Originally Posted by Kobal2fr
- the reloading thing is (correct me if I'm wrong, TW gurus) a leftover from Rome. Basically, the longer you play, the more the game's strategic AI "remembers" what it wants/needs. When you save/reload, said "memory" is cleared and they act like nothing ever happened at all and they have to re-understand what their best interest is etc...
IIRC, back in RTW you could get factions who wouldn't speak with you at all to accept anything you offered, even becoming protectorates (vassals) just by a save/reload if the situation was right.