I hope they've upgraded the email systems for multi-player and give us a Honess Easter Egg or two.

If there is one thing the Age of Wonders games need, it's a better AI, both strategic and tactical.

I agree with the AI improvement. I think you're right they will probably spend a fair amount of time improving that area.
Mimo, just so you know - I have shared the Wrapper source code with Triumph Studios, however it remains to be seen how much of it they will use (if any).

I expect that if a PBEM like system was involved they might just make it work with their own proprietary turn-server so that no email account configuration is required. One of my biggest fears is that the new game might end up being dumbed down, the average gamer today is not half as intelligent as the average gamer 10 years ago. We have consoles to thank for this.

A new Age of Wonders game, with some new races or units, much better AI, continuing PBEM support, even more race/alignment bonusses and penalties.... I know what I want for X-mas :)

Dave, I understand your fear, but Triumph knows why their games are so succesful. They are not for your average console-player.

Damn, this news made my day!

Great news - though I share this fear... ...after the experience with all the "newest" releases of once famous series like Tropico, HoMM, Patrician/Port Royale, Majesty, Master of Orion, Seven Kingdoms and others...

I know this is totally unrealistic, but:
Listen... I want a sequel to the AOW1 dark elf campaign. As a dark elf, obviously. Doesn't have to be pure evil. It doesn't have to be multiple-choice campaign, I didn't really care about that. The hero should be in the style of Talic or Robespierre, since they both sound the same. It should have the industrious goblins, conniving dark elves, and orc war-bands.

Wizard-hero setup... at least as an option?
Noting compares to running across the After the Fall map on horseback with your spellbook.

Admittedly AOW2 also had some maps with good atmosphere and TWT's good campaign (I like it better than Shadow Magic...), but many maps gave the impression of being overly large or unnecessarily spacious, or too easy (single-player non-campaign). No space is wasted in AOW1. I can't say that Shadow Magic's map generator made for much of a challenge single-player.

It's too bad there are no parameters to not generate recruiting sities or quest stones. Since the AI don't uses them, any randomly generated map will always be heavily balanced in the player's favour.

See attached pic;

OH ANNOUNCEMENT WHERE ARE YOUUUU
They mention 3d artists in their job requests, which got me wondering if I'll be able to run it on my laptop (I like TBS games on trips). If it's AOW or TBS related, I mean. My laptop has an integrated radeon graphics card, but I doubt it'd be able to run the game Paradox came up with (I didn't bother buying it anyway). I find I'm able to run ROTK XI. I honestly don't mind 2d graphics, but news doesn't give the impression the game will be 2d. I suppose I might have to spring for a better card, I just wonder how well that works for laptops.

My expectations are very low:

I don't want it to be Civ 4.
I didn't buy Civ 5.

Also see: my major complaint about AOW2
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/age_of_wonders_series/my_major_complain_about_aow2

Is the new release coming to GOG?