then I wonder why you can't push back GalCiv to July and release this when GalCiv was supposed to release. That'd give you plenty of time and it would give GC3 time for the extra polish, which is arguably the bigger game...

"No new features" is different than "no new content"  :)   But you really would be surprised how much 'polish time' can go into a game like this. Balancing alone is a "Play -> Critique -> Tweak -> Play Again" cycle. And for a 4x game that cycle isn't a quick one  :(

I have a long list of things that will now get in that wouldn't have gotten in otherwise.

Specific examples that you guys, I think, can appreciate:

1. Unique tactical battle maps for different monster lairs (I get pretty sick of the same forest in the middle maps)
2. More quests
3. More minor race interaction
4. More items
5. More recipes

Plus, I just like having more time for pacing and have the luxury of chatting with you guys on things like "should X happen by turn X" or should I have an advanced option for Y.

Pardon my French, but F*CK YEAH! I'm glad it's getting delayed then

Honestly, this game is so good already and it's just getting better. Keep up the damn good work, guys. The success will follow, I'm sure.

I think the extra time for marketing will help too.  I don't want Sorcerer King to just get lost in the shuffle. It's really turned into a pretty tremendous strategy game.

Though... you know, I would LOVE to allow the minor races to expand like major races.  Everyone says I can't do that but I could you know. Please guys? Like, maybe an option to allow the minors to grow?

Regarding the minor races expanding I have also been wondering about this. 

I think it would add to the game if they were able to set up strongholds or maybe maximum 1-3 additional cities (depending on map size). 

I cannot see that Lore-wise they should not be allowed. Heck they could be the major force against the SK, while the we, player, are supporting the minor race. 

ps. Should the minor factions be called the Remnant faction?

I thought the premise was you against the SK.  If the minor races grow, then it is no longer 1on1, with minors being a resource to exploit.  They will compete for city placement, etc.  

If you do decide to let them grow, I think it should be in line with the story.  That is:

1) If they align with SK - they should follow his directives and NOT grow.  SK has his own expansions. (SK could force the minor to provide some troop support to those cities, though).  

2) If they align with you, they gain confidence to defy the SK and will expand, and SK will of course target them as well (take some pressure off).   But they should not expand until after you ally with them.   This would also provide another consideration to whether or when you want to ally with minors.  If this is the case, there should be an option in dialogs with the minors that would provide 0 influence change, not just +/-. 

Works for me, and your asking once again confirms why Stardock continues to earn our support.

I've always felt that the minor races should have a chance to overthrow the sorcerer king if they are allowed to expand and get stronger.

This would be especially true on larger maps where there is space. It'd be a pain in the butt if he they expanded on a smaller map though but part of that problem is that finding city sites is not always convenient. 

I will say that having to compete with the other minor races unless you convince them to join you would add another layer to the game. I'd hate for you to add this expanding feature without making them smart and fully functional. 

I absolutely agree with jglazier on putting in some limitations to ranged combat, seems silly not too.

Personally, I'd love the minors to grow.  So 1 vote for this!  :)

I prefer minors to stay minor - non-expansion distinguishes them from your kingdom, which is the last, best hope to stop SK.

Frogboy... coming from a software development background myself, I imagine that you jumped for joy when the people actually tell you that you get *more* time to refine the product. That practically never happens (for me at least). I'm all in favor of taking extra time and release in July.

My request for development focus: increase options for each sovereign (meaning that all world related choices being equal, the same sovereign can be played very differently from game to game).

Possibly consider sovereign specific quests that can grant an additional sovereign abilities as reward.

Perhaps detect certain challenge-modes that a player might artificially create for her/himself and have one or two quests that key into that specifically. (E.g. attempt to beat the SK without any allies; attempt to only use ranged units; attempt to restore most of the world).

A side note: given the vastly improved presentation in Beta 5, I think it would be prudent to have the same new artistic hotness be applied to the supporting art assets outside of the game. For example the website presentation and the title art - they're both nice, but not nearly as good as some of the new art in Beta 5.

If the minors are allowed to grow and expand, it would change a big dynamic of the game. Now, not only are you racing against the doomsday counter, you effectively have to have a conquest victory just to prevent the minors  from defeating the SK before you do.

Sort of like LH where you have to defeat the other factions to prevent them from building the towers and casting the spell of making.

Besides, there is very little settleable land anyway

SK is a different kind of game. It's focus should be the SK..or alternatively, different win conditions will have to be added.

So, a no vote for minor expansion.

I'm going to suggest a release date the last couple of days prior to the Fourth of July. A significant chunk of the userbase should have a long weekend at that time. Everyone else will have a normal weekend, and a Thursday or Friday release would give new buyers time to get it downloaded prior to close-of-business on Friday.

Risking the July-September drought may actually work in SK's favor, as a lack of solid games during that period drives most of the gamers nuts. SK has a solid rep going in, and it'd be relatively easy to capitalize on that, instead of trying to work against AoW3 and GalCiv.

I think minors expansion could be a fun mod / game+ option.

Nah, no way they'll release the game in front of a holiday. Much harder to get exposure in media, and then there's the whole issue about providing support and instant-fixes for issues critical to any launch. If the game has some game-breaking bug for three-four days without fix it'll completely torpedo the game forever.