Hi Stranger.
Some praise:
Thanks for stating the changes in the D version in top post!
I think the strengthening of lizards and goblins mentioned in the top post is a good idea, and I like the new heroes etc. etc. Is the problem Merkraad mentioned with the phoenix hero solved? In the game I played with her using 5.0c resources, she did not resurge.
And I really like the unit progression schemes, but I do think conqueror has to be more expensive now, and that
the races without these "development prospects" should be somehow compensated.
And some points of criticism:
Now that you write you hope you're approching a final release, I'd like to comment that you have been
virtually deaf to requests for changing the skill system, and the method is very far from being conducive
of any sort of "community mod", but since dwiggs is the most played mod atm I have to play it or resort to single
player, which isn't a lot of fun - otherwise I wouldn't bother to discuss here on the forum...
Even if you intend to keep cast spec I at high cost and as requirement for several other skills (and none of the
reasoning behind this convinces me), neither you nor anyone else on the forum (at least as far as I have seen)
have provided any reasonable explanation for explorer and expander costing 2 skill picks. I have NEVER, so far
(2-3 months), seen ANYONE picking explorer OR expander in dwiggs, and I'm pretty certain I've played the game more
often than you in this period.
Maybe other people than I have noticed that picking conqueror alone from start is now one of the more
popular choices; that is logical given that this skill is more valuable in dwiggs than in MP/Upatch,
and it has a low cost (oh, and with the new progression of units in the D release, it is now THE most valuable
skill) - but it also defies what seems to have been your the stated intention with this new skill system, namely more diversity.
Now comes the question: If the new skill system does not fulfil its stated objective, do you change it - or simply keep it, pretending it works? The way things are set up now, the SIMPLEST (not necessarily best) thing do to do balance this just a little is that conqueror should cost 2 skill picks.
Secondly, I don't see you reducing upkeep of enchantments despite earlier promises, same comment to this as above.
"It is better to discuss a subject without deciding on it, than to decide on a subject without discussing it" - Herbert Spencer.