The possibility of partnership.

[HoneyBadger]

It doesn't matter so much how complicated Dom3 is compared to GalCiv2, where AI is concerned. Or atleast, it doesn't matter as much as it might seem to. The fact is, poor AI is the norm. Very few games have good AI and very few people are capable of creating good AI (even fewer are passionate about it).

Put it like this: If you have someone who's really good at making toasted cheese sandwitches, a master of the toasted cheese sandwitch craft and trade, and you ask them to make a toasted cheese sandwitch with tomato and ham and maybe just a little onion between the ham and the cheese, they're more likely to be able to make you a decent toasted ham and cheese and tomato sandwitch because they already have that talent, experience, and passion for the basic toasted cheese. Now it's possible that the project might be too big, or the person might rebel against the purity of the simple cheese + bread design, but it's also possible that the person might, in expanding his horizons, become a better, deeper, and more complete chef, able to produce a toasted sandwitch of such complexity-yet such grace-that it blows your tastebuds away.

Certainly, Galciv2 is not as complex as Dom3, but just as certainly, Galciv2 is not tic-tac-toe. A partnership would allow Johan and Kristoffer to input just as much into the game, if not much more, than Brad. I also am really glad to hear that Brad has heard of and enjoys Dom3 enough to offer it free advertizing on his site. That's a very good sign.
I'm sure that the language "barrier" can be overcome. After all, if Illwinter were willing to hire me, I'd be willing to learn Swedish or Dutch or Finnish or old Norse runes, whatever was required to make them more comfortable. If a partnership occurred, it certainly is reasonable that a few social compromises be made here and there, atleast to the extent that everyone can communicate in a shared language. Afterall, the company's name is Illwinter, not Illmannered. I agree that Kristoffer and Johan both write English better than most people on this site already, a lot of whom-as far as I know-are American.

As far as the ability to put games on shelves, I bought my copy of GalCiv2 at Wal-Mart, so that puts to rest that particular concern.