That is a good point, Gandalf. It would be a real shame if the fun of the game was spoiled in any way by reaching for a much better graphics engine.
After a while, you get used to the basic graphics and it really doesn't matter. I come from the school of cardboard cutout, monster board wargames. Graphics can sometimes get in the way if they become the focus. They should not be the focus. Civ 4 is a good example of a very pretty game which I find to have very little "fun factor". I have never stayed up until 3:00 AM playing Civ 4, but I have stayed up all night dosens of times playing Civ 3 (and now Dominions 3, which I like more atm).
I am checking in the after action reports and MP section of the forum for online games. I don't see any open ones, just games that have started already and are full.
I am willing to host games and to set up my computer as a server. I just haven't done it before. And while the help pages posted here and at Dom3minions.com are helpful. The link on "How to join a game" is down, so that is a little frustrating if you want to know how to join a game, which I do.
http://host.dom3minions.com/how-to.html
SR