Whoa malley!!  Never in my wildest fantsy did I think this was going to happen.  I can see only long term success from here on out, congratulations Kael!!!

As a long time fan of FFHI and II and Elemental, I can't imagine a better choice to help with the next phase of Elemental.  Hearty congratulations to Derek and Stardock. Great choice!  Definitely excited to what good things will come...

Welcome, sir Kael.

Congrats! Best of luck! 

I may not agree with everything kael's team did regarding use of other peoples' intellectual property in his days modding civ4, specifically, FfH2, (and the first one).

However, I still recognize what an awesome mod his team created for civ4.  I downloaded FfH before it had manual, when every few weeks (or was it months... lol) a new version of the mod was released.   Patch t, and u, and v.  Sometimes a 'new' version would do really strange things.  The journey through those various versions, however, was a ride well worth taking. Thank you.

I have two things I wish Kael to really consider.  And these two things come from someone who started on the pencil and paper game called "Chainmail"  - the precursor to Gary Gagyx's D&D.  I'm retired, aged (but having fun), and I have a long perspective on what created the 'gems' out there.

FIRST:  The concept your team implemented in FfH2, of each civilization being unique, distinctive, and having abilities and units functionally different from that of the other civilizations was a stroke of genius.  Each civ had to be played in its unique way.  (Or become fodder for archeologists.)  Please bring this to EWoM, if frogboy so permits.

SECOND: Create a player (user) customization tool (page, whatever) that will allow non-modders (like me) to access many of the attributes of everything in the game, so we can adjust and re-weight various values.  Adjust the cost of casting each spell, modify the line up, and prereqs, in the tech tree, change the mp, cost, str, etc of each armor, weapon, etc.

Lead your team in bringing the very best of FfH2 to EWoM.  Be inspired by Alpha Centauri. Please continue Frogboy's practice of (mostly) paying attention to these forums.  There is a lot of gold to be mined here. (Yes, my posts are buried here, somewhere, too - LOL - ever hear of pyrite?)

I hope it is a great ride for you.  And I hope the journey you take all of us on becomes a trip of a lifetime.

My first reaction at reading the news was: "Quoi?"

Hopefully Derek Paxton will have enough lattitude to bring significant changes to the design of Elemental. If so, I would be confident in his abilities (proven by FFH) to make a fun game with a restrictive engine (which should be much less a problem here than it was for FFH).

i have to say that EWOM has gotten better since it came out... now its still far away from where it needs to be...needless to say in all categories. now then from todays announcement i have to say bring KAEL aboard he can inject this game with some new perspective and really make this game FUN. imo ffh2 funnest mod for civ4 (still play it). so im very thrilled to see him here. i gotta say i have now a renewed excitement in Elemental from this announcement. GOOD LUCK KAEL you getting the chance of a lifetime in 4xgames. Be the leader and form the game into what we all wish for it to be. an addictive fantasy 4xgame that serves lts of fun!.

I suspect he did not have SD's resources available to him for making FFH, so considering Elemental is For Profit and the resources available I think things will be done fully on the up and up legitimate like. 

Thanks Annatar for voicing your concern and we heard you.

Somebody needs a hug

Indeed. Say, are you the same Falconne as the one on Civ Fanatics that shares my immense dislike of ciV?

People are sure happy for Kael over there anyway. I hope Kael can make Elemental into a game comparable to FFH2.

This is pretty much entirely false. FfH is a non-profit bit of shareware (even provides it's sourcecode), so no, you do not need permission. Legally or otherwise. I am quite sure that he asked to use the art (as have I, and even had an artist decline... The vast majority, however, see it as a way to get their art out to a wider audience. IE, a good thing), and has given credit for it. The stickied post does not have the full credits list, unfortunately, but I guarantee you that if you dig through the forums you can find it. And Kael likely has a list on his pc; He seems to have one for most things.

Interesting to see my name popup in a forum where I'm not even registered...

Eden won't be much like FfH in terms of setting. We opted to go an entirely different route specifically to avoid comparisons between the two. However, we will most definitely be taking what we learned from Rise from Erebus, and Fall from Heaven in general, and applying it to the new mod.

As for the real topic... Hopefully Kael will be given free reign to modify Elemental. Without that, I don't see it competing with FfH, let alone Civ5. Far too many mechanics that may look good on paper, but when implemented... Lack character, lack cohesive bonds, and are just unoriginal and uninteresting. Sadly. Potential is here, but massive changes must be made for it to shine.

Glad to hear about Eden, Valkrionn. I loved FFH2 Fall further plus. Absolutely wonderful.

Sounds like it'll be great and very welcome news considering the massive disappointment ciV was.

Hopefully Kael is given carte blanche to make the changes he feels necessary to make Elemental into a super game.

I loved Age of Wonders and hope that Elemental can be as fun as that one was.

I need my fantasy 4X fix. Hee hee.

Yes. Someone on the SD forums grabbed my preferred username before I got here. If I ever find them, there will be words.

I love FFH and I love Elemental! This must be a dream...pinching arm...

Excellent choice you could do no  better!

Welcome Kael

fantastic news... welcome aboard Kael!