Like I said in another thread,.. let's make Dec 22nd and the #spaceempires chat room the day and place for this years SE xmas party. I encourage everyone to try and drop by there at any time. If you can manage to be there when Aaron shows up, all the better, if not we can still have fun.
As for releasing screenshots or any other artwork, I can and do make lots of 'fluff' but the decision of if and when to publish any is always up to Aaron. I'll try to do some special stuff for the occasion, at the very least, some new wallpaper, but I suspect that any screenshots will be held back until the official announcement of the beta in January.
I just had a thought, maybe I'll put together a bunch of the artwork that is on my editing room floor. You know stuff that has not 'yet' been approved or made to fit in SE5.
Just to keep my rep as a master teaser (according to Fyron) I'll tell you this.. I made what I think is a Fantastic Concept for a 'Ringworld' but it didn't fit in with aaron's view/idea of what a ringworld should be. I think he like many have been brainwashed by the traditional view of a 2d surface that well, rings around the sun. But personally I don't like the idea of a planet that is always in sunlight. I like to sleep in the dark, look at the stars, and with that type of ringworld, they would be lost to the brightness of the sky. The poor people that would be forced to live/work in a world without stars. Just so you know, I never saw what many know as this type of ringworld, so when I came up with my concept, I went a more mechanical route. After all, these things are supposed to be built right? Anyway, I'll see if Aaron will let me publish that render.
Cheers!
