[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by onomastikon:
The graphics are abominable.

Not really. They tell you what's going on, and that's all that's needed. They could be labelled rectangles and it wouldn't make much difference to the gameplay.

This also gives the impression that the team had little "dedication" to its target group. By dedication, consider games where (it appears that) a lot of "love" has gone into the game.

You seem to have no understanding whatsoever of what is difficult to do in a computer program, or what is time consuming. Creating a complex set of interacting game elements is every bit as difficult as creating lots of art.

Think of Deus Ex I (the attention to detail) or Warcraft III (the cute voices, excellent graphics, extreme customer support (battle.net).)

So where are the two programmers going to get the money to do this, and why should they waste their time on mostly irrelevant eye candy? There's really no need for graphics to be any better than those in the original Civilization for a strategy game, and much effort is wasted by companies in making them better.

The designers obviously love the concept, but it appears they did not want to invest in a finished product for a larger target group. And that is why the price seems so high.

I think you need to get a reality check. Deus Ex and Warcraft III had million dollar budgets.