This year seems to be the year of changes.
Two developers are leaving, one of them telling me that he feels that he reached a brick wall and has to go around it (ie. I don't want to implement the radical changes to the server and gameplay he wants). He now wants to make his own MMORPG, which means totally rewritting the EL server, getting his own artwork and stuff. Oh well, I won't say anything more about it, I try to keep my journal pretty objective and not talk about my feelings, nor do I want to use it to put down people.

Obviously, this will affect the project a little, but no one is irreplaceable, and life goes on.

Now we have a new client lead programmer, he is a very very smart and hard working guy from Germany, and since he is working with us he managed to greatly optimize the client, as well as adding various visual improvements and bug fixes.

Meanwhile, I started a side project (that is, I am working at it when I don't feel like working for EL), which is a single player game which will be in a way similar to the first two UFO games (X-Com). For the time being I am doing the strategic part (the earth view, bases, etc.) which is a separate program. When that is done (months from now) I will modify the EL engine and make a tactical part.
I will post a few screenshots in a few days, right now there is not much to show yet.