So what are your thoughts on how 1.5 is performing?

[aimlesswanderer]

The Diplomacy AI still seems to be whacked. As Spain on H/H, I'd taken the Netherlands, Westphalia and Hannover. Prussia had been chewed down to Saxony by the Poles and was in a desperate situation, being also at war with Austria. I couldn't be bothered to fight them any more, so I asked for peace, but they wanted Hannover! Errr, I told them to efff off, and they were dead a few turns later.

The Cherokee, after a mere 20 or so failed attempts to attack Florida, asked for peace. I am not sure if this is the AI deciding that it was a waste of time, or whether it noticed the 3/4 stack walking over. Anyway, at least it spares me the need to fight a siege battle every turn or 2, since the autocalc has forgotten the fortifications.

At 1732, I have yet to actually declare war on anyone! They've all declared on me. I'd like to not be at war with so many people, but I can't help it unless I give away all my territories.

[Fisherking]

In a different line all together, what I noticed was that after 1.4 and prior to the hot fix in 1.5 the game ran as smooth as glass.

It was easy on the hardware, regardless of the glitches in the campaign map. It was running 10 to even 20 degrees cooler and not over taxing any one part of the system.

After the hot fix in 1.5 it has run very hot. The Warpath Campaign is the worst offender but the GC has been heating things up too. Naval battles draw more than they ever did before and land battles are worse on the hardware than ever.

I don't know what the changes were, but I thought that it was worth mentioning.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

I have noticed the same. With 1.4 I could hardly hear my computer. Now doing nothing on the campaign screen I can hear my coolers blowing like crazy.

[MakeItGo]

I defragged my ETW folder with Power Defragmenter 3.0 the other day and it seems to be a bit smoother.

[Wausser]

Just finished my Russian campaign on N/N and I tought it did a wonderfull job, no unreasonable DoW's, economics and money were fine as soon as I got trade spots. The only thing was that when asking for a trade agreements, a lot of factions wanted a military alliance with me, which I didn't want.

In my game Maratha conquered all ottoman regions, but lost the balkan to Austria. Poland destroyed Prussia the little German states, France, Spain and all of Italy

[Freedom Onanist]

Just going through a N/H campaing as Britain c. 1743.

I've managed to get the 13 colonies to join me and take Gibraltar. Spain and France seem to be in a very strong alliance with Spain becoming something of a superpower (alongside me). But they really do seem to be sticking together through thick and thin. They consistenly come to each other aid, sending armies to re-enforce each others armies defending capital cities. There are two full stacks of Sapniards next to Paris and one of French next to Madrid. The French attempted an invasion of Britain about 10 turns ago which took me completely by surpise with my pants down, mainly because I was still playing in the old, no invasions in ETW mode. Luckily for me my Dutch allies decided to help me out. They destroyed the French fleet in the Channel and invaded Flanders and Northern France. It was at this point that he Spanish seem to have rushed up their armies through France.

Spain in general is becoming quite agressive at sea, especially since Itook Gibraltar off them. I managed to take Madrid, I destroyed all unoccupied buildings. I then offered peace and Spain to the Spanish which they refused! So I gifted it to my erstwhile Prussian allies who took it. This had the double bonus of getting the Franco-Spanish Axis of Evil off my back and bankrupt Prussia The Axis invaded before there was a popular uprising and wiped the Prussians out. I think they are also in toruble in the East, but I haven't really been watching.

In the meantime a threat has emerged and is advancing from the East. The Marathas (sp?) have conquered all but one region in India (inc Ceylon) and after years of amicable trading with me suddenly appeared off the Newfy coast and invaded! The back stabbing good for nothings Luckily, my troops there were pretty experienced from the regular(ish) Inuit(?) invasions. Although they couldn't hold the province they put up a gallant fight and severely depleted the invaders. I was also in the process of building an army to invade, sorry, defend against unwarranted Indian agression, at precisely that time. What with the toll my Newfies took and this new army/navy I easily retook my possesions.

I am now sailing for the subcontinent to demand reparations and bring Enlightened cnstitutional monarchy to the downtrodden masses of India.

Hmmm. That's my longest ever post I think.

Impressions.

CAI
Overall happy.
It still does some bizarre things (Prussia accepting Spain?) but it is a GAME.
There are a few problems like random wars and weird diplomatic stubborness.
One thing I have seen that the CAI doesn't react to properly is raiding land trade routes. I can land a couple of units in France and Spain and blockade a trade route with relative impunity. As long as i am not too close to an enemy stack the CAI seems to ignore them. This I think is costing them dearly in revenue.

BAI
Happy.
I have not witnessed the so-called "melee" bug in any meaningful way. Opponents seem to try and line up, engage with firearms and then charge in. Weapons like mortars are still vastly over-powered and shrapnel seems to all intents and purposes to be useless, overshooting any targets consistently. I'm using the Puckle guns quite effectively, even if I there is a part of me that says I shouldn't use them.

Anyway, enough for now. I am happy with the game now.

[Dead Guy]

I'm still very annoyed that my campaigns die sometimes as early as 1732, BUT...

I attacked a full russian stack as Prussia the other day and set up my usual line with cannons in gaps in the line with two line infantry in between them and more flanking, some hidden units at an angle outwards at the ends, some other hidden units sort of covering the flanks further out sometimes guarded by hidden cavalry. Howitzers behind the line.

As usual the AI wasted it's cavalry, one unit got wasted by cannons and howitzers. The other one predictably went to flank one of my hidden flank guarding line infantry units, even though it of course should not know that it's there. I formed it up into a square and that was it for the cavalry.

But here's the but, the AI didn't mindlessly charge the rest of it's army at my line after that, which it used to do every single time before. So I had to advance on the russians and since I'm so lazy I didn't bother bringing my artillery up. Lost more men than I usually do but I still won easily because of needless and excessive manouvering on the AI side.

And oh boy are light dragoons crazy now with their fire and reload on the move super powers.

It seems to me that puckle guns are a wasted space in your line where there could have been cannons firing cannister shot. But that's just me. Cannons are more versatile and puckle guns simply don't score enough kills to warrant a switch from cannons I think.