I'm fairly far along in the game but I haven't finished it, so perhaps I'm not quite valid to post here, but oh well. Here's my two cents.
- I've got to admit, I would really like more low to medium level creatures for the beggining of the game. Perhaps more medium-level though, only accessible to create after the game has been purchased, just to make the buyer want the full more.
I'm half-thinking about having a LOT of smaller creatures with high chances to hit, medium attack, and VERY low HP. From what I've played of the game (I'm up to... I just got into Benrii-Uss) it never seemed that I filled up all my creature slots. The most I ever got up to was five, including myself - and that's with the addition of that big blue fyora and a servile from some eyebeast lair. I tried having a bunch of weak creations that worked together, but I didn't get more than two kills before realizing they NEVER hit and that my shaper was doing all the damage. 'Twould be an alternative shaping strategy, and a damn good one too.
- In terms of the layout of map placement, world map, whatever, I think there should be more dead ends and more maps that have two links to other ones. Too many times I've forged ahead and just gone back to "clean up" some of the maps I've left behind. Then again, I've only been playing on normal... I'm guessing that's not as possible on higher difficulties.
- For plot, I doubt the game would even support shaper cities as Jeff described them - one city could be three or four maps! But I don't like the idea of doing another "wilderness campaign," although the game is kind of suited to it. Perhaps some sort of a thing where you're an officer in a colonization project, and you meet some "bandits" in the woods... Who've been shaping on their own for years without knowledge of anything outside their forest...
- For weapons, I kind of like the current system. Although cumbersome to play it's a little more realistic. But I've got to agree with the comment on shaper creativity - they're still using swords? I'd like to see more shaped weapons... perhaps a long, living whip that could wrap around and choke (stunning or paralyzing) a foe, or a living arrow that would do damage and paralyze the opponent, or living thorns that would automatically go for the vital areas of the target. I like the idea of having two weapon slots, but for two different weapon classes - heavy and light. Heavy would be basically everything in the game currently, while light would include daggers and other small arms... a thorn pistol... hehehe....
But I'm rambling. Yes. Pretty good first post. Don't eat my brain.