the AI is super-aggro in LH if it thinks it can stomp you,

Well, why shouldn't it be? Isn't it basic tactics that teaches us it's best to nip a potential threat in the bud before it becomes a threat too big to effectively handle?

A minimalist approach to sea travel would not require to much work or over complicate the game. It would however still add a lot to the game and really open maps up so it is much harder to get cornered. The only major programming necessary would the system to actually enter water. The easiest way would probably just to have auto naval transition where your units and caravans automatically become boats when they attempt to travel over water. A slightly tweaked version of that would have resources called harbors that spawn on beaches, in order to enter water you would need to own a harbor on that body of water.

After that all you would need is some very simple art and tweaks:

-To auto generate some beaches, instead of all cliffs. Which would make maps look much better anyway.

-Make some ocean goodie huts. Like floating chests and drift wood.

-Add a fish resource that would just grant food to the nearest city.

-Add in some boat tactical maps.

-Have pioneers create buoys instead of outposts when on water, which would be un-upgradeable.

-Add in some aquatic monsters and lairs. Abeix could be tweaked to make a great sea serpent, and everyone loves pirates.

This wouldn't be that hard to implement but would add so much to the game. Players would no longer get cornered or stuck behind monsters and other players so much. There would be more areas to explore. Maps would be much more distinct and we could have many new types, and oceans would no longer be made of acid to explain the lack of boats. 99% percent of it could be added in through content. Although with a new elemental game in the works I don't expect to see too many new features be introduced at this point. However I think almost everyone would pay a whole $10 for DLC like this!

Agree 100% with DsRaider above.

I really don't see that it would have to be all that complicated.  This would make a fantastic DLC, even if it cost a bit more or something... would be really cool.

Yeah this, just make it so they can only do it at a beach or whatever.

For sure just do "naval combat" by having a tactical battle map that looks like a couple of war galleys alongside each other like a boarding action... simple 

Righto, that's agreed then... we'll have this one after the spouse DLC... thanks Stardock.  You the best.

If I had to take a guess, Naval anything won't happen at all until the pathfinding stuff Frogboy is trying to fix gets sorted out.  I suspect the initial difficulty Stardock had getting the AI to use naval units is almost entirely pathfinding based.

As stated by Frogboy in the financial model thread...

So pathfinding should be all sorted soon.

1.  Quarterly

2. Bigger World and Bigger Tactical Maps

a. Yes please

b. Yes Please

c. Yes - also though Id like a system to research my own spells in game. IE From a quest learn the spell for Fire Creation, then find another quest with the dragon word for ball, combine them, make Fireball. Then Learn Ice. Then Cast Fire Ice Ball which makes a steam cloud, something along those lines. I want to feel more engaged in magic.

d. Always. The Dead was super fun and would like to see a new faction fairly often, like every other DLC even.

e. No one says no to loot.

f. Yes, but perhaps more multi-stage quests.

g. along with bigger world maps Id like new terrain types. For example snow. Costs more to move on snow. Squads have a chance to get stuck. If you are stuck you may die. stuff like that. The world should be scarier! Also, I want a Navy

Er, I'm not sure more mutli-stage quests are a good idea, as the game can't always handle the ones there already are. Perhaps, when they get that little details sorted out. It would also be nice to have more alteratives with quests, as to how they are solved. Such as: fight, use a spell, pay a bribe, use a skill, use an item.

One more sneak peek at what might best be referred to as Elemental 2015

Gameplay unrelated to LH (not a sequel). LH would continue forward on its own dev path.

So you'd have:

War of Magic (which failed) 

• Could build cities anywhere
• Global food
• Per Caster mana
• Cities grew based on housing which consumed global food
• Dynasties (the player had children who could then have children and so on)
• Spells tied to what the player researched
• Tech Tree
• Turn-based tactical combat
• Leveling up provided points to boost stats in champions
• Champions found on the map
• 5 different tech trees.
• Techs provided gear which were used to design units
• Two races: Men and Fallen
• Player starts out as lone wizard
• Sovereign is on the map as a unit.
• Complex but tedious quests
• Sophisticated but buggy diplomacy
• Snaking cities take over map
• Lots of equally kingdoms to be friends with

 Fallen Enchantress / Legendary Heroes (which was successful)

• Cities could only be founded on fertile tiles
• Local food
• Global mana
• Cities grew based on local food availability
• Wild Lands
• Initiative-based tactical combat
• Spells tied to what champions the player recruited
• Champion classes had their own level tree
• Champions earned through fame
• 3 different tech trees
• Players designed units with gear and special abilities
• Several races, each with unique abilities but visually similar
• Player starts out as a small group
• Sovereign is on the map as a unit
• Complex but tedious quests
• Simple diplomacy
• Cities claim multiple tiles with buildings but are generally smaller.
• Lots of equally powerful kingdoms to be friends with.

<E15> thoughts:

• Cities can only be founded on fertile tiles
• Food is local, directly matches population growth
• New global resource: Logistics, controls # of units player can have
• Logistics is generated by cities choosing to sacrifice food to convert it to logistics
• Global mana generated by shards only
• Wild Lands
• Initiative-based combat
• Champions have special abilities but no spell books
• Spells tied to what spell books players choose at start of game and are learned via Lore
• Lore is generated by sacrificing mana production into lore
• Radically different races in the world (visually)
• No unit design
• Asymetric enemy to allow both sides to do terrible, game unbalancing things to one another
• Crafting
• Player starts out powerful with the Forge of the Overlord and a powerful city
• Customization of your sovereign determines a lot of how the game will go but the sovereign is not a unit on the map
• Sovereign will increasingly be able to cast spells in remote battles as the game progresses
• Lots of simpler quests designed with multiple endings to give different player options
• No diplomacy with primary enemy (unless becoming their slave constitutes diplomacy).
• Cities use 1 tile on the map but cities claim additional resources from adjacent tiles as they grow.
• The enemy has already killed and/or enslaved all your friends. Only vassals remain.

Why we're excited: Much more emphasis on magic, hero leveling, uniqueness, and finding a way to have our toys without worrying so much about balance (oh no, we have to make it so you can't do X because it would mess up the AI...).  Lots more ways to play. Beta ETA: Summer.

*Fist pump

Yes!

Sounds awesome!

Side note: While I am sorta sad to see our city-sim go, I Really like the direction the UI is taking.

This sounds quite a bit like Eador. Is that an inspiration (it's a good one if it is)?

Not necessarily....Eador is STILL buggy as all get out after years of patches.

No.  I still want my MOM2.  The big problem with a MOM game though is that the fun I had with MOM back in the day was because the AI sucked and no one cared if it played well.  You couldn't get away with taht today so I've played around with the idea of asymetric design where what I want and what the enemy wants are not the same.

1. Don't commit to a schedule release a DLC when you some thing that you feel that your players will consider a good value to pay for.  

2. New equipment, lore books to develop the history of the world more.

What a coincidence Mr. Stardock person. I'd love to see MOM2 too. Or even a Galciv 3 more like Moo2.