What advantages are there to researching Mining etc.?  Do you get increased production, or is it the case that it only matters what items you can research that require the resource to make?

It might be renamed to Smelting.

Brad- I was just thinking after reading your other post on making swords, how about random tech tree/ random starting weapons.

You don't know what your first group of warriors weapons are going to be like until you settle your first city. Once you do you find out what your basic starting weapons are, say I get daggers this game and the next spears (you could run the chance of starting with say +1 dagger or a short sword). Other possibilities are you could start out with training (though you won't get a better starting weapon).

In all the games you get access to all weapons axes, swords, spears, etc... though you might not get to access the best ones down the tree. You could explore the world to unlock them, or kill off your enemies to get them or tough luck you don't get them in certain games. You can't always rely on your favorite weapons.

The same would go for spell books, certain books contain x spells, some games you get the whole book, others well you might be missing a spell or 2. Same as above for completing the book, explore, fight or some games they are gone.

And yes you guess it for techs too...

I still do not think that this differentiate units enough. Play HOMM, or Armored princes. Units have TONS of interesting abilities. The added "chance to make second attack on miss" is really, really weak improvement, it is just slight buff of the weapon, no much game mechanics has changed. Good direction, but just a baby step.

I can sort of see MXM111's point. It really doesn't have to be limited to weapons, but in general modern strategy games are going towards almost every unit having an active ability as well as a few passive abilities. Heroes 6 and Kings Bounty: Armored Princess are good examples. It makes the battles more interactive and fun, instead of move, attack, move, attack, every single battle.

My suggestion would be abilities like
Hammer Smash: An attack that ignores defense, 3 turn cooldown. 
Swinging Axe: An attack that hits all adjacent enemies, 3 turn cooldown.
Speedy Sword: An attack that has +25% accuracy and boosts your initiative by 2 for one turn. 2 Turn cooldown.

These types of abilities very clearly define a certain circumstance where they are best used. Swords would be good against high dodge enemies. Axes are great against a swarm of weaker units. Hammers are good against enemies who have lots of defense. If you use hammers against a swarm of unarmored clubmen, then you are being ineffecient. Its the proper way to go about it, IMO.

Now, if you want to keep tactical battles simple then adding more activated abilities could be a problem. It also makes the AI more complex since you have to decide whether to use your activated ability or wait (assuming it has limited resources or disadvantages, otherwise it may as well be passive).  

Nice.....can't wait.

You guys are such teases

Until late game (at least in current spellbuild) where all you see is: Fog, Fog, Fog, Fog, Fog at the start of every battle. I'm happy when I can find backswing axes in current build just because of that.Hopefully there will be more defensive spells (which are more efficient...right now offense is much more mana efficient which kinda irks me). I think enchanting on the overhead map is ok to have a higher cost + the upkeep because it is "permenant". The tact cost should be at least half the current mana cost for buffing a unit temporarily - at least that's my wish.

I also notice that there is now a book of fire.

Is there an ETA on next beta version?

Actually the game is fun for me now, so I will just keep playing for my own amusement

Clink is when your armor totally blocks the attack from a weaker weapon. I believe that if their attack role is less than one, it has a 50% chance to Clink instead of doing one damage.

Cant see anything on the link

Probably missing some addon, any help on that?

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Looks good! I must have missed in the FE-o-pedia entry that everyone in that universe is Usain Bolt, though. You may want to add that in. Or, you know, just slow down the animations a bit (especially the 'normal' speed). 

I'm getting the same error.

It's there for me.